The weather, money and church

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Before I tell you about my experience at church today, I want to tell you about the climate. In Costa Rica there are only two seasons: the dry season, known as el verano (summer), and the rainy season, known as el invierno (winter). El verano is from the months of diciembre to abril.  El invierno is from mayo to noviembre. You probably figured out those months because they are so similar to how we say them in English. Those types of words are known as cognates: words that look and sound similar in both languages and mean the same thing. Notice that the months are not capitalized in Spanish; neither are the days of the week. But, I digress. Back to the weather…

Yes, it is winter here. It feels like Seattle, only a little warmer and just a little more humid. It has been partly cloudy and it rains a little each day. Sometimes there are thunderstorms, but it’s really only a small part of the day. The humidity is not too bad--certainly not as severe as Atlanta. There is often a breeze, which helps to drive the humidity away. The temperature feels like it’s about 75 degrees, but I really couldn’t tell you exactly because everything is in the metric system here. My 10^th grade chemistry teacher would probably love to tell you that I never did understand the metric system, and I still don’t really get it. However, I do know what a 2 liter bottle looks like (thank you, Coca Cola, for contributing to the edification of the American people!)  So I’ll just say that my internal thermometer says it feels like the mid 70’s Fahrenheit. Of course, my personal thermometer has been a little off since I passed through my 40’s and experienced menopause, so I guess I should say it feels like a 50-something year old women’s idea of the mid-70’s! Hey, just trust me. The temperature is mild.

Speaking of math concepts that I don’t get, the monetary system is driving me nuts. Most of you know that I am a penny-pincher. So, when I see price tags that read, 5,760 for a shirt, I just about have heart failure. I have to continually remind myself that it is not $5,760, but five thousand seven hundred and sixty colones, and then I have to do some quick math: approximately 500 colones to one dollar. So, the shirt costs approximately $11 and that’s reasonable. Another thing about the math here is that they use the comma and the decimal point just opposite of how we do.  For example, 5.760 is five thousand, seven hundred and sixty.  5,60 is five point sixty or five and 60/100^ths depending on how you want to say it. Got it? Good! There will be a short math quiz at the end of this posting, but don’t expect me to grade it and give you a correct score! That involves math and there is a reason I do not teach math…

Now on to the religious part of my life here in Costa Rica ~

I asked Mayra and her daughters to help me figure out where the church is and how to get there. We looked at lds.org and found 5 LDS churches in San Jose, none of which are anywhere near here. Daughter Marcia was sure there is one near here and then they remembered there is a woman in the neighborhood who is mormona. Mayra spoke to her last night and arranged for me to take a taxi with her this morning to church.

At 8:45 Hermana Sandra, her 3 grandchildren, and I piled into a small taxi and arrived at church less than 10 minutes later. Cost: 1.185 colones for 4 people. (Math check up: how much is that in dollars?) 

The church seemed more like a gated compound, rather than a typical LDS church in the U.S.. The chapel was its own building. Windows were glass slats opened wide and two large doors were also open and gave the chapel a feeling of “open air”. A gentle breeze wafted through and was very refreshing. The chapel was small with less than 100 people present.

I think I attended the Carpina Ward because that was what was written on the sides of the hymnals. There was no ward bulletin/program, so I am not really sure. I found out that the husband of Hermana Sandra is the bishop of the ward when she introduced me to him. (Nice to have a bishop in the neighborhood, huh?) When she took one of her grandchildren with her to the stand and left me with the other two, I figured out that she must be a speaker today. The two children (5 and 8 years old) were very curious about me and with rapid fire Spanish, began asking me questions. Of all the people I have met and spoken with on this trip, these were the two who spoke so fast I couldn’t understand half of what they were saying. So I did what has always worked in the past: I smiled and nodded my head to everything they said!

I had no idea which hymns we were going to sing because when they are translated into other languages the gist of the hymn is translated and not the actual words. Therefore, the title doesn’t really tell me anything. Once the piano started playing, I quickly recognized the hymn we were going to sing and was able to howl along in Spanish.

The first speaker was a young man who also spoke so fast I couldn’t really understand most of what he said. (What is with these kids who speak so fast?) I did understand Hermana Sandra’s talk. She spoke about genealogia (genealogy). Another adult man spoke. Yep, he was younger and sure enough, more rapid-fire Spanish.

Then we were off to Sunday School in another building. Hermana Sandra left me once again while she went to work with the kids in Primary. The adult Sunday School class met in the kitchen. A wonderful middle-aged woman gave the lesson, which I understood almost perfectly. She started with the story of the semilla de mostaza (mustard seed), gave us each a real mustard seed, and went on to give an excellent lesson on Alma’s teachings in regard to developing faith in Jesus Christ. We read aloud Alma 32 almost in its entirety. I was asked to read 4 verses of it, which I did, trying my best not too sound too much like a gringa.

Relief Society also went well. We stayed in the kitchen and had another excellent lesson on how to communicate effectively with our family members, taught by an older woman in the Relief Society presidency. I understand the older people so much better than the youth. Old and slow…that works for me with pets and Spanish-speakers!

Hermana Sandra and I went back to the neighborhood by taxi. As we pulled away from the curb near the church, we almost crashed head-on with another car trying to navigate the narrow road. I couldn’t remember how to say OMG in Spanish, and had to settle on “ARGGHHHHHHHH!”  I have been told multiple times that the drivers here are loco and the taxista  (taxi driver) surely proved that point today. Between the potholes, narrow roads, and impatient drivers, I realized that pura vida does not apply to their life on the road!  Hermana Sandra and I agreed to meet same time, same place next Sunday for more adventures at La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias.

Tomorrow: My first day at school