Independence Indeed!

Thanks Mike for posting such a detailed summary on the Torch Run – a nice harbinger of the meaning of Independence Day and the pride felt by all who call this home.  If you’re following the blog, you know that yesterday was Independence Day and Oh how we celebrated.  The day started early (as it always does) and we were out the door and on the road to Cerro Plano at 7:40 a.m.  We hiked up to the field across from the local school and took in the pre-parade address and national anthem.  It was a beautiful day with clear blue skies as far as the eye could see.  I knew it would be a hot one as I saw many a sunscreen bottle tucked into back-packs and bags.  The backdrop of the pre-celebration was one of anticipation, kids running around and frolicking about, school girls checking their outfits and make-up and all the spectators vying for that perfect spot on the parade route.

We spied a shady spot down a hill on the way out of Cerro Plan.  Not but 10 minutes into the parade we found ourselves out of battery power on our digital camera, so off Mike went in search of batteries.  30 minutes later he appeared and we were back in business. 

The parade was awesome, the drums, bands, dancing and on-lookers –all were part of this magical day.  The local schools have been preparing for this day  since we arrived here in Monteverde beginning of August,  so it is eerily quiet today without the ‘boom boom boom’ echos of  the drums practicing after school.   This holiday is marked by its parade and performance by the students in the community.  The schools perform the national anthem, carry the Costa Rican flag and twirl batons.  The colors were vibrant (lots of red, white and blue) representing the colors of the Costa Rican flag, the bright colors of the girl's skirts and the Costa Rican dress worn by so many of the youngsters.

We enjoyed watching not only the kids in the parade but also the spectators.   As we made our way through Cerro Plano and finally to Santa Elena we found ourselves watching others and wondering what they were thinking on this very special day.  Families, young, old, sick, healthy – all were out to watch this main thoroughfare turn into a stage for the day.

We saw many a friendly face as we made our way down to Santa Elena – and were surprised by the number of folks we already knew and who have become part of our social/support network. 

The scorching sun got the best of both boys as they rested on mom and dad’s shoulders and finally closed their eyes for the decent down into Santa Elena.  We stole away into the SuperCompro to replenish our water and to grab fixins for a picnic.  The streets were lined with people as the parade headed into the town proper.  The Friends School was well represented with the kids in Kinder riding in a float, older kids toting masks and yet others with colorful flags!

We scouted around for a shady spot to picnic (hard to find in the middle of a parade) and then ran into our trusty “go to guy”, Kyle, who led us up a path to an abandoned soccer field – bleachers were comfort for our tired bones.  We fueled our bodies with cheese, yogurt and bananas and then off we were heading back into town. 

 

The day was full and the boys did really well.  So well, that we decided to take Veronica and Stewart (her six year old) up on their offer to visit that afternoon .  So back home around 2 p.m. and then off to Stewarts by 3.  They live through the pasture, across the street and about a 7 minute walk away.  They have a sprawling pasture and a ton of Guava trees.  We had great fun and will plan another outing with them soon.

We were all tired and weary by the end of the day and had no trouble laying our heads down about 7 p.m.

A great independence day indeed!

Signed: S