Pascua Juvenil

I have two roles at FyA 44 this year. The first is as one of the 2 religion teachers at secundaria. The second is as the sub-coordinator of the school's pastoral program. The first task of this second role came in organizing students to participate in a mini-retreat called Pascua Juvenil (Youth Easter).

The retreat was pretty easy to organize. It's a program run by Jesuits who are still in formation, so we requested 2 scholastics to come to Andahuaylillas for Holy Week to run the retreat. I also had to explain the retreat to all the students and pass around a list for them to sign up. Finally I had to make sure they got permission slips.

The retreat itself was a good experience. The kids who came enjoyed it and got a lot out of it. There was time for play and time for reflection on the mysteries of Holy Week. The problem was that so few kids came.

Part of the difficulty in getting participants was the school calendar. Holy Week fell on the 3^rd week of school; and Holy Week means a shortened week for the observance of the holidays. Last year there was school Monday through Wednesday. This year we only had school on Monday because of teacher meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday. This means I had 11 days to get teenagers interested in coming to school on a holiday weekend. If you've worked with teenagers, or if you were a teenager, you know that's a difficult task.

The benefit of having a small group at the retreat was that it created more opportunity for me to get to know some of my students. But we don't want future retreats to have such low attendance. I'm not too concerned about participation in retreats that happen later this year because there will more time to pique students' interest and convince them that the retreat is worth the sacrifice of time.

As for last week, we just reminded ourselves that wherever two or three are gathered in His name, He is there.

Noted with Translation: How to Die Edition

If you have to die, you have to die eating!

Holy Week Schedule

The biggest week of the Liturgical Year starts tomorrow. But as full as the worship schedule I'm used to getting at my parish in Boston is, the worship schedule in Andahuaylillas is even fuller. Don't expect to hear much from me next week. Then expect to hear a lot the week after. 

Here's everything going on at the parish:

Palm Sunday

• 9:30am Procession with Palms from the chapel on the highway up to the parish
• 10am Mass

Holy Monday

• 8am Mass
• 5pm Procession of Our Lord of Earthquakes

Holy Tuesday

• 8am Mass
• 9-10am Confession

Holy Wednesday

• 6pm Procession (I'm not sure for what)
• 7pm Mass

Holy Thursday

• 3-5pm Confession
• 6pm Mass
• 7-10pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

Good Friday

• 3pm Adoration of the Cross
• 4pm Procession of the Stations of the Cross and Our Lady of Sorrows

Easter Sunday

• 4am Easter Vigil Mass
• 10:30am Easter Day Mass

And at FyA 44:

Retreat for 3rd, 4th, and 5th year high school students

• Holy Thursday 9am-4pm
• Holy Saturday 9am-4pm

Reatreat for 1st and 2nd year high school students

• Good Friday 8am-12:30pm

Collection of flower petals and making of alfombra* (5th year high school students)

• Good Friday dawn-when it's finished

*Alfombra means carpet. In this context it is a decoration on the street along the path of the procession. The students will use flower petals to make an image that will be destroyed only a few hours later as the Stations of the Cross procession passes over it. I think it's a beautiful representation of imperamance. 

Noted with Translation: Nationalist Shopping Advice Edition

Generate a job,
Buy a national product

Jesuit Projects: Internado Malqo Wasi

I've been thinking about how many different projects the Jesuits have in the Quispicanchi province. I've interacted with many of the projects, but there's a lot I don't know. So in an effort to educate myself and to highlight the work that Jesuits and their collaborators (like JVs!) are doing, I'm going to do an intermittent series on Jesuit Projects.

 A key Jesuit project in Ocongate is the internado.  It goes by the name “Malqo Wasi” which is Quechua for “House of the Youth.”

The internado is a home that houses and feed boys from rural communities during the week. These are the students that live too far away to travel each day. They go home only on the weekends, so their experience of the public school in Ocongate is a bit of a boarding school experience. There's one man in charge of the 40 or so boys who stay there. He's responsible for getting them up each morning and getting them to bed each night. Their meals are all provided in the parish comedor (dining hall). Most of the boys Rachel I taught during February live at Malqo Wasi during the school year.

I know at this point some readers are wondering “What about the girls?”

I asked the same question, and here's what I've found out. The parish used to run a similar dormitory for girls, but there aren't people to run it anymore. A great injustice in the Andes (and across the world) is the devaluing of girls' education. Many parents aren't very interested in their daughters being educated. 20 years ago, when the FyA 44 project started, no girls were sent to learn. There are girls going to the FyA schools now, which means things are changing, but there are still more boys sent to school than girls, which means there's change yet to happen.

Delia, the girl we gave a ride to the day we went to the hot springs LINK, is an example of a girl from a rural community who does come to Ocongate to study. Girls like her tend to stay with families in Ocongate.

Without the internado, most of these boys wouldn't be able to go to school in Ocongate. The need for a girls' internado seems obvious, and it's something the Jesuits should prioritize. Pd. Antonio has expressed his desire for a girls' internado, but has had difficulty finding people both capable and trustworthy enough to run it.

The lack of a girls' internado is undoubtably a weakness, but the Jesuits are doing more than any other institution in Cusco to ensure the education children living in rural poverty in Cusco.

Tuesday Song - Santa María del Camino

I failed to post a song last Sunday. Here's a final Lenten song. 

Mary's a big deal for Catholics. She's an even bigger deal for Latino Catholics. As we get ready for the celebration of Holy Week, I'm reflecting on what Holy Week was like for all the people around Jesus.

The gospel tells us nothing about Mary's Passion, so until last year I hadn't given it much thought. After last year's Good Friday procession with Mary, these were my thoughts:

I've never given much thought to Mary's passion. Walking with Mary I focused on her sorrow of watching her son tortured, humiliated, and killed. No parent should have to bury a child. I wonder if, while watching her son die on the cross, Mary got mad at God. Did she think, “this isn't what I signed up for.” She took a big risk when she said yes to God at the annunciation, and on Good Friday all that she got from that risk was taken away. It also made me wonder about her reunion with her risen son on Easter. Would that every murdered son - and daughter - could be returned to their mother after three days in the tomb.

 It's clear to me that Mary lived through some serious stuff. So inviting her to come walk with you on the road is inviting someone who knows the depths of pain and the heights of joy.

When the road gets lonely, when it seems futile. When you feeling like giving Big G the silent treatment because "this isn't what I signed up for," call on Mary. She gets it.

Translation after the jump.

The Internet in Andahuaylillas

Pd. Eddy had some big applause lines at the first parent meeting of the school year:

“Starting this year, the snack stands will be forbidden from selling junk food. I saw last year how we tried to feed the children a healthy lunch and so many of them would fill up on sweets and snacks. From now on the snack stands will only sell healthy food that supports a healthy body and development. Foods like corn, eggs, fruit, and so on!” 

“Last year we began construction on a new library space at the high school. The Jesuit community in Cusco has donated most of their books to us – in actuality I stole them – and Fe y Alegría will have the best library in the whole province of Quispicanchi! This library isn't just for students; parents will also be able to get a library card and take books out when the construction is finished this year."

“Part of the reason for building such a great library is that I told all the teachers last year, and I'm reminding them and letting you know, that it is forbidden to assign homework that requires the internet!”

Why would the director of a school in the 21^st century forbid the use of the internet? Why would parents applaud that their children won't be using resources like wikipedia, the online archives of local publications, and so much more? The answers to these questions have everything to do with the cultural reality of internet access in places like Andahuaylillas.

Belleza por Todos Lados: Below the trees

Buen Inicio del Año Escolar

Yesterday was the first day of school. FyA 44 has a tradition of putting on a "Buen Inicio del Año Escolar" (Good Beginning of the School Year) event each year. The day begins with a schoolwide mass, then students and teachers break off to their respective levels (Preschool, Elementary, High School). At Secundaria (High School) the day started with field day style games, and was followed by a dance that culminated in an inter-grade dance competition which the first year students won.*

Dismisal was 2 and a half hours early, and there were no classes. Teachers had to stay for meetings. Today classes begin for real. But here's a glimpse at the fun that was had yesterday.

*Let's clarify something about school in Peru. Primaria (Primary school) is 1st through 6th grade. Secundaria (Secondary school) is referred to as 1st through 5th. I'll be referring to high school students as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th years.

First Day of School

It's the first day of school at FyA 44 and plenty of other schools across Peru.

Pray for the parents who support their children in the education. Pray for the teachers who go through the hair pulling joy of working with student.

And most of all pray for the students, because they're what this school thing is all about.

Sunday Song - Libertador de Nazareth

Jesus has so many titles. One of them is Liberator. In the same country where A Theology of LIberation was written, calling Jesus the "Liberator from Nazareth" isn't just another fancy way to address Jesus, it's an expression of the firm belief that Jesus came to liberate, that the poor have the right to luchar to struggle for their liberation. 

And you gotta love the visual interpretation of the song's message chosen by the artist in the video. 

Lyrics after the jump.

Quarterly Review 5 - Video

It helps, now and then, to step back

and take the long view.

-Prayer Honoring Pd. Oscar Romero

Yesterday was the first Quarterly Review of my second year. I'm sure you were all quivering with anticipation, and have reread my wise reflection many times, memorizing the most eloquent passages.*

But on the off chance that you aren't into reading reflections upon a life experience you've never had, I've got something else for you. Something new and multi-media.**

It's a video! And by video I mean fancy slideshow of pictures with 11 seconds of a video of people dancing that you saw already. Many of the pictures you'll recognize from old posts (or from my sister's facebook), but there's some new things as well. Here's my step back, my long view of the last three months.

The idea is to give a visual overview of significant moments of the past three months. I picked “On Top of the World” by Imagine Dragons for two reasons. 

1. In the last three months I climbed Salkantay pass with Kevin, putting us both as high above sea level as we'd ever been.***  
2. Receiving visits from Mom, Dad, Nora, and Kevin had me feeling like I was on top of the world.

Photo credits to Nora Hill, Rachel Krofcheck, a Spanish tourist at Macchu Picchu, the waitress at the fish farm restaurant, and me.

Events shown in this video:

Quarterly Review 5

On the wall near the spirituality space on the second floor of our home is a post it with a quote from Pedro Arrupe, SJ. It reads “una experiencia no reflexionada es una experiencia no vivida” - “an experience that is not reflected upon is an experience that is not lived.” Part of my nightly prayer involves review and reflection on the day, but a broader perspective can reveal themes that are missed. Sometimes we need to step back from examining the trees that make up the days and take in the forest of our lives. So every three months I'm stepping back, looking around, and mulling it all over.

Today marks 15 months since I arrived. Things have changed in those 15 months. I'm a second year now. I'm not the new kid on the block anymore. I'm established in Andahuaylillas. I get special second year privileges like having visitors. The first three months of my second year haven't been very mission focused, but they have been very fun. Here's the themes I see looking back.

•                     Receiving Love

•                     Ocongate Summer Camp

•                     New Community

Receiving Love

In one of my favorite books, Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin tells his silly old bear “How lucky I am to have something that saying goodbye so hard.”

Christopher Robin never moved to Peru. But I can only imagine that if Pooh and the gang had surprised him with a visit he would say “how lucky I am to have people who will come so far to see me!”

In the past three months I received 2 visits. My family (mother, father, and sister) came to celebrate Christmas. Two days after they left my best friend Kevin arrived for a two week visit that involved Lima, Andahuaylillas, and hiking a 15,000 foot pass.

How blessed I am indeed.

It's impossible to express how wonderful it is to see the faces you love most, to hold those precious people in your arms and be wrapped up in theirs, after a year of only seeing their faces on a screen. What I got for Christmas this year surpasses all other years combined. Five dear people crossed great distances, spent lots of money, and gave up two weeks to come be with me. I know that they wouldn't have done such a trip without thinking it would be worth it. I can only hope that it was.

I also have to mention the various cards/packages I received after my plea for mail in December. Mail takes a long time to make it here, but when it does it's always a special occasion. I now have 1 envelope, 5 postcards, 18 letters, and 1 45-piece puzzle taped to the wall at the foot of my bed. I can't afford to respond to all this mail (if I paid all that postage I wouldn't have money left over for toothpaste). Once again I am receiving love I cannot repay, and all I can say is thank you.

Receiving love with grace has been one of the constant lessons here. It's something I get an opportunity to practice all the time. I cannot pay back all the love I have/will receive while in Andahuaylillas. It's something I hope to pay forward over the course of my life.

Ocongate Summer Camp

The 2016 curso vacacional (“vacational course,” as it's officially called) was much better than last year's. There was more structure, and I'm sure the students got more out of it. We had a team of 7 adults working as teachers, caregivers, and planners to create an academic and well-rounded experience for the children.

Sr. Mary Hart taught me that every child is worth a summer. Her wisdom is just as true in the rural context of the Ocongate as it is true in the urban context of Roxbury. I will never forget howfar those children travelled to learn, how much together time each family gave up for their son or daughter's academic opportunity. “This is why you have to be a good teacher” are words that will resonate with me my entire career.

Part of the joy of serving at the curso vaacional was in the directness of the service provided. Once again, a school year is starting and my role at FyA 44 isn't completely clear (though it's much clearer than it was last year). Sometimes I question how needed I am, how much service I'm really providing in Andahuaylillas. But no such doubts came up in Ocongate. I saw how much the kids learned in just four weeks.

And I got to see a project through from start to finish. The school year is so long that it can be difficult (at least as a new teacher) to see the whole thing in its entirety. But with a four week course serving 52 children, it's easy to hold it all in mind.

The end of the Ocongate curso vacacional also meant my first goodbyes. It's unlikely I'll see any of those students again. Last December I wished my students a good summer as we ended the school year, but a few weeks ago I said a true goodbye to all 52 students. That's part of the reality of service like this – you come and you leave. At the end of this year I'll be leaving, and there will be many more goodbyes. The end of the curso vacacional was a small sip from the bittersweet cup from which I'll drink deeply come December.

New Community

The last few months have been a hectic time for the Mountain House community. Because of various visits and commitments, we've had very little time just the four of us together despite having “lived together” for over three months. In the last week we've finally had time to breathe together and think about the Mountain House 2016 community.

I'm excited about this year's community. I think it will be stronger and more joyful than last year's. After all, that's the point of the way community turnover works (some JVs leave, some stay, and some arrive) – that each year can learn from the weaknesses/mistakes of the previous year.

At this stage, the 2016 community holds more potential than memories. As the year progresses we'll have our fun, make our mistakes, and try our hardest to live out the four values in the context of Andahuaylillas. The school year begins on Monday, let's hope we're up to the challenge.

I believe we are.

La Yunsada

“Say yes. Whatever it is, say yes with your whole heart & simple as it sounds, that's all life needs to grab you by the hands & start to dance.”

Bear with me here, because the event described in this post is a lot to take in.

Belleza por Todos Lados: Sheep on the Mountain Path