So it has been a little while since I have written. I apologize with all my heart. I still haven’t figured out this whole “blogging” update thing. Writing has never really been a favorite hobby. Please forgive me for the inconsistency. So this is going to be a real hodge podge of adventures!
So the last couple of months have been full. To begin I am now a Godmother and Confirmation Sponsor. I have learned that I am a lot more creative than I gave myself credit for. While I have been here I have made 4 puppets from small sticks, markers, string, socks and spandex type material, I have made 12 cowboy hats from cardboard, tape, glue and brown paper, an oversized birthday card from cardboard, English worksheets, crossword puzzles and the list goes on; all by hand. Meanwhile the whole time I was wishing I could just run to a target or dime store and be done with the whole project in 20 minutes versus 1 week or more ;). Our genetic creativity is lost in the States with the easy access dime store. I have to continue to keep check of myself on how many times I use the phrase, “Man if I were in the States I could get this done so quick”.
We performed a dance routine in the Anniversary showcase this year. We were the last act so that in itself was a challenge. We had to follow each of the houses performances and they were good. Each house performed a traditional Peruvian dance from the Sierra, Selva or the coast, so needless to say they were enchanting. We put together a medley piece beginning with a Hawaiian Hula, followed by a Country Line Dance, and ending with Michael Jackson’ Beat It. It was a good time and I think between the three dances each person was able to enjoy it a little. After we were finished performing the MC called be out and had me do the moon walk for all four sides of the stage. It was fun.
Thanksgiving was good. We were able to find a Turkey and use the oven in the bakery to cook it. We had mashed potatoes and gravy, a salad and rolls. For dessert we wanted to make a pumpkin pie, but it is impossible to find Pumpkin puree so we had to settle for a yellow squash pie :), with something that was similar to a graham cracker crust. :D...in the end all it was a success, a true adventure. We don't have a kitchen, stovetop or oven. What we have is one room with a refrigerator, a desk with two hotplates...so finding room to cook was fun, we ended up doing a lot of the preparing on the floor. It was a good time, a bonding experience.
We are ending the school year and the boys will be heading home for about 2 months of summer vacation. They finish classes on the 18 of December and then from there they are here for another week and leave to go home on the 25 of December. So during that time we will get about a month or just over a month of vacation also. I think that we are going
to travel a bit and get to know Peru and some of its different parts.
As for Christmas we will be staying here and celebrating with the boys. During our time here they have asked us to try and not go home but really live in an intentional experience here. Which sounds harder than it is. I am able to talk to my family on the internet and see them with webcam so that makes being here easier. I know that if I wasn't able to stay in contact with them, it would be a whole lot more challenging. Also, my parents and two of my aunts and uncles will be coming in January to visit. So I am really looking forward to that!
I have had some adventures that is for sure, living a whole new culture :). I have had the opportunity to learn a lot about myself, good and bad :P. So far this has been a real growing experience. The simple value of patience, understanding and forgiveness are evident in each day. All of these boys come from some level of broken and disadvantaged homes and backgrounds, they have grown up in a very very different world than I know. At times it can be very difficult to remember that, so to keep myself in check is very important. In these last few months of being here I think that I am finally understanding and realizing all the blessings that I have received in my life; a supportive family, primary, secondary and advanced education, great friends and all of this without question. For some of these boys each day is a new obstacle or struggle to keep their heads above water, many don't have both or any parents, some family and others only have their Godparents. I am sure this also exists in the States but not that I have been exposed to. I have great admiration for these little boys and have learned much from their endurance.
Well I think that is enough for now …I will keep working on my consistency, I appreciate all your patience and support! Much love from the southern hemisphere!
jueves, 17 de diciembre de 2009
sábado, 19 de septiembre de 2009
Where am I in all of this?
I have been here for a month; the first week was full of getting ourselves orientated to La Ciudad., the second week we jumped into language school and our roles in the “pabellones” (the houses of kids) and the following three weeks were a total rollercoaster. Now not just the simple rollercoaster that you can ride at the county fair but the big deal ones that drop you from heaven’s door to earth, upside down and sideways, then you do it all over again backwards. So I am thinking that now I have a pretty solid idea of where I fit in here.
I am in La Familia San Antonio. In the Pabellone I am a “tutora” or in basic English a Tutor. By definition it sounds pretty calm and relaxed. A tutor is someone who helps with the studies and can answer questions, I got that down. I am actually a little more than just a tutor, I am more like a house mom. My duties can include any of the following: cleaning, running study time with my specific group of five boys, meal services, shower time, reading stories at night, and visiting their teachers. They fluctuate from week to week, however there are a few that are a constant. We will begin with a rough outline of what my schedule for the first month looked like.
Across the board I would wake up between 5/5:30 each morning and arrive at the Pabellon about 6 to help wake the boys up in the morning. We have breakfast at 6:30 and they leave for school at about 7:40 ish. I would begin my cleaning duties for that week at 6 when I got there (with the help of the boys or sometimes lack there of ) and after breakfast we would return to the pabellon to finish cleaning. I would have to leave for language school at about 8 and would be gone until lunch at 1:30/2. Eat lunch and head to the Pabellon for a little break before starting homework at 3:15/3:30. During that time after lunch I would try to complete my homework. We have study time from then until 5:30 when it is time for showers. We head for dinner at 6:15 and Monday through Thursday we have “Capilla” at 7pm. After Capilla we head back to San Antonio and the little guys head to bed unless they have homework that they haven’t finished in which case they finish and are all in bed no later than 10. Normally the bebitos (my little guys) are in bed normally no later than 8:30/9. I head back to the apartment to finish my homework, head to bed and set my alarm for the morning.
Each week the three of us tutors rotate “servicios.” The Servicios are one of three things: dormitorio 1 and laundry with the little guys, dormitorio 2 with the big kids and lastly the two living rooms, patio and meal duty with a variety of the boys.
“Capilla” is at 7 pm every night Monday-Thursday. During this time one of the Brothers, either Brother David or Brother Polo, leads worship songs with all the boys. The songs all have little dances that go along with them and gestures which is a lot of fun. I still don’t know the songs :p, I can’t really understand what they are saying so I just stand on the side and copy the dances . The youngest boys are a riot to watch, they are all about 3-5 years old and love the music. The only thing better is watching them on Sunday evening mass when they, bless their little peapicking hearts, all fall asleep on each other.
During study time I have the five little guys that I work with. Their names are Daniel, Luigi, Marco, Freddy and Max. Each day is an evolution. In the beginning I was struggling with being a novelty and had almost no authority over them. This was a problem when a week later I would learn that they hadn’t been taking their notebooks to school, turning in assignments and receiving incompletes on their work. They were very good at “forgetting” they had homework. That was difficult, I had no idea what kind of homework they normally had, what classes were each day or the rules and structure of correcting assignments. That was an adventure, when do I believe what they tell me and when do I call them out? I had to learn not to let my feelings get hurt when they would act like they are mad at me for making them do their homework or not letting them copy one of the other boys’. My respect for teachers just keeps getting greater. I am not sure that I would be able to control a room full of these little guys; five is hard enough :p. I have only been working with them for a month and I already am invested in their success, what will it be like come the end of the school year and we see final grades?
I was finally able to implement a sticker reward system, each time that they finish an assignment they get to scratch it off the list and when they finish all their homework they get to put a little star on that day to mark that they finished everything. I wasn’t sure how it was working at first, or if it was at all. Then one day I was late for study time and Hermana Flor, the head lady of the house, told me that they boys didn’t want to work with any of the other volunteers because they were worried that they wouldn’t get their stars . That made me feel good, I have done something right . Each day I am learning something new and ironing out the wrinkles.
Alright, well that is a little run down of what my responsibilities are here. My next blurb I will talk more about some of the adventures and fun things that we have experienced. It isn’t all work . Miss you all tons!
I am in La Familia San Antonio. In the Pabellone I am a “tutora” or in basic English a Tutor. By definition it sounds pretty calm and relaxed. A tutor is someone who helps with the studies and can answer questions, I got that down. I am actually a little more than just a tutor, I am more like a house mom. My duties can include any of the following: cleaning, running study time with my specific group of five boys, meal services, shower time, reading stories at night, and visiting their teachers. They fluctuate from week to week, however there are a few that are a constant. We will begin with a rough outline of what my schedule for the first month looked like.
Across the board I would wake up between 5/5:30 each morning and arrive at the Pabellon about 6 to help wake the boys up in the morning. We have breakfast at 6:30 and they leave for school at about 7:40 ish. I would begin my cleaning duties for that week at 6 when I got there (with the help of the boys or sometimes lack there of ) and after breakfast we would return to the pabellon to finish cleaning. I would have to leave for language school at about 8 and would be gone until lunch at 1:30/2. Eat lunch and head to the Pabellon for a little break before starting homework at 3:15/3:30. During that time after lunch I would try to complete my homework. We have study time from then until 5:30 when it is time for showers. We head for dinner at 6:15 and Monday through Thursday we have “Capilla” at 7pm. After Capilla we head back to San Antonio and the little guys head to bed unless they have homework that they haven’t finished in which case they finish and are all in bed no later than 10. Normally the bebitos (my little guys) are in bed normally no later than 8:30/9. I head back to the apartment to finish my homework, head to bed and set my alarm for the morning.
Each week the three of us tutors rotate “servicios.” The Servicios are one of three things: dormitorio 1 and laundry with the little guys, dormitorio 2 with the big kids and lastly the two living rooms, patio and meal duty with a variety of the boys.
“Capilla” is at 7 pm every night Monday-Thursday. During this time one of the Brothers, either Brother David or Brother Polo, leads worship songs with all the boys. The songs all have little dances that go along with them and gestures which is a lot of fun. I still don’t know the songs :p, I can’t really understand what they are saying so I just stand on the side and copy the dances . The youngest boys are a riot to watch, they are all about 3-5 years old and love the music. The only thing better is watching them on Sunday evening mass when they, bless their little peapicking hearts, all fall asleep on each other.
During study time I have the five little guys that I work with. Their names are Daniel, Luigi, Marco, Freddy and Max. Each day is an evolution. In the beginning I was struggling with being a novelty and had almost no authority over them. This was a problem when a week later I would learn that they hadn’t been taking their notebooks to school, turning in assignments and receiving incompletes on their work. They were very good at “forgetting” they had homework. That was difficult, I had no idea what kind of homework they normally had, what classes were each day or the rules and structure of correcting assignments. That was an adventure, when do I believe what they tell me and when do I call them out? I had to learn not to let my feelings get hurt when they would act like they are mad at me for making them do their homework or not letting them copy one of the other boys’. My respect for teachers just keeps getting greater. I am not sure that I would be able to control a room full of these little guys; five is hard enough :p. I have only been working with them for a month and I already am invested in their success, what will it be like come the end of the school year and we see final grades?
I was finally able to implement a sticker reward system, each time that they finish an assignment they get to scratch it off the list and when they finish all their homework they get to put a little star on that day to mark that they finished everything. I wasn’t sure how it was working at first, or if it was at all. Then one day I was late for study time and Hermana Flor, the head lady of the house, told me that they boys didn’t want to work with any of the other volunteers because they were worried that they wouldn’t get their stars . That made me feel good, I have done something right . Each day I am learning something new and ironing out the wrinkles.
Alright, well that is a little run down of what my responsibilities are here. My next blurb I will talk more about some of the adventures and fun things that we have experienced. It isn’t all work . Miss you all tons!
domingo, 23 de agosto de 2009
The Arrival
Well I made it, I am actually here-Lima,
When we landed, in true Latin American style everyone hopped out of their seats and rushed the aisle as if it were life or death who is able to get off the plane first; while we three lowly US’ers were left to wait for a chance to get our foot in the door:). So we jointly decided the best plan of action would be to sit back, relax and wait. Once we got our luggage it was a lottery draw through customs who gets to put their bags through the scanner…and…I got chosen :). Anyway, we got through customs with no problems and met our Local Coordinator Hugo Mejia right outside baggage claim. The Capuchin hospitality is incredible and stretches way across borders both geographically and relationally. All the people that I have encountered from
On our way to Ciudad de los Niños the evening we arrived Hugo drove us along the coast for most of the way and giving us a little introduction to the layout of the city. A city it is, this place is huge! We are located in a barrio (neighborhood) called San Juan de Miraflores, not to be confused with another barrio called Miraflores; completely different. Before we arrived at la Ciudad Hugo drove us around the perimeter. The whole complex is protected by cement walls. In the beginning they had some 300 acres, but now it is down to 50 acres. Much of that land they use for the residential piece and the school while other parts of the land they rent out to other companies or organizations.
Before I came I knew almost nothing about how this place worked or even what it was made up of so here is the skinny on la Ciudad, hopefully to clear up some of the fog of where I am. When I was describing where I my ministry to people I would just say that I will be living and working at a boys residential school. My impression was that it was all boys in both the residential part and the school part, that isn’t all true. There are two parts to this compound all of which was founded and sponsored by the Capuchin Friars. There is al Ciudad where about 350 boys ages 3-18 live and then a school, Padre Illuminato, where about 1,000 kids study; the kids are both boys and girls. The vocational aspect of this place is only for the boys who live at la Ciudad, not the other students.
I don’t know much or anything about the school part but the residential part I know a little. I know that there are nine houses that the boys live in. These are split up into the different age groups and have adults who live there full time. In three younger houses are two to three females who live there, the three middle age houses have a couple who live with them and the three older age houses each have a friar that lives with them. I am in the oldest of the younger houses. The boys are between the ages of 8-12 years, and there are about thirty of the little rascals; and rascals they are, I tell you what. Each of the houses generally has a playing field for soccer of course, a study room, the sleeping porches, bathrooms, a clothes closet and that is about it. They eat all their meals in the cafeteria starting with breakfast at 6:30 am each day to lunch at 1:30 pm and dinner between 6:30 and 7:30 (this depends on the age group).
La Ciudad has like either 350 or 3500 hens. I know that is a huge discrepancy, I just remember being wow’d by the number and I am wow’d by both those numbers; so just know they have A LOT of gallinas! (When I remember correctly or ask I will fix that:).) They also have one of the largest male pigs that I have ever seen which includes all the swines at all the fairs that I have ever been to---he is a really big pig. They didn’t have a name for him so I decided to name him Peter, which in Spanish would be Pedro; either one works. We were told that Pedro has fathered many little piglets through the last few years.
Every other weekend the boys leave la Cuidad and stay with family, and on the off weekends the family can come and visit them at la Ciudad. When it is a weekend for them to leave they (I think, this is the general idea I was able to put together) head out on Saturday at around noon I believe and then return on Sunday between 4-6 pm. The schedules for the weekends are different than that of the week. Breakfast is at 7 instead of 6:30 and lunch is at 12:30 instead of 1:30, then dinner is the same. The only group prayer time on the weekend is on Sunday evening there is mass for everyone; as opposed to during the week there is prayer each evening at 7pm.
That I think is the basic low down on the logistics of this place, I will be writing again to let you all know what I do and how my first week has been so far:)! Love you all!
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