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.