The school year is over. I must, here, pay respect to everyone who works in education because you are sorely under appreciated. Today is the 12th of December and it is weird to think that Christmas is going to be upon us in less than two weeks. It is harder still, when i am currently putting sunscreen on so i don't burn when i go outside. Although the school year is over it does not mean that i am on vacation quite yet. We have meetings all of next week for the upcoming mission trip that will take place in the beginning of January.
Today we have graduation for the 8th graders at 8 pm. Brian is playing the flute in the ceremony, it should be a lovely experience. After the graduation, we are going to a despidida, or going away party, for the ChACErs at their house. It will be weird seeing them all leave. It is even more strange thinking that we will also be here to say goodbye to the new ChACErs as well. The event should be a lot of fun, but it is also mixed sadness, knowing that another page in your life has turned.
On the topic of people leaving, we will also be saying goodbye to Michelle for a spell. Michelle, our roommate for the last three months, is going to go home for the holiday season. She will eventually be back for a couple of days then she is off traveling for a while, but she will be back after about a month of travel. It will be interesting changing back to our original arrangement of just Brian and I in our house. She leaves Sunday, so we will have a little luncheon for Michelle before she leaves states side.
Today it was kind of sad. I went to drop off materials to one of the kids that i tutor and he wouldn't open the door. He lives a block away and seems to be under strict instructions not to open the door for anyone. This made me sad, that there are people afraid to open their door during broad daylight. I understand the caution, but it still pains me knowing that we live in a world that is that genuinely afraid of letting anyone in. It might be due to the prevalence of drugs and theft, but it still forces you to wish for a better life. A life in which there are no locks or barriers, but being a realist i understand that we are not quite there yet.
I finish this note with a request. My French grandmother, Ced's grandma, is very ill. I hope that you all will keep her in your prayers and hopefully that her last days here are not filled with pain and suffering, but with peace. I hope that all of you are in good spirits and that you will enjoy the upcoming holidays.

Eyes of sadness, eyes of hope.

I sit on my porch on this Wednesday afternoon watching the business of life as the sun starts to set on the day. The city is filled with the movement of people, most somehow energized, with the knowledge that today’s duties are over. Kids are playing in the street. The game they are playing is similar to tag, but it unlike the American version it involved bottles caps and base is the broken down car that hasn’t moved since my arrival over four months ago.
Through all of the life and living that is going on, my eyes are drawn across the street to my neighbor. A senorita of twenty years or so is rocking her baby carriage as she finish yet another cigarette. She seems tired. Not a tired of physical labor, but a mental tiredness that comes only from accepting the end of ones childhood dreams and hopes. She lives in the house with her mother, a poor example of one at that. It is hard to sit and speculate about her. She, herself is full of life, but the eyes, they cannot hide the truth and hardship of life that she has seen.
We sit her on General Armstrong street, probably a notable general that was know for his courage, but the eyes of this woman show battle scars that would make many a man shudder. The street is near Mapocho, considered on of the “rougher” or more “dangerous” streets here in Santiago. Yet, for the locals of this little street it is a safe haven. Walk to the end of the block and you will be confronted with kids on the corner haggling people passing by, or the simply the silent exchange of an all too familiar transfer of drugs.
It is hard sometimes to realize that I am truly living here. That, I, John Power, son of white middle class America is sitting juxtaposed against this scene of crime poverty and somehow through it all hope. The most amazing thing about moving to a foreign country is the absence of past norms and customs, which have been quickly demolished since you have lived here. The people here are overwhelmingly friendly. Maybe it is because we are missionaries, maybe because we speak English, maybe still that we are simply people.
As the sun moves a notch lower on it’s quest towards sleep. She raises her hand up to cover herself from the sun, but also to cover her sad and lonely eyes. The baby lies in it’s rocker sleeping giving the mother a much needed rest of the activities of the day. She does not carry the hope of a husband coming home, she carries only with her the love of her family and friends. Sometimes this is enough and she will be able to make a good life for her and her child. Yet, she looks up at me with those sad eyes and ashamedly stares at her feet. She speaks to herself in a hushed whisper as she looks at her child. I cannot help but think that it is a prayer. I imagine that she is praying for courage, for health (mostly for her child), but I think she is concentrating on praying for hope. Hope that one day, this will all be in the past. Hope that she will not live a predestined life of failure and obstacles that is all too familiar for many of today’s poor single women.
I try and pray with her, and I ask you to do the same. Whispering under my breath I ask God to intervene. Not in the foolish or self-centered way of a lottery ticket. Yet, that she will receive the hope she is asking for. That she will continue to raise the child and try to do the best with what she is given. That maybe she will comfort and a sense of peace with herself and her child.
I pass this on to you, I hope that you will find peace. I do not ask that all of your problems suddenly disappear, for I do not believe in a puppet God. I pray that you are given the hope and courage to continue. To survive and to help those that are not blessed with the gifts that you have been given. Remember that they are gifts and to horde them or take them for granted makes you a miser. Be grateful for what you have and try and making a positive impression on others. Make a powerful impression, like the one this girls eyes made on me.

December 7th

Hola,
This weekend was an eventful one with it being the birthday of one of my roommates, Michelle. Her birthday, which is also shared with my parents, is the 5th of December. We had a little getting on friday. We were able to use part of the church for the asado (BBQ). It was delicious and we had around 30-40 friends of Michelle come to the party. Then after the dinner, we moved out to the patio and did a bit of dancing. There was a limbo competition that was quite a hit, (my inflexible self got eliminated in the first pass). The next day we went off to the beach in Quisco for a little R & R. It was wonderful just to be able to relax and to read in the sun. The weather here currently in Chile is very nice. It is in the 80-90's and sunny. The one this that is different is that there seems to be less ozone so the sun burns you a lot quicker than one would expect. It is also very weird to be seeing all of the Christmas decoration and what not when it is hot and becoming summer. It is the typical winter decorations that we have in the US too. Santa is wearing his big coats and there are Christmas tress with fake snow on it. Tomorrow got a busy day with first communion and then the Immaculate Conception of Mary.

Thanksgiving

Earlier this week Uncle John, Don and Berrie were in town and we got to spend a little time together. I should them around Santiago on Saturday and on Monday we went out to Valparaiso. It was a lot of fun and had so great conversations, the food was phenomenal, and overall a fun time. I must thank them again for letting me tag along and be their little interpreter, but i think, hopefully, that they all enjoyed it.

Today is thanksgiving and i first must at least say some of the things that i am thankful for.
1) Great family and friends, i miss you all dearly. I hope that life is giving you trials, nothing that you can't handle, but something that will keep you honest and searching.
2) Opportunities, much of that comes from my raising (again parents, i think you didn't screw up too much), and how we all (regardless of age) still have the rest of our life a head of us. Make it worthwhile.
3) Tender socks, sorry a bit of a thing with me, i love socks.
4) Food and shelter, it is nuts when you see how many people simply do without both. It is nuts to see how we simply take these things for granted. Not to plug or ask for money, because anyone of you knows i don't like doing that, but in the spirit of the season please donate to your local or international charities. With the current economy things have slacked tremendously. People are doing great things all over the world, do you part and partake in this mission to try and make some positive changes.
5) Grandma's Almond Roca, yes this was a huge hit down here in Chile. I must tip my hat. Thank you very much.

This week was fairly normal, but then things picked up today and will continue until the weekend. Today was thanksgiving. There was mass at school this morning at 8 and i had work from 830 to 230 and then went to St. George for mass at 5 and then thanksgiving dinner. Then Father Mike and i had to leave Thanksgiving dinner early to get back to Andacollo for graduation mass for our Seniors at 8. (for those of you, most i would assume, who aren't accustom to Chilean geography it is about a 30-45 minute drive between the two depending on traffic.)

The thanksgiving meal was nice, but simply not the same thing as being back home. I truly do miss phenomenal home cooked food. Yes, i use the word phenomenal for my mother's cooking, and i would like anyone to question or doubt this claim. It is also very weird having it be 85 degrees and sunny for our Thanksgiving. I do think that it will even be weirder when Christmas roles around and i will be spending my time at the beach and what not.

Tomorrow i have school during the day and then the actual graduation ceremony for the Seniors.

Here i must give props to anyone who is a teacher or who works with kids, because you are astronomically underpaid and under appreciated. I have only been teaching for 4 months and have have thought about at least causing physical pain on many of my students. So 6) i am very thankful for the tremendous teachers that i have had throughout my life, both inside the classroom and out.

I hope that you all had a wonderful thanksgiving and that you are able to appreciate what we have been blessed with.

Thursday, November 20th 2008

This week has been rather fluid. We had, Tasi, a fellow missionary who is stationed in Peru come up last weekend. Overall it was a lot of fun, but a relaxing weekend. On friday we had a function at school for a high school reunion for the past graduates of Andacollo. It wasn't a great turnout due to the weather (it was rather cold), the first year funk, and the overprice of the admission tickets. We had a booth that i worked at for the Pastoral crew. We were selling hot dogs and beer to the clients, but in the end we ended up loosing money. It was an enjoyable experience, but it could have been a lot better. We, on saturday, went to the Candelori house for a weekend dinner which was enjoyable. It is coming to the end of the semester and we have to turn in all of our grades and what not by tomorrow. Something of course that we, at this point, still have not done. Yet, i am fairly confident that we will be able to crank it out before school tomorrow. The weather here is getting very warm. It is around 90 degrees and sunny, which means wearing the required tie and nice clothes at school a pain. It is fun seeing the seniorititis from the teacher perspective. I truly believe that teachers are more anxious to have school be done with then the students. The heat here in Chile is coupled with a strike that is going on with the garbage disposal workers. Needless to say that due to the heat and the presence of trash everywhere, the city has a wonderful pungent aroma.
This weekend i have Uncle John coming in so that should be nice to see some relatives and show exactly what i am doing down here. Then on Sunday i have a luncheon(my form of payment for tutoring) with some of the kids that live in the neighborhood, then we are celebrating the birthday of Father Mike whose birthday is a celebration for the whole congregation. I am excited for the end of the school year and the entrance of summer, which makes everyone is such a better mode.
I hope that you are doing wonderful and i love you all

Last weekend, Oliver, Brian, Michelle and I had a wonderful trip to La Serena for a little rest and relaxation. It was wonderful just to relax and be able to get out of Santiago a little bit. La Serena is about a 7 hour bus ride to the North and West on the cost. The weather up there was absolutely wonderful. I got my first burn of the summer which was nice, it is weird to be saying that i go the first burn of the summer when it is like almost mid November.
We saw the church and what not on the hills and the scenery was fantastic. There are some pictures here, but they really don't give it justice.

Catching Up

Man, time really does fly.
The last couple of weeks of school have just flown by. Then again they seem like that they are all starting to do that. Last weekend was Halloween, a day which we had off due to Chile making Halloween a national holiday for the Evangelicals. For Halloween night we, (Brian, Michelle, Oliver and I) went to a costume party at the ChACEr's house. It was a lot of fun and we ended up winning the costume competition. Seeing the photos attached you can see why. Then i decided to leave Saturday and goes visit some friends in Vina del Mar for Saturday night and hang out there on Sunday. The time was wonderful and let me try to get somethings into perspective. But of course i got back super late on Sunday and started school.
Tuesday we had a bit of a get together to watch the elections. I personally voted for McCain, yeah i will get that out there. I did feel a little overwhelmed and under represented in the group that we were with, being one of three Rights in a groups of 12 or so. I am more pissed about the fact that Gregoire somehow won. I was saddened by that. Since then just have had school and what not. Just got down going on a retreat with a bunch of Seniors in High school, so that was good. They were a lot more open and appreciative than the other group that we took last week. This weekend we (Brian, Michelle, Oliver and I) are going off to La Serena for a little R & R so that should be fun. Oliver's Aunt or something has a place up there so it should be fun.

Fun facts about Chile:
Chileans (or at least the poorer Chileans) don't have a concept of personal property. We live on the shady side of the street and because it is getting warmer i constantly find people simply sitting on my porch step (meaning a 2 by 3 foot step that is 6 inches of the ground) and hanging out. Our street is more a communal living area for no one around where we live has yards or patios, it is the street. This causes you to instantly be aware and welcomed by your neighbors. It is like living in a dorm hallway but partially outside, and a variety of ages.
The Chileans are also very fond of there music and i half suspect that i partially live in a dance club. There is no such thing as a noise ordinance, at least not in this part of town. People simply do as they please. What more interesting is that because the houses are small you will be able to hear at least 4 to 5 different types of music being played from anywhere on the street. I am currently inside my house and can pick out three different songs.

I hope that all are well and i will send more later, now that you are all missed.

Argentina

Today is Tuesday and about halfway through the short week that we are having. There are no classes or anything on Friday because October 31st is a national holiday celebrating the influence of the evangelical church in Chile. (Leave it to the Catholics to give the Evangelicals Halloween their day of celebration). For those of you who don't know i was going to go to Vina del Mar last weekend but ended up, instead, going to Argentina. It is about a six or seven hour bus ride from Santiago to Mendoza. Mendoza was an absolute blast. It was good to get out of Santiago and experience some newness. (i know that really isn't a word, but..) I met up with a friend from high school and some of her friends from Vina del Mar. Friday we got in and experienced a little bit of the Argentina nightlife, which apparently starts 6 hours later than what Americans typically do.
Highlights of the trip are as follows food, the steaks that come from Argentina must be blessed by the heavens themselves. I truly believe that they could under many circumstances be considered a drug because of the instant addiction you will have to the tender meat. Second the wines, although i am not a huge Malbec fan and that is what Mendoza is known for, i was able to try quite a few wines. Which gets my to my next point, the wine tour. On Saturday we decided (the girls decided and of course the guys simply followed suit) to go on a wine tasting bike tour which was fantastic. I couldn't have asked for better weather (well i guess i could have but that would have been greedy). Got to taste a fair amount of Argentinean wines and bought a couple bottles to bring back to Chile. Then at night went out for dinner again, which was again more fantastic meat.
Came home later on Sunday and then got to work back on Monday.
Monday night we got internet and a phone line, which is nice to say that we will now be able to communicate with the outside world.

Last week was interesting and very short. The week was cut short by a teachers day. Teachers day was on Friday which meant that we didn't have school at all and we had a school luncheon for all of the faculty. The meal was very good, nice steak meal. It was nice to sit down and eat with a lot of the people at the school that i have never really encountered before. Thursday, i went to go help out with the Techo para Chile. (Roof for Chile). It is a national aid program in which they are trying to switch all the houses in the ghettos in Santiago. It was hoped to be accomplished by 2010 and i think that won't happen but at least they are taking steps in the positive direction. The house that i helped out was funded by the kids donation from the school. The house was built for a 20 year old girl who had a one year old boy. They lived in absolute poverty, basically it would be building a shed in a dump. It really makes you grateful for what you have.

School's birthday

On Friday we celebrated the anniversary of our school. Andacollo is now 104 years old. We did games and what not on thursday and on friday they had some competitions. The kids played a bunch of games and it was all interesting to see. There was a water slide and water ballon fights which were a lot of fun. Being one of the youngest teachers there i think that we automatically got put in the midst of it all.
This does lead me to my next point. Rather uncormfortably, Brian and I were asked to be judges for the Miss Figura contest. Yes, it was the teacher judging the figure of girls in the my school. So girls from 7th grade to Seniors in high school, paraded themselves around the stage like a beauty pageant. Needless to say it was slightly awkward because both Brian and i are missionaries (as well as there teachers) and one of the other judges was a priest. The day was a half day, where later at night there was a dance and what not. So i had to go to that and judge some of the singing and dance competitions. Shortly there after there was an all school dance in which i had to chaperone for a while to. I must say that being a chaperone for those kind of events are absolutely terrible. The whole thing was very fun for the kids and what not.

Thursday, October 9th

Currently i am taking a break during our little festival today. Today and tomorrow we are celebrating the anniversary of our school. It has been open for 104 years now. Today and tomorrow we have just been playing games with the kids. I have been watching over some of the relay races. I did get caught in the middle of a water ballon fight, and i had to fight back the urge to go college mode and start an all out war. Then one of the kids had a football, so i got to play some pigskin with the chilean kids. It was fun besides the fact that they are terrible. Then again i understand that it is an American game and the idea of throwing a spiral is completely beyond them. Classes are going and we have a couple of meetings in the next couple of days to plan for the mission trip that we have at the end of January.
The weather is beautiful here and it is nice just to enjoy a little time outside. It seems to be a chilean custom to have music blarring during the breaks (recess) and on days like today it is in full force. I watched a group of 3rd graders dance for two and a half hours straight this morning. At this point just enjoying life and whatever it has to offer. Trying to stay a step ahead of my kids in the classroom (that is about all i can, due to the Chilean style of an absolute lack of planning). Yet, then again we all know that i am not a very good planner so i really can´t complain.
I hope all are doing well and enjoying themselves immensely. I am off to try and weasel myself into getting a free ice cream cone.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Today we went on another of the Pastoral retreats. It was for the 1st graders so it was a bit of a babysitting mission, but it was great. I can tell I have made progress, because I am just given small groups of kids to be in charge of, previously I always worked with another teacher. This is mainly due to the mastery of the language, but I feel comfortable being able to give basic instructions to the little kids. Tonight is the debate between the VP’s so we are going to go over to the ChACEr’s house to see that. Yet, before that, the local drug dealer, Lil Dre, who wanted a Bible, called us. Apparently his Uncle is making religious items and he wanted an English Bible to be able to translate some of the phrases into English. We were given one of the projects as a gift. It is a hand made keychain in which there is a clear hole in which is placed a mustard seed and the quote is from mustard seed parable. It was amazing to see the irony in the situation. We were talking to the known drug dealer of the area, and instead of someone handing him a backpack full of whatever Brian and I gave him a Bible. He wants to set up a meeting with his Uncle and us to discuss some options for spreading God’s message. I would not consider myself an evangelist, but than again I guess I am here in Chile doing exactly that. It was a nice reminder of how we simply cannot judge people because they always seem to surprise us. This goes against a lot of my beliefs and my past experiences (I still believe that some people are almost hopeless), yet I think that these people are simply those who lack hope. I am not saying not to judge, because I have been in experiences that my judgment of people saved my life. We are called in life to be indifferent. Indifferent about our health, not letting a fear of sickness get in the way of doing great things. Indifferent about our preferences, because it is when you step out of your own little box or world is when you truly experience life.
I am not saying be foolish about this and make poor decisions, but don’t let your beliefs and experiences get in the way of experiencing life. Tomorrow, is Friday and, I have a relatively short day at school which is nice.

The beginning of another month

Today is Tuesday and the beginning of October. It is also Wednesday, which i must admit is the most dreadful day of the week. Not only is it ¨hump¨ day but it is also the busiest and the most draining day of the week for me. Things here have been going swimmingly and i am truly enjoying myself. I believe it is now to list John´s List of Oddities.
John´s List of Oddities of Chile:
1) Chilean have a weird view of what is considered candy. It seems to be a common custom here in Chile to give Halls (yeah, the cough medicine) as a candy, like Skittles.
2) Chilean have as a general rule a pretty wicked sweet tooth. Coffee, (which is terrible, this might just be my upbrining in the NW, but i would rather have Shell coffee than what they serve here)and tea are loaded with sugar. An average cup (about half the size of an American coffee) is loaded with normally three large spoonfulls of sugar. I have to strictly tell people that i drink my coffee and tea straight otherwise, i am simply left with hot colored sugar water.
I do now have a French press, a faboulously thoughtful gift from my roomates, Brian and Michelle, so i can at least get some good coffee when needed. I hate to admit this, for i am against the big corporations, but Starbucks bean are delightful when compared to chaulk.
3) The sense of being on time is totally skewed. Arriving on time, is considered as early and a normal meeting you are at least 5-10 minutes late. If it is a social event just expect to show up a half hour to a full hour late.
4) They have a fascination with -ito or -ita which translates to little -y. An example is gordita or calling a girl little fatty, is a common occurance.
5) There is also a fair amount of the population that sucks on lemons, i don´t know if this is a international trend and i am not aware of it. But there are quite a few people that salt and then suck on lemons. I just can´t imagine that would be good for your teeth.
6) There exists a social clique here in Chile called the Pokemons which is like a punk offspring that are pushing the limits when it comes to sexual boundaries and what not. Basically a bunch of pissed of kids trying to get back at the ¨man¨. Yet, whenever i hear discussing about this i am given the mental imagine of two comic character Pokemons kissing. Those Promiscuous Pokemon...

Well those are just some of the things i have seen so far and i am sure i will be adding to that periodically over the rest of the time that i am here.
Hope all is well.

Another week

Hola,
So this week has gone by very quickly but i must say i am absolutely exhausted. I feel that i needed a vacation from the vacation. We had dinner with the sisters on Monday and that was lovely. I almost feel bad being around them because they are genuinely the nicest people you can every meet. But at the same time it is refreshing and it gives you new hope in what i am doing. I had to sub for a couple of the Basketball P.E. classes because the normal teacher had to go take a computer certification class. Some of the kids were skeptical, but then i dunked on one of the kids and then they listened. It was awesome i basically jumped over him. (he was 7, but that doesn´t really matter) last night Thursday we went to the Candelori families house to celebrate Connie´s birthday. Connie is 11. There family is great and they are a ton of fun to be around. The only exception to this rule is oldest daughter, who is kind of crazy and i am pretty sure that she keeps kitting on me. I have to strategically position myself at dinners and i find myself using the young kids as shields. Then again that is life. It is fridar now and we have a short day and then it is the weekend so that is nice. got plans for a seafood night tonight with the ChACEr´s or the Gringo teachers from Notre Dame. So that should be a nice little outing, but then again i am looking forward to some R and R.

Thursday September 18, 2008
Today was Fiestas Patrias, and we went to the Cantelori family’s house and had a wonderful dinner. We got to house at around 3ish and stayed until around 11:30. We had a tremendous amount of meat, which made my hick self really happy. You have to give credit to the Chileans; vegetarians are a lost cause in this society. Today we also met the local drug dealer and gangbanger. He is actually an American ex patriot. We talked to him for a while and he ended up offering us whatever we needed. I think he meant more drugs, but he also gave us some warnings about the neighborhood. He then gave us his number if we ever needed anything and he also said that he told all of his “people” to look after us. If was interesting to encounter what would be classified as an American “gangster” in Chile. We ended up talking to him for a little bit, and although we live very different lifestyles he was supportive of what we were doing. We do live in a shady neighborhood and it is weird having the protection in the area from a drug dealer.

Saturday September 20, 2008
Brian, Michelle, Sarah (a friend of Michelle’s who works in the south of Chile) and I went to Oliver’s families for the day after Fiestas Patrias. Oliver is a younger guy who works in the Pastoral with us at school. His family lives in the Campo, or the country. They taught us the Cueca, which is the typical Chilean dance. It was very comical seeing four fairly tall Gringos dancing with a bunch of Chileans. They were all very patient with us and walked us through the steps teaching us how to do the dance. The dance could be compared to a strutting of a rooster in which, the male tries to attract the attention of the female. Of course the female plays hard to get, but we did kind of get down the basics. Their abuela or grandmother was phenomenal and busted out the guitar for the Cueca. She has apparently been playing since she was 15, so I guess 57 years of practice and you would get pretty good at it. We then went to the rodeo, which was pretty fun to see. Oliver told us that we needed to come out to the country to truly experience Chile and it’s culture and not just the commercial festival that is in Santiago. It was fun to meet his family and to experience a “typical” Chilean festival. The rodeo had typical bareback riding and some of the typical games. In the end, Michelle really wanted to ride a horse, Oliver talked to one of his cousins, who was a cowboy and got her a horse. It was cool how inclusive everyone we met was. One might think that the cowboys would be offended for having a Gringa ride during their festival, but instead they were very accepting and welcoming. I got to try some different foods and what not from the country. One that I tried was charqui or what we call jerky. It was actually horse jerky, and it tasted like it sounded. It was like eating meaty hay. Everything besides that was delicious, but that was a little weird for me.

Picture

So here are some pictures
http://picasaweb.google.com/johnnypaul8888

The Start of Fiestas Patrias

Sunday September 14, 2008
So we had the festivals at school on both Friday day and also Saturday night. Friday at school was a half-day in which we played a bunch of traditional Chilean games with the kids. I was in charge of Taca-Taca, which is Spanish for foosball. I don’t really know how this is a typical Chilean game, but whatever. My event finished very quickly so I ended up going and helping the elementary kids in a blowing up and popping balloon race. A lot of the kids were unable to tie the knot on the balloon so I just helped them out a bit. It was fun to see everyone enjoying all the festivities. The classes were all let out early because it was September 11th. It is weird here, because in Chile September 11th is the day that there are mass protests and manifestations to protest against the past and current treatment of the government. Across the whole country everyone was let out early to be able to get home safely, because there were a bunch of barricades and riots that took place. Most of the damage was done by pissed off adolescents who just wanted to go out and destroy things. (cars and stores seemed to be the primary target) It was funny because we received a warning from some of the students saying the tonight is a good night just to stay in doors. Yet, the kids on our street said that because we live in a “bad” neighborhood that we were actually safer, because all of the kids were going off to destroy things in the rich parts of town. I think a lot of the kids in the neighborhood were participating in these events, so they were not going to destroy the place where they lived. It is sad to think about this kind of unnecessary violence and the whole mob mentality. How would things be different if the kids new that they would be responsible for their actions?
Friday we were back at school for a morning of more games and festival competitions. The class that I have come to be closets to is 2nd Media A. Which is a sophomore class that we have gone on retreats with, I also teach them English and I am, in part, in charge of them in the morning for homeroom. This is the time between 8:30 and 8:45, which there is prayer and reflection time. The classes here are very close-knit because they all share the same classroom and course schedule beside the few electives or Tallers. They are all around good kids and it has been dun getting to know them. The kids set up a brunch like little festival in which they made hot dogs and played games in class. Again there were competitions between the different classes on who could dance and do the different traditional games. After this we went out with all the faculty at school to a luncheon, in which they served us a bunch of great grilled food and then some of the faculty danced the Cueca, which is the typical Chilean dance, with some of the performers at lunch. Brian was brave enough, or was pressured enough, to go and do they Cueca which was fun to see. He did pretty well, especially for being a Gringo. Then Oliver, one of the teachers that I am becoming the closest with, went up and did it too. Unbeknownst to most of the other teachers, Oliver used to be a Cueca performer when he was younger and he was phenomenal. This made me start to think about the hidden talents that people seem to have and how we need to remain open to everyone. It is when you pre-judge people is when you get surprised. In this case it was a pleasant surprise, but in many cases we miss out on the “good” things in life when you bring your preconceived notions to the table.
Then that night on Friday I went out to the Theatre with Oliver, Michelle, and Brian. I have to admit that the play was an absolute disaster. Firstly, It was in “campo” Spanish (our hick style Spanish) that meant I understood about a fifth of what they were saying. Secondly, it was a shock art piece, and I think most of you understand how I feel about shock art. For those of you who don’t, I believe that shock art is art done by the crybabies of this world. Instead of being talented enough to create something beautiful and meaningful, these hacks take the easy route and simply try to shock or disgust you into creating a point. Needless to say when the Devil came out for a dinner of a large man sized rat on the table, I had already given up hope. Call me closed minded but I believe that this stuff is just trash.
Saturday was the Fonda, or the big festival, at school. I got there at a little before one and helped set up the booth and the stage before having mass at 5. The all school mass was very interesting and an mélange between typical folkloric traditions and the Catholic tradition. I was a standard bearer in the Mass, and I was worried the entire time that I was going to crush one of the kids that were lining the aisle. The mass went well, but the church was packed and made the event a pretty sweaty endeavor. After the mass everyone proceeded to the school for the food and dancing part of the festival. I worked mostly in the Pastoral booth, which made shish kebabs and also sold spiced wine. It was fun getting all the systems down and apparently the booth pays for the mission trip that we have in the beginning of January. It was fun being at the festival and meeting a lot of the parents of the kids that I taught and also meeting the families of the people that I worked with. At the end of the day, the festival finished a little after midnight, I was rather spent having spent the whole day at school going about a mile a minute. Then on Sunday we spent the day at home, just laying low before we had Vespers and dinner with most of the members of the congregations for el Dia de Neustra Senors de Dolores (the day of our Lady of Sorrows). The dinner was nice and I seemed to have stuffed myself again. I saw in the news that the average Chilean gains between 2-4 kilos (4.5 to 9 pounds) during the festival. Having eaten as much as I have already and the festival is still 3 days away I am beginning to believe this. This afternoon has been lovely and we are going to stop by the Padre’s house to access the Internet and to post all of this. The weather here is getting warmer so I think I am going to be able to wear shorts today, but the nights are still fairly cold. The next two days I am going to try and work on my Spanish and get a fair amount of reading done. Then starting Wednesday we have a booked schedule for the rest of the week until School starts again next Monday. Well I hope all are well and enjoying the beginning of school, the end of summer, and just life in general. God bless you all and know that you are in my prayers.

Birthday

Another year older. But I am still only 4 years older than some of my students and I am a fair bit younger then the rest of the teachers here.
My birthday went along swimmingly with a bit of a surprise party orchastrated by Brian and Michelle. I was of course oblvious to the whole thing because as i like to say i am a ¨big picture¨ person. So, there was a little surprise party at the Cantelori family house. The Cantelori family is a famly that we have been getting to know rather well. A couple of the teacher that i work with showed up and so did some of my Gringo friends. It was a very nice gesture and had a hefty a mount of food. The mom, i guess i would say my Chilean mom, (or at least one of them) made this rediculous cake that was the size of a small pontoon boat. I got some nice little gifts and just enjoyed being in the company of the people down here.
I appreciate all the birthday wishes from everyone and i hope that you are all well. I will post some picture of my birthday and the game later, but as for now i am off to teach some English.

Catch up September 8

To start off i will take you all on a little journey back to last weekend, where i have to admit i was a bit of an Gringo (American) on Saturday. It was the beginning of college football season and i was craving some good old American fries. Brian, my roomate, was leading the cheers during the Notre Dame San-Diego State game, (which Notre Dame struggled with winning). But we ate at this pretty decent little American Sports Bar in Santiago. It is called Basic Bar(shameless plug, but i told the guy i would spread the word, plus this is acutally howi found out about it in the first place) and is run by a couple of Americans guys and is basically the only public place in Chile that you can watch American college football. The food was good and there were surprisingly quite a few people at the place to watch the game. After that we went over to the ChACEr´s house and had a lovely little BBQ. One filled with all food groups; beef, pork and chicken. So, needless to say it was delicious. We decided to have more of a quiet night and so we watched Machuca, which is a very good Chilean film about the differences between rich and poor in Chile during the military take over. It is based at St. Patrick´s which is a representation of St. George´s, the other Holy Cross school here in Chile. I recommend it to anyone who has a little bit off time.
Also this weekend we went to the market as usual and stocked up on food for the week. Then on Sunday we stayed in and caught up on a bunch of our house chores and got ready for the upcoming week.

September 9th

So i just wish to thank you all for the birthday wishes. Sorry this will not be longer, but i have a longer document written at home and i will post it tomorrow. But i love you all and i hope that things are going well.

Wednesday September 2, 2008

Man it feels weird writing that. It is September and I don’t know where the time has gone. This week has been good, just teaching and what not. There was the finale of the Chilean soap opera that I was watching. It was called Don Amour and was as cheesy as the title hints at. The ending was terribly predictable, though the rest of the show was pretty eventful. I have come to realize that it has greatly helped accustoming my ear to the Chilean Spanish. The next couple of weeks are going to be hectic, I have some meeting and what not and school this week and next week is my birthday so that should be fun. I think that we are going out with the teachers after our class on Tuesday, (Tuesday nights Brian and I teach the professors and personnel English.) Then on Wednesday I am going to the Chile vs. Brazil soccer game, which should be a lot of fun. I am really excited about that. Then I think we are going out with the Padres and my community that weekend out to a nice dinner, so that should also be fun. Then we have the next week off because there is a National holiday on Thursday the 18th, celebrating Chilean Independence, which is on February 12. Yeah, I don’t know the answer to that obvious question either, but it is apparently a very big festival and should be extremely fun. We also just got word that Padre Erwin hooked up us with passes with Buenos Muchachos for the festival week. Buenos Muchachos is the nice restaurant in the area and is known for the food and also the typical Chilean Dances and music that they play there. The festival is apparently the big thing of the entire year; it is supposedly going to be amazing. A good way of comparing this would be that the festival is a huge concert or festival and we just got passes. So I am really looking forward to that, along with over a week.

Sunday August 31, 2008

So this weekend was rather fun, pretty event filled. Friday night we went over to Paulina’s house for dinner and a little get together with some of the other professors. It was nice to get to know the other teachers in a non-school sense. The language was a bit of a barrier but all around it was fun. I learned how to salsa a bit, the teachers have told us that they will teach us how to dance a little bit. It was fun to see everyone dancing the Quaka sp? Which is the typical dance here is Chile involving both of the dancers using handkerchiefs. Brian actually knows how to dance the Quaka so it was fun seeing him dancing this typical Chilean dance with some of the professors.
Saturday was pretty low key and we just laid low and did some laundry and what not, then after mass on Saturday night we went to Bingo night at school. One of the kids that I teach was in charge of the events so he elected me to participate in a round of musical chairs. Being the typical competitive person that I am I brought my A game and brought home the gold (the prize was a set of 6 glasses). Then after Michelle and Leah came over and we went out dancing with some of the ChACErs. The ChACErs are also Americans that teach at the St. George’s which is our sister school. Or the richer school that funds a lot of what we do at Andacollo. So, that was fun blowing off the steam a little bit and going out. I did have a pretty profound little moment waiting for the girl to come. I was outside checking to make sure that they knew which house it was when one of the neighbor kids ran up to me crying. His name is Fabien and is 3 years old. I crouched down to be at his eye level. (I habit I have noticed that I do a lot in school.) He immediately sat down in my lap and started to account for all the reasons why he had ever been sad. It was weird to experience absolute faith and trust, the trust of a child. The kids just run around the street playing soccer or some make believe game using hunks of abandoned cars as weapons or whatever. Here is Chile they call everyone Tio or Tia, which means Uncle or Aunt, and at the same time it seems that everyone does have that type of relationship with the kids, even if you have just met them for the first time. It has taken some getting used to, being called Uncle by over a thousand kids at school. Even by kids that are only three years my junior.
Then on Sunday we slept in and had lunch and watched a movie and just relaxed. There were also some purchases made for the house, which was pretty exciting. For example we just got an iron, which is nice.

Wednesday August 27, 2008

On Tuesday, than again this was coupled with our talk that we gave to a conformation group, which was fantastic. I gave a talk about my walk with Christ and some of the struggles that I went through. It was nice to be able to give my talk to the kids, even though it was in spattered Spanish. It was also interesting considering I was giving a talk to a Catholic conformation of which I have not been confirmed. It was also a little different for the school we were talking at was St. George’s which is the private privileged school in Santiago. For example, 70% of the government in Chile went to school at St. George’s. Which meant that my talk was skewed towards a bunch of rich private school kids, trying to get them to do some mission work, (or at least to have their parents give some money to help fund the stuff we are trying to do). So it is weird to be in that situation we are in because we are a link between the rich school and our contacts with the Americans there and also working at the poor school that we work at.
On Wednesday we had our little community night, which was nice. We decided to splurge and have some Chinese food. We also did a personality test, which was very informative. It was also interesting to see how we interact with different people, which will help with having us live together for the next year and a bit. It showed how we typically deal with situations and also with arguments. So it was good to get that out in the open and to realize how the other person deals with certain situations.

Monday August 25, 2008

Today was a pretty basic day at school, but it was nice to see that the kids that we went to the mountains with seem to have a much closer connection. They are all more willing and able to discuss with us. Tonight we had community night with the Andes house, which was good, it was a good test of my Spanish and also how we fit in with the community and I think that I passed both of the tests. I would not say I have anywhere near a mastery of the language but I think I now have a basic understanding, instead of simply nodding my head continually like I did for the first two weeks. So Monday was a rather interesting day because it was so full. My classes went along swimmingly, then off to a meeting for the end of the year mission trip that Brian and I are helping in. I didn’t do much at the meeting because they don’t trust my Spanish enough for me to do anything really important. So I feel a bit like an ornament, but then again people are just assuming that I don’t understand. It is interesting to see how people talk about you when they think you can’t understand.

Sunday August 24, 2008

So we got back from the mountain a little bit ago and it was amazing. I was a little hesitant about going on the trip at first, but it ended up being an absolute blast. The kids themselves were very well behaved and it seemed that everyone was looking to get out of the city for a little bit and just enjoy nature. There were about 20 kids and about 6 chaperones including Brian and I. We just played in the snow and went sledding and what not on Saturday. The night was fantastic for it has been a while since I have seen stars like that. It was fun just to spend some time outside looking at the stars and enjoying nature. We ended up staying in a little cabin that was pretty nice, it basically consisted of a little kitchen and entry way and then a bunch of beds, very functional. Today on Sunday we went on a walk for a couple of hours that was beautiful and rather interesting. The guide told us about some of the avalanches that had happened and how many people had been trapped and killed. It was a reminder of the beauty and also the unpredictability of nature. That no matter how hard we try to control the elements, there are many things in life that we cannot control. All in all the weekend was good to get out of the city for a while, to get away from the hectic life of the city for a minute and be able to recharge the batteries a little. It was also good to spend a lot of time with Spanish, getting to understand some of the slang that the kids use. But in the end I don’t know how much rest I actually got. We also have a pretty busy week coming up and I wasn’t able to get any of the stuff done that I needed to. But all in all I was very happy with how the events took place this weekend.

Friday August 22nd

Yesterday, I went on a religious retreat, like we do every Thursday, with 2nd graders. It was interesting and very different from the other retreats we had previously had because they were so much younger than the other kids we have taken. We spent a lot of time talking about the difference between right and wrong and trying to instill in the kids a basic sense of morality. It is interesting to note the amount of kids that come from broken homes. In this neighborhood it seems to be all too familiar. I am trying to be the best example possible, but I find it sometimes difficult to relate to the kids. Not simply because of the language barrier but also because I come from a phenomenal family and I have been blessed with having a functional loving family. We have a very busy next couple of days coming up, we have work tomorrow and also have to go pay the bills, which seems to be a bit more of an arduous task than in the States. Then on Saturday we are going up with the 10th graders to the mountains, which should be fun. But sometime this weekend we have to prepare for next weeks classes along with come meetings that we have. On Monday we have a meeting for the planning of the mission trip that the school goes on in January. I personally don’t have anything specific to do because I a) don’t have any musical or artistic talents and b) don’t have a mastery of the language so the jobs have been split between the rest of the people in the group. Then on Tuesday we (Brian, my roommate, Michelle, a good friends and also the last member of the old program, and I) are giving our spiritual journey reflections to a conformation group, in Spanish. So, that is one of my big tasks this weekend. It is weird to think that this upcoming Sunday it will already have been 4 weeks here. Time is just flying. I can remember like yesterday getting onto the plane to come here, but at the same time I have created good relationships here and I am starting to create relationships with the kids.
Today is Friday and i went to school and helped out with some of the classes but i spent a majority of my time setting up lesson plans for next week, because we are not going to have much time this weekend, becayse we are going up to the mountain with the 10th graders. So that should again be interesting. Being chaperones to High School functions was not something that i intended to be doing for a very long time. But later today i am going to play soccer with some of the other professors, which should be fun. Then we got invited to a going away party for the Juliens(two Canadian kids that have been here for as long as we have, i acutally taught both of them). But i think Brian and I are going to go to that so taht should be fun and interesting. Gotta say again that i love you all and hopefully this blog is giving a bit of insight into what i am doing.

Tuesday August 19th

So Saturday Brian and I went out to the ocean with Michelle, Father Mike and his niece Mary and it was really nice. It was nice to get outside of the city for a little bit. We were a little touristy and saw some of the tourist stuff and walked around with our cameras all day. We saw a bunch of the sites that the Holy Cross has a hand in and it is pretty impressive. I bought some little gifties and what not and just got to see rural life of Santiago a little bit. We saw sunset on the ocean coast and when we crossed over the hills we saw a full moon just peaking over the Andes. It was a beautiful site to see. See the sun set and what seemed to be the moonrise in a matter of minutes. I don’t know if this is true or not but I think that the moon felt bigger over here.
Today is Tuesday and it is another week. Teaching is fun and it is nice to start to develop a relationship with the students. My position has an interesting dichotomy for I am a teacher but at the same time I am only 22 years old so the students are able to relate to me easily. It is interesting having the younger girls fawning over you. They giggle and get embarrassed and run away. Brian has actually had a girl confess her feelings for him. It is like being taken back through time, you see the awkward social encounters of High school and Middle school kids. You see kids secretly stealing kisses or holding hands in the hallway, and when they realize that a teacher has seen them they immediately act as if they had never seen the other person in their lives. Brian and I have been playing basketball with some of the kids after school and we decided to have the kids over last night, (Monday) for some treats and soda. There were seven kids between 14-16 that came over and just hung out. Brian made some delicious cookies and we just listened to them talk for a while. Just trying to create an environment where they feel safe and create a community. We will actually be going up to the mountains with them this weekend if all goes according to plan. The thing is that I am drastically underprepared for an outing in the mountains. Yet, as usual it seems that I will just wing it. I am looking forward to it, but it is going to be weird that on this trip I am a chaperone and a responsible adult. So far, the kids have seemed to be very well behaved, but this weekend might be a test of that prognosis.

Saturday August 16th

So the last couple of days have been rather interesting. I have been fairly sick and ended up spending most of (or basically all of) the day in bed trying to get over a bad cold. Wednesday Michelle came over for community night which was nice, we just hung low and talked about what some of our problems or concerns were with moving into the a new situation. Thursday Brian and I went on a religious retreat with 2MA which is like Sophmores. We have been fairly close to this class for they are our homeroom. The picture is one i took on the retreat. Friday was a holiday so that was very nice to be able to have some time to relax. At the same time it was an untimely reminder of the situation that we live in. We had two girls that I teach that were selling hot dogs door to door in the pouring rain. Yes, it has been raining here for a full day straight, which is causing the house to leak in some inconvenient places. But after the girls stop by about an hour later there was a pounding at the door. They had been hassled by a group of kids who were sexual harassing them. We had them come in and offered them tea to get them to calm down. It was nice to know that they felt comfortable coming here, but at the same time it is sad, but a reality, that we live in a neighborhood where people get sexually harassed in broad daylight.
It is sometimes hard to come to terms with that kind of harsh reality especially coming from a very different background in the United States. But I think that this is an example of us making a positive impact here in Chile. The neighborhood is not really a ghetto by any standards, but I am not comfortable having girls walk around here alone, especially not a t night.

Week Two

Hey y´all.
Sorry it has been a while, but we have been super busy as of late. Last week we had Brother Andres week so that was full of a lot of activities and the class that we work with in the morning their professor was out for surgery. So on Friday, Brian and I were in charge of a Sophmore class for the whole day. It is weird teaching and being superiors to people that we are only a couple of years older. For example i help teach a Senior classs in which i am only three years older than most of the kids.
The week went by well and we had a get together last Friday to meet a bunch of the other Gringos (Americans) that are working in Santiago and the surrounding area. It was nice to meet and hear the stories of people that have been doing what we are about to do. Most of them work in the more affluent St. George´s but they are all envious of the situation that Brian and I have.
I was a little anxious about what we are doing here. It seems that we are simply teaching English and i was hoping for more. But it is interesting to see how you affect people without knowing. It is fun to have kids that are truly interested in learning. When the bell rings they don´t spring for the door like is accustom in US. They are willing and they want to stay to finish the last point or to ask another question.
I am teaching mainly High school kids and i am loving it. It is weird being a teacher though. Like i have to confiscate silly string and stuff like that. Some kids try to listen to music or text in class, but i just explain to them that i was doing the same thing litereally 4 months ago. So it is funny when you call them out for texting in class. Or for passing notes, you threaten to read them out loud and see them just almost die of embarressment.
So i have been a little sick lately. It has been going on for about 4 or 5 days now, i just need to get a little more sleep and try and rest a bit. I feel that i am starting to adapt to the schedule and the lifestyle a bit. I feel that i am getting the school life and schedule kinda figured out.
Well i hope this message finds you all in the best of spirits.
Also here is the website for the school. If you speak spanish, or you just like pictures. http://www.colegioandacollo.cl/

Changes

Today is Tuesday August 5th.
Like everything in life, my schedule is constantly changing. Brian and I have just been given a workshop in which we are teaching the teachers at the school English. It felt weird as it was teaching English to people that were only 3 to 4 years younger than i am. But now we are going to be teaching teachers that are up to 40 years our senior. We were also presented with the opportunity to help head up a new program similar to Big Brother. It would be creating a program in which the high school kids would spend time after school with the younger kids that come from troubled families and who don´t want to go home. I am excited about the possibility and i think that it should be beneficial for everyone.
Of course we are also having troubles acquiring our visas. It is a mess of political tape to get them so we have to go tomorrow to the international police station to apply for something i am not quite sure. I am being intergrated into the school which is nice. Brian and i split the grades, where i will take 7-8 grade and high school and he will have the younger kids. I do not speak Spanish to the level that Brian does so i am unable to answer a lot of the questions of the little kids (chiquititos). The older kids, have a better understanding of English so i am more beneficial.
I think i am starting to get sick but it makes sense that it would happen moving to a compoletely different environment. Plus we have been going about a mile a minute so it was just a matter of time before i crashed. I basically spent all day Sunday sleeping and resting.
If anyone wants to have a look at the school´s website it is as follows

Dominicans

So today we got back from the overnight retreat at the Dominican place. It was interesting to meet all of the other Holy Cross priests and brothers and to see how they are each trying to accomplish their mission in Chile. We only had meals with them for the planning and the meeting were a little over our head and pay grade, so we on Saturday went around the city a bit by there. It was interesting to see the little market that they have set up on Saturdays. On Friday on our way home from school we witnessed a pretty vicious dog fight right out in front of our house. It was between a pit bull and another dog that are in the neighborhood, some people were trying to separate them and I figured it was wiser to leave them the hell alone. Brian and I just made sure all the kids were inside their house and out of harms way. It is interesting to notice the difference in the treatment of animals between the U.S. and the rest of the world. Down here they are pets, but that is it. They were trying to save the dog, put if they were to realize it couldn’t be saved they would have simply moved on.
Friday night was fun because we got to meet the priest and then we went through the religious services, but after that was all over at 9 from then on there was happy hour with all the priest intermingling and gossiping like a bunch of high school kids, except the beverages weren’t just pops. But I liked how everyone was very open to question and to debate. I was able to pick up most of it and you had a fair amount of the priests who seemed happy to have an excuse to speak English, so they tended to favor that when addressing me. They all indicated that that was their reason also, they were not insulting my intelligence, but they wanted to practice their English along with keeping me informed on what was going on in the congregation.

In Chile

So we arrived in Chile yesterday. It was a busy day of meeting the neighbors and the surrounding community. Then we went off to St. George´s another school, that Holy Cross works at, to have mass. It has been slightly difficult adapting to the language, but it is simply something that takes time. I just smile and nod like an idiot a lot of the time. It seems that Brian and I will be teaching elementary English, which is nice. The place we are living is nice for the area but it is still very poor. There are just random dogs running around in the street. All of the windows have bars on them and what not. But everyone we have met is really nice. We already ahve two families that have taken it upon themselves to be our adopted parents and families so that is nice.
The children are wonderful and they are extremely excited to see you. They keep asking questions like why are you so tall? and are all Americans like that?
So it will be a great learning experience. We have so basic amenities but you realize what you take for granted. For example we have to light our furnace 15 minutes before we want to have hot water. There is no microwave and we luckily have computer access at school.
I will try and post pictures next time, but i am excited and have been well accepted.

And I am off

So i am in New York right now about 10 minutes before we are grabbing a taxi to get to the airport. The last couple of days of the orientation was nice and i am going to miss the people there. But at the same time it was time to move on and stop delaying the inevitable. So we spent last night in NYC and we went out with some friends of mine that i knew from Paris. It was funny we went to some small little bar and Norah Jones ended up playing there. It is crazy how weird life is sometimes. Well i will give you all further word about my housing and the rest of the accommodations when i get there. So, this is goodbye to US soil for a while.

Tuesday July 22nd

We had a discussion today about the AIDS epidemic and the atrocities that have occurred. We heard first hand accounts of the despair and loss that occurs from a lack of education and an inability to solve the problem. You hear stories that simple try and break your heart. It is saddening to learn that the missionaries have to learn to become distanced from the kids that they are attempting to help. The encounter stories of small African villages that the solution to the epidemic is to have sex with a young virgin, as in the ages of 5 and 6. This leaves the communities torn apart and creates such a physical and emotional scar on the women and children. We have to come to terms that we are trying to make an impression for the best and that some things are just completely out of our control.
One of the kids in our class, Gio, brought up a very interesting point. He was discussing about when he was in Tijuana on a mission trip and he encountered a homeless person. He was preparing himself to give a standard denial but instead of a being given a call for alms he was given a call to arms. The homeless man asked, “Do I have to beg for you to act? I spent the rest of the day contemplating the true implications of this question. I will be the first to admit that I am a victim of this, that I have a tendency to be complacent. I do not try and look at the injustices that are evident in our society, but merely continue on my day convincing myself that it is beyond my power. I realize that drastic actions such as becoming a missionary aren’t necessarily the best answer for everyone, but the drastic action of being sympathetic to others is. I must pressure all of you to ask yourself the same question. “Do I have to beg for you to act?”

NYC

So Saturday we were able to go into NYC for Saturday night and Sunday day. I went into the city with Tasi and Rebecca, two girls that are in the program with me. They are both really nice girls and we share a similar sense of humor which is nice. We met up with and stayed with Martina and Allison, two girls that i knew from Paris when i was there a year and a bit ago. We stayed in Brooklyn Saturday night after seeing a little bit of the night life that New York had to offer. It was an interesting outing because i was the only guy with 4 girls so that made for interesting conversations.
The next day we had breakfast in Brooklyn and saw a little bit of that area before going off to the Village. Brian, who was staying with other friends of his, and i met up for lunch with some old HCA (Holy Cross Associates, or the people whose program was phased out and is currently being replaced by ours) who were in Chile 6 years ago. It was nice to here their input and also to get a free meal out of them. After that we went to the MET and saw some of the art there. There was an interesting exhibit on Comic book art and costumes. Then we walked to Times Square and did some of the stereotypical tourist activities, like having a Reuben sandwich. We then met up with some other people in our program and went to dinner at a noodle restaurant called Republic that was delicious. It was nice to see the girls from Paris who i hadn't seen in over a year and it was helpful having them be able to show us around. It was nice to see how well the two groups interacted. It was my first time to the city and overall i found it pleasant. Today is now Monday and we are back to the program. It is weird to think that this time next week i will be in Santiago. It is finally starting to sink in, i am recognizing the path i have chosen. It makes me anxious and slightly nervous, but i think that is healthy. I am still very happy with the decision that i have chosen, (in some ways i don't think that God really gave me a choice). So we have four more days of classes and then Brian and I are off to New York before our flight to Santiago. I hope this message finds you all in good spirits. Keep me in your prayers as you are already in mine.

Maryknoll

Today is Thursday and we were finally able to take a little bit of time off. We went to Rockefeller park today for a day of reflection and just to get outside a little bit. The park itself was impressive and it was nice to have a change of pace and a day out of the classroom. In all honesty i really needed a break to get away from the monotony of just having classes day in and day out. The weather here is getting atrocious. It is supposed to get up to 95 tomorrow and Saturday with a ton of humidity. The place we are staying at has limited air conditioning, this makes sleeping almost impossible. On Wednesday was a talk about sexuality that was rather interesting but very informative. It is interesting to see the different backgrounds that people come from and how they are going to be able to interact in the mission setting that they are all going to be placed in.

A little Break

So, the weekend was nice because we got to have a little time off. The weather was nice, so I was able get outside and play a little soccer and some volleyball. Saturday night we had a little night on the town with some of the kids. We went out to the pub and it was a rather interesting experience. It is interesting to see a bunch of to-be missioners interacting in that kind of a setting. But all in all it was good bonding time. Then on Sunday we had most of the day off, so I took care of some laundry and the basics. Sunday afternoon we had a BBQ and a concert was performed by these Peruvians, who were actually pretty talented. There were a couple of Peruvian kids there, who were cooler than anything. We went around catching fireflies and then squishing them on the wall, to write thing in glow in the dark bug juice. The food was good and the overall ambiance was really cool. It is funny to see how people interacted with (for some this was their first) intercultural experience. Then on Monday, we were back to school; we had some guy with a Ph. D come in and talked to us about cross-cultural interactions. Having already lived in France, a lot of this seemed to be old news, but he, out of the presenters, did the best job of keeping the groups engaged. We did some skit thing by splitting the group in half and making up societies and then making them interact in a controlled setting, allowing for everyone to feel and understand what it is like to be in a new and foreign culture. Then we finished up the day with a couple of pretty vicious games of spoons which of course lead to bloodshed, three missing spoons, a destroyed deck of cards and a table that doesn’t work as well as it did.

Maryknoll

So today, Thursday, starts the adventure that is Maryknoll Oversees Lay Missoners. Brian and I arrived after our flights at around 1400 and of course we were dropped off at the wrong Maryknoll sight, but luckily we were able to get a ride from one of the priests on sight to the proper location. Again we are staying in dorm style living, but this time with a group of around 24 people of around or own age. It is quite a colorful group with people coming from all different types of backgrounds. I have only experienced the first day so far, but they seem to have put less of an emphasis on the religion and more on the act of helping the poor. The first day, like the end to a chic flick, is very predictable with basic introduction and the rules. They have made a deal of the security issues, almost to the point of beating a dead horse. For example we were given an hour lecture on how there is a presence of lime disease and basically told us that we shouldn’t walk on the grass. It was nice though at the end of the night we had night prayer, without our superiors.
Friday was our first full day of orientation and I have to admit that there were some moments that were rather dry. The presenter did an overall fair job, but I think she tried to put to much material in the time allowed. We ended up doing an arts and crafts project, which known to you all is not my favorite activity. It is very interesting to see the different background, for example we have an elderly couple that are Nazarites (look it up in Numbers 6) and some who believe in the literal translation of the Bible, so needless to say it leads to some interesting conversations. The other kids in the orientation are very nice and seem to have their priorities in the right place for the most part. It is interesting to note that Brian and I are the only ones who don’t return home before going on our mission. It is pretty muggy over here and I am glad that I live in a drier climate.

Thundershowers

Today has been slightly a dreary day with a lot of thundershowers.  It is very humid and i seem to be sweating profusely.  The food it very good, and it helps that we have unlimited access to an ice cream maker in the machine.

I have had the opportunity to meet a ton of individuals here at Notre Dame.  Today we just had lunch with the Vice-President of Notre Dame and met the President.  It is amazing how educated the entire Holy Cross Society is.  I have met more people that speak at least three languages in the last three days then i have in my entire.  

So far we have been going through a lot of basic orientation stuff.  Questions about my reasons for going, along with my past history and also just basic personal questions.  I was informed by one of the priests about the history of the Holy Cross, also about the role that Holy Cross has played in Chile.  They have a vibrant history with the construction of St. George's a school that has a lot of political pull in Chile.  Most of the priests i have encountered have many political connections with the government.  For example Fr. Jim is going back to preside over a wedding in Chile in which President Michelle and most of the government will be attending.

So there are a bunch of people we still have to meet and some more hoops to jump through but it is pretty exciting.

First Day at Notre Dame

So today i started off the day with a flight at 6 from Sea-Tac to Chicago and then caught another plane to South Bend, which i arrived at 3:30.  I was picked up by Stephen Holte my organizer who is a younger guy that i get along well with.  I was introduced to Brian Smith who i will be living with for the next 18 months.  He is a very nice guy, i think we will complement each other nicely.  We then went over to Stephen's for beer's and pizza and was introduced so some of the other members of the Holy Cross that had a part in creating our program.  I am staying with the priests in the mission center which is basically a big dorm, but has considerably nicer amenities than a normal dorm, including an always open kitchen and snack room along with some other games and what not.

After dinner Brian gave me a little tour of campus and showed me around.  Then we went to mass at 9 at the Basilica (pictured right), which is very impressive.  The campus of Notre Dame is very nice and so far we have been blessed with the weather.  It sounds like we should have a little

bit of free time but we have a fair amount of things to taker care of and introductions to be made.  But now i am a bit tired from the traveling and what not.  I send my love to you all.

One day left

My adventure is about to begin.  I leave tomorrow at 6:06 in the morning to go off to South Bend where i will be at Notre Dame for a couple of days.  I will get to meet my Director, Stephen Holte, and also my future roommate Brian Smith.  Couple of flights but it will be interesting.