Cosas Verdes (Green Things) y Punto de Vista (Point of View)

So green tends to mean "go" in the States, but when you see it on a sidewalk here, it means "slow down!" It rains so much here (an hour or more in the afternoon and usually a couple more hours at night), that the sidewalks are slippery with moss and other such green growth. It is very tricky to find dressy shoes that do not hurt your feet when walking 10-15 minutes to and then from work and also have substantial traction. Some days are a puddle hopping, green mold avoiding adventure more than others.

This week I started running with my friend Mary each day before work. We leave at 5:30am, which I am amazed about for two reasons. One that I have ever even done it----successfully woken up that early--- and second that it is becoming enjoyable and routine! I love starting the day off talking to my friend and being outside. I love that only five or ten other people in the world are visible at this time of day (okay, maybe a few more than that, but overall it is calm, still, and un-crowded). We can see mountains off in the distance, dotted with tiny lights representing homes of fellow Costa Ricans.

This morning when we went running, I took a tumble and somehow ended up even rolling over and skinning my right knee pretty bad, my right elbow and right hand and left hand a little, and slicing my left ring finger pretty bad on the inside, closest to my middle finger. Take a second to imagine where that part of my finger is. It will add you the baffling element of the story. How did it happen? It was a combination of slippery and drastic change in sidewalk tile spacing/almost like a step/I didn't even see it coming. Perhaps I had been distracted by the bakery we just passed that was oozing out amazing bread smells? I usually eat after I get back and shower, after the 10 year old in my tico family showers, and my tico mom gets up (about 6:30). Still, despite the blood, it was a beautiful way to start the day. Yesterday we stumbled upon a Japanese park that was the nicest city-block-sized park I've seen yet around here (I know of four within walking distance now). It even had swings! You never know what you'll find out there, and it has been such a blessing to see a little more of the city around me each morning. For the first two weeks, all I knew was the road between my house and the school, literally, and it was really bothering me. I wanted to know more about where I live!

Another funny incident happened Saturday, probably about a half hour after I blogged last week. I had been at my friend Esther's house using her computer to access the Internet. Earlier that day I'd put my keys in her purse for safe keeping as we went downtown to San Jose. As I left her house, it started to rain. Rain doesn't ever happen just a little here. Once this wee it was raining so loud for over half and hour I was literally screaming at my students about living and nonliving things. It was actually kind of funny. I guess it is a good reminder of who has power, is all powerful, you know? Anyways, it was raining pretty hard by the time I got back to my house (10-15 minute walk). I reached into the plastic bag I was carrying to look for my keys (it's safer to store small but valuable items such as cameras and such in common grocery bags that people carry around all the time, usually to transport their lunch from place to place because you're less likely to get robbed). I actually carry my keys in my hand for the most part, but that isn't the point. The keys were at Esther's, and I knew Esther was out getting a gift for a birthday party for one of her tico family members, so she wasn't at home and probably had her purse with her. The rain pounded harder...

I banged on the heavy, metal gates/bars/porton at the entrance to my house repeatedly, but none heard me. I screamed, "Alguien esta?" (Is anyone there?) as loudly as I could. No one heard me. No cell phone. No phone numbers memorized, though it's likely anyone I wanted to call would have 22 at the beginning of their number, that much I'd learned. My pants were getting wet at the bottom because the umbrella only covered so much of me. I chuckled. I had no idea what to do. I was helpless. Again. When one helpless thing at a time happens here, I usually think it's funny and do okay. When three or more happen at once, I get overwhelmed. I realized that the second gate to the house was open and the car was there, so someone was likely inside. I banged. It rained. I screamed. It rained. I just stood there. It rained. Finally, the dad came out. He said something to me that I didn't understand. The word abierta was involved. That means open. "What do you mean it's open?" I tried pulling the gate toward me. I tried pushing it away from me. I tried sliding it left to right. The gate hadn't moved.

So I learned that if I put my hand inside the gate and pull a small metal piece sideways, it will open if it's already unlocked. I laughed. I tried it. It worked. The gate had been open the whole time. I still laugh about that sometimes. And my tica family likes to remind me of it. It makes me think of a term I learned recently. I think it was at a Bible study I started going to on Wednesday nights with other people learning Spanish (there are several Hispanics that host it/attend too). Punto de vista, or point of view. From my point of view, I was helpless and locked out. In reality, I had more power to change my situation than I realized, and the door was open. I am not sure exactly what God wants to teach me through that yet, but I feel like he will remind me of this experience as an illustration for an upcoming lesson. Often things are simpler than they seem at first, but we get worked up and make them harder than they need to be.

One last amusing thiing: The school store where kids can buy food (vaguely like a cafeteria) is called Cosas. I thought that was a cool name and just called it "Cosas" without translating it. Recently I realized that it means "things." Isn't that a fun/funny name for a store? Another funny store I went to this week was called "Pequeno Mundo" or "Small World." It is vaguely like Sams, but smaller. I couldn't help but sing the "It's a Small World Afterall" song in my head on the bus ride to the store!

Prayer:
-deepening friendship with Mary and Esther, other teachers (praise!)
-having a group of friends to hang out with, regularly pursuing each other to hang out, probably for the first time in my life---it's four of us new teachers at school, which may at some point be named the "cuatro solteras" (four single girls)...mary's tico mom thought that name was hilarious and was almost screaming it and going on and on about it in the market in san jose and you can be sure we were turning red (praise!)
-deepening friendship with Naome, hispanic music teacher (request)
-wisdom about sweetheart of a student who may enter first grade that is not up to par in English per entrance exam, but is fluent in Spanish, Swiss, and German and grew up in Columbia... giving an official opinion on the likelihood of his educational success (request)
-student who was crying in the mornings has adjusted well (praise!)
-student from sweden who doesn't speak english or spanish is adjusting well, language learning (praise and request!)
-getting into a regular sleep routine (praise!)
-my tico family, celebrating Dia del Nino (Day of the Child) with them at the mansion-esque two story McDonals where I ate a McNifico burger and noticed there were paid workers to facilitate parking for the swarms of people who had the same celebration idea (praise!)
-a running buddy (praise!)
-possible regular internet connection (praise and request!)
-feeling more settled (praise!)