And then there were three...

proudly sporting Lonestar shirts

This past week, Molly left us for Notre Dame, where she will spend the next two summers working on a Master's of Education while teaching full-time in Brownsville, TX during the school year. To send her off in style, we had many "goodbye" activities with various friends of our community. The first in the series of events was a trip to Lonestar, a tex-mex restaurant in Coronado. We went with Friar Michael, Marta, her son Charlie, and our new friend Arthur, a US college student who is staying at the friary for the summer.  Later we were joined by most of the friars and Yamy! We shared a lot of laughs and some delicious margaritas.

The next evening, Molly and I were invited to dinner and a sleep-over with Marlyn and Juan Gabriel. Juan Ga is a student in my class at Centeno as well as a patient at the clinic where Molly has worked. He and his mom, Marlyn, are two very special people who we have grown to love a lot this year. Marlyn insisted on having us over for the night as a way to say thank you. Sure enough, she spoiled us rotten with lasagna, presents, and a delicious breakfast. We loved being able to spend time with Juan Ga as well!

last group shot!

Last Saturday evening, we had a community night out on the town to celebrate Molly's departure. We went to an Italian restaurant in the center of Moravia and enjoyed some fantastic food and wine and community time.  Before dinner, we enjoyed preprandials (the fancy friar word for cocktail hour) at home and reminisced about community memories, silly stories about Molly, and other random and funny things that have happened this year. Arthur was along for the ride, so I think he got to know us pretty quickly. (Thankfully, we didn't' scare him away...he must be brave.)

Collage for Molly

The "last supper" with Molly on Wednesday was an assortment of all her favorite foods...or at least the ones we've eaten most frequently in Costa Rica. We made plaintains, yuca fries, mac and cheese, and frijoles molidos in her honor. Now she's safe and sound at Notre Dame...and we miss her already!

This week at work was a little crazy, but hasn't every week been? We had classes Monday and Tuesday per usual where we have been working on Father's Day art projects. On Wednesday, I helped out with the class next store since my kids didn't come in. On Thursday, I joined Guiselle and Ale (the teacher and assistant I work with) on a home visit to two of the families in my group. It was really interesting to see where my kids live and what their home lives are like. I've now seen 4 homes and they're all so welcoming. I really enjoyed the day, especially because it was something a little different than usual.

Also this week, I joined Nicole at the afterschool program she helps organize with students from St Francis. Twice a week, a group of about a dozen students loads into a mini-bus to go to La Isla, a community in Moravia that is markedly different from the area that St. Francis is in. The community is extremely poor, which is evident in everything from the homes, the roads, the schools, and the way people dress. In this program, St. Francis students help tutor little kids from La Isla and teach English classes to the older kids. I helped Nicole with English...it was so much fun. I hope to continue helping out for the few weeks we have left!

I'm down to four weeks left of work, and they'll certainly fly by! Hope summer is off to a great start back home. Sending much love up north!

 Fun picture:

Gecko showdown in the kitchen sink