Loving the Locals - Could We Live Here?

We are really coming to love the people, the culture, the weather, and the scenery here.  Even if the morning hasn't gone well (between the 7 of us, someone always seems to have a bad day), any day that ends at the beach is a good day!  It seems to erase anything else that happened that day!  We love the quiet, dirt roads, the secluded feeling at Playa Junquillal, the proximity to so many beaches to surf or snorkel, and how we are getting to know people.  We pay the same parking lot guards day after day and it is fun to say hello each day. We feel like we're getting to know our way around, learning the local surf spots, the prices of food at the different stores and the best place to buy certain things.

The guy who manages our house is our age and also has 5 kids!  We had his family over for dinner, Uno, magic tricks, and homemade popcorn. It's so fun to learn their way of life.  Chuz fishes off the shore for food to feed his family, plus he works as a carpenter fixing up houses like Adam does.  (Adam wants to go to work with him so bad so he can teach him how to properly do things!  There are so many funny things about our house like the backwards faucet handles and the flat shower pan that won't drain.) They are poor and don't have much and are so happy.  I asked if they do gifts for Christmas and Chuz said, "No, we don't need any.  We have what we need."  Wow, so awesome.  All 7 of them pile into a little car to get around, but we've seen the kids ride their bikes on the dirt roads as well.  They go to the beach in the afternoons to surf and relax.  They are so content with their life.

We had been told that we HAD to attend the local rodeo of Paraiso during the week before New Years.  Each little town in this open, pasture-filled, quiet province has their own and wow, what a set up!  As we drove to Santa Cruz each week we'd pass by all the towns getting ready for the big event.  They bring in a bunch of wood planks and set up a stadium by hand - it's quite the ordeal and we were a little nervous about how sturdy it would be!

The night of the rodeo we enjoyed looking at the little carnival rides and food trucks.  We wondered why everything was dark - Adam even lent a guy his headlamp so he could see the chicken kebabs he was cooking!  After listening to blaring loud music for an hour after it was supposed to start, Lily fell asleep in my arms.  Apparently they were having trouble getting the lights to work, so the rodeo couldn't begin.  We decided to take Lily and Eliza home to go to bed with me while the others stayed to watch.  Young bull riders tried their best to stay on the bucking broncos and everyone enjoyed watching them scramble to get out after they fell.  A drunk man trying to get on the angry bull got trampled as it exited!  It was a fun night and we enjoyed seeing how the people here celebrate New Years.

It was a long day for this little guy!

We love it here.  We didn't get a picture of Heidy, the lady who cleans our house and does our laundry, but we love her too.  She is sooo happy and always smiling, but she lives in a dirt floor house with wood walls and a rusty corrugated steel roof.  I have contemplated happiness.  What makes you happy?  What makes this poor woman so happy?  

We love our ward.  The cute sister missionary from Utah said, "You guys are the lifeblood of this ward!  Everyone LOVES you!  What are we going to do without you!?"  We do make up half the Primary....   The kids can't WAIT until Sunday when they get to see their friends in Primary. I love it!  We don't understand much, but the Spirit is strong and I've been very impressed with the teachers and the discussions in Sunday School.  There is a good vibe and a lot of participation.  The Bishop, who is from Utah and was only supposed to be here for a year while his vacation home was getting built, was called to be Bishop after 6 weeks.  He didn't even know Spanish.  They'll be here now for 5 years to serve and are having quite the adventure.  He said, "So, have you considered moving down here?  We moved here for a year when our boys were in high school and it was the best thing ever.  Think about it!"  

Hmmm...I'm thinking we could do a year here!