I'm dreaming of a wet christmas...

Well, folks, it's raining here in Limon. This is normal for December here, so in alot of ways it is like being at home- cold and wet. Maybe not white, but I'm not going to argue that point.

As we get closer and closer to the end of the second trimester, I realize that we are cresting the hill of our stay here in Costa Rica and that from this point onward we will begin the rapid progression towards coming home and re-assimilating. I don't know how I feel about that- in alot of ways the real progress is just beginning here and I feel like we are finally establishing our program as a legit enterprise here in the city.

In addition, I have taken a job working at a call center around the corner from my house, wherein I work doing those surveys you all hate to receive at dinner time. I use a fake alias depending on each place I call, for instance I was Anna Brady while on the phone in Tulsa and Donna Forsyth while talking to San Diego. While I feel kind of funny working as outsourced labor, I am getting a chance to broaden my circle of friends here in the city and even find myself encountering genuine opportunities to witness in the old fashioned sense.

For example, I have a coworker we'll call Fred. Fred was interested in me as soon as he saw me because I am the rare working Gringa. Here, gringos come and go on the cruise ships and waste their money on fribbles- they don't stick around to work with the real people of the city. Yet, there I was. He is a very handsome Tico who lived in San Diego for many years before coming home. He's my age (almost all of the call center people are in their early twenties) and is a nice guy who has clearly lived a hard life up to this point. 

Fred immediately sought me out the very first day I came to the center, curious to know why I was in Limon. When I told him that I was a missionary in town, just trying to earn some extra money, he was surprised. "A Missionary, eh? So I guess you're really into God, then?" He asked, starting us off on a great conversation about the church and the many facets of Christianity that can be difficult for some people to maintain. Finally he confessed to me that he had once been a very devout churchgoer, but that he had fallen into some very bad crowds and was still "running with the devil," as he put it. We ended up with him asking if we could have dinner some night and talk about it in depth. I have no reason to doubt his sincerity, and he has been an excellent coworker thus far. I'm excited for him to come home some night and talk to Roman and myself.

Anyhow, beyond that, we are simply relishing the holiday spirit of the city. There are parties and special events to attend, and our children will be debuting the christmas songs they have been working so hard to learn. We hope to have plenty of pictures to share as we get closer and closer to the big holiday. Until then...