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.