Swimming in the New Year

Many of you respond with incredulity when I speak of pool parties here. This is how I feel when you talk about heating blankets and snuggies.

My missionary friends, the Wolheters, who I rave about often, are blessed to have a pool in their yard, and when they travel I am blessed to share that blessing. To ring in the new year, we had about 15 people over to swim and attempt a variety of cultural traditions. Such as eating 12 grapes at midnight for luck in the 12 months to come.

Toting a suitcase around the neighborhood to ensure good travels in the coming year. Lighting off fireworks at midnight to endanger our lives, okay maybe we just had sparklers, but I was still intimidated. We also began a number of traditions this year, but I imagine we'll all continue them for many generations. Forming a human pyramid on a concrete sidewalk. Toasting with apple champagne. And playing Bingo as our first order of business in the new decade.

Shortly after cleaning up from that fiesta we decided to share the pool with some niños who don't get to swim very often. So infrequently in fact, that some of them started taking off their newly acquired swimwear when they were asked to take off their clothes for the pool.

My friends from language school Matthew and Savannah both volunteer in orphanages, and Matthew had the brilliant idea to give the kids a day at the pool. So 14 boys from Pequeño David and 6 little ones from Casa De Amor enjoyed a beautiful day, a variety of inflatable toys, snacks, games, and hours of water-time before we basically had to drag them out to dry off.

The opportunity to bask in community like this helped me decide between difficult housing choices for my move to Santa Cruz in a couple months. It looks like I'm gonna take the bigger place with more space for entertaining. So I'll have plenty of room for you when you visit, I don't think I'll have a pool though. Sorry, I'm sure the Wolheters will let you use theirs.