Easter Sunday

It has been really hard to find places to make friends here so I don't have any. The other English teachers are great but they all have families with young children so they don't have much time to take care of their loser colleague. Anyways, because I have no friends I was determined to do something for Easter, even if it meant inviting myself. So, one of my students wrote in his journal that he went to an Evangelical church so I asked him if I could go for Easter Sunday. He agreed and would pick me up Sunday morning early...7:00am! First of all, I was eager to see how long the day would last if I started at 7. Evangelicals tend to be long-winded. Secondly, I hate to wake up early, so this was going to be a challenge. And thirdly, I really didn't think he would come that early so I knew I didn't have to wake up but just in case, I had to.

Sunday came the alarm sounded at 6 am and I woke up at 6:30. Then I waited around until 9:30 when I got a call to say, "Miss, I just want to see if you are ready." Isn't that funny?! I wanted to say, "Are ya kiddin? Get your butt over here." But instead I said yes with positive Easter energy and went down to meet him.

The service didn't last forever, as I expected. My student made lunch for me and I was home by 2pm. However, there were many highlights. Here is my list:

1. Out of maybe 800 people in the church about half were children under 8. No wonder people think I am a freak cause I am so old with no kids. They are everywhere!
2. There was a baby with a bib that said, "Don't blame me, I just got here."
3. The digital camera age has hit with a vengeance. I was amazed that everyone and their mother had one and was recording the festivities. This digital thing has really changed the way photos are taken.
4. My student that brought me to church is the head of the choir and band. He had the whole church singing "Manda fogo sobre mim" in english, "Send your fire over me." Everyone kept looking at me and smiling. I am going to think that they did it just for me :)
5. I was pleased with the "pimp" shoes I saw on many of the gentlemen. White and shiny and really long and pointy.
6. Tshirts on the children and youth choir:
7. "Cheerleaders Suck"
8. A (definitely Chinese) Hotwheels and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles collage
9. "Playboy-www.wantonelove.com" (What the heck?)
10. A bunch of teenage girls were decked out in white dresses of varying bridal styles and time periods. My favorite was an off white number with a three foot train. The chick picked up that train with her tiny arms to walk up and give the offering. She was sweating bullets by the time she got back around to her seat.
11. In Black gospel choirs you usually have some sort of march song you sing while doing some choreographed steps as you come into the church and onto the stage. The "older lady" choir (there as a children's, youth, ladies', men's) did the coolest thing where they would sing, "Tchaka, Tchaka, Tchaka, Tchaka, Tchaka, Tchaka, Tchaka, Tchaka, Doop Doop Doop." For the doop doop, they stomped their feet on the floor. It was the cutest thing I have seen. The rest of the congregation was loving it. They were all smiles and giggles.

After the service I became a politician, shaking the hands of everyone that exited. Then we headed to my student's house for a quick lunch. He brought along a choir friend who walked with crutches. I was on the same kind, the ones where you stick your arm through a plastic hole and hold on to the arm handles, but this guy was amazing. I guess he has been on them his whole life but we were walking on some pretty precarious dirt and rocky roads. he was whizzing through like a pro. We ate sweet potatoes, salad, fish (yes, i ate it), and mango juice while watching the news on tv. Everyone was so nice. It was a really nice Easter.