Day One!

As I type this blog, the multi-talented Alana Rush is tweezing out the various species of coral stuck in my feet from hours of surfing. But, it was worth it!
Cary took on the task of waking the team up this morning at the supple time of 9. Because she did it with such grace and softness of voice (Manny claims, "he thought he was dreaming it was so pleasant") she has been designated the alarm clock of the team. After a pleasant breakfast of rolls and coffee, we sat in the surf-inspired living room to discuss the day ahead. Soon enough, we were joined by Jorge, the town mayor and his councilors Silvia and Cecilia. After a general meet-and-greet, we were introduced to the San Bartolo kids we would be working alongside. Their excitement at meeting us was matched by ours, but they raised the bar with beautiful handmade signs welcoming us to Peru. We gathered together and started sharing stories about our homes when Jorge called me over. Beforehand, I had slipped in how much I wanted to learn to surf and Jorge gladly took the hint. He told me that my teaching would begin now! We got in the car and Patrick ran out to join in on the fun.
I could blog a full entry on the surfing lesson. In the movies, a novice surfer always begins on shore practicing paddling in the sand. Jorge skipped that step, and a few more, and before I knew it I was bobbing in the giant wavey sea. I made a few friends out on the water, talking to the local surfer boys and girls. I'm proud to say I even stood up on the board to surf a wave before we called it a day. I think Pat held his own out there too!
My teammates tell me that while I was away, the San Bartolo kids and them got to know each other and played a few get-to-know-you-games.
After that, we all headed to the Festival de San Pedro. Amazingly my town of Gloucester, MA also celebrates the fishing blessings of Saint Peter every June 24-28. Both San Bartolo and Gloucester are fishing communities that look out at the water instead of looking toward the land. It was awesome to see the same saint being celebrated in completely different ways. We met Americans at this festival who have been staying in San Bartolo as Brothers of Christ studying for congregational positions. They offered a hand in our itinerary and were great guys who shared a lot of advice. I'm sure our paths will cross again.
Our night concluded with group discussion, and a Newlyweds game. While Nelly and I managed to wrangle up the 3rd place spot out of 3. All in all great night, and Dave is rushing me to finish up. Just kidding Dave.
Great day!
Mike