11 Thoughts

So, in no particular order, here are some of the things I have learned over the last couple of weeks:

1.  Baking soda is not an easily found ingredient.  Last week I walked to four different stores, totaling somewhere around two and half or three mile walk. Never found it.

2.  Mint green is never a good color.  Unless there is ice cream involved.

3.  After many months of not experiencing it, air conditioning can take you aback.  I took a taxi yesterday to look for sheets and when I got in something seemed strange.  I couldn't put my finger on what it was.  About 3 minutes into the ride I realized all the windows were closed.  And that's when it dawned on me, this taxi had AC!!  First time I had experienced that!

4.  Being far away from hurting friends forces you pray harder.  You desperately want to do something for them, and since there is no way to clean their house, bring them a meal, you pray.  Which is really what they need the most anyway.

5.  Four year olds can spend the whole day with their underpants on backwards and not care.

6.  Given the right conditions and the right amount of time, I can tell you what I am doing right now, what I am doing continually, what I want to do, and what I did in Spanish.  Again, note the stipulation of the right conditions and the right amount of time you have to waste listening to me stammer through the conjugation.

7.  It's truly amazing that in three months you can go from needing the help of another family to maneuver around the city, to being that other family to help someone new.  Our 'little brother and sister' Will and Elaine Savell come tomorrow!  They will be here for a year studying Spanish and then they will be working with pastoral training in Latin America.

8.  Without having a 30 year experiential knowledge of the subtle nuances of the weather, it's hard to keep track of what time of year it is.  Seriously.  You know how you can tell by the way the air smells, the look of the leaves, the sky, when it gets dark at night, what produce is in season, how the seasons are changing?  Yeah, well, I got nothing here.  It gets dark every night at the same time, there are no leaves to change, no familiar signs.  I don't even know if there are seasons for produce here.  It's a bit disconcerting really.

9.  Just like in high school or college, adult language school students get lax at the end of the term.  Wow, we are all ready for our two week break!

10.  Stores in Costa Rica sometimes carry only pink sheets.  Yes, for real.

11.  Sometimes you just need a nap at 10:30 am.