A day in the life...
5:55 Alarm goes off. Do my devotions and get ready for the day, make myself a peanut butter banana sandwich to eat for breakfast in traffic.
7:25 Leave for Migration. Sit in traffic and wait.
8:35 Arrive at Migration (it is a 5 mile drive). Watch an unruly 2 year old boy and his parents from somewhere in Southeast Asia and try to not to get too tired of the boy running around everywhere and yelling. Parents of toddlers, I salute you! Work on reviewing Psalm 27, read, text, and email about all manner of things as I wait.
10:30 Get to the window at Migration to present my request for permanent residency.
10:31 Get told I need to pay $200 and get some official stamps. Even if I bring them back today, I will have to wait in line all over again. Otherwise I have 10 business days to get it all done.
10:40 Realize my debit card doesn't work at the ATM at Migration. Buy the official stamps from a guy with a newspaper stand at the entrance to Migration. Determine that indeed my plans with friends fell through and that I do have time to pursue Migration stuff today if I hurry and get back before it closes at noon.
11:00 Go to a nearby ATM. Drop by Office Depot across the street for a mouse and wrist pad my physical therapist told me to get for my wrist.
11:30 Get to the bank at Migration. Wait. Pay the money.
11:45 Get inside Door number 4 at Migration with 15 minutes to spare!
12pm A worker comes around giving people numbers (like you get at the deli at the grocery store) and writing their names on the back of them. I decide to not use Carmen, the name I normally give at restaurants when I order and they want my name. Carrie is really hard for people to pronounce here because the long "a" doesn't exist in Spanish. I brace myself, preparing for the man to have me repeat it multiple times and then butcher it in written form. He approaches, asks me my name. I say "Carrie" as clearly as possible and watch him write. It unfolds almost in slow motion: C-a-r-r-i-e. WOW! A miracle has just unfolded before my eyes! I congratulate the man and thank him profusely. I am convinced the Holy Spirit was whispering the letters in the man's ear. My Father is so good to me!
12:24 My landlady texts, asking if I can buy the tickets for the World Cup Qualifying match between Costa Rica and the USA next month. I'm going with her husband's family. (She can't go because she has to take care of the baby, but other women are going). After some trial, error, and frustration with the confusing system, I manage to buy the tickets.
1:31 I make it to the window once more. The woman accepts my papers and tells me to come back in 3 months and be checking the status of my paperwork online. Easiest migration process ever!
2:00 After driving into the heart of San José and buying myself some plantain chips and some coconut yogurt with chocolate chips and almond slices, I settle in a covered patio of the Clínica Bíblica to watch the end of a Real Madrid soccer match (a star tico is the goalie).
2:56 Get to the Radiology department of the Clínica Bíblica for my 3pm arthroscopy (an MRI where they inject my knee with fluid beforehand to create higher contrast in the results of the MRI). Wait.
3:30 Get called up to the reception window to check in. Wait some more.
4:15 Get taken back. Find out they are also injecting my knee with lidocaine so my knee will be numb and I won't be able to drive home right away. There's lots I want to share about the MRI with you. Please keep reading below.
5:45 The MRI is over and my knee is still numb. The doctor suggests I take a coffee break and walk around a little before attempting to drive in rush hour traffic. I wish I had brought someone with me for moral support and to drive me home. I text my supervisor who is teaching a course I attend on Tuesday night to let him know I'll be late.
6:00 After walking around a bit, I feel I can drive safely. Nosh on a fun size packet of M&Ms and wait in traffic.
7:10 Arrive at home, put socks on (my feet got wet and cold in the rain earlier in the day and they were cold in the MRI). Grab my book for the course on listening to God at church and turn around and head back out the door again.
9:10 Get home
9:55 Lights out!
More about the MRI
As the nurse took me back, she was relieved I spoke Spanish. After I got changed into the hospital gown, she talked with me while we waited for the doctor to come in. He too was relieved I spoke Spanish and did a brief exam of my knee. I had to lie on the hard, cold stainless steel table. That was uncomfortable and made me feel like the procedure was more serious than it would. The doctor explained more about what he was going to do to me. It was a little nerve-wracking, especially the part about not being able to drive right away. The injection was not pain-free, but the lidocaine (local anesthetic often used in dental procedures) started working very quickly. As it all happened I was reciting Ps 27 and Ps 23 to myself. I felt a little lightheaded walking over to the MRI machine, but thankfully didn't pass out. Maybe it would have been better to accept the wheelchair they offered me though.
In the MRI room, I was freezing so they kindly gave me two blankets instead of one. For an MRI, they give you headphones because the machine produces a lot of loud noises. Some sound like machine guns, some sound like long deep bass blasts (think of the horn on a barge or some large ship). They remind me of this really cool Louis Giglio presentation (9 minute version
here and full version... I lost it. sorry. But it's out there and worth listening to!) So, laying there as still as possible, I was singing in my head "How great is our God"--because the Bella pulsar really does make sounds just like the MRI machine. And then I went into "Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other...." At one point, one of the frequencies actually produced musical notes. It was awe-inspiring. Then another frequency sounded like it was just saying "happyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappy...." really fast over and over and over again. I had to keep myself from bursting into giggles. In spite of it being such a long and tiring day so far, God had indeed been so very good to me and I was happy and grateful. My stuff at migration was by far the easiest I've ever had to deal with. I had people I was texting with throughout the day (though interestingly enough my sweet landlords seem to be the ones taking most interest and concern in my knee issues). I was happy. I was also very tired, so much that even with all that racket I was starting to doze off for milliseconds (or more?) at a time. I'm very grateful for the Israel Houghton music and M&Ms that kept me awake on the way home. It was tempting to get mopey and feel lonely, but no one but Jesus could be with me for the MRI anyway, so it all worked out. I could have gone for a hug when I came out and someone to drive me home, but God brought me safely home. And now you know why Tico Tuesday is now here today and not last night. :-)
Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and support. If God lays it on your heart to give towards the $200 migration fee, you are welcome to do so. My parents are gifting me my ticket to the soccer match for my birthday. And thanks be to God, my health insurance through the mission covers every penny of every appointment and procedure here in Costa Rica and the Clínica Bíblica is one of the best hospitals in all Central America! God is so good! May you see his goodness all around you throughout this day and always!
Love,
Carrie
