Yay Austin!

Last Friday night was a big night for my boy Austin. He had his big sixth grade graduation party/dinner/dance thing-a-ma-jig! High school begins in 7th grade here so it is a big deal to graduate from sixth grade!! So they celebrate big time. The rented out a country club and there was a opening parade of each graduate coming in one by one (around 100 students) as they called their name. There was a slide show with pictures of each student as a baby and now as well as random snaps through the years. A couple parents gave an opening toast and then an opening prayer and then the DJ started music (that was a little too loud for me). All the parents and kids danced--except for me! :o) Darrin was in Honduras, so I sat at my table with a nice sweet older grandma who also didn't want to dance. The music was too loud for us to visit so we just politely smiled and nodded toward one another for the next four hours! Around 10 o'clock they served dinner (things tend to run later here than in the US!). Then around 11:30 the mariachi band came in and serenaded the graduates. Then the grand finale!! At close to midnight, they began passing around little bags to all 450 people in attendance. Inside was a party hat, a masquerade mask, a whistle (what were they thinking!!) and paper streamers. About the time the bags were all passed out and everyone began putting on their hats and masks and blowing the *&$#@* whistles, a loud banging was heard! In marched a drum line with carnival dancers. Like real "carnivale" style dancers with fancy sequined costumes and huge headdresses and they were dancing to the drums. So for then next 20-30 minutes the drums (good but LOUD) banged out various rhythms while the carnival dancers did their thing and all the sixth graders blew like crazy on their whistles and danced in and out amongst the drummers and dancers. Oh my. Only in Costa Rica!! But Austin had a great time. I was incredibly bored without my hubby there and so tired when we finally got home. But I am proud of Austin and so glad he got to celebrate with his friends. Half the fun of living in another country is discovering all the new customs and traditions they have. I remember sitting at my table, politely nodding to grandma, and looking at all the other parents dancing and the kids milling about and the balloons and streamers and thinking, "I love that we live here!" And I do. It is so fun to experience so many new things and see my kids learn so much!! The night, of course, was all in Spanish and it always amazes me to see my kids talking and laughing and acting like every other Costa Rican. They really are completely bi-lingual now! I love that too!!

Here are some pics of Austin (and Mommy!)

ps-- Happy Thanksgiving. More on that later!!