"Injusticia" and the Assumption

I am spending two days a week in Pastoral (campus ministry) at Colegio Andacollo and this past Wednesday was my first time accompanying a class of students on their jornada (retreat).  Every Wednesday there is a jornada, alternating weeks between the basico grades (elementary) and the medios (middle/high).  Each class, there are two for each grade--1st to 12th-- has a jornada once a school year.  Next school year, I will have the responsibility of planning and then running jornadas; but, for right now, I just accompany the Pastoral team to observe, pray, and help herd children.

I joined 2A on their jornada this past Wednesday.  Hermana Saturina began the day by introducing me to the class of 35 second graders and their teachers, as tia Veronicca who is from the USA (cue the collective gasp from the kids and the shouting of questions about if I knew English) and will be joining them today.  We all loaded on the bus and headed across the city to the Congregation's Formation House.  After an hour on the bus, the kids needed some time to run around and so we adults set up and took a tea/coffee break.  The 2A students were having a jornada that focused on the idea of sharing and working as a team in the classroom.  The activities, readings from the Bible, and presentations all revolved around these ideas.  At the break after lunch, I provided direction for a game of "Luz Roja, Luz Verde" (Red Light, Green Light) for the kids (no one wanted to stop at Luz Roja so I ended up being tackled each time we played because they thought it was more fun to simply sprint at me...), and then watched as some of the boys played a highly competitive game of soccer. 

We loaded back on the bus to head to Andacollo.  I was sitting half-way back on the bus, kind of dozing off, when all of a sudden a little hand taps me on the shoulder and asks me, "tia, ¿cómo se dice perro en inglés?" I responded and this began the game of 15 second graders shouting over one another to ask their gringa tia what random words were in English.  As I would respond, translating whatever word they asked, sometimes the child did not like the way it sounded in English, like Vincente and Vincent, this is when the child would shout "injusticia" (like a grievance of sorts).  All 15 would join in shouting, I would shrug and laugh, and then the injusticia was seemingly forgotten because a new word would emerge for translation.  This game was not something that they tired of after 10 or 15 minutes, no, we played for over an hour until the bus dropped us off at Andacollo--thank God.  I know understand why the Pastoral team and the teachers sit waay at the front of the bus!  Each of the kids gave me a hug and besito goodbye and I returned home for a late day nap...

Thursday was a national holiday-- the country and the Church celebrated the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.  I celebrated this miracle by heading to the beach and the house that the Congregation owns in El Quisco, with Mary Jeanne, Mike--a former OLM who still lives in Santiago, and two members of the Congregation-- Padre Mike and Hermano Mateo.  It takes about an hour to get from Santiago to the beach, and we arrived around lunch time.  We spent Thursday eating, getting to know one another, taking walks along the rocks and the beach, and playing a great game of Apples to Apples.  I could hear the waves crashing ashore as I slept, so I was a very happy camper. 

 The Pacific Ocean from the front of the house

We had a lazy start to Friday with a late breakfast and then had good conversations focused more on the goals and expectations of the program.  Mary Jeanne stayed at the beach with some friends, and I headed back with the men to Santiago.  We stopped at a restaurant halfway home and all ordered good old-fashioned hamburger and french fries.  A comfort food of sorts...

The weather is turning a little bit warmer so I am looking forward to spending some time outside this weekend...

Brazos