I don`t have much time left here to write today, but I wanted to say a brief, share a few things, and let you know that there are some Christmas photos posted that you can access using the photo link at the right.
Though my Christmas day itself was spent largely feeling sick and in bed with a fever, the celebration as a whole was a memorable one, though different in many ways from my usual Christmas in the US. Some notes:
- Here the day of celebration is the 24th, la noche buena, and many here will tell that the 24th is indeed Christmas. Celebrations include gathering with family for a late evening meal (after the 9 pm mass if the family goes), and then for many a party late into the night -- followed by sleeping most of the day on the 25th. I took a walk at about 7:00 am Christmas morning and looking in a few open doors along the way I saw people still dancing away to loud music. Indeed, the party across the street from us didn`t end until about 11:00 am.
- I had the privilege of being involved in the Christmas play put on by the youth of the Confirmation program, and even filled in an empty spot as San Josè. We performed amidst a lot of noise and distraction at a chocolatada on December 23 for children of our poorest parish neighborhood, and at the beginning of Christmas eve Mass on the 24th in the church (see photos). For the Christmas eve version we had more attention but were missing several key players, so the hour leading up to the event was a bit harried. Still, we recruited a couple extras, had some play multiple roles, and just plain skipped some lines -- but still we received several compliments on how it turned out and it was a bonding experience for those who did participate in either of the shows. It was a powerful moment for me, sitting with ´Marìa´ at the altar on Christmas eve, the wise men and shepherds gathered around, in Peru and south America, so far away from home. Mass was festive and afterward we were invited to dinner at a friend´s home (myself and the six Tardio family members). It was generous of them, but Emily and her brother ended up getting food poisening from something, we think a cold cucumber salad.
- The Tardios enjoyed their visit other than the sickness, and I was able to join them for lunch one afternoon at a nice restaurant outside of town. It was an enclosed outdoor courtyard, very pleasant except for the exceedingly loud music an singing entertainment for a graduation party that was also there for the afternoon (the school year just ended last Friday for most). We could hardly hear each other talk, but still laughed at the 1/2 cuy (guinea pig) that Adam, the youngest brother, ordered -- it came laid out in full on the plate, head seemingly screaming from its painful death not long ago. :)
- The chocolatada was largely a success, and I was proud of how so many of our youth worked so hard to help make it a good event: the parish dance group, the choirs leading songs and games, confirmation group organizing a toy/food drive and putting on the Christmas play, everyone helping to distribute paneton (sweet bread) and hot chocolate. The gift distribution at the end grew quite chaotic, however, and the parents/children refused to pay attention to or heed any attempt at organizing the process -- so the final moments were a bit tense. Fr. Carlos grew so frustrated that he (understandably, in my opinion) decided not to raffle off the gift baskets that we had prepared and brought but to give them to others. I was exhausted at the close, but had only a few minutes before heading to meet with youth at the posada of one of the sectors, where we had a good initial meeting of about 10 youth and young adults who want to help organized future activities.
- Our trip to Lima was not good for our sleep schedule (the night bus down was extremely uncomfortable), but we did secure our residency cards, valid for one year (see photo). We stayed at one of the sisters´ houses in Lima and returned on Friday evening. The immigration office was actually relatively well-organized and efficient, the employees helpful.
- I have had some time these past two days to gather some thoughts for the summer, which is just beginning here, and am excited about some ideas for the coming year. Michi and I have also discussed connected San Francisco and St. Mary`s as sister parishes, a desire that the social justice commission in Corvallis has. The opportunities for helping the two communities learn from and assist each other are numerous, and I will keep you posted. I still plan to take a group of jovenes to youth ministry training course in Lima January 28th for a week, and the cost details I will communicate soon to those of you who mentioned previously that you would be interested in assisting.
- I was listening to a Christian song from one of my CD´s recently called ´Remember Me´ in which God asks his follower to remember Him in various moments of his life -- prayer, in Church, teaching religion, reading the Bible -- since God is so faithful at remembering us. It struck me all of a sudden though I´d listened to the song many times before (by Mark Schultz), that there was a gaping hole in the message. At such times of peace and communion with God it is relatively easy to remember Him, it´s in the struggles and pain, in loneliness and in viewing poverty, when you or your friends are victims of attempted robbery (while I was running this Monday, no harm done in the end) when it is at times difficult to remember the hope and the love of God. During the everyday decisions of how I spend my time and money I can so easily forget about God. So my prayer as we celebrate this Christmas is to remember more often, and decide with God in mind.
I will write again soon. God bless!
-
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Navidad se acerca
Greetings! Emily, Nicole and I travel by bus through the night to Lima tonight in order to complete the final step (we hope!) in obtaining our Peruvian residency cards, called Carnets. I have a little time in between preparations for the trip and other Christmas related activities here to give a brief update on the last week and a half.
- First, my arm and elbow are feeling very much better. I have regained the flexing and straightening capability and there just remains a bit of tightness at the extremes of each. What I think will be my last appointment with Lina, the physical therapist here, will be Monday morning the 24th. A good Christmas present to be back to normal (as normal as I was before, any).
- Rehearsals with post-Confirmation youth continue for our Christmas play continue nightly this week, as we are presenting it this Saturday as part of a chocolatada that the youth are putting on for the children of Santo Domingo, the poorest sector of our parish. A chocolatada is an event that happens all over during the Christmas season, and the main elements are some sort of show or event, paneton (sweet bread with fruit), and of course hot chocolate. Go into any store and you`ll see people buying cases of evaporated milk and the Cuzco chocolate bars. I attended with Nicole and Emily a chocolatada at the Hospice last Friday afternoon, offered to children related to hospice patients. There was a clown and assistant (pretty girl with red skirt and hat, looking somewhat like a cheerleader) with games and dances, bread and chocolate, and wrapped gifts for everyone. The afternoon was quite pleasant. Anyway, the 7:00 pm rehearsals begin at around 7:30 or 8:00, complicated by the fact that many of the youth have high school or university exams, as this is the end of the school year for them. I designed the script using the story of St. Francis starting the tradition of the Nativity Scenes with the Gospel and prophet elements of the Christmas story, and just last night received the part of Joseph, since the fifteen or so youth we have participating are not enough to fill out the roles. Reminds me of my days at St. Francis in Burney...
- Robberies are definitely a hot topic recently, as another hospice team was robbed on one of their routes and the workers are generally tense about going to certain areas. Others have their own stories of either break-ins or close calls on the street. Needless to say, we are carrying with us only the minimum and try to be very aware of our surroundings.
- I have continued with visiting youth, this week concentrating on a new sector of the parish which will hold a brainstorming meeting this Saturday in conjunction with their Posada. Having a real donkey for Mary to ride -- there are donkeys all over around here -- I`m sure will add to the authenticity of the recreation of Mary and Joseph`s search for a place to stay on the first Christmas Eve. Anyway, we don`t have a good list or addresses for youth, so we are having to be creative. Billy, fifteen-year-old son of one of the parish council members, who lives in the sector, is accompanying me on the visits. We basically ask folks on the streets if they know Catholic youth who live in the neighborhood, and go from there. Billy`s family raises cuy (guinea pigs) in cages on their back patio, and his mom introduced me to the dish since she just happened to have some prepared the evening I was visiting (suerte!). Though it sounds cliche, cuy reminds me of chicken. Obviously smaller, and with a bit more fat. His mom served herself the head, with teeth and all visible, and I commented that I was happy not to have recieved that body part. Cuy is considered a delicacy here, but I didn`t find it that special. And the mental picture of eating a rodent will keep me from seeking out this dish on my own. :)
- The weather is warming up here -- quite hot during the middle of the day. Many people are talking of trips to the beach come January. Still, people ask me if I`m not cold during the comfortably cool evenings. All in what you`re used to, I guess.
- I am feeling more in the `Christmas spirit` these last days. The arrival of some Christmas CD`s from Michi and Christmas sheet music for guitar from my mom have helped. We also had a Christmas theme for our Monday English class, reading and studying `Twas the Night Before Christmas and then singing Christmas carols. We also made frosted sugar cut-out cookies (round, since we are without cutters) to share with the class, which were a big hit and brought back our own Christmas baking memories.
- Financially, I realize more that my $80 per month, though definitely a bit above average in spending money for Chimbote, has to be spent carefully -- especially in a month like December with additional things I find the desire to buy as gifts, etc. Add the trip to Trujillo and I can see why the vast majority of folks here have not travelled far from Chimbote, and certainly have not made the 2+ day trip to see Macchu Picchu. One parent during a visit, hearing that Nicole and Emily were headed there, sighed wistfully and commented that she had only seen it on TV.
- Finally, I think the less-structured perception of time and spontaneity (sometimes could be called a lack of organization) here is actually good for me in a lot of ways. I find myself less concerned about having everything done perfectly, trusting more that I will be able to adapt in the moment -- since this is what happens many times anyway. I think I still would enjoy starting more on time (we start no more than five minutes late for our English class), but in general the environment (and not being in charge) is helping me to go about my tasks and commitments in a more relaxed manner.
Well, I will try to add one more entry before Christmas, which we will spend with the parents and two brothers of Nicole and Emily. They both are staying in Lima one additional night in order to meet their family at the airport, and then coming back up to Chimbote on the 22nd. I wish you a blessed week.
- First, my arm and elbow are feeling very much better. I have regained the flexing and straightening capability and there just remains a bit of tightness at the extremes of each. What I think will be my last appointment with Lina, the physical therapist here, will be Monday morning the 24th. A good Christmas present to be back to normal (as normal as I was before, any).
- Rehearsals with post-Confirmation youth continue for our Christmas play continue nightly this week, as we are presenting it this Saturday as part of a chocolatada that the youth are putting on for the children of Santo Domingo, the poorest sector of our parish. A chocolatada is an event that happens all over during the Christmas season, and the main elements are some sort of show or event, paneton (sweet bread with fruit), and of course hot chocolate. Go into any store and you`ll see people buying cases of evaporated milk and the Cuzco chocolate bars. I attended with Nicole and Emily a chocolatada at the Hospice last Friday afternoon, offered to children related to hospice patients. There was a clown and assistant (pretty girl with red skirt and hat, looking somewhat like a cheerleader) with games and dances, bread and chocolate, and wrapped gifts for everyone. The afternoon was quite pleasant. Anyway, the 7:00 pm rehearsals begin at around 7:30 or 8:00, complicated by the fact that many of the youth have high school or university exams, as this is the end of the school year for them. I designed the script using the story of St. Francis starting the tradition of the Nativity Scenes with the Gospel and prophet elements of the Christmas story, and just last night received the part of Joseph, since the fifteen or so youth we have participating are not enough to fill out the roles. Reminds me of my days at St. Francis in Burney...
- Robberies are definitely a hot topic recently, as another hospice team was robbed on one of their routes and the workers are generally tense about going to certain areas. Others have their own stories of either break-ins or close calls on the street. Needless to say, we are carrying with us only the minimum and try to be very aware of our surroundings.
- I have continued with visiting youth, this week concentrating on a new sector of the parish which will hold a brainstorming meeting this Saturday in conjunction with their Posada. Having a real donkey for Mary to ride -- there are donkeys all over around here -- I`m sure will add to the authenticity of the recreation of Mary and Joseph`s search for a place to stay on the first Christmas Eve. Anyway, we don`t have a good list or addresses for youth, so we are having to be creative. Billy, fifteen-year-old son of one of the parish council members, who lives in the sector, is accompanying me on the visits. We basically ask folks on the streets if they know Catholic youth who live in the neighborhood, and go from there. Billy`s family raises cuy (guinea pigs) in cages on their back patio, and his mom introduced me to the dish since she just happened to have some prepared the evening I was visiting (suerte!). Though it sounds cliche, cuy reminds me of chicken. Obviously smaller, and with a bit more fat. His mom served herself the head, with teeth and all visible, and I commented that I was happy not to have recieved that body part. Cuy is considered a delicacy here, but I didn`t find it that special. And the mental picture of eating a rodent will keep me from seeking out this dish on my own. :)
- The weather is warming up here -- quite hot during the middle of the day. Many people are talking of trips to the beach come January. Still, people ask me if I`m not cold during the comfortably cool evenings. All in what you`re used to, I guess.
- I am feeling more in the `Christmas spirit` these last days. The arrival of some Christmas CD`s from Michi and Christmas sheet music for guitar from my mom have helped. We also had a Christmas theme for our Monday English class, reading and studying `Twas the Night Before Christmas and then singing Christmas carols. We also made frosted sugar cut-out cookies (round, since we are without cutters) to share with the class, which were a big hit and brought back our own Christmas baking memories.
- Financially, I realize more that my $80 per month, though definitely a bit above average in spending money for Chimbote, has to be spent carefully -- especially in a month like December with additional things I find the desire to buy as gifts, etc. Add the trip to Trujillo and I can see why the vast majority of folks here have not travelled far from Chimbote, and certainly have not made the 2+ day trip to see Macchu Picchu. One parent during a visit, hearing that Nicole and Emily were headed there, sighed wistfully and commented that she had only seen it on TV.
- Finally, I think the less-structured perception of time and spontaneity (sometimes could be called a lack of organization) here is actually good for me in a lot of ways. I find myself less concerned about having everything done perfectly, trusting more that I will be able to adapt in the moment -- since this is what happens many times anyway. I think I still would enjoy starting more on time (we start no more than five minutes late for our English class), but in general the environment (and not being in charge) is helping me to go about my tasks and commitments in a more relaxed manner.
Well, I will try to add one more entry before Christmas, which we will spend with the parents and two brothers of Nicole and Emily. They both are staying in Lima one additional night in order to meet their family at the airport, and then coming back up to Chimbote on the 22nd. I wish you a blessed week.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Paseos, Visitas, y una Semana Ocupada
Hello everyone!
Note: New photos are posted which you can see using the link at the right.
If you are guessing from the delay in this blog update that I have become a little bit busier, you would be right! Here are some highlights and reflections on life since I last wrote:
- Though we had a feeling it would happen sooner or later, it was still shook us up a bit that Nicole was robbed as she and Emily were walking to the Hospice for work a week ago Saturday. She is okay and wasn`t hurt, but the guy got away with her neck chain and its religious medals. We are all thinking more about what we are carrying (or appear to be carrying) when we go out, taking as little as possible. Sr. Juanita tells us that this time of hear, with Christmas coming up, is the worst time for theft and that we should be careful. She herself has been robbed 6-7 times in her 11 years here, and says it makes her mad each time. Coupled with what seems like increased harrassment toward Nicole and Emily when they go out (especially on Sundays, when many of the men are free from work and somewhat intoxicated in the streets), they are feeling a bit tired of being so much in the public eye, of not being able to be anonymous. There are people who try to help, and many of our friends are sure to walk us home especially at night, but we are definitely aware and watchful when we go out.
- On a lighter note, we three joined about 45 jovenes (youth and young adults) from the parish for a paseo (outing) last Sunday to a park out in the country about a half hour. We got a late start, not surprisingly, but enjoyed the tranquilo day of group games/competitions, soccer, and volleyball. Nicole impressed all the guys with her soccer prowess. I helped plan the event as part of the youth council, and the striking difference between here and the US were the economics -- we managed to feed 50 people for about 45 soles ($15) on fried rice. We brought a huge pot of it (the food delayed the departure) and everyone brought a plate and spoon, even some china. We had the goal of helping the youth already participating in some of the various parish groups to get to know each other better, and I think the outing was successful and the weather (except for some mosquitos early on) was perfect. I also enjoyed the opportunity to talk with some youth that I hadn`t known before.
- This week I began at last our project of visiting youth in their homes, beginning with meetings with some of the eight coordinators of the eight parish sectors. In a couple neighborhoods we have already made one outing of visits. The first was a small sector in which the coordinator knew all the Catholic families, and we were well received by the youth/families we spoke with. I will meet with a group of the young people this Sunday to talk with them about what they would like to see/do as a parish and as a sector in terms of youth activities. In the second sector, the visit went differently -- a bit humurous in retrospect but a little frustrating at the time. The coordinator had forgotten about our appointment, so I had to wait for her to shower and get ready after her siesta. Also, though I had suggested 2 or 3 people max, our group was to consist of 5 (myself, three short older ladies, and one husband -- who ended up not coming after all). Also, though they have lived in the neighborhood for more than 30 years, they were as lost (or more so) as I was in finding the streets and houses for the addresses I had. To shorten the story, we spent a couple hours wandering by foot and taxi and ended up talking with two parents and two youth. STill, a start. And, overall, I think I will really enjoy this part of my ministry here, to talk on an individual basis with youth and families to help them feel welcome in the parish and to invite their suggestions and participation. Yesterday I attended mass at the chapel in our largest sector, 2 de Mayo, and met several folks after mass who either have youth or are interested in helping with our projects.
- I participated in my first two choir rehearsals, though I have yet to really learn the guitar songs due to not having the lyrics and chords. I am scheduled to have some introduction to that this week by the choir director. Still, it is an animated group (at times to the frustration of the director :)) and we rehearse in the living room of a parishioners home near the parish. Our rehearsals are 9:30-11:00 pm Friday and Saturday night, which is a little unbelievable for me. I may not be able to long term make the commitment due to other ministry activities at the parish, but I am going to give it a shot.
- English class is going well. I have located some helpful lesson plan ideas online and we are also now offering a Friday night conversation session in our home from 7-9 for anyone in the class desiring opportunity to practice. We have 12-15 attending the Monday-Thursday classes and 7-8 coming on Fridays.
- Saturday Nicole, Emily and I took advantage of their day off (national holiday for the Immaculate Conception) and took a paseo to Trujillo, a couple hours north of here. The architecture is more colonial and the city a bit cleaner than Chimbote, and we saw significantly more tourists. We attended mass at the Cathedral, had a couple good meals, visited the pre-Inca ruins of Chan-Chan outside of town, and walked/relaxed a couple hours on the beach at the small nearby town of Huancacho. We met a dog there who loved to dig and fetch, and his owner is a doctor from the US who moved there two years ago to open a restaurant. All in all a good getaway.
- I am somewhat in charge of directing a Christmas play with the post-Confirmation group, and developed a script from online Spanish bible sources and material from Fr. Carlos that combines the story of the first Nativity Scene (tradicion begun by St. Francis) and the Biblical narrative of the prophets and the gospels. We will put it on a couple times before Christmas, on the 22nd at a show for parish children and the 23rd or 24th for the parish at large.
- Christmas is coming, and we see a smattering of lights in house windows and some downtown stores selling solely Christmas decor. Nicole and Emily bought a 2-foot tree for our living room and a couple strings of lights, which help add a little Christmas feel to our home. I think because I associate Christmas with being home with family and know that this year I won`t be (for the first time), I do find myself missing home a bit more. Still, I do look forward to experiencing the celebration of Christmas here. And the Tardio family -- parents and both brothers -- are also joining us here for the holiday, after which they will travel to Cusco and Macchu Piccu.
- Sometimes two years seems like a long time, but I also have been struck by periodic moments of beauty and peace here (like the beautiful late afternoon volleyball game with youth on the paseo -- we had no net but a lot of fun and laughter) that I am very grateful for. My spanish is definitely improving, which is exciting, though listening still is tough. I have hope for the good that I can offer and receive here, and in my good moments I do believe that God can take my imperfect efforts and help them bear fruit.
Well, its time to head home before I have to go to English class. Thanks for your perseverance in making it to the end of this lengthy entry, and I wish you a blessed Advent.
Note: New photos are posted which you can see using the link at the right.
If you are guessing from the delay in this blog update that I have become a little bit busier, you would be right! Here are some highlights and reflections on life since I last wrote:
- Though we had a feeling it would happen sooner or later, it was still shook us up a bit that Nicole was robbed as she and Emily were walking to the Hospice for work a week ago Saturday. She is okay and wasn`t hurt, but the guy got away with her neck chain and its religious medals. We are all thinking more about what we are carrying (or appear to be carrying) when we go out, taking as little as possible. Sr. Juanita tells us that this time of hear, with Christmas coming up, is the worst time for theft and that we should be careful. She herself has been robbed 6-7 times in her 11 years here, and says it makes her mad each time. Coupled with what seems like increased harrassment toward Nicole and Emily when they go out (especially on Sundays, when many of the men are free from work and somewhat intoxicated in the streets), they are feeling a bit tired of being so much in the public eye, of not being able to be anonymous. There are people who try to help, and many of our friends are sure to walk us home especially at night, but we are definitely aware and watchful when we go out.
- On a lighter note, we three joined about 45 jovenes (youth and young adults) from the parish for a paseo (outing) last Sunday to a park out in the country about a half hour. We got a late start, not surprisingly, but enjoyed the tranquilo day of group games/competitions, soccer, and volleyball. Nicole impressed all the guys with her soccer prowess. I helped plan the event as part of the youth council, and the striking difference between here and the US were the economics -- we managed to feed 50 people for about 45 soles ($15) on fried rice. We brought a huge pot of it (the food delayed the departure) and everyone brought a plate and spoon, even some china. We had the goal of helping the youth already participating in some of the various parish groups to get to know each other better, and I think the outing was successful and the weather (except for some mosquitos early on) was perfect. I also enjoyed the opportunity to talk with some youth that I hadn`t known before.
- This week I began at last our project of visiting youth in their homes, beginning with meetings with some of the eight coordinators of the eight parish sectors. In a couple neighborhoods we have already made one outing of visits. The first was a small sector in which the coordinator knew all the Catholic families, and we were well received by the youth/families we spoke with. I will meet with a group of the young people this Sunday to talk with them about what they would like to see/do as a parish and as a sector in terms of youth activities. In the second sector, the visit went differently -- a bit humurous in retrospect but a little frustrating at the time. The coordinator had forgotten about our appointment, so I had to wait for her to shower and get ready after her siesta. Also, though I had suggested 2 or 3 people max, our group was to consist of 5 (myself, three short older ladies, and one husband -- who ended up not coming after all). Also, though they have lived in the neighborhood for more than 30 years, they were as lost (or more so) as I was in finding the streets and houses for the addresses I had. To shorten the story, we spent a couple hours wandering by foot and taxi and ended up talking with two parents and two youth. STill, a start. And, overall, I think I will really enjoy this part of my ministry here, to talk on an individual basis with youth and families to help them feel welcome in the parish and to invite their suggestions and participation. Yesterday I attended mass at the chapel in our largest sector, 2 de Mayo, and met several folks after mass who either have youth or are interested in helping with our projects.
- I participated in my first two choir rehearsals, though I have yet to really learn the guitar songs due to not having the lyrics and chords. I am scheduled to have some introduction to that this week by the choir director. Still, it is an animated group (at times to the frustration of the director :)) and we rehearse in the living room of a parishioners home near the parish. Our rehearsals are 9:30-11:00 pm Friday and Saturday night, which is a little unbelievable for me. I may not be able to long term make the commitment due to other ministry activities at the parish, but I am going to give it a shot.
- English class is going well. I have located some helpful lesson plan ideas online and we are also now offering a Friday night conversation session in our home from 7-9 for anyone in the class desiring opportunity to practice. We have 12-15 attending the Monday-Thursday classes and 7-8 coming on Fridays.
- Saturday Nicole, Emily and I took advantage of their day off (national holiday for the Immaculate Conception) and took a paseo to Trujillo, a couple hours north of here. The architecture is more colonial and the city a bit cleaner than Chimbote, and we saw significantly more tourists. We attended mass at the Cathedral, had a couple good meals, visited the pre-Inca ruins of Chan-Chan outside of town, and walked/relaxed a couple hours on the beach at the small nearby town of Huancacho. We met a dog there who loved to dig and fetch, and his owner is a doctor from the US who moved there two years ago to open a restaurant. All in all a good getaway.
- I am somewhat in charge of directing a Christmas play with the post-Confirmation group, and developed a script from online Spanish bible sources and material from Fr. Carlos that combines the story of the first Nativity Scene (tradicion begun by St. Francis) and the Biblical narrative of the prophets and the gospels. We will put it on a couple times before Christmas, on the 22nd at a show for parish children and the 23rd or 24th for the parish at large.
- Christmas is coming, and we see a smattering of lights in house windows and some downtown stores selling solely Christmas decor. Nicole and Emily bought a 2-foot tree for our living room and a couple strings of lights, which help add a little Christmas feel to our home. I think because I associate Christmas with being home with family and know that this year I won`t be (for the first time), I do find myself missing home a bit more. Still, I do look forward to experiencing the celebration of Christmas here. And the Tardio family -- parents and both brothers -- are also joining us here for the holiday, after which they will travel to Cusco and Macchu Piccu.
- Sometimes two years seems like a long time, but I also have been struck by periodic moments of beauty and peace here (like the beautiful late afternoon volleyball game with youth on the paseo -- we had no net but a lot of fun and laughter) that I am very grateful for. My spanish is definitely improving, which is exciting, though listening still is tough. I have hope for the good that I can offer and receive here, and in my good moments I do believe that God can take my imperfect efforts and help them bear fruit.
Well, its time to head home before I have to go to English class. Thanks for your perseverance in making it to the end of this lengthy entry, and I wish you a blessed Advent.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Some new photos
I meant to add some photos of Ecuador and Confirmation with my last entry, but my camera and the computer weren´t communicating well. They are now posted, see the photo link at right.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Ecuador y Sacramentos
Greetings from Chimbote!
I wrote last week just prior to our trip to Ecuador -- and we made it there and back safe and sound. Though the bus trip was long (15 hours including immigration stops) the bus was the nicest I`ve ever been on, more like traveling on the train in terms of space to stretch out. Also, there was a bathroom on board and decent meals were served. Though the majority of the trip both ways was at night, I did get a picture of what the north coast of Peru is like. The terrain and climate continue quite dry most of the way, at times quite desolate with exception of a sleepy (it was 7:00 am) beach town of Mancora. As we neared the border of Ecuador, however, the humidity increased significantly and more plant life was in evidence. Except for paying an unexpected fine upon leaving Peru for overstaying our visas (we thought we`d received an extension), the exit/entry went smoothly on the way up. Machala, our destination, was described in the guidebook as the `Banana Capital of the World´, though we missed the late-September Banana Festival with the Banana Queen beauty pageant. Indeed, banana plantations lined the highway for the final hour or so of the trip. It turns out that our bus wasn´t actually scheduled to stop in Machala, which lies a few miles off the Pan American highway. So, instead of arriving at a bus terminal we were dropped rather quickly at a gas station, the attendant pointing to the left to indicate the direction of Machala. Fortunately, we joined up with a couple young travels from Britain to take a cab to the city center and then took another cab to the Consulate of Peru where our visas were waiting. We arrived at 1;20, just as the last employee was leaving for lunch, so we waiting for a couple hours in a pleasant nearby park, and then waiting a couple more hours in the office before everything was okay with our visas. We found a motel in Machala near the green, attractive central plaza and ate pretty good pizza for dinner, and began our trip back the next morning. A few reflections on the journey:
- Machala was at least one level up economically from Chimbote -- cleaner, more paved streets, and more private cars.
- The official currency of Ecuador is the US $, so it was weird to spend dollars again for a day.
- The markets were bustling but a bit less chaotic than in Chimbote -- more permanent stalls, fruit stacked nicely, etc.
- We saw our first Christmas decorations of the season in Machala, both for sale in stores and hanging various places, including a Santa Claus printed with `Merry Christmas´ on our hotel room door. We hadn`t seen any sign of Christmas in Chimbote, though a few small traces have appeared this week. Maybe the increase US influence and/or higher economic level of Machala increased the Christmas commercialism there.
- Machala seems a bit more ethnically diverse than Chimbote, with small but significant black population and a larger number of people with stronger indigenous roots.
- The heat was more intense, made worse by the high humidity. The benefit of this was a lot more greenery and less dust.
- When I got off the bus with other travelers to go through exit procedures at the Ecuadorean border, I grabbed my bag but left my pillow and fleece jacket, thinking it would be a quick off and on. To my surprise, as I disembarked the bus promptly pulled away to drop off/pick up passengers at a nearby town. Though the bus returned, by pillow and jacket didn`t. A bit frustrating but not a huge loss -- summer is coming anyway :).
- We had a several hour layover in Tumbes, Peru, a half hour from the border. The food was cheap (soup, chicken, rice and beans for three of us for $4 total), the plaza there was quite impressive and the town overall a bit more developed than Chimbote, including a raised promenade along the river. There was an anniversary celebration for a local school, including an exposition of student arts and crafts. The young people, primary and secundary, loved talking with us, showing us their work, and asking questions about English and the United States. I took a walk around town and when I returned a crowd of at least ten youth were crowded around Nicole and Emily, who were obviously a bit tired from the extended Spanish.
- We now have an official religious visa and have 30 days to do the paperwork for our Carnet, or residency card. We will need to travel to Lima in December for a couple days to complete the process.
The second part of this entry concerns the events of first communion and Confirmation at the parish, both of which were held this past Sunday (10 am First Communion, 7:30 pm Confirmation). I assisted in a more-or-less crowd control capacity for both events, as well as assisting with pre-ceremony Confirmation preparations and attending the `compartir` afterwards. This after celebration had the same joy and smiles of the parallel gathering in Corvallis, except that here they served tamales, brought out a radio and had a dance. Also similar to Corvallis -- I was there to the end (though not the only one) sweeping and cleaning up :).
I feel significantly this week a combination of being very glad to be here (two months as of two days ago) as well as missing family and friends with the holiday season upon us. I wish you a wonderful season of Advent!
The second
I wrote last week just prior to our trip to Ecuador -- and we made it there and back safe and sound. Though the bus trip was long (15 hours including immigration stops) the bus was the nicest I`ve ever been on, more like traveling on the train in terms of space to stretch out. Also, there was a bathroom on board and decent meals were served. Though the majority of the trip both ways was at night, I did get a picture of what the north coast of Peru is like. The terrain and climate continue quite dry most of the way, at times quite desolate with exception of a sleepy (it was 7:00 am) beach town of Mancora. As we neared the border of Ecuador, however, the humidity increased significantly and more plant life was in evidence. Except for paying an unexpected fine upon leaving Peru for overstaying our visas (we thought we`d received an extension), the exit/entry went smoothly on the way up. Machala, our destination, was described in the guidebook as the `Banana Capital of the World´, though we missed the late-September Banana Festival with the Banana Queen beauty pageant. Indeed, banana plantations lined the highway for the final hour or so of the trip. It turns out that our bus wasn´t actually scheduled to stop in Machala, which lies a few miles off the Pan American highway. So, instead of arriving at a bus terminal we were dropped rather quickly at a gas station, the attendant pointing to the left to indicate the direction of Machala. Fortunately, we joined up with a couple young travels from Britain to take a cab to the city center and then took another cab to the Consulate of Peru where our visas were waiting. We arrived at 1;20, just as the last employee was leaving for lunch, so we waiting for a couple hours in a pleasant nearby park, and then waiting a couple more hours in the office before everything was okay with our visas. We found a motel in Machala near the green, attractive central plaza and ate pretty good pizza for dinner, and began our trip back the next morning. A few reflections on the journey:
- Machala was at least one level up economically from Chimbote -- cleaner, more paved streets, and more private cars.
- The official currency of Ecuador is the US $, so it was weird to spend dollars again for a day.
- The markets were bustling but a bit less chaotic than in Chimbote -- more permanent stalls, fruit stacked nicely, etc.
- We saw our first Christmas decorations of the season in Machala, both for sale in stores and hanging various places, including a Santa Claus printed with `Merry Christmas´ on our hotel room door. We hadn`t seen any sign of Christmas in Chimbote, though a few small traces have appeared this week. Maybe the increase US influence and/or higher economic level of Machala increased the Christmas commercialism there.
- Machala seems a bit more ethnically diverse than Chimbote, with small but significant black population and a larger number of people with stronger indigenous roots.
- The heat was more intense, made worse by the high humidity. The benefit of this was a lot more greenery and less dust.
- When I got off the bus with other travelers to go through exit procedures at the Ecuadorean border, I grabbed my bag but left my pillow and fleece jacket, thinking it would be a quick off and on. To my surprise, as I disembarked the bus promptly pulled away to drop off/pick up passengers at a nearby town. Though the bus returned, by pillow and jacket didn`t. A bit frustrating but not a huge loss -- summer is coming anyway :).
- We had a several hour layover in Tumbes, Peru, a half hour from the border. The food was cheap (soup, chicken, rice and beans for three of us for $4 total), the plaza there was quite impressive and the town overall a bit more developed than Chimbote, including a raised promenade along the river. There was an anniversary celebration for a local school, including an exposition of student arts and crafts. The young people, primary and secundary, loved talking with us, showing us their work, and asking questions about English and the United States. I took a walk around town and when I returned a crowd of at least ten youth were crowded around Nicole and Emily, who were obviously a bit tired from the extended Spanish.
- We now have an official religious visa and have 30 days to do the paperwork for our Carnet, or residency card. We will need to travel to Lima in December for a couple days to complete the process.
The second part of this entry concerns the events of first communion and Confirmation at the parish, both of which were held this past Sunday (10 am First Communion, 7:30 pm Confirmation). I assisted in a more-or-less crowd control capacity for both events, as well as assisting with pre-ceremony Confirmation preparations and attending the `compartir` afterwards. This after celebration had the same joy and smiles of the parallel gathering in Corvallis, except that here they served tamales, brought out a radio and had a dance. Also similar to Corvallis -- I was there to the end (though not the only one) sweeping and cleaning up :).
I feel significantly this week a combination of being very glad to be here (two months as of two days ago) as well as missing family and friends with the holiday season upon us. I wish you a wonderful season of Advent!
The second
Monday, November 19, 2007
Something smells fishy...
Greetings! I write you today a few hours before Nicole, Emily and I embark on a 14+ hour bus trip to Machala, Ecuador in order to get our long term visas (we currently have short-term visas). Also, before I forget -- I am posting some new photos so check out the photo link at right.
A number of things to write about, but, as the title of the blog indicates, the fishing season has begun here and the smell is quite strong at times. With the openings in our house, the air flows right through, especially in the kitchen. At least now one doesn`t have to worry about smelling up the house by cooking fish :). People here say that they are basically used to it, and in general people are happy because a lot of people have work that can`t usually find it. And, it used to last all year until overfishing led to just a couple months of intensive fishing (though fishing on a small scale continues year round). The smell comes from the factories that process the fish.
My main news to share is about our Confirmation retreat this past weekend. I accompanied the group to the town of Pariacoto, about one hour south and two hours east into the mountains. The town is in a river valley which has been harnessed by irragation to create significant agricultural greenery, but the rugged mountains that surround the town of a couple thousand people at about 1300 meters of elevation are dusty, rocky and dry with little plant life. The franciscans that run our parish also serve at the parish there and have a small retreat center that just managed to fit our 35 youth and six leaders. I was a little concerned prior to the retreat because the priest in charge of Confirmation notified us at the last moment that he was unable to come, but all-in-all the experience was a good one. Some reflections:
-- Speaking only Spanish for the whole weekend was a bit tiring but really good for me. I know that if I could speak Spanish at home or lived with a family here, that my fluency would increase much faster. Of course, that advantage is weighed against the breaks to speak English and having space to just get away for quiet time and reminders of home. Anyway, I learned new words like avanzar, which means something like `Come on` or `Let`s go` in the sense of `Avanza, it`s time to get up` or `Avanzan, your group has only five minutes left for the project and you have not yet started.´(I only heard this word about 200 times during the weekend). Also, aplastar (to crush), as in `The crackers we brought are aplastados.´ Final, contradecir (to contradict), as when the retreat coordinator asked another leader to not contradecir him when he told the group that there would be no sports, since this was not a weekend for sports but was a retreat.
- The highlights of the retreat, next to a number of opportunities to get to know individual youth better through conversations, were a couple of hikes we took with the group (see photos) to a cross atop a nearby hill and the site where two Franciscan priests were martyred in 1991 by the Shining Path because they were foreigners and represented imperialism. The views were amazing, the excercise welcome after the three-hour trip in a cramped mini-van-type bus called a combi, and the air very clean. At the cross atop the mountain, we left the rocks we`d hauled in our backpacks up the 45-minute climb as symbols of leaving the weight of our sin behind at the foot of the cross.
- We had mass both days, and Saturday night´s planned mass happened to coincide with a planned wedding/baptism at the parish. No problem! We, with 40 teegagers/young adults, simply joined in the celebration, taking up over a third of the seats so that a number of late arrivals to the wedding mass (and baptism of the couple´s child) had to stand in the back. The kids were occasional not talking during the ceremony, but nonetheless I enjoyed the chance to participate in the wedding celebration, which in many respects was very similar to US weddings. Mass on Sunday was at 7:00 am (after ending the last Saturday session at 11:30 pm), which I wouldn´t try to do on a youth retreat in the US :).
- The transportation to the retreat for the 41 of us was in two combis, which comfortably hold about 15 people, and a pickup truck which holds four. We were a bit smashed (I sat facing backward both coming and going, see photo), that is once the vans arrived -- an hour after the scheduled retreat departure time. They understandably struggled up the hills, the drivers stayed with us at the retreat center (and came back drunk on Saturday night), and one of the combis refused to start for the return trip. We waited for an hour for the drivers and assistants to fix the problem, a process which required shuttling a battery back and forth between the two vans at least four times, a couple of false loadings of the vans, etc. Makes the Club Wagon seem like a breeze.:)
- Males here, even the group leaders, seem to expect to be served -- even by the female leaders -- and seem unaccustomed to handling anything having to so with serving food for themselves.
On other topics, I continue with my physical therapy for my elbow. I had pictured progressing more quickly to complete use of my arm, but still have to admit that progress is being made. I have some excercises to do at home, including stretching/bending and carrying a small weight in my left hand to help stretch the contracted ligaments.
The past two weeks I have begun what will be a once-weekly accompaniment of the Hospice´s pastoral agent, visiting homes of terminally ill patients. The first house we went to was one at which the patient, an elderly man who had had cancer, had died just moments before. I felt somewhat out of place in the midst of the family mourning, but it was a strong reminder of the reality of death, how fragile we really are. The visits are a good chance to meet people in their homes, which vary widely in economic status. One man, younger than me, has a tumor in his back but in order to raise money for his family`s food and his pain medicine makes flip-flops out of used tires, which family members sell on the street for less than a dollar per pair. His home is mostly open to the sky, with dirt floors, chickens, and some cute baby pigs. These visits also have the side benefit of helping me with my Spanish.
Finally, I recommend taking some time to read Laura´s blog, the link is at the right. She is an IWM in Guatemala who is doing an excellent job of sharing and reflecting on her experience, especially interesting to me after spending some time in that country but time well spent for anyone interested in learning about life there, both the joys and many struggles the people face.
Thanks for taking time to read, and I´ll check in with more after our return from Thanksgiving. We are hoping to make it back for a dinner hosted by some Sisters who are friends of friends of Nicole and Emily and live here in town.
Wishing you peace and gratitude.
A number of things to write about, but, as the title of the blog indicates, the fishing season has begun here and the smell is quite strong at times. With the openings in our house, the air flows right through, especially in the kitchen. At least now one doesn`t have to worry about smelling up the house by cooking fish :). People here say that they are basically used to it, and in general people are happy because a lot of people have work that can`t usually find it. And, it used to last all year until overfishing led to just a couple months of intensive fishing (though fishing on a small scale continues year round). The smell comes from the factories that process the fish.
My main news to share is about our Confirmation retreat this past weekend. I accompanied the group to the town of Pariacoto, about one hour south and two hours east into the mountains. The town is in a river valley which has been harnessed by irragation to create significant agricultural greenery, but the rugged mountains that surround the town of a couple thousand people at about 1300 meters of elevation are dusty, rocky and dry with little plant life. The franciscans that run our parish also serve at the parish there and have a small retreat center that just managed to fit our 35 youth and six leaders. I was a little concerned prior to the retreat because the priest in charge of Confirmation notified us at the last moment that he was unable to come, but all-in-all the experience was a good one. Some reflections:
-- Speaking only Spanish for the whole weekend was a bit tiring but really good for me. I know that if I could speak Spanish at home or lived with a family here, that my fluency would increase much faster. Of course, that advantage is weighed against the breaks to speak English and having space to just get away for quiet time and reminders of home. Anyway, I learned new words like avanzar, which means something like `Come on` or `Let`s go` in the sense of `Avanza, it`s time to get up` or `Avanzan, your group has only five minutes left for the project and you have not yet started.´(I only heard this word about 200 times during the weekend). Also, aplastar (to crush), as in `The crackers we brought are aplastados.´ Final, contradecir (to contradict), as when the retreat coordinator asked another leader to not contradecir him when he told the group that there would be no sports, since this was not a weekend for sports but was a retreat.
- The highlights of the retreat, next to a number of opportunities to get to know individual youth better through conversations, were a couple of hikes we took with the group (see photos) to a cross atop a nearby hill and the site where two Franciscan priests were martyred in 1991 by the Shining Path because they were foreigners and represented imperialism. The views were amazing, the excercise welcome after the three-hour trip in a cramped mini-van-type bus called a combi, and the air very clean. At the cross atop the mountain, we left the rocks we`d hauled in our backpacks up the 45-minute climb as symbols of leaving the weight of our sin behind at the foot of the cross.
- We had mass both days, and Saturday night´s planned mass happened to coincide with a planned wedding/baptism at the parish. No problem! We, with 40 teegagers/young adults, simply joined in the celebration, taking up over a third of the seats so that a number of late arrivals to the wedding mass (and baptism of the couple´s child) had to stand in the back. The kids were occasional not talking during the ceremony, but nonetheless I enjoyed the chance to participate in the wedding celebration, which in many respects was very similar to US weddings. Mass on Sunday was at 7:00 am (after ending the last Saturday session at 11:30 pm), which I wouldn´t try to do on a youth retreat in the US :).
- The transportation to the retreat for the 41 of us was in two combis, which comfortably hold about 15 people, and a pickup truck which holds four. We were a bit smashed (I sat facing backward both coming and going, see photo), that is once the vans arrived -- an hour after the scheduled retreat departure time. They understandably struggled up the hills, the drivers stayed with us at the retreat center (and came back drunk on Saturday night), and one of the combis refused to start for the return trip. We waited for an hour for the drivers and assistants to fix the problem, a process which required shuttling a battery back and forth between the two vans at least four times, a couple of false loadings of the vans, etc. Makes the Club Wagon seem like a breeze.:)
- Males here, even the group leaders, seem to expect to be served -- even by the female leaders -- and seem unaccustomed to handling anything having to so with serving food for themselves.
On other topics, I continue with my physical therapy for my elbow. I had pictured progressing more quickly to complete use of my arm, but still have to admit that progress is being made. I have some excercises to do at home, including stretching/bending and carrying a small weight in my left hand to help stretch the contracted ligaments.
The past two weeks I have begun what will be a once-weekly accompaniment of the Hospice´s pastoral agent, visiting homes of terminally ill patients. The first house we went to was one at which the patient, an elderly man who had had cancer, had died just moments before. I felt somewhat out of place in the midst of the family mourning, but it was a strong reminder of the reality of death, how fragile we really are. The visits are a good chance to meet people in their homes, which vary widely in economic status. One man, younger than me, has a tumor in his back but in order to raise money for his family`s food and his pain medicine makes flip-flops out of used tires, which family members sell on the street for less than a dollar per pair. His home is mostly open to the sky, with dirt floors, chickens, and some cute baby pigs. These visits also have the side benefit of helping me with my Spanish.
Finally, I recommend taking some time to read Laura´s blog, the link is at the right. She is an IWM in Guatemala who is doing an excellent job of sharing and reflecting on her experience, especially interesting to me after spending some time in that country but time well spent for anyone interested in learning about life there, both the joys and many struggles the people face.
Thanks for taking time to read, and I´ll check in with more after our return from Thanksgiving. We are hoping to make it back for a dinner hosted by some Sisters who are friends of friends of Nicole and Emily and live here in town.
Wishing you peace and gratitude.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Mejor de Salud y Curso de Inglès
Good afternoon! Later in the day after my last post, I wondered if I had done too much complaining, but I hope to keep the tone here informal and a fairly acurate picture of how I am feeling. Thanks for the encouragement from those who responded, and I`m happy to report that this week I am (finally) feeling better, which amazingly has an impact as well on my overall mood and outlook.
A new undertaking this week for Nicole,Emily and I was the beginning of our English classes in the parish, which will continue each week on Monday and Thursday evenings. We had 11 and 16 students attend, and more or less we have begun well. We are on the lookout for an ESL course teacher´s edition that we might be able to have sent through the Tardio´s at Christmas, but until then we are covering some of the basics on our own with a little help from some online ideas and input from our students as to what they would like to learn. The ages of our students range from 14 to about 30, with a variety of English experience and proficiency, though all seem eager to learn. Because several requested help with pronunciation, we spent some time preparing a summary of how Spanish vowel sounds can be spelled in English as well as compiling example words for sounds that don`t exist in Spanish. Doing so made us realize how unpredictable English actually is and how many exceptions there are to the rules that do exist. Any ideas would be welcome -- and we are posting summaries of our classes online for our students at www.cursodeinlgespsfda.blogspot.com in case you are curious. Because Nicole and Emily have a fairly full work schedule, I am taking on the majority of the preparation work and generally take the lead during the class when explanations in Spanish are needed.
An exciting event this Wednesday was another trip to the soccer stadium, this time packed full for `El Clàsico` between two of the most popular teams of the Peruvian national league. The game was quite exciting, the fans were loud (reminded me of college football level) and generally an exciting atmosphere. Interesting too that we ended up walking home more than 45 minutes since most don`t have cars and all the taxis are overloaded when the game ends. At least here, though, the stadium-design doesn`t have to take parking lot space into account. Hopefully next week I`ll post some photos from the event.
I began physical therapy this week for my elbow, now completely without cast or sling. Since it was bent at 90 degrees for four weeks, I am still not able to fully extend my arm nor flex it all the way. The therapy sessions are a bit painful in that she works to stretch the contracted muscles and tendons, but afterward I can feel the increased mobility. This week also included the small victories of drinking and shampooing my hair with my left hand :). I have a good ways to go before I am back to normal (or at least as normal as I was before), but little by little I see progress.
This coming weekend I will assist with the Confirmation retreat Saturday-Sunday at a place called Pariacoto, a couple hours away east into the mountains -- supposedly quite pretty there. Efforts to gather leaders of the eight parish neighborhoods were unsuccessful last week, but I did meet with leaders of one neighborhood regarding efforts to invite more of their youth to active participation. My vision at this point is to just begin with visits to homes, among other things looking to identify potencial youth leaders in each neighborhood. In January, there is a national youth ministry training course in Lima for a week or so which I hope to attend and bring interested youth leaders with me. If anyone might be interested in sponsoring the expenses for one of our young people here to attend, please let me know. I don`t yet have information about cost, but my guess is that it will be quite reasonable by US standards though out of reach for some youth and families here. In addition, we still have some plans for Advent -- outing, mini-retreat evenings, a community service project,a Christmas play and having youth help decorate the church. Similar to some parishes in the US, the members of the youth counsel felt that they were not asked for help with many parish events and were excited about the idea of being able to contribute ideas and time to helping decorate for Advent and Christmas.
Tonight we have been invited to a birthday party of one of the choir members whom we know, which should be a fun (and late) evening. I will go after my 8:00 meeting to help plan the upcoming Confirmation retreat (I can`t imagine calling a similar meeting at 8:00 pm on Saturday in the IS :)). I wish you a blessed week, and thanks for checking in!
A new undertaking this week for Nicole,Emily and I was the beginning of our English classes in the parish, which will continue each week on Monday and Thursday evenings. We had 11 and 16 students attend, and more or less we have begun well. We are on the lookout for an ESL course teacher´s edition that we might be able to have sent through the Tardio´s at Christmas, but until then we are covering some of the basics on our own with a little help from some online ideas and input from our students as to what they would like to learn. The ages of our students range from 14 to about 30, with a variety of English experience and proficiency, though all seem eager to learn. Because several requested help with pronunciation, we spent some time preparing a summary of how Spanish vowel sounds can be spelled in English as well as compiling example words for sounds that don`t exist in Spanish. Doing so made us realize how unpredictable English actually is and how many exceptions there are to the rules that do exist. Any ideas would be welcome -- and we are posting summaries of our classes online for our students at www.cursodeinlgespsfda.blogspot.com in case you are curious. Because Nicole and Emily have a fairly full work schedule, I am taking on the majority of the preparation work and generally take the lead during the class when explanations in Spanish are needed.
An exciting event this Wednesday was another trip to the soccer stadium, this time packed full for `El Clàsico` between two of the most popular teams of the Peruvian national league. The game was quite exciting, the fans were loud (reminded me of college football level) and generally an exciting atmosphere. Interesting too that we ended up walking home more than 45 minutes since most don`t have cars and all the taxis are overloaded when the game ends. At least here, though, the stadium-design doesn`t have to take parking lot space into account. Hopefully next week I`ll post some photos from the event.
I began physical therapy this week for my elbow, now completely without cast or sling. Since it was bent at 90 degrees for four weeks, I am still not able to fully extend my arm nor flex it all the way. The therapy sessions are a bit painful in that she works to stretch the contracted muscles and tendons, but afterward I can feel the increased mobility. This week also included the small victories of drinking and shampooing my hair with my left hand :). I have a good ways to go before I am back to normal (or at least as normal as I was before), but little by little I see progress.
This coming weekend I will assist with the Confirmation retreat Saturday-Sunday at a place called Pariacoto, a couple hours away east into the mountains -- supposedly quite pretty there. Efforts to gather leaders of the eight parish neighborhoods were unsuccessful last week, but I did meet with leaders of one neighborhood regarding efforts to invite more of their youth to active participation. My vision at this point is to just begin with visits to homes, among other things looking to identify potencial youth leaders in each neighborhood. In January, there is a national youth ministry training course in Lima for a week or so which I hope to attend and bring interested youth leaders with me. If anyone might be interested in sponsoring the expenses for one of our young people here to attend, please let me know. I don`t yet have information about cost, but my guess is that it will be quite reasonable by US standards though out of reach for some youth and families here. In addition, we still have some plans for Advent -- outing, mini-retreat evenings, a community service project,a Christmas play and having youth help decorate the church. Similar to some parishes in the US, the members of the youth counsel felt that they were not asked for help with many parish events and were excited about the idea of being able to contribute ideas and time to helping decorate for Advent and Christmas.
Tonight we have been invited to a birthday party of one of the choir members whom we know, which should be a fun (and late) evening. I will go after my 8:00 meeting to help plan the upcoming Confirmation retreat (I can`t imagine calling a similar meeting at 8:00 pm on Saturday in the IS :)). I wish you a blessed week, and thanks for checking in!
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Tener gripe no està divertido
Good morning! I write today from the convent computer here in Chimbote, and for the first time in a while with two hands (learning to appreciate the little things). Most of my news since my last posting, as the title suggests, involves being sick. On Wednesday the 24th I came down with the flu, a combination of fever, cough, and nasty headache that lasted until about Monday. I peaked at 102.5 degrees on Friday night, and I have to say that when you are forced to lie in bed all night not being able to sleep, the general noise of life here can be a little more irritating that usual. Anyway, with the help of some antibiotics and fever-reducer from the doctor here, I beat the fever by Monday, only to struggle with stomach cramps and nausea for couple more days. Finally yesterday and today I feel nearly back to normal, though my stomach still feels uneasy. Though in some ways I feel as though I lost a week, I was able to use some of the time to read, think, and ponder the questions of life (like why is the brass band at the cultural center across the street still playing at 3 a.m.? and who invented fireworks anyway?).
In general I must say that I have a felt a little homesick the past couple days, probably in part due to not quite feeling 100%. I find myself missing things about home, even little things like types of food, such as cereal and cold milk in the morning (so yesterday I splurged and bought some of each at the supermarket downtown). The underlying nausea also decreases may waning ability to be excited about any of the food choices here, as we seem to be running out of options and ideas for different things to cook. Our basic ingredients to work with include pototaes, white rice, pasta, chicken, eggs, a cheese that appears like swiss but becomes a bit rubbery when melted, carrots, brocoli, a few types of beans, apples, oranges,and other fruits, a few spices, tomatoes. We may try fish now and then, though Nicole is not a big fan so that will happen only occasionally. We buy fresh bread rolls every couple days from one of the bread vendors on the street, which we tend to eat with either breakfast or supper. They do have oatmeal here, which some of you may know was a staple of my diet in the US, but here it is milled quite finely and therefore upon cooking rapidly turns into a paste which I am having increasing difficulty in getting down. We did learn about this stage of culture shock in our orientation, `longing for food from home,`so I guess I could have expected it, and I`m sure as my stomach settles down the choices will sound more appetizing.
Also, I realize that in choosing a life here and giving up many of the small pleasures, luxuries, and comforts, and predictable routines of my life in the US I am left with some sense of a void, a lack of little pick-me-ups that I didn`t realize my moods depended upon so much. Thus, a conscious effort is required to notice this within myself and look around for constructive investments of time that can sustain my spirit, maybe even more so than what I am missing at the moment. To this end, I have already been journalling substantially more, have more time to read, study Spanish, and just these past few days have again picked up my guitar and am working to get my fingers and chord-positions back in shape. I also recognize more clearly my need for quiet prayer in the mornings as a way to help foster a mindset of more awareness and appreciation for what is actually here. This experience is no doubt an opportunity to serve, but maybe more than I realized an opportunity for self-discovery as well.
In closing, a summary of a few events of the past week that did happen in spite of my illness. We had a few friends over for Halloween and then went downtown to hear some Peruvian music, as October 31 is also a national holiday del Cancion Criollo, or native music. On All Saints Day, which is a national holiday here, some of the same group took us to the Vivero Forestal, a kind of city park with trees, playground, swimming pool, a few unhappy zoo animals, four-wheeler rides, and a small lake on which one can rent rowboats. It is really the only place like it in Chimbote, an oasis of relative green in mostly a dustly and dry local (though isolated houses and neighborhoods, such as that of the neighboring parish of Fr. Jack, do make real efforts to plant and care for green space). Preparations for a youth outing/field trip are under way for next Sunday, and a number of Confirmation-related meetings and events will happen this month. Tonight we three are going to a benefit dinner for the Hospice, which is held at a restaurant downtown and should be a festive event with dancing, etc. Socially, we are gradually meeting and getting to know a few friends better (especially guys, who seem to be quite interested in `practicing English and teaching Spanish` with Nicole and Emily :). They have learned that their status as still novelties here can be a bit tricky to navigate without creating unintended expectations or hurt feelings when more than one person wants to visit or be their guide at a given time, but no major problems. Friendships still take time to build, but there are some seeds that may grow with time.
Well, probably enough introspective rambling for one day -- thanks for reading!
In general I must say that I have a felt a little homesick the past couple days, probably in part due to not quite feeling 100%. I find myself missing things about home, even little things like types of food, such as cereal and cold milk in the morning (so yesterday I splurged and bought some of each at the supermarket downtown). The underlying nausea also decreases may waning ability to be excited about any of the food choices here, as we seem to be running out of options and ideas for different things to cook. Our basic ingredients to work with include pototaes, white rice, pasta, chicken, eggs, a cheese that appears like swiss but becomes a bit rubbery when melted, carrots, brocoli, a few types of beans, apples, oranges,and other fruits, a few spices, tomatoes. We may try fish now and then, though Nicole is not a big fan so that will happen only occasionally. We buy fresh bread rolls every couple days from one of the bread vendors on the street, which we tend to eat with either breakfast or supper. They do have oatmeal here, which some of you may know was a staple of my diet in the US, but here it is milled quite finely and therefore upon cooking rapidly turns into a paste which I am having increasing difficulty in getting down. We did learn about this stage of culture shock in our orientation, `longing for food from home,`so I guess I could have expected it, and I`m sure as my stomach settles down the choices will sound more appetizing.
Also, I realize that in choosing a life here and giving up many of the small pleasures, luxuries, and comforts, and predictable routines of my life in the US I am left with some sense of a void, a lack of little pick-me-ups that I didn`t realize my moods depended upon so much. Thus, a conscious effort is required to notice this within myself and look around for constructive investments of time that can sustain my spirit, maybe even more so than what I am missing at the moment. To this end, I have already been journalling substantially more, have more time to read, study Spanish, and just these past few days have again picked up my guitar and am working to get my fingers and chord-positions back in shape. I also recognize more clearly my need for quiet prayer in the mornings as a way to help foster a mindset of more awareness and appreciation for what is actually here. This experience is no doubt an opportunity to serve, but maybe more than I realized an opportunity for self-discovery as well.
In closing, a summary of a few events of the past week that did happen in spite of my illness. We had a few friends over for Halloween and then went downtown to hear some Peruvian music, as October 31 is also a national holiday del Cancion Criollo, or native music. On All Saints Day, which is a national holiday here, some of the same group took us to the Vivero Forestal, a kind of city park with trees, playground, swimming pool, a few unhappy zoo animals, four-wheeler rides, and a small lake on which one can rent rowboats. It is really the only place like it in Chimbote, an oasis of relative green in mostly a dustly and dry local (though isolated houses and neighborhoods, such as that of the neighboring parish of Fr. Jack, do make real efforts to plant and care for green space). Preparations for a youth outing/field trip are under way for next Sunday, and a number of Confirmation-related meetings and events will happen this month. Tonight we three are going to a benefit dinner for the Hospice, which is held at a restaurant downtown and should be a festive event with dancing, etc. Socially, we are gradually meeting and getting to know a few friends better (especially guys, who seem to be quite interested in `practicing English and teaching Spanish` with Nicole and Emily :). They have learned that their status as still novelties here can be a bit tricky to navigate without creating unintended expectations or hurt feelings when more than one person wants to visit or be their guide at a given time, but no major problems. Friendships still take time to build, but there are some seeds that may grow with time.
Well, probably enough introspective rambling for one day -- thanks for reading!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Cumplo 35
Before I forget to mention it -- check out my photo link at right for a few recent photos.
The last week seems to have gone quickly, so first an update on events:
- I turned 35 on Friday the 19th, and got to celebrate in a few different ways. On Thursday night, a few members and friends of the Canticos del Sol choir visited the house (thinking that my birthday was that day) and e had another birthday music session -- most of this group had been there Monday for Emily`s birthday. I was thinking that we were getting special treatment because we were new, but was told that it is common for friends to gather and go to a person´s home on their birthday sing and wish them well. This group was a lot of fun and had a couple of great guitarrists. On friday morning, I woke up to balloons and birthday sign put up by Nicole and Emily, and they made me both breakfast )eggs after looking in vain for pancake mix) and lunch. In the evening we went to daily Mass and afterward had birthday cake and some of the local ice cream as a treat (not as creamy as at home, but still good). Then, to our surprise, the other youth choir from the parish (Trabajadores sel Evangelio) sent two representatives, including our friend Fernando, to ask if they could come at 10:00 PM to wish me a happy birthday. Nicole went tp sleep after a week of celebrating, but Emily and I hung out with our 10 or so well-wishers and heard a few beautiful songs that they sing in Church, including Paz en las Tormentas. Finally on Saturday night, the franciscan priests and brother at the parish invited us to a late supper birthday celebration at their home.
- Saturday, Alex and jJuan Carlos from the Friday choir, took me out for my second experience of ceviche, the regional favorite of raw fish/seafood in lime and chili. This time I enjoyed the flavor quite a bit and, as a bonus, didn`t suffer any adverse gastonomical aftereffects (ie no diarhea). My stomach must be toughening up :).
- In the parish, we´re getting closer to beginning the home visits to youth, and I´m meeting with the youth counsel this Thursday to set up some plans goals for the next couple months. I´m meeting with Confirmation youth classes and with their leaders to begin planning for the retreat (11/17-18) and ceremony (11/25). Also, Nicole, Emily and I will begin a twice-weekly English class for youth and young adults on 11/5.
- Fernando and Donny from the TDE choir visited last night to sing a bit and invited us all to join the choir, wghich I think I will do, at least when my arm is functioning again enough to play the guitar. I have never played as part of a group and look forward to learning the new songs and building some confidence.
- Speaking of my arm, the doctor last night gave me another week in my cast, 10 days in the sling after that, and then slowly I can begin to move it around again. I am a bit tired of the sling and using only one hand, but I guess this will help me to appreciate my lowly left arm more :).
- Reflecting on my overall experience so far after a month in Peru, I find that the slower pace of `getting started` here sometimes makes me feel as if I should be doing more -- I was much busier as a CYM in Corvallis, doing a lot more ´things´. It struck me today that maybe this is good for me, as Fr. Carlos told me; ´Paciencia trae buen humor.`, or Patience puts you in a good mood. Also, I have been prone to base my own self worth on the quantity of quantifiable contributions I make instead of on the true basis of my worth as a loved child of God. Finally, living a bit more slowly has helped me to realize that I often miss the blessings of the moment -- even trying moments -- by impatiently escaping, either mentally or physically, to the next thing on the schedule. Maybe my time here will teach me to see more clearly the people and places that surround me in my daily life.
Thanks for reading, and God bless!
The last week seems to have gone quickly, so first an update on events:
- I turned 35 on Friday the 19th, and got to celebrate in a few different ways. On Thursday night, a few members and friends of the Canticos del Sol choir visited the house (thinking that my birthday was that day) and e had another birthday music session -- most of this group had been there Monday for Emily`s birthday. I was thinking that we were getting special treatment because we were new, but was told that it is common for friends to gather and go to a person´s home on their birthday sing and wish them well. This group was a lot of fun and had a couple of great guitarrists. On friday morning, I woke up to balloons and birthday sign put up by Nicole and Emily, and they made me both breakfast )eggs after looking in vain for pancake mix) and lunch. In the evening we went to daily Mass and afterward had birthday cake and some of the local ice cream as a treat (not as creamy as at home, but still good). Then, to our surprise, the other youth choir from the parish (Trabajadores sel Evangelio) sent two representatives, including our friend Fernando, to ask if they could come at 10:00 PM to wish me a happy birthday. Nicole went tp sleep after a week of celebrating, but Emily and I hung out with our 10 or so well-wishers and heard a few beautiful songs that they sing in Church, including Paz en las Tormentas. Finally on Saturday night, the franciscan priests and brother at the parish invited us to a late supper birthday celebration at their home.
- Saturday, Alex and jJuan Carlos from the Friday choir, took me out for my second experience of ceviche, the regional favorite of raw fish/seafood in lime and chili. This time I enjoyed the flavor quite a bit and, as a bonus, didn`t suffer any adverse gastonomical aftereffects (ie no diarhea). My stomach must be toughening up :).
- In the parish, we´re getting closer to beginning the home visits to youth, and I´m meeting with the youth counsel this Thursday to set up some plans goals for the next couple months. I´m meeting with Confirmation youth classes and with their leaders to begin planning for the retreat (11/17-18) and ceremony (11/25). Also, Nicole, Emily and I will begin a twice-weekly English class for youth and young adults on 11/5.
- Fernando and Donny from the TDE choir visited last night to sing a bit and invited us all to join the choir, wghich I think I will do, at least when my arm is functioning again enough to play the guitar. I have never played as part of a group and look forward to learning the new songs and building some confidence.
- Speaking of my arm, the doctor last night gave me another week in my cast, 10 days in the sling after that, and then slowly I can begin to move it around again. I am a bit tired of the sling and using only one hand, but I guess this will help me to appreciate my lowly left arm more :).
- Reflecting on my overall experience so far after a month in Peru, I find that the slower pace of `getting started` here sometimes makes me feel as if I should be doing more -- I was much busier as a CYM in Corvallis, doing a lot more ´things´. It struck me today that maybe this is good for me, as Fr. Carlos told me; ´Paciencia trae buen humor.`, or Patience puts you in a good mood. Also, I have been prone to base my own self worth on the quantity of quantifiable contributions I make instead of on the true basis of my worth as a loved child of God. Finally, living a bit more slowly has helped me to realize that I often miss the blessings of the moment -- even trying moments -- by impatiently escaping, either mentally or physically, to the next thing on the schedule. Maybe my time here will teach me to see more clearly the people and places that surround me in my daily life.
Thanks for reading, and God bless!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Three week report
Greetings! We have now been here in Chimbote for three weeks -- as I was dicussing with nicole and emily earlier this week, it both seems that we have been here a long time and that we are stll unsettled and very new to town. I think that our environment here is so different from that which we left that the US seems far away in both time and space. On the other hand, I stll feel inept at times with the language, am meeting new people all the time, and -- as when moving anywhere -- it takes time to develop friendships. In addition, my injury took many of the routines I had settled into and forced them to change. I now take a long walk downtown instead of running, for example. Some things are getting getting easier, though, such as sleeping through the night noises (with the occasional help of earplugs for the steady weekend parties with very loud music), finding my way around walking, knowing where to shop for food certain items of food, photcopies, etc. Wrking with youth at the parish is is also beginning at a slow pace, though with my arm and the cultural adjustment i don´t mind. I attended a confirmation meeting last evening and met a lot of new young people (about 30 attended), and have another coordination meeting tonight with Fr. Carlos and Yuri, president of the youth counsel. I will begin my experience here by accompanying the confirmation group during the leadup to their 11/25 ceremony in addition to begining systematic visits to the homes of other youth and families. This was an idea I had to help me know more of the youth and their reality, what they and their parents see as needs that we can work togeher on, and to re-*invite personally youth that are not actively involved (the post-confirmation disapearance is also common here).
This week both Emily (10/15) and I (10/19)are celebrating birthdays. We had a birthday lunc with Sr. Juanita on Sunday with delicious strawberry shortcake, on on monday we gave emily some small gifts and were pleasantly surprised when a couple guys we´d met at the parish called at 10:00 pm to ask if the could come over to wish Emily a happy birthday. Six guys arrived a half-hour later with two guitars to serenade her with las mañanitas and then came inside to sing and play until almost midnight. Two were excellent guitarristas and most are in the parish choir, so it was both an excelent musical and cultural experience. Nicole is planning to make a cake for us tonight (halfway betwwen) with a cake mix that we found at a small supermarket downtown.
Other news/observations:
-On Sunday Elmer. a new acquaintance here, took me to professional soccer game at the local stadium between two of the teams in the national league, which was fun.
-A small group of kids from the neighborhood (most are related and live in the same house) have befriended us and come to visit every few days to draw and play games in the patio. I think they would come every day if we let them. :)
-For Chimbote, a city of over 400,000,there are only about 40 PO boxes at the one, small post office. Sr. Hermanita says that 99% of people have never sent or. received a letter.
- The national census takes place this Sunday, and there is a prohibition on parties and discotecas the night before (we had to move a planned joint bithday pary to next weekend). In addition, everyone has to stay in their homes from 8;00 am onward on Sunday until the census takers come by (whenever that is). I find it somewhat difficult to believe that there is suffiient organization here to complete the entire cesus in one day, but that is the way its done.
Thanks for reading!
This week both Emily (10/15) and I (10/19)are celebrating birthdays. We had a birthday lunc with Sr. Juanita on Sunday with delicious strawberry shortcake, on on monday we gave emily some small gifts and were pleasantly surprised when a couple guys we´d met at the parish called at 10:00 pm to ask if the could come over to wish Emily a happy birthday. Six guys arrived a half-hour later with two guitars to serenade her with las mañanitas and then came inside to sing and play until almost midnight. Two were excellent guitarristas and most are in the parish choir, so it was both an excelent musical and cultural experience. Nicole is planning to make a cake for us tonight (halfway betwwen) with a cake mix that we found at a small supermarket downtown.
Other news/observations:
-On Sunday Elmer. a new acquaintance here, took me to professional soccer game at the local stadium between two of the teams in the national league, which was fun.
-A small group of kids from the neighborhood (most are related and live in the same house) have befriended us and come to visit every few days to draw and play games in the patio. I think they would come every day if we let them. :)
-For Chimbote, a city of over 400,000,there are only about 40 PO boxes at the one, small post office. Sr. Hermanita says that 99% of people have never sent or. received a letter.
- The national census takes place this Sunday, and there is a prohibition on parties and discotecas the night before (we had to move a planned joint bithday pary to next weekend). In addition, everyone has to stay in their homes from 8;00 am onward on Sunday until the census takers come by (whenever that is). I find it somewhat difficult to believe that there is suffiient organization here to complete the entire cesus in one day, but that is the way its done.
Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
An unexpected adventure
This entry may be a bit shorter an lacking in capitalization, and that is because I am typing with only my right hand due to taking a fall while playing basketball with new friends here this past sunday. We all immediately knew that I I had dislocated my elbow, and the next few hours were spent getting the bones back in the right place, after the basketball group took me to a huesero and then Sr, juanita and Emily took me to the emergency room of a private clinic. The link to my photos at right has a couple pictures of my injury and the result -- I`m in a cast and sling for three weeks. I mostly am free of pain now that its back in place, but have to have help wih things like putting in my contacts and tying my shoes each morning.
Ww are gradually meeting some people here who could become friends over time -- last night we had cake and drinks to celebrate the birthday of one of the friars here, Fr. Carlos. The IW superior in Peru, Sr. Pilar, parishioners Cenaudeand Milagros,brother Tino and the pastor, Fr. Stanislaus. It was good fun. We are helping Fernando from church with english tonight (and he us with our spanish) this evening, and Elmer has invited us to watch a soccer match this weekend. T0day i have a checkup on my elbow and tomorrow afternoon I meet with Fr. Carlos to get started officially with youth ministry involvement. I am doing my best to cook one-handed for nicole and emily this week, as they are now working full time at the hospice. Though this injury was unexpected, I am in good spirits and am adapting. The hospital experience was really interesting (I went under general anesthesia), and everyone here has done their best to take good care of me - from the guys playing basketball whom i had just met to Sr. Juanita and Nicole and Emily. it was an interesting weekend overall at our house, as nicole had a nasty stomach bug friday evening through Sunday.
God bless, and have a great weekend!
Ww are gradually meeting some people here who could become friends over time -- last night we had cake and drinks to celebrate the birthday of one of the friars here, Fr. Carlos. The IW superior in Peru, Sr. Pilar, parishioners Cenaudeand Milagros,brother Tino and the pastor, Fr. Stanislaus. It was good fun. We are helping Fernando from church with english tonight (and he us with our spanish) this evening, and Elmer has invited us to watch a soccer match this weekend. T0day i have a checkup on my elbow and tomorrow afternoon I meet with Fr. Carlos to get started officially with youth ministry involvement. I am doing my best to cook one-handed for nicole and emily this week, as they are now working full time at the hospice. Though this injury was unexpected, I am in good spirits and am adapting. The hospital experience was really interesting (I went under general anesthesia), and everyone here has done their best to take good care of me - from the guys playing basketball whom i had just met to Sr. Juanita and Nicole and Emily. it was an interesting weekend overall at our house, as nicole had a nasty stomach bug friday evening through Sunday.
God bless, and have a great weekend!
Saturday, October 6, 2007
San Francisco de Asis
Saludos a todos! I am here in the internet cafe to upload some of my photos but the speed is quite slow, so I have a little time for a brief update on the week. Thursday the 4th was the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron of the parish where I will be working. To celebrate, they first had a novena with street masses in each surrounding neighborhood in the days leading up to the feast day (we went to the mass in our neighborhoo). On the 3rd, the confirmation youth put on a play about the last days of St. Francis´ life, and it was pretty well done. On the fourth, the festivities began at 530 pm with a procession through the streets, a couple hundred people, a brass band, and carrying a large, heavy image of St. Francis. I got drafted to take a couple shifts in carrying the image between stations, where we would stop to say prayers on the hour and a half walk (though they had to select the person opposite me with care, since I am taller than most people here). I even had the chance to carry the image into the church to big applause right before Mass and a concert/party in the hall. More later, as my time is nearly up. Some photos are up to, but more organization will come later.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Una Semana en Chimbote
¡Buenas tardes a todos! I write you tonight from the convent where lives Sr. Juanita, from Texas, who has lived here for 11 years and among many other things has overseen the rebuilding of the medical clinic and construction & opening of a hospice ministry here, both projects of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word.
There is much to say and share about my first week here, so let me share a few first impressions--
1. There are almost no private cars here because few can afford to buy one, but that does not mean that the streets are quiet. In fact, if you take a walk for a few blocks around here (the distance from our house to the parish and convent) you will almost invariably see, and have to be wary of, a variety of conveyances. These might include a donkey pulling a cart of corn or produce headed for the market, a `moto`, which is a three wheeled motorcycle/taxi with room for two passengers, a bicycle (two or three wheeled varieties, some used also to carry goods), a `combi` (minivan style taxi with a set route that holds limitless amounts of people), a `tico`(small Yugo-shaped taxi, a car (old US models), trucks, medium-sized buses. And, nearly all of them seem to be honking for some reason or another, usually to indicate that they are free and to ask if you would like to ride. If you do, just raise your hand and off you go.
2. The streets here (which have no street signs, but still everyone knows their names) are mostly dirt, which makes for a lot of dust (including in the house). Many people begin their day by watering the street in front of their house (to keep cleaning effort down) and by sweeping the dirt to remove trash - it seems to collect rather rapidly. Though not as bad as I pictured from descriptions prior to coming, the trash collection system is not well developed. Also, dogs of all sizes abound, thought I havent yet run into any aggressive ones. Some are obviously stray dogs, but many seem to be pets. The dogs also seem to enjoy barking at night and in the early morning.
3. Our house, rented by the sisters, is simple, fairly spacious, two story, four bedrooms (one extra for visitors!), with a kitchen, dining area, and living area. It is among the more solidly built of the neighborhood, but doesn´t stand out too much. We have a gas stove with propane (delivered by truck), fairly warm showers (heater on the shower head), and compost cylinders in the back yard/patio. An upstairs patio has an outdoor sink and close line for washing and drying clothes (did my first load by hand yesterday -- good for the forearms with all the wringing.
4. I will be mostly helping out at the local parish (St. Francis of Assisi, just like Burney!) with the youth program, but am waiting until after the busyness of celebrating his feast day (Thursday the 4th) has concluded until meeting formally with young priest in charge of youth programs there. Thus far though, we have attended a street mass in our neighborhood and sat in on a play rehearsal with the confirmation group (on the life of St. Francis), and attended a lively choir festival at the parish on Sunday. After visiting various ministries in the neigborhood and seeing parts of the city with Sr. Juanita last week, this week we each are accompanying one of the hospice workers in their home visits during the mornings (8-1). Today we visited six different patients, and the worker I was with focused on spiritual support -- prayers, singing, conversation, and communion. She (Justina) is very good at what she does, and I enjoyed the chance to visit the patients and their families in a variety of living conditions (only one with dirt floors). One patient had died the previous day and we payed our respects at the wake. Of course, this was also a great way to see neighborhoods of the city by a mixture of combi-taxi-walking with lots of practice in speaking and listening to Spanish.
5. Last week Sr. Juanita asked me to visit a man`s home who sets up each day in front of the convent with his shoe repair equipment. A friend of Sister`s from the US is coming down and might be able to help make improvements to his house, and she asked be to take a look to see where we might start. I walked with him from the convent and we spoke a bit about his situation. He was born in the Andes but came with his wife to Chimbote about eight years in search of work. He works seven days per week in order to earn the 10-15 soles ($4-$5) daily that he uses to buy food for his family that includes eight children. He owns a small piece of land and his house two solid walls connected by two walls of bamboo & poles, a water source and sewer connection, one small area set off by plywood with three beds, a roof of bamboo and plastic, and a dirt floor. Just next the house he has a couple of chickens. We think that we will start by trying to put in a concrete floor and some plywood walls to help keep out the cold. Generally that is the progression of growth here. People come from the mountains and squat on land with just mats, then raise shelters of poles and bamboo matts, then switch to plywood, then concrete floors, then a brick structure, then stucco/paint over the outside. In most neighborhoods, you can see houses in each of these stages.
6. It never rains here and there are few trees or greenery, though there are signs of noble efforts in some sections to carve out patches of green and parks (a lot different than Oregon)!. We are on the coast in springtime here, so the weather is grey in the morning, sunny in the afternoon, and chilly and windy in the evening. Apparently this winter has been colder than normal.
7. We shop at the local mercado, which is a crazy mixture of sound, smell, and sights. Vegetables are fresh but need to be washed, and the meat was alive not too long ago (I`m told that if you arrive early enough you can see the vendors killing and plucking the chickens).
8. One last thought -- hearing the gospel reading last night (parable of Lazarus and the rich man) in such a different context -- not a mostly-wealthy US parish but a church full of people that most of the world would consider poor -- struck me, and the sermon didn`t focus on the rich man but on need, and why God would allow extreme need to exist. By the way, the youth choir at the mass was great. I am thinking of trying to join and help out on the guitar.
Well, thanks for making it this far. There are a lot more details to share, but this gives a decent outline so far. I cannot post photos from this computer, but will try to go to an internet cafe soon to show some visuals of what I have described above. God bless!
There is much to say and share about my first week here, so let me share a few first impressions--
1. There are almost no private cars here because few can afford to buy one, but that does not mean that the streets are quiet. In fact, if you take a walk for a few blocks around here (the distance from our house to the parish and convent) you will almost invariably see, and have to be wary of, a variety of conveyances. These might include a donkey pulling a cart of corn or produce headed for the market, a `moto`, which is a three wheeled motorcycle/taxi with room for two passengers, a bicycle (two or three wheeled varieties, some used also to carry goods), a `combi` (minivan style taxi with a set route that holds limitless amounts of people), a `tico`(small Yugo-shaped taxi, a car (old US models), trucks, medium-sized buses. And, nearly all of them seem to be honking for some reason or another, usually to indicate that they are free and to ask if you would like to ride. If you do, just raise your hand and off you go.
2. The streets here (which have no street signs, but still everyone knows their names) are mostly dirt, which makes for a lot of dust (including in the house). Many people begin their day by watering the street in front of their house (to keep cleaning effort down) and by sweeping the dirt to remove trash - it seems to collect rather rapidly. Though not as bad as I pictured from descriptions prior to coming, the trash collection system is not well developed. Also, dogs of all sizes abound, thought I havent yet run into any aggressive ones. Some are obviously stray dogs, but many seem to be pets. The dogs also seem to enjoy barking at night and in the early morning.
3. Our house, rented by the sisters, is simple, fairly spacious, two story, four bedrooms (one extra for visitors!), with a kitchen, dining area, and living area. It is among the more solidly built of the neighborhood, but doesn´t stand out too much. We have a gas stove with propane (delivered by truck), fairly warm showers (heater on the shower head), and compost cylinders in the back yard/patio. An upstairs patio has an outdoor sink and close line for washing and drying clothes (did my first load by hand yesterday -- good for the forearms with all the wringing.
4. I will be mostly helping out at the local parish (St. Francis of Assisi, just like Burney!) with the youth program, but am waiting until after the busyness of celebrating his feast day (Thursday the 4th) has concluded until meeting formally with young priest in charge of youth programs there. Thus far though, we have attended a street mass in our neighborhood and sat in on a play rehearsal with the confirmation group (on the life of St. Francis), and attended a lively choir festival at the parish on Sunday. After visiting various ministries in the neigborhood and seeing parts of the city with Sr. Juanita last week, this week we each are accompanying one of the hospice workers in their home visits during the mornings (8-1). Today we visited six different patients, and the worker I was with focused on spiritual support -- prayers, singing, conversation, and communion. She (Justina) is very good at what she does, and I enjoyed the chance to visit the patients and their families in a variety of living conditions (only one with dirt floors). One patient had died the previous day and we payed our respects at the wake. Of course, this was also a great way to see neighborhoods of the city by a mixture of combi-taxi-walking with lots of practice in speaking and listening to Spanish.
5. Last week Sr. Juanita asked me to visit a man`s home who sets up each day in front of the convent with his shoe repair equipment. A friend of Sister`s from the US is coming down and might be able to help make improvements to his house, and she asked be to take a look to see where we might start. I walked with him from the convent and we spoke a bit about his situation. He was born in the Andes but came with his wife to Chimbote about eight years in search of work. He works seven days per week in order to earn the 10-15 soles ($4-$5) daily that he uses to buy food for his family that includes eight children. He owns a small piece of land and his house two solid walls connected by two walls of bamboo & poles, a water source and sewer connection, one small area set off by plywood with three beds, a roof of bamboo and plastic, and a dirt floor. Just next the house he has a couple of chickens. We think that we will start by trying to put in a concrete floor and some plywood walls to help keep out the cold. Generally that is the progression of growth here. People come from the mountains and squat on land with just mats, then raise shelters of poles and bamboo matts, then switch to plywood, then concrete floors, then a brick structure, then stucco/paint over the outside. In most neighborhoods, you can see houses in each of these stages.
6. It never rains here and there are few trees or greenery, though there are signs of noble efforts in some sections to carve out patches of green and parks (a lot different than Oregon)!. We are on the coast in springtime here, so the weather is grey in the morning, sunny in the afternoon, and chilly and windy in the evening. Apparently this winter has been colder than normal.
7. We shop at the local mercado, which is a crazy mixture of sound, smell, and sights. Vegetables are fresh but need to be washed, and the meat was alive not too long ago (I`m told that if you arrive early enough you can see the vendors killing and plucking the chickens).
8. One last thought -- hearing the gospel reading last night (parable of Lazarus and the rich man) in such a different context -- not a mostly-wealthy US parish but a church full of people that most of the world would consider poor -- struck me, and the sermon didn`t focus on the rich man but on need, and why God would allow extreme need to exist. By the way, the youth choir at the mass was great. I am thinking of trying to join and help out on the guitar.
Well, thanks for making it this far. There are a lot more details to share, but this gives a decent outline so far. I cannot post photos from this computer, but will try to go to an internet cafe soon to show some visuals of what I have described above. God bless!
Monday, September 24, 2007
Llegado en Peru
Hello everyone! Just a note tonight to share that we three -- my housemates Emily, Nicole, and I -- arrived in Lima, Peru safe and sound last night at 10:30 pm. Incarnate Word Sisters Silvia and Aelia met us at the airport where we crammed us five and our bags into a cab (guitar on our laps), headed to the sisters' house of hospitality, and shared some bread and tea before falling into bed.
Today has been a great first day here. I accompanied Sr. Silvia to the market and enjoyed the bustling activity, sights and sounds. We also accompanied Sr. Aelia to a neighbor's celebration of the feast day of the patron of her small shop that sells priestly vestments and other religious articles (shop is the Mercederia, patron Mary of Merced). A communion service led by Pierre, a seminarian from Togo, was followed by a lunch of aji de gallina and rice and conversations with the other 10 friends and family present, which was followed by live guitar music/singing of traditional Peruvian music, to which we had to get up and dance to, of course. All this in a smallish, green-painted room that had been converted from Marian shrine to chapel to dining room for the occasion. The spontaneity, warmth, and joy of the gathering made us all feel welcome -- I even contributed a song of my own on the guitar (and then tried to translate the lyrics :)).
A walk to the ocean and back (about a mile total), a lively daily mass at the local church with a beautiful dome, and some more tea and bread with Sr. Aelia have finished out the day. Sr. Aelia is 82 years old, from the US. Sr. Silvia is about 30 and is from Peru.
It turns out that we will be heading to our home base, Chimbote, sooner than we thought -- tomorrow, in fact! We're excited and curious to see our new home.
A final thought, from the book Gracias by Henri Nouwen. In discussing liberation theology, he quotes Gustavo Guitierrez that real, practical theology shouldn't start in the head but instead in a lived experience of Christ -- "We don't think ourselves into a new way of living, but instead live ourselves into a new way of thinking." Seems simple, but how often do we avoid choices in our live that might force us to think, and maybe to change?
Today has been a great first day here. I accompanied Sr. Silvia to the market and enjoyed the bustling activity, sights and sounds. We also accompanied Sr. Aelia to a neighbor's celebration of the feast day of the patron of her small shop that sells priestly vestments and other religious articles (shop is the Mercederia, patron Mary of Merced). A communion service led by Pierre, a seminarian from Togo, was followed by a lunch of aji de gallina and rice and conversations with the other 10 friends and family present, which was followed by live guitar music/singing of traditional Peruvian music, to which we had to get up and dance to, of course. All this in a smallish, green-painted room that had been converted from Marian shrine to chapel to dining room for the occasion. The spontaneity, warmth, and joy of the gathering made us all feel welcome -- I even contributed a song of my own on the guitar (and then tried to translate the lyrics :)).
A walk to the ocean and back (about a mile total), a lively daily mass at the local church with a beautiful dome, and some more tea and bread with Sr. Aelia have finished out the day. Sr. Aelia is 82 years old, from the US. Sr. Silvia is about 30 and is from Peru.
It turns out that we will be heading to our home base, Chimbote, sooner than we thought -- tomorrow, in fact! We're excited and curious to see our new home.
A final thought, from the book Gracias by Henri Nouwen. In discussing liberation theology, he quotes Gustavo Guitierrez that real, practical theology shouldn't start in the head but instead in a lived experience of Christ -- "We don't think ourselves into a new way of living, but instead live ourselves into a new way of thinking." Seems simple, but how often do we avoid choices in our live that might force us to think, and maybe to change?
Friday, September 21, 2007
Casi nos vamos...
Good morning to you -- and thanks for checking back! Since my last post, our orientation has continued at a good clip. We've focused heavily on cultural awareness and went away to a retreat center north of Austin for a restful weekend that was guided by Sr. Carmelita from Mexico City. Other topics of presentations have included the religious culture of Latin America, Christology, anthropology and family systems, living as a public figure and representative of the Incarnate Word Sisters, staying healthy in mission, scriptural study, and awareness of our own cultural tendencies. Particularly helpful this week was an analysis of Low Contextual and High Contextual cultures and a project for us missionaries to identify strengths that make our US culture unique.
Today we have free to accomplish tasks (such as packing) and errands before a final set of meetings tomorrow and our flight to Peru on Sunday. We leave 5:45 am from San Antonio and arrive in Lima, Peru at 9 pm (eastern time zone, I believe) by way of Houston and Miami. I feel mostly excited with dash of nervousness -- something I've wanted to do for a few years is finally happening. These past three and a half weeks have felt a little like a parallel universe -- an in-between time in which the rest of the world continues to go to school, work, etc. I do feel more prepared to embark on the journey than when I arrived, but I also feel ready to jump in, to stop talking about it and actually see what life will be like in Peru. Upon our arrival in Peru, however, we won't go directly to Chimbote but will instead stay for "a few days" in Lima with the IW sisters there while we take care of some visa paperwork.
Finally, you may have noticed the new link at the upper right where you will be directed to a collection of my photos posted on Shutterfly. No password is needed to view the photos. I have also included a link to a map of Peru.
Have a blessed day, and I'll write you next from south of the equator!
Today we have free to accomplish tasks (such as packing) and errands before a final set of meetings tomorrow and our flight to Peru on Sunday. We leave 5:45 am from San Antonio and arrive in Lima, Peru at 9 pm (eastern time zone, I believe) by way of Houston and Miami. I feel mostly excited with dash of nervousness -- something I've wanted to do for a few years is finally happening. These past three and a half weeks have felt a little like a parallel universe -- an in-between time in which the rest of the world continues to go to school, work, etc. I do feel more prepared to embark on the journey than when I arrived, but I also feel ready to jump in, to stop talking about it and actually see what life will be like in Peru. Upon our arrival in Peru, however, we won't go directly to Chimbote but will instead stay for "a few days" in Lima with the IW sisters there while we take care of some visa paperwork.
Finally, you may have noticed the new link at the upper right where you will be directed to a collection of my photos posted on Shutterfly. No password is needed to view the photos. I have also included a link to a map of Peru.
Have a blessed day, and I'll write you next from south of the equator!
Monday, September 10, 2007
Incarnate Word Immersion
Good evening! I am writing from a computer lab in the conference center/international student dorm at the the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas. Since Sunday, September 2, I have been here at the university, which was founded by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word -- who sponsor the Incarnate Word Missionaries that I am participating in. 
Though we have been staying at the Conference Center, I stayed at a different spot on campus my first night and took a photo from the window that you see here (the view out of my current room is much less exciting).
The past week has been a mixture of getting to know the four other missionaries and numerous Incarnate Word Sisters, having some helpful orientation sessions on avariety of topics, continuing some reading in preparation for the trip, and down time to explore the campus. Yesterday we went to mass at San Fernando Cathedral in downtown San Antonio, the oldest standing Catholic church in the United States. The bilingual Mass there was recorded for airing on a few local and regional stations, including Mexico. After Mass, a couple sisters and our program directors took us on a walking tour of downtown San Antonio, including the market, the hospital founded by the sisters in 1869, the famous River Walk, and lunch at a Mexican restaurant. The weather has been fairly hot and humid with a little rain here and there -- they definitely make a lot of use of air conditioning.:)
The other Incarnate Word Missionaries that are entering with me are: Nicole and Emily Tardio (nurses from Cincinatti who will be going with me to Peru), Tessia Pierce (University of Dayton graduate who will be serving at a home for homeless mothers here in San Antonio), and Laura Koeppel (Catholic school biology teacher from Milwaukie, WI, who will be working at a home for Mayan teenagers in Santa Cruz del Quiche, Guatemala). We also met yesterday three novice sisters from Peru (one is from Chimbote) who are in San Antonio for a few months to study English. I had a lot of fun practicing my Spanish by talking with them about their stories and life in Peru. It made me anticipate even more the opportunity to live as a long-term resident in another country, remembering how profound that experience was for me (though only eight weeks) in Guatemala in 2003. Here you can see a photo on the River Walk of, from left to right: Laura, Tessia, Gladys (IW sister from Peru), Emily, Meghan (IWM assistant director), Nicole, Tere (IWM director).
I don't know many more details about my ministry in Peru except that it will include helping out with youth at one of the local parishes. However, we have met several people who have visited and/or served in Chimbote with the sisters there, and Nicole, Emily and I have noticed a few commonalities among the comments: a frequent smell of fish from the port and factories, a lot of stray dogs (Peru in general), insufficient trash collection, many people living in poverty, and beautiful, warm and generous people. Also, everyone we talk with wants to make sure that we visit Machu Picchu of the Incas. To be sure, we are going to a place with a lot of need.
On typical days here (including Saturday) we have morning and afternoon sessions, with a couple evening events as well. There is a university pool which they have obtained permission for us to use while we are here for our training, so I have been there a few times to swim some laps. The presenters and discussion leaders for our sessions have included IW Sisters, university professors and other lay people. Topics so far have been Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word history/mission, journaling, the Enneagram (comparable to Meyers Briggs), strategies for living/working in new communities, making choices to intentionally the principles of spirituality, community, simple living, and service, Incarnational spirituality (seeing Christ in others and allowing Christ to work through us), personal and community practices for maintaining a life of prayer, Latin American cultural/spiritual reality, and dealing with violence in mission (personal, systemic, environmental, etc). From our incarnational spirituality talk, one quote I liked was that "we are called to see Christ within each person we meet, and to make it as easy as possible for them to see Christ in us." Many of our presenters have lived and served in Latin America themselves, and they share with us a lot of practical wisdom and personal stories.
Next weekend we will go out of town for a retreat (a couple of hours away), and the weekend after that I head to Peru. I thank you for the interest you have demonstrated in reading this whole entry, and I wish you a blessed week.
Though we have been staying at the Conference Center, I stayed at a different spot on campus my first night and took a photo from the window that you see here (the view out of my current room is much less exciting).The past week has been a mixture of getting to know the four other missionaries and numerous Incarnate Word Sisters, having some helpful orientation sessions on avariety of topics, continuing some reading in preparation for the trip, and down time to explore the campus. Yesterday we went to mass at San Fernando Cathedral in downtown San Antonio, the oldest standing Catholic church in the United States. The bilingual Mass there was recorded for airing on a few local and regional stations, including Mexico. After Mass, a couple sisters and our program directors took us on a walking tour of downtown San Antonio, including the market, the hospital founded by the sisters in 1869, the famous River Walk, and lunch at a Mexican restaurant. The weather has been fairly hot and humid with a little rain here and there -- they definitely make a lot of use of air conditioning.:)
The other Incarnate Word Missionaries that are entering with me are: Nicole and Emily Tardio (nurses from Cincinatti who will be going with me to Peru), Tessia Pierce (University of Dayton graduate who will be serving at a home for homeless mothers here in San Antonio), and Laura Koeppel (Catholic school biology teacher from Milwaukie, WI, who will be working at a home for Mayan teenagers in Santa Cruz del Quiche, Guatemala). We also met yesterday three novice sisters from Peru (one is from Chimbote) who are in San Antonio for a few months to study English. I had a lot of fun practicing my Spanish by talking with them about their stories and life in Peru. It made me anticipate even more the opportunity to live as a long-term resident in another country, remembering how profound that experience was for me (though only eight weeks) in Guatemala in 2003. Here you can see a photo on the River Walk of, from left to right: Laura, Tessia, Gladys (IW sister from Peru), Emily, Meghan (IWM assistant director), Nicole, Tere (IWM director).
I don't know many more details about my ministry in Peru except that it will include helping out with youth at one of the local parishes. However, we have met several people who have visited and/or served in Chimbote with the sisters there, and Nicole, Emily and I have noticed a few commonalities among the comments: a frequent smell of fish from the port and factories, a lot of stray dogs (Peru in general), insufficient trash collection, many people living in poverty, and beautiful, warm and generous people. Also, everyone we talk with wants to make sure that we visit Machu Picchu of the Incas. To be sure, we are going to a place with a lot of need.
On typical days here (including Saturday) we have morning and afternoon sessions, with a couple evening events as well. There is a university pool which they have obtained permission for us to use while we are here for our training, so I have been there a few times to swim some laps. The presenters and discussion leaders for our sessions have included IW Sisters, university professors and other lay people. Topics so far have been Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word history/mission, journaling, the Enneagram (comparable to Meyers Briggs), strategies for living/working in new communities, making choices to intentionally the principles of spirituality, community, simple living, and service, Incarnational spirituality (seeing Christ in others and allowing Christ to work through us), personal and community practices for maintaining a life of prayer, Latin American cultural/spiritual reality, and dealing with violence in mission (personal, systemic, environmental, etc). From our incarnational spirituality talk, one quote I liked was that "we are called to see Christ within each person we meet, and to make it as easy as possible for them to see Christ in us." Many of our presenters have lived and served in Latin America themselves, and they share with us a lot of practical wisdom and personal stories.
Next weekend we will go out of town for a retreat (a couple of hours away), and the weekend after that I head to Peru. I thank you for the interest you have demonstrated in reading this whole entry, and I wish you a blessed week.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Goodbye Oregon, Hello San Antonio
Tonight is Saturday, September 1, and I leave for Peru three weeks from tomorrow. I arrive in San Antonio on Monday, August 27 after a weekend in Corvallis and mostly 
Portland with Michi and her family. On Saturday th five riders (Michi, her brother Francis, his girlfriend Melissa, Michi's brother-in-law Justin and I) and our support team (Michi's sister Katrina and 18-month-old niece Malina) had a "carbo-load" pasta dinner followed by a concert in the park with the Oregon Symphony. The weather was refreshingly cool following the typical 100 degree days in Redding.
We and our bikes stayed at Katrina's loft downtown, and we took part in the Portland Century bike ride on Sunday, which was a blast. I rode the 50-mile loop through some great, long bike trails, streets, the Columbia River, bridges and residential neighborhoods under partly sunny to cloudy skies.
When a train impeded our way for 10 minutes and then just stopped, the group of bikers piling up eventually to just haul our bikes over the flat car and hope the train 
didn't resume while we were on it. As far as I know, it didn't. After a gourmet meal and "goodie bag" of beer, Clif Bar and coffee, Michi and I took in the movie Once before going to dinner. On Monday, Michi resisted the urge to "accidentally" get lost on the way to the airport and, though the moments of goodbye were tough, I just did make my flight.
In San Antonio I have been generously hosted by Gina Anderson and her family at their home. Gina and I are friends from our time in Marina, CA, where we met through church retreats and youth work. She was on a two-week stay in SA after just returning from a two-year stint in Iraq, and it was intriguing and sobering to hear her assesment of the situation there. Some of her concerns are well laid out in the documentary currently in theatres called No End in Sight about the decisions leading up to and during the invasion of Iraq. I just saw the movie tonight and recommend it to anyone wishing for a clear, straightforward, chronological presentation of the mostly poor decisions made by various individuals concerning the conduct of the post-invasion period. Otherwise, I've made a couple trips to the dentist to get impressions for crowns (the dentist is Gina's cousin), studied and read Spanish aloud, building some general background in Peruvian history from The Peru Reader (recommended combination of historical articles, poems, short stories, and primary sources to paint a picture of Peru and its people), taking care of lingering logistical and financial details, and taking outings to visit family, friends, and prayer groups of the Andersons.
Tomorrow I go to the Incarnate Word campus here in town, and the rest of this year's missionaries (three of us to Peru plus two others) arrive on Monday for our orientation which begins Tuesday. I am ready to get started and look forward to this "in between time" of learning, prayer, spiritual preparation and community building. In a future post, I will give more details about what our orientation has included. For now, I wish you a wonderful week. I can still be reached at 541-602-4327, though you may have to leave me a message. I am unsure what my access to email will be in these three weeks, but I will post an update when I can. Go bless and have a wonderful week!
Portland with Michi and her family. On Saturday th five riders (Michi, her brother Francis, his girlfriend Melissa, Michi's brother-in-law Justin and I) and our support team (Michi's sister Katrina and 18-month-old niece Malina) had a "carbo-load" pasta dinner followed by a concert in the park with the Oregon Symphony. The weather was refreshingly cool following the typical 100 degree days in Redding.We and our bikes stayed at Katrina's loft downtown, and we took part in the Portland Century bike ride on Sunday, which was a blast. I rode the 50-mile loop through some great, long bike trails, streets, the Columbia River, bridges and residential neighborhoods under partly sunny to cloudy skies.
When a train impeded our way for 10 minutes and then just stopped, the group of bikers piling up eventually to just haul our bikes over the flat car and hope the train 
didn't resume while we were on it. As far as I know, it didn't. After a gourmet meal and "goodie bag" of beer, Clif Bar and coffee, Michi and I took in the movie Once before going to dinner. On Monday, Michi resisted the urge to "accidentally" get lost on the way to the airport and, though the moments of goodbye were tough, I just did make my flight. In San Antonio I have been generously hosted by Gina Anderson and her family at their home. Gina and I are friends from our time in Marina, CA, where we met through church retreats and youth work. She was on a two-week stay in SA after just returning from a two-year stint in Iraq, and it was intriguing and sobering to hear her assesment of the situation there. Some of her concerns are well laid out in the documentary currently in theatres called No End in Sight about the decisions leading up to and during the invasion of Iraq. I just saw the movie tonight and recommend it to anyone wishing for a clear, straightforward, chronological presentation of the mostly poor decisions made by various individuals concerning the conduct of the post-invasion period. Otherwise, I've made a couple trips to the dentist to get impressions for crowns (the dentist is Gina's cousin), studied and read Spanish aloud, building some general background in Peruvian history from The Peru Reader (recommended combination of historical articles, poems, short stories, and primary sources to paint a picture of Peru and its people), taking care of lingering logistical and financial details, and taking outings to visit family, friends, and prayer groups of the Andersons.
Tomorrow I go to the Incarnate Word campus here in town, and the rest of this year's missionaries (three of us to Peru plus two others) arrive on Monday for our orientation which begins Tuesday. I am ready to get started and look forward to this "in between time" of learning, prayer, spiritual preparation and community building. In a future post, I will give more details about what our orientation has included. For now, I wish you a wonderful week. I can still be reached at 541-602-4327, though you may have to leave me a message. I am unsure what my access to email will be in these three weeks, but I will post an update when I can. Go bless and have a wonderful week!
Friday, August 24, 2007
Off to San Antonio...
Greetings! You've arrived at the blog of Todd Schmidt -- thanks for visiting my first foray into the "blogosphere." I've set this up in order to facilitate the sharing of news and photos of my two year journey to South America with you, my friends and family back in the states. Please post any comments (especially nice ones -- or at least constructive comments) that you might have. It will be great to hear from you.
If I haven't told you yet, I am headed on September 23 to Chimbote, Peru, where I will be serving for two years with the Incarnate Word Missionaries (a lay missionary program sponsored by Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word). Before then, I will be headed back to Corvallis and Portland for the August 24-26 weekend, including participating in the Portland Century Bike Ride as a last hurrah for Oregon. On Monday, August 27 I fly to San Antonio where I will have orientation with IWM and some time to brush up on my Spanish and Peruvian history. I am tonight at the home of my folks in Redding, CA, where I am coming into the last stages of preparing and packing to head out -- steadily checking things off the list.
While in San Antonio I will still have my phone with me (541-602-4327), and after that you can reach me through this blog, by email at tschmidt19@hotmail.com, or by postal mail at the following address:
Urb. 21 de Abril “B” 33-01
Apt. Postal No. 433
Chimbote, Peru
Since "Todd" is a difficult name for Spanish-speakers to pronounce and my middle name is Raymond, I will be going by Ramón in Peru. A new name, a new country, a new continent, a new job -- lots of "new" coming up! Speaking of my job, I will be helping out the Incarnate Word Sisters at the local parish, especially in youth ministry, and in various other outreach ministries which they sponsor in the city. Many more details on exactly what that means will be upcoming in future postings, so stay tuned.
God bless!
If I haven't told you yet, I am headed on September 23 to Chimbote, Peru, where I will be serving for two years with the Incarnate Word Missionaries (a lay missionary program sponsored by Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word). Before then, I will be headed back to Corvallis and Portland for the August 24-26 weekend, including participating in the Portland Century Bike Ride as a last hurrah for Oregon. On Monday, August 27 I fly to San Antonio where I will have orientation with IWM and some time to brush up on my Spanish and Peruvian history. I am tonight at the home of my folks in Redding, CA, where I am coming into the last stages of preparing and packing to head out -- steadily checking things off the list.
While in San Antonio I will still have my phone with me (541-602-4327), and after that you can reach me through this blog, by email at tschmidt19@hotmail.com, or by postal mail at the following address:
Urb. 21 de Abril “B” 33-01
Apt. Postal No. 433
Chimbote, Peru
Since "Todd" is a difficult name for Spanish-speakers to pronounce and my middle name is Raymond, I will be going by Ramón in Peru. A new name, a new country, a new continent, a new job -- lots of "new" coming up! Speaking of my job, I will be helping out the Incarnate Word Sisters at the local parish, especially in youth ministry, and in various other outreach ministries which they sponsor in the city. Many more details on exactly what that means will be upcoming in future postings, so stay tuned.
God bless!
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