Happy Mother's Day!

At church today it was quit a service for The Big Day. Like I said earlier, it's like Christmas here. All the festivities of The Day actually started Friday, when I had 7 students absent from 2nd grade! This morning at around 2am, my neighbors said they started to hear the firecrackers. Yes, that's right. It's like 4th of July AND Christmas toggether! And they even blow them up here for Christmas too! So I am glad i'm a hard sleeper. They, my neighbors, also heard live music close by so Ken got up at 4am to walk toward the sound and see what it was. Apparently our neighborhood had the option of hiring some serenade singers to come to the door of their mother to sing, complete with a guitar, a tuba, and a drum. I mean, what serenade is complete without a tuba???


At church we had the usual worship time, then about 4 different short performances by the youth, and then a sermon. It was the most interesting Mother's Day sermon I've ever heard. The pastor basically lectured/chastised all the men on how to be better husbands. In this machisto culture, I'm not sure if it was taken well or not. He was preaching on how men should treat the mother of their children everyday, but I felt like I was eavesdropping in on a "man-to-man"talk.

After the sermon the 32 mother's present lined up in front facing the church and were each given a nice fleece blanket. earlier each mother was given a number when they arrived. they then raffled off slippers and a few buckets filled with lard, rice, beans, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a bag of sugar, and a few lollipops. Our " mother"in the apartments, Beverly, won one of the buckets. She's planning on keeping and using the bucket but will probably donate all the food. She just won't be using a 2 pound tube of lard anytime real soon.

After the service, Pupusas were served to everyone. That's a lot! Pupusas are originally from El Salvador. They're made(this is my best interpretation) with a ball of masa and whatever you want in there, cheese, beans, chicken, beef, and then patted flat and fried. They are super good. If you're close, head to a hispanic part of town in LA or Long Beach. You're sure to find a place that has them.