Church, Village, Carnival!

Sunday was another very full day!  We are an early breakfast and walked four blocks from the hotel to the Catholic Church on the town square.  We were warmly welcomed and seated up front.  The service was spirited and moving.  Before Communion, a number of people processed down the center  aisle to receive a blessing. We were in front, and two by two received a personal blessing.  Rita, Mary, Mandy and Rob were all invited to speak and offered greetings, thanks and blessings.  At the end, we all pulled out the sheet music for the hymn “Tu Has Venido a la Orilla”. (You have Come Down to the Lakeshore).  Straight out of the New Century Hymnal.  Their choir knew it, the congregation knew it, and we stood in front of the church and faced the choir in the back and sang to the choir, and they back to us.  Moving.

The bus and our amazing driver Glen were waiting outside, and after a quick team photo we hopped on board and drove 40 minutes into the mountains to the village of Las Auyamas.  Rita and her DR projects trips have been there many times.  Six years ago a group from the Norwich UCC church built a house for a local community activist, Anna Maria, and her family.  We have visited every year since, and joined Anna Maria and her family for a lunch of rice, local beans, chicken, salad and pineapple.  Her kids have grown so much!  Many neighbors dropped by to visit,  see old ones, make new ones, and show off babies.  Before long, our students and theirs were dancing.  We dropped off many gifts, including a new sewing machine, exchange many hugs, and headed back to Cotui for Carnival.

Words cannot describe this wonderful chaotic mashup of Mardi Gras and Halloween.  Music was blasting from many locations.  It was deafening enough to drive several of our adults indoors.  The rest of us took it all in from a third floor balcony overlooking the parade route.  Parades at Cotui Carnival are not linear.  Hundreds of people in elaborate, amazing costumes cruised up and down, some formed into groups and doing dance numbers. Carnival is a huge civic event, and Rura’s careful planning allowed us to have a singular cultural experience.  The ringing in our ears has almost abated.

Now we’re back at the hotel sorting teaching supplies and gifts for students and teachers.  We start our service work in earnest tomorrow.  This day has been a long time coming, and is the culmination of so much planning, fundraising and collaboration.  We are ready!