Boss' Day

According to Mountain House's guinea pig calendar*, last Friday was Boss' Day. So I thought it would be fitting to take some time to talk about my boss, and the peculiarities of the JV-boss relationship.

My boss is Padre Eddy. He's a Jesuit from Lima who just this year was installed as the general director of FyA 44 and PERFAL (remember from Sunday's post LINK that PERFAL is the network of 22 rural schools). Before coming to the Quispicanchi valley he taught at San Marcos (a college in Lima). That's really all I know about his biography.

Eddy is a lot of fun. We see him outside of work at Thursday masses, and occasion outings for pizza in Urcos (two towns over, where the Jesuit residence is). Last week he brought a projector and a copy of The Godfather to show after Thursday mass.* He is easy to hang out with. Which is different from most boss-worker relationships.

The difference here is that Eddy is a Jesuit and we are Jesuit Volunteers. The relationship is deeper than just free labor-boss. I think it's safe to say I know Eddy better than most of the teachers I work with. It's one of the special benefits of being a JV, that we get to know the Jesuits we work for as more than just superiors, but as people.

Eddy continues in the trend of good bosses that I've had. He is always ready to listen to reflections, frustrations, or new ideas. He has made it clear that he wants to hear my input about what my role could look like next year. It's clear that he cares about both the education of the students and the development of the teachers. I think FyA 44/PERFAL are lucky to have him. I know I am blessed to work with him.

*If you're looking for a simple, useful gift for the volunteers who have already have everything, a fun 2016 wall calendar is a great idea.

*Despite it being dubbed, I really enjoyed it. But I was disappointed to hear famous lines like “an offer he couldn't refuse” or “sleeping with the fishes” in Spanish.