Change in the Santa Rosa de Lima Parish

This past weekend Father Craig, the pastor at our parish, left to return to the Fall River Diocese after almost eight years of service here.  In my time here, his presence has been a blessing, not just because he celebrated American holidays, but because his guidance and expression of faith was a very important part of my own journey since coming here more than a year and a half ago.  I have gone to hundreds of masses here, but I didn't I sleep during any one of his homilies!  More than just staying awake, though, he always had something to say that we connected to and took home to think on more.

On Saturday the Cardinal came with the new priest, Padre Jonathon, to officially install him in his new community and to give thanks to Father Craig for all the work he has done here with the mission.  It was a beautiful mass, with the church more full than I have ever seen it; many people came from the aldeas as well as from town, which is difficult for them to do and doesn't happen often.

Here are some pictures of the mass:

Padre Jonathon with the Cardinal and Fr. Craig sitting

Half of the packed church welcoming Padre Jonathon

Future Extension Volunteers will come to a very different Guaimaca than the one I came to last January, for many reasons, but I have confidence and faith that they will continue to have fulfilling and challenging experiences.

Great teaching moment today

I walked back into my classroom after the break and found all of my students working on a math problem we left half finished in the class time before. Not only were they all working without being told, they were helping each other out!  It's even more incredible because what high schooler actually wants to do Radioactive Decay problems?

Lessons from last week

1. Identity is communal, not individual.  Even if you try, you can never distance yourself from those who have had an impact on your life, no matter how big or small, because you will always carry them with you.  In the same way, you can't run away from your problems, these conflicts will always be a part of you, and the only thing you can do is confront them and hope to learn from them so as to make them a part of your strength, not a part of your weakness.
2. Hondurans generally don't understand #1.  Especially not young girls, even those here at the school who have one hundred times the education and the opportunities that others in Guaimaca and the aldeas have.  I first dealt with this when Sandra ran away after last year...now this past week Diana, a very intelligent, responsible student in my senior class, one of the strongest personalities and leaders in the Center, ran away with her boyfriend to escape some difficult situations with her mother.  She at least came to the Center and canceled everything, but it was very frustrating and sad.  At this point in her life, 16 or 17 years old, she sees no other option but to run away, when there are so many people who care about her and are willing to help her.  
3. Nothing is simple, especially not in a different culture.  I know very little about the culture here, even after more than a year.  Last year I was astounded that so many things I took as normal are only normal for where I grew up...and this year as I meet more people, develop stronger relationships, leave our bubble of comfort in the house more, I am learning so much more.  It's hard not to be insensitive at times, when you don't even know that's what you're doing.
4. I like dancing bachata!  Alex tried teaching us in the beginning of the year, that didn't go so well, but last week some people from the HOPE group who know how to dance taught the girls during our gym class, so I practiced every day with them.
5. I always tell the truth, and have an impulse to do so that maybe I should try to curb more often.  The truth, in the form of bluntness, certain facial expressions, and unnecessary information, isn’t always a good thing.
6. Nothing worth having comes easy, and if it comes easy, maybe it’s not worth having.
7. From my friend’s six year old sister, “Don’t be sad that she died because even after people die they continue living in our hearts.”  The sick woman I have been taking care of every weekend died on Thursday.

Book Drive for the Library

Please help out our school library by checking out the wishlist below and making any contribution you can.  The library is in desperate need of some fresh material, so thank you very much in advance!

Also, thanks to Cassie, who has been putting this together.

Book Drive Wishlist

School Update

I have a lot of classes this trimester, double what I had last year in the first trimester.  I am teaching Biology, Chemistry, and a Math Review for both Primero and Segundo Bachillerato, as well as the workshops--English and theater--and Physical Education.  So, it’s a lot, but so far I’m doing well with all of it.

I really enjoy being in front of the classes teaching, but I’m finding it harder and harder to meet my own expectations with preparing beforehand.  I want to be very prepared, and to engage my students in more ways than a straight-forward lecture, so I’ve been trying to develop different methods and to switch it up.  For instance, I’ve been doing a mix of lecture, PowerPoint, activities, guided work, and of course the labs that we do every week at the farm.  However, I have never been good at continuously working on projects, usually leaving things to the last minute.  Last year and this year with teaching, I have begun to realize that it’s not just that I’m lazy, it’s a big part of my personality.  A lot of times I surprise myself while teaching because I come up with examples or ways to explain things that I can’t do while planning ahead, but when my brain has to work fast, it makes more connections.

So, I’m not sure I would be cut out to be a teacher for the rest of my life and have to prepare even more than I do now.  Like I said, I love being in the classroom, but that time is probably only about half the total time it takes to teach.

My students this year have been great, so far.  Because they knew me from last year and were more used to my teaching style than my students were in the beginning of last year, they are much more open and participate well.  They are also able to think a little more abstractly and critically, and it’s been pretty rewarding to teach them so far.  For example, I have started giving some surprise, short timed quizzes in class, something I didn’t really do last year, and they have been steadily improving and learning how to study between classes and how to take tests.  Last year I really struggled with how to improve test performance, and how to get them to manage their time, and this has so far seemed to be working out.

Outside of class, my relationship with the girls is different.  As I mentioned earlier, they are more comfortable with me.  They no longer see me as the new person/gringo, and I feel much more a part of the daily life.  This has been great with the classes, with being able to relate to them on a deeper level, and with helping out Christina and Alex, but it has also been a little tough at times.  I know I’m not going to be here next year, and it’s hard looking at some of them, who have become such important parts of my life, and realizing that I might not see them much after this.  However, the girls often don’t seem to see this, and act around me as they would for someone who is a constant in their life.  

So far, life at the Center has been pretty tranquil and very enjoyable.  Just as it did last year, the experience there with the girls has already helped me through some really difficult times.  Part of the reason I haven’t been posting regularly is that I’ve been really busy outside of school (I’ll post about that later), but also that it has been really hard for me to reflect and write recently, with some difficult experiences I have encountered.

This is kind of a general and brief update, but hopefully I will be able to get back into the rhythm of posting, and things will be more specific and informative.  Until the next time we talk, God bless you!

Tomorrow is Another Day

I just re-read last year’s journal entry from the day before school.  Reading it through, I smiled a bit as I read last year’s worries and concerns and remembered sitting here, writing about all of them.  

Looking back at last year, the first two weeks seemed to go on forever.  This year, however, they seemed to fly by, because I knew more about what to expect, and because I’m enjoying every moment in a different way than last year.  It’s no longer the new experience (some of it is but not all), it’s a great experience that I want to savor every minute of (I only have one more year here?!).  My perspective and enjoyment has changed and matured in the last year.

One of the biggest concerns last year was the language.  It’s still a concern, but more so that I’m concerned for Christina’s sake, as I’m aware of how difficult the initial couple of weeks are.  But, she has been practicing a lot and already improved, so after a while of keeping her head above water she’ll learn how to swim.

I talked a lot about the relationship with Manuel at the farm and Andrea at the school...those are still two of our most important relationships.  When I saw Manuel for the first time he gave me a huge, unexpected, hug, so obviously something worked last year.  Andrea is someone I really lean on and count on for a lot, and a great friend.  I’m really excited to continue to develop these, and other, relationships.  But, because I over-think everything, again, I’m already dreading saying goodbye.

I’m still excited about that one poster I made last year...as Alex would say, BOOM.

But, this year my workload has pretty much doubled from what it was in the first trimester last year.  Things that I have going for me are that I now speak the language decently well, that I already know the system, that I already know most of the girls, that I know more of what to expect in the classroom, and that I have a lot of material and ideas from last year.  Last year I mentioned that it would be nice to have materials and more of a curriculum to pass on to the next year’s teacher...who would have thought that would be myself?  It will be nice to have another trimester to solidify and expand what I have.  Expand not only in detail but in depth; I am now the science teacher for the juniors in addition to the seniors.  

I’m also excited for some of the workshops we have, including theatre, art, English, and an hour of free “fun” time on Monday nights, in addition to the Gym classes.  

I’m going to close out this entry the same as the entry exactly a year ago and ask for your best wishes and luck.  We’re all a little nervous, but I know from experience that we’ll do well once that rubs off.  And now, I’m more excited than nervous.  I didn’t realize just how excited until tonight during our reflection, but I can’t wait!

A few highlights from the week

Seeing Frandy Marilyn last weekend in the park, and the two of us breaking into the biggest grins, and then sharing a big hug.  I spent a little bit of time with her after that and gave her some pictures from last year, and was left really happy after seeing her.  She’s cutting coffee now, but hopefully going to live with her grandmother and Ledy in Tegus, the two of them working until they apply to the Pedagogical University (Marilyn) and the Agricultural University (Ledy).

Seeing Sandra in the park this weekend, and impulsively running down the street to catch her.  She couldn’t make eye contact though, and talking to her I felt like I was slipping down a greased slide, trying to catch on to anything.  I told her I was glad to see her, especially since I wasn’t sure I was ever going to see her again, and she said she was glad to see me, but I could tell that we both felt sad after parting.  It was like I wasn’t supposed to see her and I forced Destiny into doing what I wanted it to, and I paid for it.

The pilgrimage of the Virgin of Suyapa to the Basilica in Tegus.  The Basilica is unnecessarily huge and had nice stained glass windows, but they looked better in the pictures I took than in real life.  There’s a legend that the statue of the Virgin prefers to be in the older, smaller and shabbier church, and often moves there on her own.  But, although I couldn’t understand much of the service because of the huge echo, it was great to be in the midst of hundreds and hundreds of people from the parishes in our area, all so enthusiastic and fervent.  That energy was really cool, but what was even better was the ten minutes we spent praying in the chapel where they keep the Holy Eucharist.  It was such a reverent place, filled with so many very reverent people.  While I was praying I felt the Holy Spirit fold me up in a quiet peace and love.  It was a moment of security and clarity, and I received a lot of guidance from just that one moment.  However, I know that it’s not just a product of that one moment, but of all of the moments I have spent since coming here a year ago praying, reflecting, participating, and just listening.  While I was home I felt at times like it was put on pause, but since coming back, especially this week during the various services, I feel more and more at home in myself and in my faith.

Random thought from Holy Hour on Thursday:  Jesus was both Man and God.  If it is Him that we are to emulate and follow, we need to act, think and speak as both Man and God.  That may seem irreconcilable, but it’s really not if we remember that we were made in God’s image.  Not necessarily a physical image (we place too much stock in what He or we look like), but we were made in His image when we were given the Godly qualities and abilities of Love, Peace, Wisdom, Respect, Empathy...and now we have to remember the two greatest commandments, and live as humans in the expression and sharing of God inside of us.  We can’t lean too far to one side--we should not wait until we die to live with God, but neither should we abandon or ignore our human happinesses, relationships, desires--if that was what was wanted of us, Jesus would have come as either a man, or as God, not both.  How have I let God shine through my daily life today?  How have I taken a moment to be human today?   Have I given others the chance to express their own human and God-like nature today?