Put me in charge :)

A young boy's first steps on rollerblades! (click to play video)

This past week the whole Cruce family went to San Jose for a few days of doctor and dentist appointments, which meant that I had full responsibility for running the skate sessions and Friday youth night. I was really glad for the opportunity to help them out by "holding the fort" in their absence and to see how I would do when I had to make all the decisions about unexpected things that cropped up. Unfortunately, I've been sick with a cold all week, so I found myself quite tired by the time the Cruces got back last night, but in spite of that, everything went well.

On Friday night, we had a cook-out for the teenagers, and I was thankful to have some help from one of the older local guys and from a girl named Tamara who volunteers with a local non-profit. I found it's hard to be simultaneously DJ, tomato slicer, grill cook, rules enforcer, skateboard repair man, and facilities manager, while keeping everything on schedule! We were blessed with a big crowd of over 30 people at one point. It's so wonderful when kids choose to spend their Friday nights with us than out on the streets where all kinds of snares await them.

The under-13 group looks like "organized chaos"

I am still staying at the hostel (no recent sloth sightings, by the way), because the manager of the apartment I am interested in moving into wanted to do some repairs before the next tenant moves in. I may be able to see it on Tuesday, but this being Costa Rica, nothing is firm. It's definitely been hard staying at the hostel on the weekends because the music from the outdoor disco across the street is very loud until 3 a.m., and earplugs do nothing to stop the deep vibrations. But the rest of the week it is pretty quiet.