Off to a Running Start...

We are three weeks into the new school year at Colegio Andacollo, and what a crazy-busy three have they been!  I think the easiest way to explain everything is to simply illustrate what a "typical" week looks like for me...(though nothing ever is actually normal)

Monday--Outside of the colegio.  As a part of the program requirements, I am to spend one day each week doing some type of secondary-ministry work.  So, I prepare, serve, and clean up at the Comedor (Parish Soup Kitchen).  The Comedor is open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and serves about 20 old people in the neighborhood.  And I work on Mondays with two other ladies from the Pastoral office and then a couple of moms who have kids at the colegio. I normally end up in the Pastoral office afterwards finishing up things or helping someone else.

Tuesday--English Classes.  I have my 5th, 8th, and 6th graders on these days. (The 5th graders are the only ones that I had last year, all of the other classes are new to me.)

Wednesday--Pastoral. 

Thursday--English Classes. I have my 7th and 4th graders on these days.  (Oh, we have a new English classroom--pictures to come--but it is huge and awesome!)

Friday--Pastoral.

Saturday evenings--Pastoral.  I am in charge of the attendance for the masses on these nights, and help with coordinating them.  

My Pastoral duties have changed a bit this year, which basically means that I have a ton more responsibilities than I did last year.  For instance, I am totally in charge of the Primer Ciclo (Kindergarten-2nd grade)--including writing the morning prayers, accompanying them in the morning prayers, coordinating events throughout the year, organizing the masses, and developing the jornadas.  I am also co-coordinating  the Social Action Club for the high schoolers with Mary Jeanne--we will have monthly meetings as well as monthly activities for them to particiapte (such as visiting a women's prison or orphanages or preschools or hospitals, and doing activities or some type of service work at all of these places).  Also, I help prepare and participate in all of the jornadas, every other Wednesday, with kindergarten through 6th graders.   Finally, I am in charge of the attendance for the Saturday masses, which translates to me keeping track of which students came to mass and which didn't, for Pasoral records as well as the official school records.  And throughout the year, I will develop/organize, coordinate, and participate in various other Pastoral activities, including the Winter Mission Trip, Holy Week, Saint Andre Bessette Week, Summer Mission Trip, Month of Solidarity, etc.  

**deep breath** so, yeah...it make be more like off to a sprint start that will turn into a marathon pace...

It has been great being back at the school though--I get swarmed with little kids who want to say hi and hug and kiss me, or tell me what new English word they learned that day, or help me open their snacks.  I know quite a few of the high schoolers from the Summer Mission trip and it's great catching up with them between classes and during the breaks, which is fun and different from last year.  I definitely feel more of a part of the Colegio this year, which makes all of the day-to-day craziness and stress feel worth it.  

Let's see, what else...It has been a big week for the Congregation of Holy Cross here in Chile.  The District Provincial (the big boss) is in town, and so yesterday he visited Andacollo, and that evening we had a big mass and dinner for the Feast of Saint Joseph (Patron Saint of the Congregation), and tomorrow one of the seminarians from Haiti will be ordained a deacon (!!).  

It still feels a heck of a lot like summer, not that I am complaining, so I am trying to soak in some of the warm weather before winter starts to arrive as well as find something fun to do outside of work...I can't quite think of anything else at the moment.  Next blog will be filled with pictures!

Tanning, Tequila, and The Perch

Mexico.

Kels and I

So so so happy to be reunited with my parents, Kelsey, and Carolynn and Jim.

Legit--so happy, I actually ran out of customs.

Group Pic on the Last Night

My time in Cabo was a much needed break and the vast majority of time was spent soaking in the sunshine next to an infinity pool or on the rooftop deck (coined The Perch by Kels and Mom).  We celebrated my birthday a few months early, spotted whales from our house (it's gray whale migrating and birthing time), ate a lot of really good food, did an art walk in San Jose, caught some of the Olympics, bought some souvenirs, and had a couple fun adventures in the car.  It was wonderful to be able to see my parents and be able to spend time catching up and just being together.  The house was incredible and I never wanted to leave.

How I spent the vast majority of my time

Mexican Sunrise

The house (!!!??!)

I have returned to Santiago, very tan and very well rested and refreshed--ready to begin a new school year!

Lima: Museums, Churches, and Ruins...Oh My!

I did my first solo-vacay two weeks ago to Lima, Peru.  I spent my three days there trying to pack in literally as much of the city that I could in such a short amount of time!  I really really liked Lima, it has such an interesting blend of a huge city with large slum areas, islands of modernity, and colonial architecture in the city center.  It is made up of more than 43 neighborhoods and sprawls from the Andes to the Pacific Ocean.

FIRST DAY
Lima was founded in 1535 by the Spanish conquistador, Francisco Pizarro, and was the seat of the Spanish rule for 300 years--so it has wonderful churches, museums, cloisters, and monasteries.  So, the first day there, I made my way through the Center.  The hostel that I stayed at was close enough to the center that I could walk there.  I began at the Cathedral of Lima and the Archbishop's Palace.  Initial construction on the Cathedral began in 1535 and ended in 1622.  It was designed as not only with religious focus but also as a sort-of chest for all the Church's riches.  There are 14 side chapels, and a crypt underneath the High Altar.  The Cathedral also contains the tomb of the city's conqueror.  There is also a museum attached to the church that contains relics, art, and clothes of former archbishops and private collectors.

Cathedral

Side Chapel for the Sacred Family

Entrance to the Crypt of Our Lady of the Assumption

Me in front of a mass grave in the crypt--terrifying

Tomb of Francisco Pizarro

I then made my way next door to the Archbishop's Palace.  This building was also commissioned by Pizarro, and is not only the residence of the Archbishop of Lima but also the administrative headquarters for the Roman Catholic Church in Peru.  

Chapel in the Palace

A look from the upstairs

Outside of the Archbishop's Palace

Outside of the Cathedral

I then made my way around the Plaza de Armas to find a place for lunch.

Plaza de Armas

The Saint Francis Monastery is located a few blocks off the Plaza de Armas.  It was built in the baroque-style of the late 1600s. The adjoining monastery has a superb collection of ancient religious texts, about 25,000 books Theology, Philosophy, History, Literature, Music, Canon Law and Ecclesiastical Law; as well as, about 6 000 scrolls generated by Jesuit, Augustine and Benedict priests, and Bibles that predate the printing press.  Some of which were brought over by the first wave of Spanish priests after the conquest of the Incas.  The Monastery also contains catacombs.  The catacombs under the church served as the cemetery of the emerging city during colonial times. Religious authorities, administrators and benefactors were buried in special places. Elsewhere, at lower levels, were placed the remains of prominent persons among the commoners, while the rest of the rabble went to mass graves in deep pits with rounded brick walls.  It is estimated that more than 70,000 people are buried down there.  As a part of the tour, we walked through parts of these catacombs--I was bent over and squished the entire time, but so so cool.

Saint Francis Monastery 

I then made my way to the Convent of Saint Dominic, which is not only a Church, Convent for the Dominicans, but also the Sanctuary of the Peruvian Saints.  The priory and church were founded in 1541 and the construction ended in 1583.  I had a private tour with a Peruvian woman who was beyond excited that not only did I study theology in college but I was also working/volunteering my time at a Catholic school in Santiago, that she went above and beyond to show me ALL of the saint's relics in the place.  

In the gardens of the Main Cloister

At the top of the bell tower

The relics and some of the remains of the three Peruvian Saints are kept here in the Convent: Saint Rosa of Lima, Saint Martin of Porres, and Saint John Macias.  

In front of artistic depictions of Saint Rosa

Tomb of Saint Martin

Chair of Saint Martin that contains part of the True Cross. Women sit here if they want to become pregnant.

To finish my first day, I ended up at the Inquisition Museum--a gruesome place to say the least.  In colonial days, Lima was the capital of South America as well as the seat of Spain’s control over the territories. The museum is located in the building that was used as a headquarters for Inquisition officials from 1570 to 1820. During the Inquisition, torture was common. It was here that local people suspected of heresy, blasphemy or witchcraft were detained, interrogated, and sentenced to public burning and execution.  

Outside of the Museum

Tour guide explaining torture method

Original torture devices

The tour walks you through the holding cells and a dimly lit underground torture chamber to show the techniques that were used against the prisoners. Wax figures with their faces are shown undergoing all types of abuse.  I thought that the museum was a good complement to the area’s beautiful colonial palaces and cathedrals, serving as a reminder of the tremendous injustices imposed under colonial rule.

SECOND DAY

I began day two with a group tour to the Ruins of Pachacama.  The Temple and Ruins of Pachacama are located about 40 minutes southeast of Lima.  It was a major site for pilgrimages for the ancient people, who would travel from all around in order to make their sacrifices.  Pachacama (Earth-Maker/Shaker) was considered to be the creator god.  Most of the common buildings and temples in this area were built c. 800-1450 CE, shortly before the arrival and conquest by the Incan Empire.  The guide told us that the archequologists believe that less than 25% of the ruins have been uncovered--due to lack of funds as well as people who now squat on the land.  Andean civilization never developed writing so today very little is known about the heavily eroded collection of adobe and stone temples and pyramids.

Housing for the pilgrims

Temple of Pachacama 

Ruins

We got out and walked around the Temple of the Sun--which is the only Incan temple there.  The principal side faces the sea, and has niches all around the sides for offerings, as well as altars for human and animal sacrifices that were offered to the Sun.  

Temple of the Sun

Original red plaster that covered the entire temple

I then spent lunchtime and the afternoon in the neighborhood of Miraflores, which is on the beach and a much more wealthy and touristy area.  

The Miraflores coastline walk

Beach-side soccer court

I was in the middle of asking a police officer for directions when this couple came up to him and asked for directions to the same place--how fortuitous!  We decided to split a cab to the other set of Incan ruins in Lima.  Turns out by new friends had just met a few days before on the airplane--Emily was from France and was on vacation, Gabriel was from Lima but lived in Paris.  They were great and I was so happy to have travel buddies!  The ruins were actually closed, so we made our way to the Reserve Park for the Magical Circuit of Water spectacular.  We sat and chatted in the park as we waited for the sun to set.  I asked a guy to take our picture for us (to commerate our wonderfully blossomed new friendship) and it turns out he was also travelling by himself from South Korea (Mike spoke no Spanish, or French, and was a little sketch on the English--he could only understand me "perfect" English), so we invited him to join our merry bunch for the water show and then for dinner. After dinner, Gabriel negotiated a cab price for me so that I could make my way back to the hostel.  (Fun Fact: none of the cabs in Lima have meters, so before you get in you have to negotiate the fare).

Me, Gabriel, and Emily

THIRD DAY

I didn't fly out of Lima until really, really late that night, so I slept in and checked out of my hostel around noon.  I then made my way to the Larco Museum and then back into the Center to visit the National Art Museum and the gardens of the Exposition Park.  The Larco Museum is an absolutely giant privately owned museum in the neighborhood of Pueblo Libre, that showcases pre-Colombian art..  There is also a gallery of pre-Columbian erotic pottery--which was a umm, very interesting exhibit to see.  My favorite part was the Cultures Gallery which houses over 40,000 years of history--including a Gold and Silver Gallery showcases the largest collection of jewelry used by many notable rulers of the times. It comprises of a collection of crowns, earrings, nose ornaments, garments, masks and vases, finely wrought in gold and decorated with semi-precious stones.  The National Art Museum was under construction so they only had three galleries open.  Though incredibly different, all three of the exhibits featured artists and their works from the 70s and 80s in South America (which as many of you know was an incredibly difficult and politically-repressive time in history).  The art was stunning and shocking and disturbing and beautiful, but I had to sit outside for a while afterwards to kind of unwind.  

I ended my time in Lima with a dinner of ceviche-- a seafood dish that is a specialty of Lima.  The dish is typically made from fresh raw fish cured in citrus juices, such as lemon or lime, and spiced with chili peppers. Ceviche is usually accompanied by side dishes that complement its flavors, such as sweet potato, lettuce, corn, or avocado.  

Ceviche

Bus Depot at sunset

Though the time flew and I felt like I was flying the entire time while I was there, I very much enjoyed my time in Lima.  It is such a different city from Santiago and yet wonderful in its own right.  I hope to make it back there one day to eat more of that delicious spicy food before making my way to Machu Picchu.  Then, I caught a ride back to the airport later that evening and jetted off as a very very excited girl to Mexico!

Summertime in Santiago

The city is pretty much on vacation during the summer months down here in Chile.  The people flock to the beaches, the temperatures skyrocket, the majority of businesses seem to shutdown, and there is a quiet (kind of) that takes over the streets and highways.  I have been thoroughly enjoying the break from work and a more laid-back kind of schedule.

Three times a week I am volunteering my time for a few hours teaching swim lessons/hanging out in the pool/acting as a jungle gym/judging cannonball contests for two groups of kids from FundaMor.  The Congregation has a pool across town, at the offices of FundaMor--so Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday Hermano Mateo and I make our way over there to spend the afternoon with the kids.  The group of little boys, there are probably 10 of them and their median age is probably 7, come on Wednesdays and Fridays.  The group of girls, 12 of them and average age is 11, come on Thursdays.

Splashing War

Me and a few of the boys

I love the little boys--though they are all super naughty and seem to be under the impression that it is a fun game to see how many of them need to pile on me before I sink under the water...I am hoping to spend my one day a week outside of the colegio with them at their house.  I think it will really help that they already know me.

I also decided that it was time I had a talent; so, I thought that I would try and learn the guitar...a little bit more difficult than I had originally planned but poco a poco it is coming along.  I spent the day at a music festival/battle of the bands concert in the park before I left on vacation, where I had my first guitar lesson and got to listen to some awesome musicians for inspiration!  My friend, Lalo, has undertaken the immense responsibility of being my teacher.  

Lalo and Me

Group pic at the Music Festival

I have also been using my downtime to explore different parts of the city, read in different parks, exercise in the park, shop for some new work clothes, and sleep (a lot!).  Yesterday, I went and visited one of Pablo Neruda's houses--La Chascona (chascona is a Chilean Spanish word of Quechua origin referring to a wild mane of hair).  It is the house where the poet and his secret lover, Matilde Urrutia, lived in here in Santiago.  The house is now a museum and one of the coolest houses I have ever been in--it is very quirky and is full of the poet's love for the sea and Matilde (so so much art!!).

Outside of La Chascona

Now that I am back from summer vacation, I have about a week and a half before the school year starts again--crazy how the time flew!  Though I am still waiting for the official school calendar and the schedule of what my classes will be...I excited to get back to school and see all my little kids again and all the high schoolers from Misiones!

Misiones 2014: Somos de Querelema

(Mission 2014: We are Querelema).  I have just gotten back from the 2014 Verano Misiones trip with Colegio Andacollo.  Each summer, the colegio does this Mission trip, in cycles of three years in each community.  2014 was the second year in Paredones, and the theme for the Mission trip was faith shared.  All of the events and prayers and retreats that we did revolved around this theme.  For the past 10 days, a group of 40 high schoolers and 10 adults, including the pastor from the local parish, were in the small, poor, and beautiful area of Paredones.  Paredones is about 4 hours southwest of Santiago, and consists of many other smaller communities--three of which the 50 of us were divided among.  So, we stayed in a boarding school in the town of Paredones, and then during the days we took a bus to three of the outlying communities and spent our Mission time there.  I was assigned to Querelema, which is the smallest both in community-size and people-wise.  There were 13 of us in Querelema, including myself.  The other two communities were Quillay and Calvario.

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)