Exhaustion Sets In

It’s hitting hard – the overwhelming tiredness and the desire to sleep every possible second! Of course, cheap there hasn’t been an extra second, order but here it is just after 8PM and we find ourselves getting ready for bed. I’ll give you a quick recap of yesterday and today and then hopefully this night’s sleep will find us refreshed in the morning.

Yesterday we went to church at Centro Evangelistico. It’s a very large church – several thousand people. It was quite an experience! Alex and Maggie were very nervous to go into classes for kids because of their lack of understanding, but they each had another MK with them, so they went on in. They came out in one piece, so we’ll mark that as a victory! The praise and worship was great. There were two songs we knew the lyrics to in English, but the rest were new to us. I understood bits and pieces of the message, but it was a bit hard to focus after a while. Some things were very similar about the service, yet it was much more relaxed in the way of time and schedules. Praise and worship went on for over an hour. They did communion and we held onto the sacrements for probably about a half an hour before they actually took it. It was all very interesting.

This morning the kids got off on their first day of school. Last night Maggie was very emotional so I was a bit worried about how this morning would go. The bus comes at 7:10, so it makes for an early morning. The kids were a bit grumpy this morning, but when it was actually time to catch the bus they were in good spirits. They both came home from school very happy. We ventured out this evening to get school supplies. Tomorrow they will start soccer after school. The school provides it as an after-school activity two days a week. They’re really looking forward to it. I’m told it’s all in Spanish, but that it’s where most of the MKs have really learned the most Spanish.

Corey and I had orientation this morning – an overload of information about many things in Costa Rica, our school system, etc. It was good information. We had lunch with all the teachers and returning students. At the end of orientation we received our class schedules. Corey is in a class of three people. They keep the same people together for every class – we have four every day and a fifth once a week. I was placed in Phoenetics I, but everything else I am in classes with second trimester students. So tomorrow our true purpose for Costa Rica begins.

I think all the adjustments, culture shock, etc. has just worn us out. I’m looking forward to the time when this all becomes routine and we are able to physically catch up a bit. We’re so glad to be here and get started in language training! So that’s all for now. It’s early, but we’re diving in for a long night’s rest! Blessings!
~Tona