Choo Choo Wa Wa Wa

Last post on this Pastoral Visit. (The next visit will also be fascinating). A young man from Communications went with us and took pictures and video as a record. He also expressed serious interest in the Permanent Diaconate as the bishop continued to carefully explain it to the folks and to introduce us.

When we'd all been sitting too long and too solemn, the bishop asked Oliver and his own secretary, a seminarian, to loosen the crowd up a little. Oliver came up with a very funny game. It's kind of like "Simon Says" but the two sides of the room face each other, continue to repeat "Choo, choo, wa wa wa" as Oliver gives directions for various corporal contortions, until we're all (including the bishop) finally hunched over and twisted up like pretzels. The most fascinating gesture was called "Olmeca Heads".

Can you picture what that would look like? It refers to those immense stone heads, no necks or bodies attached, found in this part of Mexico and farther south. You hunch your shoulders up and hide your neck. Do you know any other silly children's games that use esoteric archeological references? I don't. We all felt refreshed and about laughed out by the end.