Apostolic Availability

Every organization has its buzzwords; apostolic availability is one of JVC's. Apostolic comes from the word apostle, referring to the 12 closest followers of Jesus. The idea of apostolic availability means being open to change in what's needed from you, it means being willing to follow the Call wherever it may lead. In the JVC context, being apostolicly available means accepting how different your JV reality can be from the dreams you had when you first signed up. At it's most frustrating, it seems like JVC's way of covering itself when things don't go as planned.

Things aren't going as planned with my worksite. If you look at the FAQ page you'll see this:

What will you be doing?
Teaching English at the Fe y Alegria San Ignacio de Loyola School.

Guess what I'm not doing...Teaching English at the Fe y Alegría Sand Ignacio de Loyola School. Here's the story.

Just under a year ago, I accept an offer from JVC to move to Andahuaylillas, Peru and teach English at the Fe y Alegría Secundaria (high school). With that assignment came all sorts of emotions. Mainly excitement about the chance to try classroom teaching. It's not unlikely that I'll pursue a career as a classroom teacher (but nothing definite yet, Mom). Here was a chance for me to build classroom skills. It also offered a chance for me to share my language with others. Learning a second language has been life changing for me (no exaggeration, I wouldn't be living in Peru right now if I hadn't learned Spanish in high school) and it would be an honor to share that revelation with others. So until I arrived on December 4, I had the expectation that I would spend the next two years as an English teacher.

Upon arrival I learned about some big changes in Peruvian education policy. Fe y Alegría No. 44 (that's the one in Andahuaylillas) would be participating in a pilot program that, among other things, increased the focus on English. That meant they couldn't use US-American volunteers to staff the English department anymore. Theresa and I spent months unsure what our job placement would look like.

Then March came around, bring with it the beginning of the Peruvian school year. The first week of March was staff meetings. I met Padre Eddy, the new director of Fe y Alegría No. 44. He told me that he was going to put me in Primaria (Elementary School) and that I would be working as the Physical Education teacher. Well that's different than High School English, I thought to myself. But I have some experience teaching physical education-like classes from my time at the Center for Asian Martial Arts, and I think I can do a good job of it. I also have lots of practice working with Elementary School kids from my years at the Sr. Mary Hart Summer Camp. Besides, it's probably less stressful than teaching English.

So when school started for students on March 9^th, I walked two blocks past the Secundaria and entered Primaria. I met Enriqueta, the sub-directora for Primaria.* She told me that she wanted me to spend the first week observing classes to get a sense of how the school runs and to get to know the kids a bit. It was a relaxed week. Each morning I entered a different classroom and sat in the back, watching the students and the teacher, learning from both. On Friday, Enriqueta gave me the schedule for Phys-Ed. I went to each classroom and let the professor know when I would be seeing their class.

The next Monday, I walked up to Primaria for my first day as the Phys-Ed teacher. Enriqueta invited me in to her office we began to talk a bit more about my schedule and how my role would work. Not five minutes into the conversation, a new person stepped into the office. He introduced himself as Jesús, the physical education teacher. Turns out that they had hired someone, but weren't sure when he was going to show up, so were planning for me to fill the role. Enriqueta asked how I felt about teaching Religion instead, and set me on another week of class observations.

I'm going to pause for a moment to examine how I felt at that moment. To be honest, I mostly felt amused. I've long since lost any illusions I may have held about things being fixed and clear in Andahuaylillas. So instead of being frustrated, I've decided it's better to enjoy the ride. Interlude over, back to the story.

So I spent this week observing classes again. This time I was a little less interested. My favorite observation was this Wednesday with Sexto (6^th year, all around 11 years old), so I'm glad I had this week too or I would have missed that. But after two weeks of sitting in tiny student chairs, my butt is tired. And after three weeks of coming in to work, I'm ready to have work to do. But at the end of the week I received my second schedule of the year, this time for Religion classes. Hermana Rosario promised to pick up materials for me on her trip to Lima this weekend and I've begun to put together a lesson plan around the Creation story.

But in the back of my head, I can't help but wonder if the offical Religion teacher is going to show up 10 minutes before I start my first lesson. Hidden behind the many pictures of her family on my grandmother's fridge is a magnet that says “We plan, God laughs!” That's certainly been the case for my work situation. But I've had a good number of laughs too. We'll see what happens Monday. Maybe this time the plan will turn into action.

This is the reality of the ideal of apostolic availability. This is the lived fact of what it means to sing “Lord, I'm Available to You.” The core of JVC's mission is to “enhance the capacity of local organizations to serve their communities by providing volunteers to directly serve the poor and marginalized in the U.S. and developing countries.” I'm here to fill roles, to serve in the ways that best fit the needs of the local community as defined by the local community's leaders. I'm here to follow. So despite the topsy turviness of the my work site since I've arrived, I'm ok. I wouldn't want to be the Phys-Ed teacher if it meant taking a paying job from a Peruvian. I wouldn't want to be an English teacher if there were more skilled professionals available for the students. There's a certain irony in a Boston Public Schools graduate teaching religion during the schoolday. I have very little sense of what a Religion curriculum might look like. But if it's the role that I am to play here, then I trust that I can play it. 

Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say. Ex 4:12

*Fun fact: The sub-director for Secundaria is named Henry. It's almost like they were chosen based on name similarities.