Last weekend, Oct 28-30, Friar Rick came down to Costa Rica for our fall retreat. We traveled with him to the nearby city Alejuela, where we stayed at the Franciscan Monastery there. The property they have is gorgeous - there are two retreat centers, fruit trees, a greenhouse, and the convent. We shared all our meals with the dozen or so friars and postulates (guys who are living there to see if they want to be friars). At first the dynamic between 5 twenty-something girls and a dozen men of various ages was a bit unusual, but once we got comfortable talking with them, we had a lot of fun together. It was nice to share about our experience here so far and to learn about the formation process of a friar.

The five of us also appreciated time to be away from work and away from our house to relax, reflect, and spend some quality time together and with Rick.

Chilln' with Francis and the wolf 

We're not nuns, I swear.

Friar Rick loves us. 

On Sunday, we returned to Moravia for a dinner out on the town (in the words of Bro J and Friar Rick, "Thank you, benefactors!"). On Monday, Friar Rick cooked yet another gourmet meal for us. Since Halloween isn't nearly as big of a deal here as at home, he brought us some lights and decorations to make our house feel festive.   I did see some little kids dressed up on Monday (and Tuesday, oddly), but Costa Rica is already preparing for Christmas. I kid you not - for the last week and a half at school, we have been starting Christmas craft projects, talking about Christmas songs, putting up Christmas trees and lights, and planning end-of-the-year Christmas events. To me, this is unthinkable...Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving (not to mention the start of Advent!) are just disrespectful to my very favorite holiday!  But alas, Thanksgiving doesn't happen here either; so, Christmas it is!  Also, Christmas is very much associated with the end of the school year. The kids' last day is November 25th, so we're already wrapping up the year!

4 of the 6 students in my class! 

While making all these fun Christmas crafts, I've had the chance to bond a lot with the students in my class. I have funny stories almost every night at dinner about the things the kids do or say in class. I considered it a huge success last week when one of our students, Andrea, kept reaching out to hug me - time and time again for about 15 minutes. Typically, Andrea is easily bothered and pinches or grabs people who come near her. But, when I was little my mom taught me how a gentle backrub can soothe anyone, so I usually start my interaction with Andrea by placing my palm on her back. If she doesn't wince, I'm in! The same goes for Joselyn. She has a reputation in the department for being a bit scary, and can be aggressive towards students and teachers alike. However, I have been working with her a lot and am very comfortable with her, which I think is a sign that she's comfortable with me too!

Today, I participated in my fourth - yes, fourth - parade at school since my arrival. This week we begin "Semana de los derechos de las personas con discapacidad" (A mouthful that basically means a week to celebrate the rights of people with disabilities. Formerly known as special education week, but since that title must now be taboo, it has been renamed. But I digress...). So, since communication isn't one of Cenento's strong points, we didn't know this event was taking place since it was coordinated by another department. But, we went with the flow! However, we missed the memo that the kids and teachers were supposed to dress up in costumes...  We marched to the plaza in the center of Guadalupe, per usual, and returned for a dance party with a band and clowns. There was also a presentation by a group of girls who participate in Rhythmic Gymnastics in the Special Olympics. They were fantastic!  

Clowns and band that joined our parade. Recognize the guy in the yellow?

Let's backtrack a bit to the weekend, shall we? On Saturday, I went with Amanda and Molly to do the week's produce shopping at the market, and then to neighboring town Tibas to go shoe shopping. Between the rain and the long walk to work and the mold (yes, mold) in my closet, I was in need of some decent shoes for work. Success, and for cheap! Later in the evening, we went to mass and dinner and then set out on foot to visit a neighborhood bar with our friend Josue. It was nice to get out and enjoy the beautiful evening. For the first time, we could see the stars at night because it wasn't raining or cloudy. I'm SO excited that 'summer' is beginning here...that less rain! Woo!


On Sunday, we found our way to el Mall San Pedro, a giant indoor mall in a nearby neighborhood with a movie theater. For just about $3 we were able to see a film called El Regreso, which is all about a Tico who has lived in NY for 9 years and his return to his Motherland. I think we all identified with his impression of Costa Rica after being away for so long. It was really a phenomenal film, and I was excited to recognize much of the scenery, colloquialisms, and culture.