I may have found a job... at least if I understood the Spanish correctly.

I thought about reprising "You'll never see me again." as a title but... eh. It's been done.  And anyway, it didn't work out quite like I thought it would before. :)

Today I connected with Randdy Durán (that's with 2 D's, or 3 depending on how you count).  He's the administrator of World Alive Music, a Christian conservatory of sorts.  I don't think I can quite explain what happened today, both because I hardly understand it myself (it all happened in Spanish) and also because I'm not sure I believe it's really true.  It's just too amazing.

I told him I was a choir director and that I'm here (in Costa Rica) to work with choirs and with Josh Amiot.  I think he may have taken the "here" to mean at his school because he almost immediately starting naming things we could do.  He wants to have me work with some local church choirs in a master-class type of setting and maybe even start a choir for the short time I'm here this summer.  Uh... what?????  Yeah, remember this guy hasn't seen me conduct or heard me sing or anything.  He doesn't know me from any bum off the street who can't speak Spanish (which granted there aren't many bums here that can't speak Spanish...).  We've already set up a set of 5, 2-hour rehearsals culminating in a recital/concert for a choir that as of yet doesn't even exist.  We start Monday the 24th of June.  Or actually, I start now gathering information and music, and also planning.  This is crazy.  So crazy that I almost cried in his office.  Not very professional, I know.

So, on top of that, while we're talking about the choir (WHICH DOESN'T EVEN EXIST YET!!!!) he asks me what's a good amount to get paid.  "No entiendo."  Apparently I heard right the first time; he was asking me what I wanted to get paid AND HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW ME!  I'm caught off guard.  I told him the truth, which is I don't need money right now, since my way has been paid by friends back home.  (By the way, THANKS you guys!)  However, I also shared with him my dream to live here and to use the body of sacred choral lit to spread the Gospel and grace of Jesus to both the people in the choir as well as to the audience members.  He agrees and then proceeds to tell me how he thinks I can get more than enough work through World Alive to live off of.  He also tells me he has an apartment for rent right by the school for super cheap.  In fact, the other day I was asking some missionary friends and Ticos what a super cheap price would be.  He pretty much named the lowest end of the ranges they were giving me.

Ok. My hands are about to fall off from typing so much, and I still have to find music and prepare for this choir so that he can advertise for the next couple of weeks.

Thank you all for your prayers.  I still need them.  This morning (before my meeting with Randdy) was a very frustrating one where I was asking God why He brought me here and things of this nature...  I guess I got some of an answer already. :)  I don't know which 30 people are reading this blog, whether its the same 30 every time or different or a mix.  Either way, thank you for your prayers.

~

Ok, I'm not gone yet.  If you're still reading, let's play a game.  It's called, "Which costs more?"

1)  Which costs more, a 1-way bus ticket to the beach or 4 cups of coffee at the bus station?

Ha!  I tricked you.  You went for the coffee didn't you?  Well, the $5 bus ticket wins out by a hair over the 4 $1 cups of coffee.


2) Which costs more, a "30cm" (1ft) sub from subway, or SIXTEEN one-way bus tickets from my house to San Jose town-center?

The 12in sub cost only slightly less than 16 $0.50 tickets downtown.


PPS...

Costa Rica is only expensive if you don't let go of the US.  I had a HUGE fried fish platter (honestly more than I could finish) for lunch today that only cost me $4.50.