Rockets and Snorkels!

Last night was the first time since I left two and a half weeks ago, that I was able to Skype with my Bestie! Thus having clarified that, I will admit, we stayed up too late talking and I did not have time to write...so I will write about yesterday and today's adventures now.
     And adventures is exactly what they were! It all began on Wednesday morning when things didn't go quite as planned, which left me running to Betsy and asking her expert advice. And I should point out that if Betsy is present, anything will work out. (She is still teaching me how to use my head.) So after we solved the near fiasco of making lunch, we were able to focus our attention on other things...such as the VBS and the students. All of the other activities went well and as planned; with everyone having a great time.
     As another special activity for the day, we stuffed everyone into a van and drove to an old airport with a science project in tow. Left over from May, Mizael, a young, aspiring scientist, had several rockets he just couldn't wait to let fly. So when we arrived and found the place seemingly abandoned, we thought, no problem, right? Wrong. When we had parked and unloaded our box of rockets and it's accessories, we all traipsed through the open gate onto the old, overgrown landing-strip, pumped for an hour of fun! As we begin setting up the first rocket, we heard a shout from behind us. We froze, completely unsure of what to do next. We turned to see a huge man marching towards us, shouting in Spanish. Oh dear. But Betsy took it all in stride and gave us a real demonstration of our lesson about Boldness. She waved urgently to Mazael; "We need a cute little boy face to represent our school's project..." she whispered as he picked up his loaded box and scurried to join her. They met the man half way across the tarmac and calmly explained that we were a Deaf school from Luquillo and that our students had this science project. The man remained unconvinced but told her that she needed to talk with his boss. We soon discovered who the boss was. As if the first dude wasn't intimidating enough, this guy was bigger (like a body-builder) and marched straight towards us.
     At which point I was beginning to have second thoughts about the whole thing--and I know the kids were hoping our photos wouldn't end up on Monday's front page. Oh, I can just see it now. Wanted: A group of Deaf students and staff seen suspiciously wandering around Fajardo. They will be easy to recognize as they are all in school uniform. Be on high alert--they could be dangerous as they are armed with rockets.
     As the huge dude still stood eyeing us suspiciously, Juan, the youngest and most energetic of our students broke away from the group and ran to the man's side. He laughed and began petting the man's arm (completely oblivious to the pensive situation.) The solemn-looking dude looked down and smiled back, his mind now apparently changed. "Yes, set off your rockets," He finally conceded.

     We all cheered as they returned to the group and everyone resumed reassembling the rockets. The men also stood watching it, and I'm sure, it was probably the most entertainment they've had in months. We shot off rocket after rocket and cheered and clapped; Mizael having an absolute blast (no pun intended.) Juan was also delighted to retrieve the fallen rockets and the boss-dude accompanied him on his ventures; apparently haven taken an instant shine to the little boy. I was impressed when, after apparently eavesdropping on my English conversation with Rosa about the signs for "worm" and "shrimp," he signed to me later that Juan had found a worm and was enthralled with it. I nearly laughed out loud when he flashed a grin Juan's way and I saw the big guy sign "worm." How kind. But it all ended well and we had a swell time launching propellants into the air and defying gravity.

     Although that was all the excitement I could take for one day.
     Today on the other hand was not quite as nerve-wracking as yesterday, but it did indeed have it's moments. After a long day of VBS; during which time I taught my craft class and had a mini-devotional, we took the students to the beach on a snorkeling trip. Each staff member was assigned a student to supervise. I was instructed to watch Mazael. Agreeing to be compliant and not minding at all, I told Mizael to follow me into the water. Betsy, not realizing that I had gone snorkeling before, told Mizael that if I had questions, he was to answer them. I was not entirely sure how I felt at that instant, knowing my entire well-being was being placed into the hands of a ten-year-old. But I think Mazael interpreted Betsy's instructions a little differently. I believe he thought he was to be the tor-guide...and I must admit, he took his appointed duty very seriously. Every fifteen seconds, he stopped to ask me if I was alright. He would await my answer, and when he received a thumbs-up, he would move on to the next part of the tour. At one point he paused and asked if I could breathe okay....This left me wondering which one of us was really responsible for the safety of the other.
     And then I realized three very crucial things: First, I was then appointed responsible for the three oldest boys. I was fairly certain I could handle that. Second, depth is very deceptive underwater...and I discovered this quickly as one of the boy's flippers was waving close to my face and suddenly it slapped me...caution: objects in goggles are closer than they appear. And last but not least, clean the fog from your goggles frequently, as this could result in some serious issues if left unattended. Again, this did not take me long to realize. I was swimming and beginning to think seriously that I should surface and clear my view. As I mulled over that idea, I failed to notice the huge, dark object looming in the water ahead of me. (Where was Mazael when I needed his expert advice and his supervision?) But with only centimeters to spare, I somehow managed to narrowly avoid collision with a boat, moored off-shore. That would have been embarrassing. What could I have said, "I swam into a boat because I was blinded by my own breath?" Really? But as I saw the boat and watched all of the aquatic life swimming around me, I thought back to Nemo and could hear the little sea-horse's voice echoing in my head, "Oh...he touched the butt...."
     Oh what fun times. But in all seriousness, it was such fun and I am so excited for tomorrow...and very saddened that it is our last day of VBS. But on Monday comes the real schoolwork. Yippee (it's not my schoolwork, it's theirs'.)