And I´m back. This time more on what my life here is. Nothing is routine yet, both because I´ve been here less than a week but also because we are still doing a little bit of orientation...Saurday we will visit th las of the field placement sites, Sunday there will bea class on tips for how to teach english. whoa! crazy stuff!
So every Monday and Wednesday, I´ll be at my praxis site, which is Calle Real. I think I explained that already and you will not doubt hear more stories once i´m actually there. Monday nights are the class to accompany the field work. Tuesday I have Sociology of Communications (taught in SPanish), which I´ve heard is one the best but challenging classes. Tuesday nights are Fiesta Limpieza (cleaning party) and Spirituality night. Thursday in the morning I have philiosophy of suffering and solidariy, which had me sitting on the edge of my seat for 3 hours, so cool! In the afternoon is Salvadoran Lit (in spanish). Only 7 people in that class, the professor Manuel, is awesome. We´d talk and get off topic and he´d tell stories, and get all into with gestures and facial expressions. At the end he pointed out his phone number and said we could call him anytime, and he held his hand like a phone to his head and said "Hola Manual, estoy perdida.´ y voy a salvarte!" ("Hello Manual, I´m lost.´ and I will save you! " With the "save you" h included a doo doo da doo and a super man pose. Yippee! Pues, Viernes (friday) I am sitting in a theology of liberation. THis is taught my Peggy, who is a sister of charity and amazing. Looking forward to the class and also just hanging out with here. Por la tarde, asisto a historia (in the afternoons I go to history). THis is taught by Gene Palumbo who was an important journalist during the civil war. SOunds like it´s lecture and discussion the first half and the second half he has different people, from the right lft and civilians, come in to give. their testimony about living through the war. Wow.
Right right, thursday night is pupusas! with the becarios/as (salvadorian scholarship students) after which we have community night with our houses. yay Casa Ita! and Friday night is Community night dinner at Casa Romero. Pictures to come soon of my house and house mates ! :)
So that´s the general whatever stuff... noticed for myself that it has become muy importante que i make my bed, shower, floss, mouth wash, wash my face onc not the shower every day...at home none of these ever happen EVRY day. i think been helpful just to ground myself.... and maybe a little bit of a control issue, lol, or maybe more accurate would be grabbing onto th familiar? I love being here, but it is a different way of life..on i could totally see myself living but there´s a definite transtion.
Pues, mi vida! ...casi
23 January 2009
21 January 2009
Hola de San Salvador
Hello!
I´m here, I exist. I only have about 5 minutes before lunch but so much has happened I at least wanted to share a little bit. I arrive a little after 10 Sunday night and went to Casa Romero (There are 3 houses, Casa Romero is the biggest and pretty much where we all hang out, then Casa Silvia which is right across the street, and finally right down the street is Casa Ita, the smallest, where I live). So I went to Casa Romero and met everyone at once...que loco! I walked in and every one said Hi Christy and started clapping... un poco awkward. But nice. Turns out that the 4 days before I got there, just about everything they did the codirector Trena would remind them that they were building community but the whole community wasn´t there yet )namely me!) My house mtes told me that everything that went wrong at Casa Ita was my fault---such as toilets overflowing, lights being left on! So I was here before I was here!
Monday we visted three field placements sites. Wow. The first was San Ramon which has two parts, in the morning they´ll be working at a school/child development program and in the afternoon with a Christian Base community. This community is fantastic! Makes me think of my community psych class and IV so much. Gustavo was one of the people who talked with us about this church and one of the things he siad was to the effect of "we can´t just be christians inside our church. we have to be christians outside of our church" So they have small groups for married couples, single mothers, youths, and visit many people who are not part of there church. crazy cool. kevin, who is part of the youth smll group, says Gustavo is a modern day Jesus. Amazing. Inspiring.
Las Nubes is a community on the side of a volcano which the Christian Base Community. Ah... time to go to lunch so more to come!
Besos,
Christy
I´m here, I exist. I only have about 5 minutes before lunch but so much has happened I at least wanted to share a little bit. I arrive a little after 10 Sunday night and went to Casa Romero (There are 3 houses, Casa Romero is the biggest and pretty much where we all hang out, then Casa Silvia which is right across the street, and finally right down the street is Casa Ita, the smallest, where I live). So I went to Casa Romero and met everyone at once...que loco! I walked in and every one said Hi Christy and started clapping... un poco awkward. But nice. Turns out that the 4 days before I got there, just about everything they did the codirector Trena would remind them that they were building community but the whole community wasn´t there yet )namely me!) My house mtes told me that everything that went wrong at Casa Ita was my fault---such as toilets overflowing, lights being left on! So I was here before I was here!
Monday we visted three field placements sites. Wow. The first was San Ramon which has two parts, in the morning they´ll be working at a school/child development program and in the afternoon with a Christian Base community. This community is fantastic! Makes me think of my community psych class and IV so much. Gustavo was one of the people who talked with us about this church and one of the things he siad was to the effect of "we can´t just be christians inside our church. we have to be christians outside of our church" So they have small groups for married couples, single mothers, youths, and visit many people who are not part of there church. crazy cool. kevin, who is part of the youth smll group, says Gustavo is a modern day Jesus. Amazing. Inspiring.
Las Nubes is a community on the side of a volcano which the Christian Base Community. Ah... time to go to lunch so more to come!
Besos,
Christy
18 January 2009
La Comienza
Today I leave! Yikes! Exciting!
Of course I waited until the night before to pack so this is mostly a "It's Really Happening/Hello!" Post.
So...It's Really Happening!
Something to ponder: poem-prayer by Oscar Romero that was in my pre-Departure Handbook:
No statement says all
that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the Church’s mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about:
We plant seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted,
knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations
that will need further development.
We provide yeast that
produces effects beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything,
and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something,
and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete,
but it is a beginning,
a step along the way,
an opportunity for God’s grace to enter
and do the rest.
We may never see the end results,
but that is the difference
between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders,
ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
Amen.
-Archbishop Oscar Romero
Of course I waited until the night before to pack so this is mostly a "It's Really Happening/Hello!" Post.
So...It's Really Happening!
Something to ponder: poem-prayer by Oscar Romero that was in my pre-Departure Handbook:
No statement says all
that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the Church’s mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about:
We plant seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted,
knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations
that will need further development.
We provide yeast that
produces effects beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything,
and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something,
and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete,
but it is a beginning,
a step along the way,
an opportunity for God’s grace to enter
and do the rest.
We may never see the end results,
but that is the difference
between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders,
ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
Amen.
-Archbishop Oscar Romero
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