madrina!

Yesterday I had the honor of becoming the madrina (i.e. godmother) to a beautiful little girl, Etna Soledad. Her mother, who is only 16, is a friend of mine, and her grandfather, Don Edilberto, is the president of the fishing cooperative with which I often work. Cristina, the mother, asked me to be the madrina a while back, but I thought I would not be able to since I am not, in fact, Catholic. She discovered that the priest in our town doesn't actually bother to ask if one is Catholic or not, as long as one is not "living in sin" and is over the age of 15, you're good to go. So on Sunday, we all sat through the four hour (!) service, and at the end I held little Sole as we baptized her. It was very sweet and I was very honored. Being a madrina here is a pretty big deal. Every child knows who their madrina is, and they call them "madrina" and not their first name. Cristina now will call me "comadre" (co-mother). My technical responsibilities are to be in charge of the spiritual development of the child and to take care of her in the case that her parents die. Sole an incredibly sweet girl, and I love her very much. I am looking forward to the role I will play in her life!