semana santa

We’ve had a busy few weeks around our school.  Here are some highlights: 

Betsy and I went to New Jersey for the weekend to attend my church’s mission conference at the beginning of the month.  This was my first time attending the events on the “missionary” side.  (It still feels a little strange calling myself that.)  It was a wonderful whirlwind of a trip.  I really enjoyed seeing my family and friends and learning how God is working through others locally and abroad.  

We arrived back in PR just in time to get a few hours of sleep and go to school Monday morning.  It wasn’t too hard to muster the energy for each day, though, because we saw the light of spring break at the end of the week. 

Then, on Friday night—as we were preparing a goodbye meal for our visitors and a vacation kick-off—I tried to be helpful (I guess that was my first mistake!)  I joined Jen and Judy in their kitchen chopping sweet potatoes and zucchini.  In the process of cutting the potatoes, Jen cut her thumb on a knife.  I said, “I am going to be SO careful.  There’s no way I’m going to cut my finger.”  (That was my second mistake.)  Shortly after, I sliced off the tip of my finger.  I took a look, got a few second opinions, and we were off to the emergency care office in town. 

What I expected to be a freezing, pain-stakingly long, inefficient experience turned out to be quite lovely (if you can say that about an event involving a whole lot of blood)!  I was in, seen, paid, out, to the pharmacy, and home in an hour and a half.  I can’t always go to the bank or the grocery store that quickly!  Except for the rude doctor who later yelled at Jen and me as we tried to explain why the pharmacy needed my prescription changed, it was a smooth and almost-enjoyable experience.

I’m very happy that all this happened at the beginning of spring break because I spent the next five days in a hammock with my hand elevated sleeping off the dreadful side-effects of the antibiotics and pain-killers I was taking.

I came to life by about Thursday and went to church.  The kids in my Thursday-night sign language class performed a song, as did two of my high-schoolers (Johanely and Kevin).  Then on Good Friday, we attended a Spanish service in the morning and an English service in the evening.  Today we spent the day at the art museum in San Juan.  So the tough week has had a happy ending. 

Happy Easter!

chocolate con queso

Tonight after church, we had Mexican hot chocolate…with cheese.

This was a new cultural experience for me.  My pastor here is from Mexico and he brought hot chocolate for us to share.  Since you can’t just serve hot chocolate by itself, it was accompanied by a nice spread of cheese, bread, and candied papaya.  I thought this was a strange selection of foods (as I would not have chosen any of them to complement hot chocolate). 

But apparently I was alone in this thought.  I looked around and saw that almost everyone was putting the cheese in their hot chocolate!  This is apparently the Puerto Rican thing to do.  So I decided—when in Puerto Rico, do as the Puerto Ricans do.  (My pastor—who has adopted this same philosophy—told me that he has indeed never partaken in this tradition.)  I have to admit it wasn’t too bad, but I think I prefer my chocolate solo.

My mom (who also did not put cheese in her hot chocolate) has been visiting this week.  It’s been nice having a touch of home.  She’s been teaching the kids about health and hygiene.

This weekend, Betsy and I will venture to NJ for my church’s mission conference.  (I feel sleep deprived already just thinking about it!)  But I’m really looking forward to spending time with my church family (and real family, too!)