Four months into my time here at Monteverde Friends School, far from our families in the U.S. and Canada, we are abundantly thankful for this beautiful community and school. My personal shortlist includes:
1. My children are happy.
They were quickly accepted into the school, not only in their own classes but by students young and old, and the whole faculty. They feel held, and I feel like they are getting a top-notch education – academics, social, moral, linguistic. Our eldest boy, in grade 8, wrote, “I have been at this school only a couple months and I already feel like it is where I want to finish my education.”
2. Teamwork.
While my co-Director Debbie was away on Tuesday, we suddenly realized that one of our teachers was home sick (and had properly notified Debbie, who unfortunately was on the bus!). Emmanuel immediately gave up his precious prep time to jump in with the kids, sick Kate sent me the lesson plan, Danielle helped me find the sub list, brave Heather gave up her free day to rush up and take the class, and I subbed for the final hour when Heather had to leave again. There was no hesitation – we all did what we needed for the children and for our sick colleague.
3. Community.
Since 1950, our Quaker founders and the thousands who have followed have lived, worked and grown together with a tight inter-weaving of lives. While newcomers to some communities have trouble breaking into such a tight shell, here in Monteverde we have been taken in with open arms. We have quickly been absorbed onto soccer teams, Christmas choir, women’s group, Tuesday morning hikes and “Coffee Klatch”, Friday afternoon Scrabble, spiritual sharing groups, and of course committees and more committees. Tonight we had to choose between a few invitations to Thanksgiving parties, all involving school staff, meeting members, and greater community friends. (We chose the one with the banana-leaf-wrapped pig being roasted.)
4. Nature.
Our family started this Thansgiving morn with a hike in the Monteverde Cloud Forest. The boys happily (with a bribe of a visit to the ice-cream factory after) came along, discovering birds and tree shapes and life I could have easily missed with my adult eyes. We regularly take advantage of the FREE (for school families) access to numerous wildlife preserves in the area. And when we don’t, we still wake up to birds, howler monkeys, and hummingbirds, and walk to school through a mix of cloud (literally, through…) and sun. We don’t visit nature in Monteverde; we live with it.
5. Peace
Tuesday we will celebrate Abolition of the Army day, one of the biggest days in this proudly-peaceful country. From lack of an army to a very small and lightly-armed police force, to a very very low crime rate here in our cloud-forest town, we feel safe day and night. And that same Peace emanates from the Quakers and neighbours – a people choosing Peace and love over conflict and fear.
I hope that our dear friends and supporters throughout the United States are able to enjoy friends, family and celebrate your own rich blessings this Thanksgiving Day. Thank you for being part of our community and part of our reason to feel thankful here at Monteverde Friends School.
– Rick Juliusson, co-Director
