We’re all dressed in our nicest shirts and cleanest pair of jeans.
We pile into the school bus (a.k.a. a 15 passenger van) and head to Tena.
It’s a miraculous fit: fourteen of the fifteen seats are filled.
Second seat back and five minutes later, Antony, Eualia, Meira and I are belting out “The Wheels on the Bus” as loud as we can- along with the rest of the van- with Tyler in the lead singing opera. We sing She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain, Old McDonald Had a Farm, and a variety of Five Little Monkeys songs.
After a 30-40 minute ride, we girls are dropped off at the Hilton Pizza. The guys head for the hamburgers, and we head upstairs.
We open with prayer directly after the waiter brings out the aji (a spicy South American sauce) and popcorn. Keri leads the reading of Proverbs 31, and we write down the parts that speak to us the loudest….
This woman sews, cooks, gets up while it it still dark outside, and buys entire fields for vineyards! My favorite verses are 20 and 26:
She extends her hand to the poor, yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.
and
She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness.
I have a lot to work on. And this is just one chapter of the Bible.
By the time we’re done reading, our 3 pizzas are ready and we’re chowing down.
#1 is gone in 5 minutes.
#2 is smothered and devoured with aji.
#3 is getting the slow-down eye.
#4 is raising the question “how many have you had?”.
#5 is “let’s save some for Keri, dear, she’s on her 1st slice.”
I drink a cup of Coca-Cola and listen to everything.
Mom, Ms. Charmai, Keri, and Marisol are talking on one end of the table… Saida, Jadyra, Eulalia, Abigail, and me are on the other end.
I sigh.
Even after 7 months and a couple of lessons, Spanish is still a big deal. Yes, I can understand a little…. but can I speak it? No-ooo sir-ee.
Once we’re finished eating and we’ve paid, we walk to Yogurth, a yogurt ice-cream parlor. It isn’t really far, but with 5 pieces of pizza it seems farther. Crêpes, lemonades, and cones are part of the experience- although I can’t recommend it with or without half a pizza in your guts.
Our dessert is interrupted by a Morse Code of car-horn honking: HURRY UP. WE’RE ALREADY FINISHED. At least I think that’s what it was.
On the way back, there’s less singing and more talking.
All I can think is: next time, stop at slice #4.