Sunday January 16, 2005

This morning we set off for our new adventure. Darby, Grayson and Mark spent the night down at M.E. and Pop Pop’s house in Buckhead so that I would have plenty of time to pack and get organized. I packed the car Saturday night. We ended up with seven bags for just the three of us but that included a backpack carry on for each of us. In addition, we would be visiting various climates so it seemed necessary. I headed down to Buckhead around 7am Sunday morning and Mark drove the kids and I down to the airport for a 10:35am flight.

In the airport we said our tearful goodbyes to Daddy and headed through security. We met a Guatemalan woman at the down escalator and she was clearly lost and couldn’t speak a lick of English. As I was sure I would feel exactly the same way in another 4 or 5 hours when we reached Costa Rica, we rushed to help her. We accompanied her to her Gate, E3; and then headed to our own just down a bit at Gate E8.

We enjoyed an ice cream and then boarded our flight on time. The nicest group of flight attendants was on board. They were very interested in our adventure and wanted all the details of the school we would be attending. The flight was comfortable and uneventful.

We landed at Juan Santamaria Airport in San Jose, Costa Rica at 1:45 pm. It was a mad house! It took about 1.5 hours to get through customs and immigration and the kids were tired and hot. They were great troopers though and dutifully waited in line and held their own backpacks patiently. Once we got through and collect our checked luggage we realized it would be interesting to see how one woman and two children would carry all seven bags. We didn’t have Daddy to help us this time. Grayson was very resourceful in obtaining a cart and we exited the airport. Luckily, just outside the door we found our driver with our name on a sign waiting for us and he helped us to his van.

I assumed the driver might speak English since he was sent by the school but no luck. My Spanish dictionary that had yet to be cracked open was suddenly getting the workout of its life. The family we would be staying with was only a 15 minutes drive away from the airport and we were soon pulling up in front. The name of our hosts was the Chevas Family. There were four immediate members of the family: Mama Tica Alba, Papa Tica Luis, and children Luis Enrique, a son of 10 years old, and Xiomara a daughter of 7 years old. Alba and son Luis met us and helped us in. I wasn’t sure where the father or daughter were but I had no means in Spanish to ask.

We were shown our living quarters and we quickly settled in. The main house was at ground level and contained a small eating area/living room, a small kitchenette, and one bedroom and bath room which all four members of the family used. Outside there was a staircase leading down and our quarters were somewhat like a daylight finished basement. We had a small sitting area, two

Luis, Grayson, Xiomara, & Darby

bedrooms with twin beds in each and our own bathroom. It was nice to have our own space. The family would provide breakfast and dinner for us each day so there was no need for a kitchen.

Soon after settling in, Alba motioned to see if we wanted to go with her to what I thought might be a church service. We went not knowing what to expect. We found ourselves in someone’s home with lots of guitar playing and singing and praying going on. I could only recognize when they said "Jesus". My limited Spanish helped me to

recognize that in Spanish the name is pronounced as “Hey Zeus”. We sat and listed and watched. There were plenty of kids there. We met Xiomara, Alba’s daughter, sitting with the other kids there. Once the service seemed to end, they celebrated three birthdays in the crowd. One was for Luis Enrique (Luis, Jr.), who would turn 11 while we were staying with them. Then the woman started handing out large plates heaped with food. It seemed to be rice with chicken and vegetables and a side of salad and potato chips with some lemonade. It was delicious and even the kids enjoyed the meal.

I came to find out that all of the people there were brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces or nephews of Alba. She has ten brothers and sisters! Only one spoke English and it was Alba’s brother who is actually a contractor living in New York and down for a visit. I have a feeling I will be learning a lot in the weeks to come!

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