Quarterly Review 8

On the wall 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 2 years since Erin and I arrived in Andahuaylillas. It's also the completion the 8^th (and final) quarter, which means one last Quarterly Review before I spend the 25^th month of JVC saying my goodbyes and passing the torch on to the next community.

This is what stands out to me this quarter:

• The beginning of the end
• What comes next

The Beginning of the End

I leave Andahuaylillas in just a few weeks, so the end is upon me. But this whole last quarter I've been preparing for it. The biggest event of this Quarter was undoubtably ReO/DisO LINK, the JVC staff-led retreat designed to get us reflecting on the past year and preparing for the next one. I got my “FJV” bumper sticker at ReO/DisO and, in Erin's words, “it feels real.”

Part of the beginning of the end is starting on the lasts. The last time I'll be on a Peruvian beach. The last time I'll go to Arequipa. The last long bus ride across Peru. The last retreat I'll work on for FyA 44. It's good to have these “lasts” come spread out and not all at once.

Another sign of the end times: the practicantes left Andahuaylillas today. Some of them have been very good friends this year and the whole group of them has been a constant presence. They've finished their service and are flying back to Lima to hand in their theses and receive their degrees.

How do I feel about all this ending? I feel good. I've been here a long time, and I'm not anxious to leave, but I am anxious to be home. I'm ready for the end of JVC, I'm ready to be back in Boston and with my family.

What Comes Next

I talked about pivoting back in August; the pivot has now been made. I put in a lot of work this quarter to get my applications completed. Now they're almost all submitted, and the ball's in their court.

I've also talked with my bosses at Fornax Bread Company LINK about coming back to work. I've made a list of things to do in my first 6 months to reintegrate to the States. I more or less have my travel plans figured out.* As much as is possible, I have the short, medium, and long term figured out for what comes next.

And I'm very excited for all of it. I'm excited for my trip home. I'm excited to bake bread again (not to mention make money – 2 years of volunteering isn't good for the bank account). I'm excited to see friends I haven't seen in 2 years. I'm excited for winter snows, and spring rains, and summer sun and storms (there isn't much variation in the weather here). I'm excited to take definitive steps on a career path.

Part of “what comes next” is figuring out how to take what I've learned in my 2 years in Andahuaylillas and apply it to life in Boston. Simple Living, Community, Spirituality, and Social Justice all look different when lived out in the Mountain House compared to when lived out at home. I look forward to the challenge of taking the values with me and expressing the truth that I've been “ruined for life.”

 *I haven't talked about it here, but I have the plan is to fly to see the JVs in Nicaragua, then bus up through Central America, and drive home from Texas.