Querelema at sunset
Each morning we would get up, have breakfast and morning prayer, do chores, and then pile into a bus (that was meant for 30 people) that would then drop us all off at the three different communities. We would normally arrive in Querelema around 11am, at the Sede (community center). We then split off into three groups and walked to visit all of the houses in Querelema, to pray and talk with them; we normally walked for 3ish hours each day. Lunch was then at 2pm, and one of the ladies in Querelema, who lived across from the Sede let us use her house for lunch each day. In the afternoon then there were different events--Colonias (activities for kids 11 years and younger), Jovenes (a retreat for teenagers) and then Adultos (a retreat for adults). We also had a party for the Reyes Magos (Three Kings) on Sunday, a Encuentro and Mass with the three communities hosted in Querelema on Wednesday (as part of the theme), a Via Cruces on Friday (Stations of the Cross and Mass), a Fogata on Saturday (a bonfire and show), and then a Mass and Despedida on Sunday (a goodbye party). We were normally picked up by the bus each night around 8:30ish and taken back to the school in Paredones. They were looonng days!! In the evenings, there was once (small meal), evening prayer, and then bedtime.
A game with some of the jovenes
Vía Cruces
Fogata
Fogata
Fogata
To be honest, when we arrived on Saturday morning to Querelema and all broke off into the three groups to visit the houses, I was pretty overwhelmed. I just couldn't quite imagine how a group of high schoolers would be welcomed into these people's homes to pray. But we were welcomed like long-lost friends-- the majority of high schoolers had done this Mission trip last year and the people not only remembered them but had been anxiously awaiting our return. They opened their homes and their hearts in a way that surprised and moved me. Each morning around 11am, they would be waiting for us to come by and visit, normally with a cold Coke and homemade bread waiting, or fresh vegetables that they had picked from their garden. They would always make time to stop whatever chores or work they were doing to spend time with us, to share stories and show us their lives and pray with us. And also come to the events in the evenings--everyone mentioned how much of a difference our time there meant for their community as a way to intentionally spend time together.
The people of Querelema were wonderful and the vast majority of them participated in all of our events. They also really loved teaching me new words, mostly Chilean slang. There were a group of three tías (aunts), including Tía Purdi in the picture below, who loved teaching me curse words, they called me Miss Vero (pronounced meees). So each morning, or when they came to the Sede in the afternoon, I would have to greet them by cussing them out--they thought is was the absolute funniest thing that they had ever heard. By the end of the week the tías in the community would greet me with huge hugs and lots of kisses, referring to me as there ninita (little girl).
Tía Purdi and Me
Community members having a jam session before the Fogata
Flavia at Colonias
Aladino at Colonias
Fogata
Diego and Alan (teen from Querelma)
The Querelema teens messing with Victor
Post-lunch game with Querelema teens
Post-lunch game with Querelema teens
In my unbiased opinion of course, I think that the group of 10 high schoolers, 3 who graduated in Nov., 5 who will be seniors this year, and 2 who will be juniors, that I was with were the cream of the crop. From the very beginning of the trip to the last day as we were unloading the bus in Santiago, they were intentional about this experience; they were passionate and self-motivated each day throughout the many activities, and they were considerate when it came to visiting the tías in their houses or including the kids in games. They also were really good about helping me with feeling included in conversations and helping me to follow the conversations--the country Chilean spanish is hard to understand. The first day we started a list entitled "Palabras Nuevas para Vero" (New Words for Vero). It became a game of sorts where each day I would keep track of the new words that I had learned that day or I would write words in English that I wanted to know in Spanish and throughout each day they would all quiz me to help me practice.
Edith, Coni, and Me
Cata and Coni
Figue (Diego) and Me
Yanin and Me
Coni and Peluca (Raul)
Me and Anais
Me, Coni, and Tomas
Moises (we had lunch at his house everyday) and Lalo (Eduardo)
The Querelema group was also incredibly musically talented--the vast majority of the 10 of them could play at least one instrument or sing--and more often than not, on the bus rides in the morning, walking in between houses, breaks after lunch, or waiting for the bus in the evening, a mini-concert would break out. If I was ever looking for them, I would just follow the music!
Music performance at the Fogata
It was surprisingly difficult for me to say goodbye to the Querelema community on Sunday night, almost as difficult as it was for them. I am very excited to be heading back there next year-- and I promised the tias that I would come back having practiced all my new curse words. I am also really happy to have made friends with the high schoolers and excited to see them all when school is back in session in March. It will be nice to have familiar faces who are happy to see me! I am now back in Santiago for a while before I leave on my summer vacation in three weeks. The other parts of January and February will be spent teaching swim lessons and hopefully doing a lot of planning for the upcoming school year and hiking slash spending time in new parts of the city/country.
Some of the Andacollo staff visited during Colonias one day. My head is blocked a bit by Oliver (in green)
