Why Snakes are Wise

I discovered a treasure the other day. The Museo Inca (Inca Museum) off the Plaza de Armas is well worth the small entrance fee. There is a wealth of information contained therein. My friend Alicia is studying tourism and was working at the Museo Inca for a while. Saturday was her last day there, so she took my friend Marisol, Carrie and I around the museum. It was a great learning experience. There were many things that I learned (several that really stuck out to me), and one I wanted to share.
The Inca trinity of animals that they worshipped were the condor, the puma and the snake. The condor was representative of the heavens and of freedom. The puma was representative of the earth and of strength. And the snake was representative of the underworld and of wisdom. I naively assumed I knew why the snake represented wisdom (after all...now the snake was more cunning than all the other creatures God had created, right?). But when Alicia asked why we thought, that wasn't it. She proceeded to explain why the snake represents wisdom.
Gliding her hand from side to side, curving back and forth, she represented the movement of the snake. The snake, she explained, represents wisdom because it moves back and forth, weaving in and out. In the same way, as we go throughout life, moving back and forth, going in and out among many various people and interactions, we gain wisdom. Just like the snake goes back and forth, so do we and as we do, we gain wisdom.
I'd never thought about it that way before, but when she said it, it made perfect sense. Often I realize that life is a process here. In order to do anything, it seems there is a process to do and prerequisites that need to happen first. And I weave in and out, back and forth. And many times, in the process, there are interactions with other people. Weaving in and out, back and forth, gaining wisdom. Might not be anything profound or life-changing, but there are always interactions, always experiences. There is always this moving in and out, back and forth, collecting, gleaning, learning, experiencing. And so wisdom is gained and things are learned. In and out, back and forth, ever gliding on, like the snake.
And that is why, at least in the worldview of the Incas, snakes personify wisdom.

PROMESA wish list

Let me give you a wish list for PROMESA (in other words some items for prayer), as we go back for the second half of the school year:
1) A third grade teacher - Luz, our third grade teacher, just informed Ron over the break that she will be back for one week after break and then she is leaving us to take another job. It's a very complicated situation and I'm not sure anyone really understands it completely (besides Luz). But anyway, we need a third grade teacher (or wisdom to know if throwing another teacher into the mix isn't the best idea for whatever reason).
2) A director - Luz is also the director of the school, so now we need to find someone else to fill that role. A Peruvian is pretty much necessary because of understanding the educational system and all the paperwork, etc.
3) Creativity and flexibility for the rest of us - until we get another teacher (if we decide that's the best option for everyone), the rest of us need to cover the third grade classes. Ron and I may have to cover third grade for a while, which will require massive amounts of creativity and also extra energy.
4) Land for the school - we are rapidly outgrowing our facilities in the San Jeronimo church building. And we are expanding every year. We are starting to feel that the church is ready for us to move out and find our own space. This would also help us to feel more established and stable as a school. It is hard for teachers to feel they have job security since we are so small and don't have our own place, etc.
At this point, I think that's my wish list for PROMESA. It's going to be an interesting rest of our school year. PROMESA, PROMESA, God shed His grace on thee.