The Penultimate Post

Well, things are pretty much wrapped up. I'm finished my 2 years of service and next week I'll fly to Nicaragua to begin my long trip back home. Thank you to everyone who has read anything I've written here. I hope that I've done a decent job of giving you all “windows” into this experience. Blogging has been a great way for me to continually reflect on this experience throughout the 2 years. I've enjoyed it, but won't keep this up now that I'm done.

Last thought on blogging: When I look back over this life, and I think things over, I can truly say that I've been blessed: this has been my testimony.

There will be one more post on this blog. Come back in the afternoon for a Christmas surprise.

Noted With(out) Translation - FJV

I've been saving this picture for today. 

Today's the day I leave Andahuaylillas. 

Today's the day I become a Former Jesuit Volunteer (FJV). 

Fe y Alegría

"Our teachers come to work full of faith (fe), and they leave, tired yes, but also full of joy (alegría).”* 

-Pd. José María Vélas, founder of the Fe y Alegría movement. 

I came to Andahuaylillas just under 25 months ago, and started work at FyA 44 in March 2015. I came here with no previous experience as a classroom teacher (or as a pastoral coordinator for that matter). I had a big red book called The Skillful Teacher that my mother gave me. And of course, I came to work full of faith – faith that God wanted me be here, faith that with time I could do well at this work, faith that I wasn't on my own, that I would be taught what to saw.

School ended yesterday. I've finished my two years of work at FyA 44. I am the first JV to fill the roles I filled (teaching religion in Primaria and coordinating the school's pastoral office). I have taught around 800 students. I've worked on numerous retreats for my high schoolers, and chaperoned students across the country. I helped to meet a clear need for accompaniment by spending time one-on-one listening to and counseling high schoolers' difficulties with schoolwork, friendships, love, parents, and the future. I also helped to found FyA 44's youth group and had the honor of sharing sacred space with 5 young people every Friday afternoon. I've done a good enough job that the students who know me will miss me next year when I'm not there.

2 years away from home is a long time. I am tired. But I'm the right kind of tired. I'm the tired after a long, wonderful day, when the planet is turning towards tomorrow and you lie down sure in the knowledge that you lived this day, you carped the heck out of this diem.

I came to this school with faith. 

I leave with joy. 

I move forward with both, with fe y alegría.

*This is not the exact quote, because I can't remember the exact quote. But it's close enough for our purposes.

Despedida

Despedida means the act of saying goodbye. It's also the word for a goodbye party. We had ours this past Sunday. We prepared lots of snacks (I made chocolate dipped alfajores) and bought a few bottle of alcohol. Guests made sure the alcohol didn't run out, and the current construction at the parish provided lots of old wood for a bonfire.

I'm interested in the etymology of the word despedir (to say goodbye). Its root is pedir, which means "to ask for." The prefix "Des" is a negative prefix. So, to this native English speaker, despedir means that you aren't asking for anything anymore; you are content with what has been given. According to this source, despedir comes from Latin for "seek away from," as in seeking a new life somewhere else. Both are relevant to my life right now. I am content with what I have received, and I ask for nothing else, and I am seeking something else somewhere else.

We didn't actually say any final goodbyes on Sunday., everyone who came was either a coworker or a neighbor, but it was important to mark the moment and bring together the people who have made this experience so wonderful, and to see all of them together and be reminded that we are loved.

New JVs

The new JVs have arrived!

For 2 weeks we'll be a 3 generation house, and then Erin and I will be gone and the 2017 community will be on its own. 

I think that the constant rotation of volunteers is a great strength of JVC's. The program is sustainable, volunteers don't start from scratch each year because they have 2nd years to show them how things work, and the outgoing JVs can leave knowing that the work they did will continue.

Youth Group Closing Session

As I noted before, the goodbyes have already begun. Last week, the practicantes* finished their work and headed back to Lima to defend their theses. Since Karla, the practicante who has helped with the youth group all year, was leaving we held the official end of the year session for the youth group.

Goodbye: Host Parents

I went to Lima last weekend to say goodbye to my study abroad host parents, Marilú and Pepe. These are the people that first made me feel at home in Peru, and I doubt that I would be here now if it weren't for the love and welcome.

I'll be back in Lima for Christmas, but they'll be away so I made sure to have some time to see them.

Hasta la próxima!

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

Praying for Rain

In Boston, weather affects the quality of your day. But a spell of bad weather one month is unlikely to affect your entire year. That's the difference between city-dwellers and farmers. For us city dwellers weather affects our outfits. For farmers, weather affects everything.

In September, everyone planted their fields with corn. The corn stalks have since sprouted and grown. In some places they are taller than I am. They're still green, for now. I say for now because it hasn't rained in a long time. People are starting to worry. Herman Rosario says that all the corn in Juliaca (a few hours away) is dry and yellow and useless. People will lose a lot of money if it doesn't rain soon.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Enjoy the feast. Enjoy your families (blood and water alike). Since the States is basically offline for the next few days, I'll be offline too.

No new posts until Monday the 28th. Look for the 8th and final Quarterly Review coming up next weekend.

Head's up: I leave Andahuaylillas on December 22. There's less than a month to go. Keep me in your prayers as I finish this up.

Thanksgiving

The feast isn't until Thursday, but we celebrated with our Peruvian and Spanish friends on Sunday. Here's some pictures, and a beautiful blessing that captures the spirit of Thanksgiving.

You're Invited

Sunday, November 20th

2PM, in the Mountain House

Thanksgiving Dinner

Noted With Translation – Solidarios en Acción

Dear Father or Mother of the Education Institution Fe y Alegría 44 – Andahuaylillas, PREVIO a cordial greeting, the following is in order to invoke the spirit of solidarity and benefit a student from the Preschool Level who urgently needs an operation and whose mother does not have the necessary economic resources, please send a colaboration of 2.00 nuevos soles* tomorrow we thank you in advance for your support.
Attentively,
The Administration

Usually, Noted With Translation posts are short and sweet. I keep my commentary brief. My intention is to let the message itself shine. Today, I'm going to be a bit wordier than usual.

A comunicado is a message sent out to all parents. The administration sends out comunicados about school cancelations, important school events, and reminders to pay fees. Think of it as the Peruvian equivalent of a robo-call.

This comunicado is an example of solidarity at its finest. Most people here don't have enough money for major operations, and the national health insurance doesn't cover very much besides basic doctor's visits. There is no rich part of town in Andahuaylillas where this mother could ask for money to help her child. To be clear, it's not that everyone's poor, it's just that no one is rich.

So the school (which, as I learned recently LINK, also doesn't have extra money lying around) decided to step up and call upon the wider school community. Part of Fe y Alegría's identity is that parents are considered a vital part of the school community, and are expected to play an active roll. I'm sure that most, if not all, parents stepped up and sent 2 soles with their child the next day. I don't know if they raised enough money for the operation, but I do know that this is what it large scale community looks like.

The title of this post is, ironically, difficult to translate. Translating the phrase “Solidarios en Acción” requires an explanation of the word solidario. It's the adjective form of solidaridad, which directly translates to “solidarity.” Here I bump up against the bilingual problem in that there is no English word to fully connotes solidario. It's the reality of being “in solidarity with someone.” You can complement a person by saying they are “very solidario” meaning that they are dependable and empathetic and come aware of other people's pains and willing to share that pain and help end it. So I don't have a translation for my title. But I think you get the idea. If you can think of a translation for solidario, leave it in the comments.

*Peru's money is offically Nuevos Soles, though it is generally just referred to as soles. Nuevo Sol translates to “New Sun.” Interestingly, the last 3 iterations of government issued money in Peru are named for the sun. The Sol de Oro (Spanish for  GoldenSun) was the currency from 1922-1985. It was followed by the Inti (Quechua for sun) 1985-1991. Since 1991, Peru has been using the Nuevo Sol (New Sun). The principal deity of the Incas was the sun. Hmm...I wonder if there is a connection.

Youth Group Candles

Remember the pictures from the other week where the youth group was covered in paint? If you don't, here's a link.

Our actual activity was painting candles to use during our prayers.* The paint fight meant we didn't finish the actual painting in one session, so we finished up the next week. Here are the finished products:

Everyone wanted a photo with their candle. Sorry that they're fuzzy; I really should start bringing my camera to youth group sessions just in case a photo opportunity happens.

This is Karla, the practicante who runs the Youth Group with me.

The pastoral group the prayers together, stays together:

*I stole this activity from the Tacna JVs. 

Voting Changes Things

I saw a slogan last year that said "if voting changed anything they would make it illegal."

It's a catchy slogan for ignorant cynics who have forgotten (perhaps never knew) their history. If you aren't a land-holding white male, then at some point it was illegal for you to vote. They didn't want landless (read poor) men voting because voting changes things. They didn't want women voting because voting changes things. They didn't want black people voting because voting changes things. They didn't want people under 21 voting because voting changes things. Three years ago, they didn't renew the Voting Rights Act because voting changes things. They've passed laws that make it harder to vote because voting changes things.

So go vote. Because voting changes things.

Fois et Joie

Imagine you have a staff of bilingual Quechua-Spanish speakers* and you have a Cameroonian ??? Jesuit who speaks French-English visiting to learn about the work your staff does. How do you get facilitate a conversation between them?

Coloquio Sur 2016 - Part 2

The Coloquio itself was a wonderful event. We arrived to the Arequipa bus station at 5:30AM and squeezed into taxis to go downtown. After a tour of the Jesuit church, everyone had 4 hours to explore the city and get lunch. I'd told the students to bring money, but also gave each 10 soles to help cover the costs of food. In the afternoon we headed over to Colegio San José, a private Jesuit school that is right across the street from Manresa, where I stayed before ReO/DisO. My students were very impressed with the facilities, which looked like a lot of well-off suburban high schools in the US. Students and young adults from Tacna, Arequipa, and Arica, Chile arrived soon after us.

The theme for the Coloquio was “Misericordiosos en Acción.” It's a play on the Jesuit slogan “comtemplatives in action” that I would translate as “Merciful (people) in action” that ties in with Pope Francis's Year of Mercy. The idea is that mercy requires concrete action and not just a general attitude of friendliness.

One of the strongest aspects of the Coloquio was the “experience.” They divided all the participants into groups of 10 and sent each group out to do different acts of mercy. My group was sent to work with children who come from extreme poverty and rough home lives. Other “experiences” involved visiting a children's cancer ward, talking with street vendors,* and talking with people at a retirement home. This practical component really drove home the message of the Coloquio.

Plenty of fun was had throughout, but the most fun was the Cultural night on Saturday. Each region presented a cultural performance. There was traditional dancing (from Cusco), modern dance (from Arequipa) and sketch comedy (Tacna). The rest of the night was dedicated to a dance.

Our bus left Arequipa Sunday night at 7:30 and arrived Monday morning at 4:30. I don't know if the 6 students went to school because I was away doing a special task assigned by Pd. Eddy,** but I left a note in the staff room asking teachers to excuse absence and homework.

I felt a little bit old among most of the participants but still managed to enjoy getting to know people from other parts of the country. The students had a great time and got to reflect and live a formational experience. It reminded me a lot of Kujenga, the Black-Catholic youth retreat in which I participated during high school. That was an experience that taught me a lot about how to reflect on and live out the faith. My prayer is that my students were similarly touched during the Coloquio.

*Very poor people in Peru often sell cheap candies to scrape money together for food.

 **More on that next week.

Coloquio Sur 2016 - Part 1

I mentioned the Coloquio (Colloquium) in Busy, one of my first posts this month. Well, the Coloquio is over, and it was a success. But there was plenty of trouble along the way to that success.

Our first issue to handle was money. The pastoral office of FyA 44 has none, which makes it difficult to pay for 5 people (4 students, 1 teacher) to travel across the country and participate in an event that has a registration fee. I talked with Pd. Eddy about money and he informed me that the school has no extra money lying around. So we turned to the biggest source of income for Jesuit projects in the Cusco region: tourism.

Thousands of tourists come to Andahuaylillas every year just to see the Sistine Chapel of the Americas. The Peruvian tourists pay 10 soles, and the foreign tourists pay 15. That money adds up to a lot of resources for local projects. Much of that goes to fund the parish social programs that Erin and Lauren work at, but Pd. Calilo is a savvy enough businessman to know to have funds on reserve. Hna. Rosario and I talked with him and he told us that he could cover the costs as long as the students put in some effort to raise money.

We decided to do a raffle. Every student in the high school bought a ticket for 1 sol. Three prizes were given out: a jacket, a new leather soccer ball, and 100 soles. The jacket and soccer ball were both claimed, but the winner of the 100 soles must have lost their ticket because they never showed up.

Grad School Applications and Translations

As regular readers know, I am applying to master's in education programs for next year. I'm highlighting my experience working as an educator at FyA 44 for the last two years in various ways – it would be foolish not to – but it comes with a special complication.

All applications require recommendations. The general guideline is to have one recommendation from a former professor and then one or two letters from supervisors. If you've worked in education, as I have, it's all the better to have recommendations from your supervisors in the educational context. For me, that means getting a rec from either Pd. Eddy or Hna. Rosario. The complication is that neither of them speak English.

I've talked with the admissions departments of all the programs I'm looking at and they've all agreed to accept a recommendation written in Spanish with an official translation attached. Obviously I have the skills to translate a document into English,* but as the document in question is a recommendation for me, that would be unethical. So I coordinated with the parish administrator in Andahuaylillas, who knows absolutely everyone in Cusco, and found a translator. Now Hermana Rosario has both her original letter and the official translation, which she can email to the four programs to which I'm applying.

It was a complicated process, but I think it was well worth it.

*I've done some translations for the Andean Barroque Route website and documents.

Youth Group Painted Painters

We were painting candles last week at youth group. The Spirit got to moving and a paint fight broke out. The way paint fights do. I love this job.