This week in the USA...

Let me start out by saying that if you have ANYTHING else that you need to be doing, go ahead and do it... this blog entry will be totally pointless and will be an incredible waste of your valuable time.  However, I feel obligated to post once a week (or so) and sometimes my life just doesn't seem all that exciting.  Several of my missionary peers feel the same way (that their lives are equally as boring as mine) and that they really don't have a lot of incredible information to post on a weekly basis, but none the less, there are "blog police" out there who get all fussy if we don't post each week, and then they whine and say things like, "Why haven't you posted in 8.26 days???  I've been waiting on pins and needles for your next post!"  You know who you are...  

So, here are the random thoughts and events of the past week or so...

We are still "home" in the USA, awaiting our June 23rd departure date for Peru.  We continue to wait for our Peruvian visas, which are delayed - again.  It appears that we will now have to enter the country as tourists on a 90 day visa and work from within the country to get our residency visas finalized.  This means that when the visas are ready, we will have to leave the country and travel to Chile, then re-enter the country as "residents".  Which means that we will incur the unbudgeted cost of extra travel to Chile.  Oh well - such is business in Latin America.  

We have been super busy speaking at church services, dessert receptions, dinners, etc.  I think that we are finally finished with the "scheduled" speaking engagements.  However, there is a long list of people who still would like some time with us and want to meet for lunch, or dinner, or coffee, or whatever.  We are flattered and overwhelmed that anyone really wants to sit and eat and talk to us!  My stomach has had enough, though... it is in a constant state of "complaint".  It has become a running joke now - everywhere we go, someone tries to send home food with us (which is so nice).  However, my mom's refrigerator is overflowing and our waistlines are ever growing.  This morning is Billy's weekly coffee and donuts date with his accountability/bible study men's group and I begged him to NOT bring me donuts!  I didn't eat dinner last night because I'm so miserably stuffed, and I don't intend to eat breakfast either.  So if you really want to meet with us and talk, that's great... but I'll be having water, thanks.

Sarah has learned to swim since we have been home.  My mom is a member of a gym and she arranged for us to have a one month membership so we could take Sarah to the pool while we are home.  (I realize that at this point in the story, some of you are making the connection between my overeating and the gym membership... just hush!)  So we have been taking Sarah to the pool and she has decided that she no longer needs her ring and she can swim "like a grownup".  Within the past few days, she has thrown away the ring and started swimming like a fish!  She is now the proud owner of dive rings, which she is working diligently to recover from the bottom of the pool.  "It's hard, because my booty floats!", she said on the first day of her attempts.  Yesterday, she was able to jump in and swim to the middle of the competition-size pool without help.  She and Billy also spent almost an hour doing stunts... Sarah being thrown by Billy, doing flips and standing on his shoulders for two-man stunts, etc.  The lifeguard in me was having a fit, but the swim team in me was so proud!

Our old lab died this week.  He was 15, so he had lived plenty of life for a lab!!!  Actually, about 10 years ago, he had heartworms and we did the treatments to try to save him from that, at which time the vet told us that he might have another 3 years in him.  So we feel like he really got a lot more out of life than was to be expected.  He was Ryan's dog... Ryan got him when he was in kindergarten.  Ryan is now a junior in college, so he and Rex have been together for a long time.  It was a pretty tough blow for Ryan.  Not that we didn't expect it, and not that we didn't know that sooner or later Rex was going to die, but you're still not ready to deal with it when it happens.  So late the other night, Ryan and Miles and Billy buried Rex in the garden at my grandmother's house, and we all shed a few tears and said goodbye.  It has been a year of goodbyes and losses...

Today we will do more sorting and decision making... we are trying to finalize our packing for Peru.  We need to get it done so we can let the team in Peru know exactly how many bags and how much weight we are bringing.  They need to make arrangements for transportation once we arrive in Lima and some of our bags will have to be shipped by bus from Lima to Huancayo.  So we are trying to decide what we need, what is practical, what is not important, etc.  It's not my favorite activity... remember, I had a nervous breakdown trying decide whether to keep clothes hangers when we moved last year!

Well, if you made it this far in reading this post, I'm worried about you.  Surely you have better things to do!  They have counselors for this sort of thing... Seriously, thanks for hanging in there with us and supporting us, and caring enough to read even the most mundane things about our lives right now.  Within a few short weeks, we will have more exciting posts from new and exciting places... just hang in there :)

Home... whatever that means

So we are finally "home", whatever that means nowadays.  I have been perplexed by trying to answer the question "So, where are you from?" lately.  Several times this week, I have been in situations where I was meeting new people, etc. and they always ask me, "Where are you from?" or "Where do you live?", to which I have no real answer.  Home used to be here (Texas), but now we don't really feel like we are "home"... we are just visitors, back "home" for a time.  We don't really have a place to put our stuff, a closet was partially cleared for us, the living room is piled high with luggage yet unpacked... it just doesn't feel like home really.  Costa Rica isn't home, although it was for the past year - and we REALLY miss our friends from the language institute.  Peru isn't home yet, although it soon will be.   We don't have housing arrangements in Peru yet, we don't have our visas yet...  Everything is just a big LIMBO right now and feels kind-of weird.  

We are pretty tired.  We haven't been in Texas for a week yet, and already I have been to Dallas for two days to see my brother direct his Spring pops concert, been to a big welcome home dinner in Navasota (really neat - they even had Welcome Home Drum Family on the restaurant marquee), filmed a video at the church, transferred the title on the used car we bought for Miles, made a video / slide show for next week's speaking engagements, designed and printed bookmark prayer cards for next week, and have done countless hours of shopping that we needed to take care of before Peru.  We have sent Ryan back to TAMUK for a week or so and gotten his VW bus insured.  Culture shock on the USA end is compounded by the North American lifestyle of "super fast, super efficient, pack in as much as possible into one day" attitude.  It is taking it's toll on our very Latin American cultural mindset that we spent so many months getting used to... slow, calm, laid back, nothing happens fast, everything takes time, and you'll only accomplish 2 things on your list on any given day.  I really got used to that!!!  

By the way, my plan to eat my way across Texas came to a pretty quick demise.  Our first meal on the ground was at Chili's on the way home from the airport.  Billy and I didn't sleep that night because our stomachs were rebelling (more food and more fat than we are accustomed to).  On the second day, we had a nervous breakdown in the grocery store when my mom asked us to pick out a couple of bags of potato chips to go with sandwiches at lunch... there are WAY too many kinds of potato chips in this country!!!  We finally just threw up our hands and told Mom to pick.  That night, we ate at La Casita and again, my stomach was not very happy with me... I made a trip to WalMart to buy Tums since this seemed to be quickly becoming a trend.  In Dallas, we ate dinner at IHOP after the concert and I only managed 1/2 of my plate.  Sarah fell asleep in my lap and I could have done the same -- we just aren't used to these late nights!  In Costa Rica, it wasn't unusual for us to pass out in bed by 8:30 or 9 each night!  The mental exhaustion of language learning and a different culture was rough and we really needed lots of sleep.  Since we have been "home", we haven't been in bed before 11:00 yet!  Last night, it was 1:15 before we turned out the lights.

And there is no relief in sight... Today Billy attended his old Bible study coffee at 6 a.m., this weekend my girlfriends are taking me out for some pampering and lunch tomorrow, our old small group from church is having a social for us tomorrow night, Sunday we deliver the sermon at two services, have a Q&A forum at the Sunday School hour, attend at going-away reception for a pastor/supporter, hold another Q&A forum at a dessert reception in our honor in the afternoon...  Yep, I think we will be pretty exhausted by the end of Sunday.  If anything, we just haven't had time to really feel the effects of culture shock because we are so busy and so tired!

Love to all of you.  Pray for us and our transitions in the USA, and for the transitions that are in the works for our move to Peru in June.  

A view into my very disorganized mind

Emotions are running rampant and there are so many things on my mind right now.  We have so much to do before we leave Costa Rica this weekend, and yet, this seems to be the longest week in history!

I miss my friends from language school already... I miss them TERRIBLY!  In fact, I'm teary-eyed writing this!  This is the last time that we will be around a large group of missionaries who completely understand us and love us and have been through everything alongside us.  Our 10 classmates did life together this year, literally.  We all went through immense loss together (giving up our homes, friends, culture, language, etc.).  We  struggled to learn a new language together and a new culture.  We laughed together and cried together and took care of each other and loved each other through it all.  We were / ARE very tight.  Now we are all scattered...  It's rough.  I didn't get to say goodbye to Mike before he had to leave, Heath left early to get married in the USA, Matt & Brooke had to take off for some fundraising in the USA, Matt left yesterday for Honduras... and that's the end of "the gang"...  three are still in Costa Rica and going to school for one more trimester, seven of us have jumped out of the nest for our new countries.  Que triste!  I really miss my "family".

Gear switch... today we have no water.  That's fun!!!  They said it would be back on by 1 p.m., but it is now 4:00 and still no water.  So we went to McDonald's for lunch.  In Costa Rica, McD's has fried chicken as a combo meal (Billy's favorite).  They do not have the fish filet sandwich in Costa Rica, which is my favorite in Los Estados Unidos... too sad for me!  We took Lisbeth with us and we discussed how McDonald's here has delivery, but in the USA there is no delivery.  She was amazed... every food establishment here offers delivery!!!

Speaking of Lizbeth, this is a sad week for her and for us.  We are packing our things and she is very unhappy about it!  She is getting all of our "extras" that we can't take home with us... small kitchen things, etc.  Her family cannot afford to have most of the things that we take for granted, and we can't take most things to Peru with us.  Anything electric has to be re-bought in Peru because of the difference in current and plugs.  Somethings just weigh too much and it isn't financially feasible to pay the extra weight and baggage fees to take them... it is cheaper to buy them again.  So we are saying goodbye to our "stuff" again and Lizbeth is very happy to be on the receiving end.  But she is very sad that we are leaving.  She is teary every day.  She and Sarah are very close.  We aren't looking forward to Friday when we say goodbye for good.

We are really ready to go leave Costa Rica - it's time.  This was but a season in our lives and we have completed the task.  The goodbyes are painful and we are ready to go "home" to the States.  It will be great to see friends and family again!  I miss my friends and the backyard campfires, impromptu dates at La Casita, etc.  I am sad that I haven't been there to laugh with them and cry with them and live life together with them.  I hope to catch up...  And family - we haven't seen Miles since March, we haven't seen Billy's family since last June, I miss my Gama and our coffee breaks... It's time to go home for a bit.  

Personally, I think I have a serious food issue... much of my return trip to Texas revolves around where I want to eat because I miss some foods so much!!!  La Casita, Pappadeux, Starbuck's, PhoJon, Circle H hamburgers, etc... that's terrible, isn't it?!  And I dream about my visit to Target... just think - all of the things I need and want, all under one roof, all air conditioned, Starbucks at the door... I'm drooling just thinking about it.  I think I have a problem...  I might need counseling....  One of my missionary friends assures me that it will be a terrible experience (shopping at Target) because when she went home, it was shear overwhelming shock and she didn't last 10 minutes in there.  She says that we have really become accustomed to our new ways and that the USA is very difficult to go home to... I'm praying that she is wrong, but bracing for the possibility that she is right - after all, she HAS been there before me.

By the way, we DID graduate from language school.  We walked down the aisle and everything.  We carried the Peruvian flag, we received diplomas, etc.  Ryan graduated with us.  So we are all certified Spanish speakers now (mas o menos).  We aren't fluent - at least Billy and I aren't.  Ryan and Sarah are amazing!!!!  We know enough to realize that we are still pretty stupid, but on a good day, our knowledge of the language is incredible.  On a bad day, well, it's bad.  But we're still learning...  We learn more every day and the little men in our heads are up there working overtime at filing all of the Spanish in the appropriate places.  Each day some new light bulb comes on and we have another "aha" moment where something falls into place.  Hallelujah!  

Goodbye, La Carpio

Just feeling a little nostalgic today... guess it's because we graduate on Friday and we are quickly facing our "goodbyes" to friends/family here in Costa Rica.  Thought you might like to see "our kids" that we are leaving behind, in the capable hands of other missionaries who come behind us... click here 

la carpio slides

One more week of school

I can't believe that we are actually in our last week of school - finally!  I really just realized that fact a few minutes ago, when some students came over to rent our house for the next trimester... wow, we actually graduate this Friday!  I'm really so very ready to get out of Dodge and move on, but at the same time, it is a bittersweet victory.  Once again, we have to say goodbye to people who have become our family - classmates, ministry kids, teachers, etc.  Our life has become a constant mixture of change and culture and language and goodbyes.  Maybe we can finally grow some roots again in Peru... soon!  

Last week, my language class theme was "controversial topics", as if we don't debate controversial topics every day in this class!!!  Nevertheless, we talked about Dr. Kavorkjan and medical euthanasia, abortion, immigration, and the death penalty - wow!  I find it hard to have these debates in English, much less in Spanish!  What made this particularly interesting was the fact that we were not only debating controversial subjects, but that we were debating them among different cultures, different age groups, and different denominational backgrounds... that makes for a pretty interesting debate!!!  I did come out of this week feeling pretty good about my language skills and my Spanish writing skills (we had to write an editorial response paper for every topic) and I'm pretty confident that I can move to Peru and manage daily life without too many language issues... surely if you can debate the death penalty and present research trends, you should be able to buy groceries and pay the water bill without too much difficulty.

Yesterday was one of my more happy, healthy, laid back days in months... we took Sarah downtown to see "the cow parade".  We have similar art displays in The States.  I know that in South Padre there has been a display of art dolphins in the past, and I think I remember cows from some city at some point.  And I think there was a display of trains in College Station???  Anyway, San Jose, Costa Rica is currently showing 120+ cows by different artists, so we went on a downtown walk to see the cows.  At about 10:30, we stopped at my favorite cafe (above the bookstore downtown) and had coffee and cheesecake for a midmorning snack.  Then we continued on the cow tour, stopping at 11:30-12 to feed the pigeons in Plaza Cultural.  Then off to eat sushi for lunch (yummy!).   More cows until 3:00, then rode the bus home.  Sounds kind of boring???  I loved it!!!  It was just a calm, laid back day... no homework, no pressing schedule.

Last week was also our last time to work with the kids in La Carpio.  We had a final fiesta... showed a slide show of all of our photos from the year, ate popcorn (you would think we handed out gold nuggets on napkins), had a cake and Coke, and said goodbyes.  I held back the tears pretty well (hard to cry when kids are yelling and throwing popcorn during the slide show - kind of breaks the sentimental moment) until Giovanni was hanging on the window of the van while we were trying to drive away and saying "I love you, Laurie"... okay, it is bad enough that he is my favorite, but that sentence was a little much!  I'll never forget Giovanni...

Enough with the goodbyes, already!!!  How much more can we take?  Oh wait, we have 6 weeks in the states and more goodbyes before Peru....  aaarrrrrgggggggg!!!!!!

Sarah's Spanish

We have been amazed at watching Sarah learn Spanish while we've been here. As teachers, watching the learning process in our own child has been very interesting. We have not interfered in the natural progression and we have just watched as she learned naturally from her friends and her Costa Rican preschool teachers and people in her life. She went through a stage where she was doing a lot of listening and processing, but not much speaking. She also went through a stage where she would only speak Spanish to people who obviously looked "hispanic" to her, and she would only speak English to the "gringos"... if a gringo asked her to speak Spanish, she wouldn't do it. I guess in her little head, it didn't make any sense to speak Spanish to someone who so obviously could understand English - duh! So for a long time, we didn't hear too much of her Spanish. Then one day, we just happened to overhear a complete conversation between Sarah and Lizbeth (our empleada / friend) and it was amazing!!! Just within the past month, she has started to speak Spanish to anyone who speaks it to her... including us. If I speak in Spanish, she will stay in Spanish with me. If I switch over to English, she will switch, too. It's really amazing. Last night we had several of the 20-somethings over to eat brownies and watch TV (a kind-of family night) and Sarah told someone, "Vaya y traegamelo" (Go and bring it to me)... the entire room stopped and our mouths dropped open. She was using the subjunctive tense with imperativos / mandatos and complimento directos and indirectos! These specific tenses in Spanish took the rest of the room 8 months of school to master and she managed to do it without ever picking up a book or studying or taking a single test!!! Wish I could learn like a 4 year old!!!

Girl Scout cookies, Cream of Wheat, and NO MORE VELVEETA

It was a sad day when we finished the very last of cheese from the block of Velveeta that was sent to us in the mail. You can only imagine how happy missionaries can get when they open a package from the USA and it contains a block of Velveeta... "Hallelujah! Praise God! Someone sent us heaven in the form of cheese!" For missionaries from Texas, a block of Velveeta means only one thing... chips and queso for dinner!!! Sadly, we cannot buy a can of Rotel here, so we improvise and add the Costa Rican sad excuse for salsa and just pretend that it tastes remotely like a big bowl of queso from La Casita Restaurant back home. Anyway, the Velveeta is gone - boo hoo :(

On a happy note, our friends Heath and Erin were able to go back to the states over Easter and they surprised us by bringing us 2 boxes of Cream of Wheat!!! Another "Hip Hip Hooray" is in order!!! For anyone who knows our 4 year old, Sarah, you know that the child could literally live on Cream of Wheat - and she practically has for the past several days. She wakes up and asks for a bowl for breakfast, she wants more at about 3 p.m. for "snack", and she begs for it for dinner. If it weren't for the "real food" that she eats at lunch, I would be concerned. Seriously, folks, we have sent requests home several times this year for Cream of Wheat. We received some for Christmas, again when Miles came for Spring Break, and now these 2 boxes from Heath and Erin. Don't know what we will do in Peru... wonder if Cream of Wheat has on-line purchasing and free international shipping??? Probably not.

Another INCREDIBLE surprise was the box we received this week. We had no idea it was coming and had no idea what was in it. Imagine our extreme excitement when we opened it up and it was GIRL SCOUT COOKIES!!!! SCORE!!! Two boxes of Thin Mints, 2 boxes of Samoas (or whatever they are currently called), 2 boxes of Tagalongs, 2 boxes of Lemonades, a box of Trefoils, and a box of Cinna-somethings. WOO HOO!!!! We were nice and took some to school to share... we were the envy of all!!!

We really lead sad little lives nowadays, don't we??? We are completely out of our minds with happiness over Velveeta, Cream of Wheat, and Girl Scout Cookies sent from home... pitiful! Even more sad is the fact that we can't wait to return to Texas and eat all of the foods that we miss - we are specifically making plans around certain restaurants and eating specific foods with our friends. How very American... que triste! You really have no idea how much of your culture is tied up in food until you are removed from it.

Until later... love you! Nos vemos!