Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to All.
I hope that you are all able to enjoy this holiday season spending it with your loved ones.
I am currently sweating and drinking a gin and tonic it is 85 and hot. It is weird to be here in South America being so hot. It has made me realize and appreciate how important family and friends are. I will be very busy for the next couple of weeks and then i am leaving soon, so it is weird to think about all that has happened and all that i still have left to do. I hope that everyone has time to relax and enjoy their respective companies.
Much Love and Merry Chistmas, Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noel

Summer cometh

Just wanted to share this picture of Chilean summer from my front door. It is fun watching the kids enjoy themselves, it brings me back to when i was a kid. As for me, just got done retaking the GRE and did better so that is something that i am thankful for (more so that I don't have to take it again). Now, we have two more days left of school, so we will have all of the end of the year parties and farewells. It is weird to think that it is going to be the last time that i am going to see almost all of them. It is interesting to think about the mutual affect that we have had on each other. I believe that through this interaction we have helped each other grow. I am doing very well and just trying to enjoy the time I have left here. I hope you are all well.

Being Noticed

A couple of days ago I was sitting on the bus, when i was taken a back by this experience: A 50 year oldish blind Chilean man made his way onto the bus and sat directly facing me. It was interesting to see the lack of human contact. Chilean society, sadly like most, do not converse or talk on public transportation so all that is present is tension. The tension between wanting to be alone and wanting to be known. This old man, who, I believe had passed most of his life without being known, so he did something very peculiar. I watched the man play with a sticker for about 5 minutes trying to separate the back from the sticker. I thought at first that he was simply enjoying the differences in the textures. Yet, after he triumphed he took the sticker, about the size of my palm and placed in on the window. The sticker ended up being a advertisement for Lucky Strike cigarettes, which was made an interesting juxtaposition against how much life it gave him. His ear to ear smile portrayed the sense of accomplishment that he had in being able to perfectly apply the sticker to the window. I think that this image shows a prime example of our need to be known, our constant search of acceptance and place. This man had no idea of what he was putting up but he did know that HE was the one putting it there. It only mattered to the man that he had made a difference, that he or something that he did was being noticed.

I know that this is something that i struggle with the horrible paradox of wanting to be alone and to be known at the same time. Being alone is easier, one is risking less, there is no need to pass through the darkness of our souls if we are willing to simply live alone. But to be known, we must first know ourselves, we must pass through the darkness of our own sins, faults and follies to find out what we are. At this finding of this sacred place, one where we have transcended our fears, we are able to find our soul. Then after finding this we have the ability to find others. We have been given grace and talents by God, it is time for us to use them. We must try and take the time to notice this gestures, to look to help and acknowledge the presence of God in each of us.
I challenge each of you during the upcoming holiday season to challenge yourself to make yourselves known, being it simply placing stickers or sharing souls, make yourself known.

The months of November is already half way over. Due to the break neck speed and full days of events.
So far in the month of November, i have had two medical test for a stomach issue that i have been having. (Don't worry they say i am going to be fine.) Just need to take better care of myself. Currently in the proccess of finishing my applications. I took my GRE the 6th, but i will be retaking them next month.

Last week was filled with events with people from Notre Dame. There is a decently large group of people who have come down to give an award and also to discuss options for studying at Notre Dame. With them, and many members of the congregation, we went to the Alameda (Chilean White House) for an award ceremony. It was very interesting to say the least. The discourses on the transition to Democracy of Chile were very impressive and educational. Then after we were invited to a post award cocktail and it was fun to be able to meet some very important people i.e. the current vice-president of Chile and so ex-presidents.

Last weekend we had several jornadas (little religious retreats) for kinder and pre-k. The pictures up are of them. Then on Saturday spent the day with another retreat for the first year confirmation kids. That jornada went very well and all of the kids seemed very excited to be there which makes my job much easier and more enjoyable.

Sorry i am going to keep this short. Have much to do. But there is a little bit of insight into what i have been doing. I love you all.

We are well into October and the weather is turning for the best.
I had a bad spoout of pneumonia earlier this month that left me tired and lazy. It was interesting for it was the first time in my life that i was told that i had to go home and could not be at work. (Something that rarely, if ever, happens at Power Painting). So, basically spent the weekend in bed and just recouperated for a while. It gave me a bit of time to reflect and organize what i am doing, have done and plan to do.

About a week and a bit ago we finished raising money and then build a "Mediaqua" (house) for a young pregnant woman, 19 years old, that did not have a house to start a family. It was a great experience for the kids to be able to take the time out of their normal daily lives and help people in a way that was absolutely foreign for them. We had a group of about 8 kids both days that it took in constructing the Mediagua at school and then also at the final destination.

Currently i am in the process of finishing off the school year, so we have all of the end of the year planning and projects. These include; final exams and grades for my classes, Confirmation that is tomorrow, and then the mission trip planning that will evenutally take place in the beginning of January.

During all of this I have been trying to find time to study for the GRE and finish up the application process for going back to school to get my Masters in International affairs. I am going to apply to Notre Dame, Boston College, Georgetown and then the last i am deciding between Marquette and Catholic University in DC.

This has been a fun and exciting process, but at the same time humbling. I have great hopes for my future and what i want to do, but at the same time the application process is making me realize that my experience here is coming to and end. Especially because the last couple of months here are basically a sprint to the end of the year, Christmas season and then the mission trip in Pichilemu.

Retreat in El Quisco

Spent last weekend at the beach with Padre Mike at the retreat house in El Quisco. El Quisco is a little town that is located a bit south of Valparaiso on the Pacific coast of Chile. It was a wonderful opportunity to rest and relax and just to take advantage of a little time off after the hectic weeks that preceded with fiestas Patrias and my birthday. The highlights of the weekend would be the great conversations that we had and the time that was spent simply reflecting and reading, all the while being serenaded by the crashing waves coming off the coast.
The time there was great to be able to recharge my batteries and just to be able to take a moment to reflect on what I am doing here and the experiences that have occurred. I marked, during my time there, the medicinal attributes of water and how that just the sound of crashing waves causes you to simply to get lost in your own thoughts and reflections. It is interesting that the tumulus sounds of crashing waves allows one to relax, but the drone of everyday life causes one to get lost. It is something that is all too common today, especially for my generation, that our lives are just filled with noise. In our current society of texting, surfing, non-stop music and television we are encouraged to become addicted to entertainment. We want everything to be instant and we cannot bear the crying sound of silence. The silence can be all to piercing, it makes us take a look at our own feelings of solitude and loneliness. Yet, instead of trying to grow, to ask the difficult questions, and to improve our faith we simply flick on the TV/computer/cell phone and look for a simple entertainment.
I can see all to clearly the prominent problems that will be bourn by our society. A society of a thousand friends on online social networks but at the cost of direct human relations and the sharing of sentiments. A society where the only time we see tears, is in a corny Smiley or hug/embrace at the end of a letter. I know that I fit the stereotype and spend too much time on this type of entertainment, but I am trying to better about experiencing true friendships, and to know myself. I hope that all of you are able to take time out of your day to show love to those who you love. Also, that you are able to make time for yourself, to be, to reflect, and to grow.
I pray that you are all able to take time for what is truly important in life.

The last few weeks have been spent in celebration.
During the last two weeks i celebrated my 24th birthday (man just writing that makes me feel older), and Fiestas Patrias.
I will talk about my birthday celebrations in this post and the following will be about fiestas Patrias.

This year is probably the most i have celebrated my birthday. There were several different types of celebrations

1st we had a karaoke night with the members of the pastoral team. It was fun and it has become a custom for the members of Pastoral (Campus Ministry) to go out on each others Birthdays. As per custom, i went up to sing a song. Joe and I did a wonderful rendition of one of The Backstreet Boys classic hits.

Then next day i went to the Chile vs. Venezuela soccer game with Joe and a Chilean buddy, Alvaro. The game was fun to see and luckily the game ended in a tie otherwise i am pretty sure there would have been rioting. Plus the game was highlighted by a constant downpour that left all of the fans slightly aggravated. Most of the fans were pretty soaked and could be in a better humor. Yet, this experience was rather colorful and interesting because it was the first time i had come into contact with truly angry Chilean soccer fans. Again, very happy that Chile at least came out with a tie.

Wednesday during school i received a nice present from the 1st and 2nd graders that i teach English. They, with the aid of the assistants, sang happy birthday to me in English and then i received a Chilean flag made out of separate cards written by the students. It was pretty cute. I will not post the picture because it might be too cute for the internet.

Then for my birthday itself we had a nice communal dinner at home with the 5 gringos (americans, or our program) Father Mike, Padre Erwin and Oliver. It was a nice meal, with Brian making Chicken Cordon Bleu and Apple pie. So that was very nice. It was a very relaxing and quiet event. Which was nice considering the next week after was anything but.

So my birthday was celebrated on several occasion and by several different people. I thank you all for the birthday wishes that you sent and hope that you are all well.

Winter in Chile, but staying warm

So we are in the middle of winter here in Chile, but spring can be seen looming in the distance. For those of you who don't know about winter here it means cold nights, but fairly nice days. The cold of the night is worse due to an absolute lack of heating in houses. Yet, it is amazing that here during these days of winter we are able to experience so much warmth. Since i last wrote a lot has happened. We have had the entry of three new members to our program, Joe, Christine and Shanna. The first couple of weeks has been a nice transition process and they are doing nicely. It also has made me realize how i truly have learned so much during my time here. All the things you take for granted are now a normal part of my life have come as small obstacle to some of the new kids. First, i would have to repeat is the overall lack of planning that is done here, especially in the school system. For example, i was signed up to teach English workshops this year, but there was not enough students in both Brian and my class to warrant having two so we combined them and i am now teaching roller hockey. Yes, that is not a typo, i am teaching roller hockey to middle and high school Chilean kids. So needless to say that has been an interesting experience teaching kids to play a sport that i barely now how to play myself.

Two things that have really stuck out in my mind the last couple of days were:
1) the caminata that we had this weekend. The caminata was for Father Hurtado who is a very prominent religious figure here in Chile. It is an annual celebration and has a large attraction to the youth here in Chile. Brian, Luis Lien ( a seminarian) and I were in charge of a group of 50 or so students that went on a 5 hour walk through Santiago. The walk compromised of about 50 thousand or so young adults in the Santiago area. It was pretty crazy to see how they shut down parts of the city and after the walk had passed it looked like it had just snowed due to all of the confetti on the ground. It was pretty cool to see the passion of the kids and to be able to talk to them about it.

2) Last Jornada (our weekly religious retreat) that we went on with a class of Seniors in high school went very well. I arranged a slide show and then gave a small presentation about using the time they have left to learn and grow in the relationships between their class. But one of the most touching moments was at the end of the day, when the kids were given the opportunity to say what they wanted, one of the students Felipe wanted to thank Brian and I specifically for the time we have spent here and the affect we have had on the kids. It was really nice to hear because there are days that i wonder if i am truly having a lasting affect or if i am merely just another flash in the pan.

This week will be busy as usual and then i have my birthday, the Chile vs Venezuela game, and Fiestas patrias coming up, which means i am basically booked until the end of September. But i hope this gives you a small glimpse into what i am doing today. (sorry about the lack of new pics, i will try and get on top of that)

Peru

It has been a while and for that i am sorry. I just got back from a 11 day trip to Peru with Cedric. It was a wonderful trip and allowed me to have some much needed time off and to get out of the city for a bit. We flew into Peru on Monday the 13th and ended our vacation arriving back into Santiago on the 24th. We flew into Cuzco and stayed there for the first couple of days. We were able to stay at a friends house Tasi. Tasi is a fellow volunteer with Good Pastor and is stationed in Peru to do work with orphans. So Ced and i arrived and spent the first day just checking out the sites of the city and also trying to get a little accustomed to the altitude. For those of you who don't know Cuzco is a city located in the south of Peru. It is a city high up in the mountains located at 3,300 ft or around 10,800 feet. It was fun to visit friends and also to see the city. Because of its proximity to Machu Picchu Cuzco is a haven for tourism. This was interesting to experience because you could see that the city basically was fueled by the tourism trade.
There are tons of people trying to sell there wares on the street or trying to convince you eat at their overpriced restaurant. After being in Cuzco for a couple of days Ced and i decided to head off to Machu Picchu to see the Incan ruins. The process to get there was a trip unto itself. To go to Machu Picchu we first took a hour and a half taxi ride to Ollantaytambo. This taxi cost us a total of 3 dollars a piece. Yet, the taxi driver was either currently inebriated or still suffering the effects from the night before. Needless to say that made the ride rather exciting, nothing like having sing or clap in the back of the taxi to keep the driver from falling asleep and sending us to a fiery death in the valley below. Upon arriving in Ollataytambo we learned that there were no trains leaving for Machu Picchu that day so we had to get one for the next morning at 6. (To go to Machu Picchu you need to take a train which is rather expensive) So Ced and i had time to travel around the city and see the ruins there. It was a nice little place very calm and relaxing.
The next day Ced and I set off early to go Machu Picchu, after arriving in Aguas Calients (the little city below Machu Picchu) we took a bus up to Machu Picchu. We ended up arriving there around 9 in the morning. Had a wonderful hike up. It was phenomenal to see the Incan ruins. It was truly inspiring to see how the rocks all fit and also just to see the wonderful scenery. So that was a little bit of the first part of my trip. Hope you are well.

Beautiful sunset

It is flying

I find myself over half way done with the month of June and i honestly have no idea where it went. Everything here has been wonderful but it has been moving at a breakneck speed. It is starting to get cold here and the rains have finally come in. It is weird to say but i am extremely grateful for rain. It has brought down the pollution a bit, which has really been a problem. The world is so much more fresh after a nice rain. Everything appears to be brighter and more colorful. Couple with the coming rain of the approaching winter is the cold, a cold which in a non-heated house can be slightly unpleasant. Yet, this gives one the perfect excuse to spend the afternoon curled in bed reading a good book. Something that i did last weekend. School has been hectic these days due to the looming end of the semester and the finals that come with that. I will spend this week busy grading papers for i have to have my final grades turned in by Friday.
Otherwise the next couple of weeks are going to be fairly busy, we have the end of the semester in the beginning of July so i have all of that work to deal with. I also with be confirmed on July 3rd, so several more things to do with that also. Then of course 4th of July, a holiday that i will also in part celebrate my confirmation. Then starting the 11th i am on vacation until the end of July, this time i will spend with Ced for we are off to Peru for a little bit of a vacation. So needless to say i have an exciting and eventful couple of weeks ahead of me. I will try to get my pictures updated and what not in the future but until then i hope you are all well.

Hola que tal?

It is already June and winter is coming. Yet, even though i have been thoroughly warned i have not yet truly experienced the effects. For example, it was sunny and 77, yes it was cold at night, but t-shirt weather during the day is absolutely pleasant. We had our first day of rain last week in about 8 months. It is shocking to admit this, but i truly do miss the rain. It makes everything so much more fresh and clean. Last week at our school Nuestra Senora de Andacollo or NSA, we celebrated Brother Andres week. It was a very busy and event filled time. There was a game show style slide presentation for the kids. It was pretty well accepted, considering that our demographic was a bunch of testing teenagers. Overall i was very happy with the result, i believe that we were able to either enable, coerce or trick the kids into learning more about Brother Andres and also the Holy Cross Congregation. My favorite part of the week would have to be on Friday when we did games and contests for the Kindergarten classes. It was a lot of fun to see them all dressed up and excited about life and the possibility to show there knowledge. I have posted some pictures of the game show crowd and also the Kindergarten kids. (Yes in that picture i am the pole for the volleyball net, and yes they are throwing balls, and yes i was repeatedly hit.)

Yet, i would like to revisit my previous statement. When in our lives do we go from open thirsty for knowledge children to apathetic adults. Going from the wanting or willingness to share everything to having guarded souls.

I have two concrete example that i encounter on a daily basis.

Every day i am greeted by some of the younger kids (k-3), most of the time the come running at a break next speed. I give them the necessary 3 or 4 seconds that are needed to catch their breath and then they will emphatically tell me about some new toy, or a new trick they learned, or some tid-bit of knowledge they now posses. Sometimes they will run up simply make a bold statement, such as "i have a new baby brother" or "i am this tall (hand gesture included)" and then run away. Not wanting or needing feedback. They are sure in that knowledge and that belief. It is actually inspiring, i wish i had the faith and the confidence that i used to have as a child. The days when a kiss could make pain go away or when you knew that your dad was the strongest dad ever.

Then i also encounter the opposite end of the spectrum.
Daily, in either class or in morning prayer. I will ask a student's opinion and they will simply close down. I hear the phrase "yo no se" way to much for my own liking. How do so many children not know. I doubt the collective idiocy of my students so that leaves the hypothesis that they are all hiding, or shy, or scared. They all lead to the same result, an environment in which ideas are not shared and beliefs are not questioned. This is the exact opposite effect that you want to create as a teacher. But looking on my own life, how many times have i simply said "I don't know" because i wanted to avoid the hurt or effort that comes with asking the question. Worse yet, i was avoiding finding out the answer because it was something that i didn't want to hear.

That is what amazes me about kids, they will run and simply tell me that i am tall or that my hair looks funny or i that i have a scar on my mouth. They will make these simple observations and manage to do it without passing judgement. The can say that i am tall or my hair is poofy and there is nothing malicious in it. This is something that i think we have a great difficulty in our society, being able to identify what are our strengths and weaknesses. Not dwelling on them but simply stating that they have an existence and try to improve both. To be able to look at someone else and see the difference, see that they are different but not make them different. The first is recognition and acceptance and the second is egotistical xenophobia.

We are all children of God and we are all called to do great things. We simply have to see through the eyes of a child. To see but not pass judgement. Not only is it not my place to be judging, but frankly i don't have the time or the energy.

It truly has been an eventful last couple of days. The last weeks have been marked with the departure of Michelle. Michelle who has been living with us for the last half year or so has been an integral part of our lives and also our experience in Chile. She ended her program here and now she is off to the United States to go back to graduate school. We had a despedida (going away party) for her last weekend, which was very nice. We went to Buenos Muchachos, which is a nice grill restaurant her in Santiago. The night was filled with good food; good friends and it seemed to be a nice completion to her time here in Chile. After the party on Friday we had a nice low-key dinner at our house just between us and we also helped her with last minute preparations for her return home. Her flight was at 7:30 on Monday so of course that made for a basically sleepless night and a rough day at work the next day.
On Tuesday I had confirmation, which was very nice. Brian and I of course were slightly late. (we live over and hour away from the school were the confirmation takes place) For confirmation we had a traditional Jewish dinner. When we were seated a plate of lettuce, unleavened, an egg and some kind of applesauce tasting concoction greeted me. The plate was sparse and I was unaware that there was a normal dinner that was also being served. So, I ate all that was on my plate and also the plate of the empty seat next to me. This created the illusion that there was a person was actually sitting there. When dinner arrived they also served the plate next to me. I, not being wanting to be wasteful, reluctantly ate another portion of lamb and rice. Needless to say the dinner was delightful.
We had a short week last week, only until Wednesday because of the National holiday that fell on Thursday. Due to the holiday we did not have work on Friday, but we did have a teacher in-service day or a training day for faculty. The holiday is in celebration of the Battle of Iquique, a battle that the Chileans lost, but they won a hero, Arturo Prat. Yet, it is still interesting that they are celebrating a battle that they lost. Friday we talked about some of the problems at the school and had group discussions about where we needed to improve. I ended up having to stay late after the meetings to finish up a presentation that we are using next week for Brother Andres week.
Semana Hermano Andres or Brother Andres week is a weeklong celebration at school. It is a week full of competition and games to honor and celebrate the life of Brother Andres, who is an important figure in the Holy Cross in Chile. I will be in charge of certain classes, and the PowerPoint that we made is a game show type challenge in which the students must answer questions about the lives and figures in the Church along with other questions about geography and culture.

Things to Consider

It is now May, very strange to think that we are already in May. I am doing well enjoyed the long weekend. Just laid low and rested. It is starting to get cold here, especially at night. Below are some of my thoughts that i would like to share. I hope that you are all well.

"Unwarranted gifts, Unwarranted trial.
That cause us to cry and also to smile."

I find most of what happens in life to be absolutely unwarranted. The events that have affected me the most profoundly in my life were absolutely beyond my control or "undeserved". I use this word in quotes for I do not believe that we actually deserve anything. The sooner that one realizes that your life is a gift the quicker you actually start living. You have have the cliché's of "Don't take your life for granted" or "Live your life to the fullest" Yet, in the wording itself lies the problem. I know that it is not my life. It is an unwarranted gift that was given to me. With this gift comes great responsibilities and expectations. We are called as Christians to live for our fellow man and this cannot be done if we view our life as simply a possession instead of a gift.

So many times we crumble or lose our way when we are overwhelmed by unwarranted trial. These are the trials that shake our faith and our being to the core.

The unwarranted trials; such as a loss of a loved one due to a medical abnormality, cancer, or simply being being in the passenger seat of car in an accident.
Unwarranted trials such as being a victim of nonsensical violence or abuse.
Unwarranted trials of being born into poverty and starvation.

These are the hardest trial to bear for we cannot put blame on any particular person and so we place it on God. There is no direct logical explanation for the terrible events that occur. We shout out in vain "Why me?!" "How could you do this to me?!" I personally don't believe in a vengeful God, one that sits on his throne and spites at his whim. I believe we life in a world filled with sin and the terrible tragedies, for they are tragedies, are simply a by-product of the world we live in. This is the hardest idea to wrestle with. Why do bad things happen to good people?

But in turn we must also look at the flip side of the coin. I have to look at my life and see all of the unwarranted gifts i have received. I have to ask myself why, I a basic sinner, have been given all of these gifts that i have been blessed with.

Unwarranted gift of having a loving and supportive family. To have dear friends, that stick with you through the hardest of times.
Unwarranted gift of being born into a world without the constant pang of hunger or the worry of starvation.
Unwarranted gift of having a healthy and capable body.
Unwarranted gift of intelligence and opportunities of a bright future.

We must remember in the end that a lot of what we have in life is unwarranted. I am not discrediting hard work and perseverance. Anyone who know me and my family knows that i am a firm believer in capitalizing on opportunities. I love to hear the success stories of people that have overcome these unwarranted trials. But instead of dwelling on what trials we are faced with we must realize that we are all blessed.

The unwarranted trials are our crosses to bear. We mourn the losses of the loved ones, and we try and continue life with the burden in tow. In the end we come to realize that much of what happens in life is unwarranted. I give thanks for the blessings I have and I pray for those who are dealing with unwarranted trials. May God give you the strength to persevere. We are left with hope. For we were given the ultimate unwarranted gift, salvation.

Long Over Due Easter Celebrations

I understand that it has been all to long. I am sorry. Everything here is going swimmingly. I have been fairly busy with trying to keep on top of everything at school and everything else that is asked.

The Easter season was wonderful, it was very busy and i did not know nor appreciate the work that goes on to hold a Easter Celebration. It was very fun and worthwhile to help out and be apart of the numerous events that the congregation had.

Palm Sunday was a nice celebration. It was interesting to see the ornate palm branches that were sold outside of church before the mass. There was also a small reenactment done by some of the kids in the school. It is very different being on the flip side of the coin, where we are the ones checking the kids to make sure everything looks good and is presentable for the rest of the people. It is interesting to see that it is always the parents of the children that are the most worried. Never really the kids themselves. (at least with very small children) It is nice to see the actions and beliefs of children before they become crippled by social norms and unnecessary expectations.




Wednesday of Holy week was Via Crucis or the story of the crucifixion. How it is celebrated here is by having a mass and in which during the mass we walked to all the different stations of the Cross. It was nice to see all the different members of the community come out and participate in the celebration.



Easter Vigil was also very beautiful but i did not take any pictures of that. It was from 8-10ish and then after we had a BBQ at our house. We had the members from Pastoral come and also some American friends. It was a wonderful time. I hope that all of you had wonderful Easter celebration and were able to spend it with those you hold dear.

Otherwise i have been busy with school, from teaching English, working in Pastoral, taking kids to the zoo (pictured below), and chaperoning high school students (French Canadians and Chileans) on a cultural exchange. This weekend is marked by birthday of a buddy of mine, Oliver, so in true Chilean form we are going to have a nice large and long dinner tonight.


So i wish you all well and i will be better at keeping this up to date.

Tuesday

Today is a warm day in March, it is weird to think that it is fall here and i can already tell that the days are gettig shorter. School is going full swing now, and i am keeping busy with that and also with planning and helping organize Holy Week, which for all of you who aren´t familiar, is a pretty big deal. But then again i guess salvation is.

So, i would to let you all in some of the interesting people that i are in my world here in Chile. I have a co-worker, a mother of a senior in high school, who came up to me a couple of weeks ago to show me pictures that she had taken at the WWE or (WWF not sure) show that weekend. She was disappointed though that she didn´t get a picture of Triple H. So after my original shock i was lead into a lengthy conversation about the athleticism and showmanship of fake wrestling.

Today, i was told by the man in charge of the school´s finances that i was working too much. I am contracted for 30 hours and i was working more. I am a volunteer. So i was told to work less because i was working is more than my imaginary contract allowed me too.

I am teaching the CHa CHa slide to my students. This, for those who don´t know was a hip hop like dance made popular in the 90´s. I am going to force them to dance to it, or they will not recieve participation ponts. To answer your question, this does actually have something to do with learning English. The excuses i used to get this cleared where building vocabulary and listening comprehension.
Well i hope you are well and i will try and get some pictures up of the school.

Hello Fair Brethren,
I hope that all are well and that you are enjoying all the gifts that are given to you.
I truly apologize for the lack of news. Things here have been wonderful, i am truly having an exceptional time here. School started back up two and a half weeks ago, but we didn't start having full days until this last week. It was a lot of fun to get back to seeing the kids and what not. It is amazing to see how much they change over even a short amount of time. I have been very busy with trying to get back in the swing of things with school and also with the congregation. We had a lovely mass and dinner with the Congregation last night in celebration of St. Joe's. Otherwise my days have been taken up by school, or planning for it. (yes i do get a free minute from time to time, but those also seem to be very busy affairs also)
This is a tough part of the year for many that i hold dear. I pray for all of you who have lost loved ones. I pray that you find comfort with your loved ones and with him.
I hope you are all well

The End of Vacation

I have two days left of vacation before returning to work on Thursday. Starting Thursday we will be doing planning for the upcoming school year for Campus Ministry. The rest of the faculty will be returning on the 2nd of March and then school begins the 4th of March. I am looking forward to getting back to school, but the next week or so is going to be filled with a lot of things to do first.

I had a truly enjoyable time traveling for the last week with a friend of mine from the U.S. Tony Deblauw came in two Tuesday's ago and left on Sunday night. It was a very eventful trip but was also managed at a breakneck pace. We visited Santiago for a couple of days spent two days in Argentina and then another two days on the coast in Valparaiso and Vina del Mar. It was fun to share the experience that i am having here with another friend. I believe the highlight of our trip would have to be Mendoza in Argentina, in which we encountered numerous accepting and interesting people. We did a biking wine tour which was a lot of fun . In the process we met some very nice Australians and then later in the day hung out with some Argentineans that where kind enough to take us to their house and let us use their shower. Overall i would say the trip was a success and it was a nice little highlight to the end of my summer vacation.

It is amazing to see how fast time flies. My summer vacation is already over and i have been here 7 months already. It was almost two months since my family came to visit and that seems like it was only yesterday. Reflecting on this it just reminds me how short time really is. That we have to live life to the fullest for the opportunities and days will pass you by otherwise. It is also eerie to think that i have less than a year left and that this time is going to pass very quickly also.

I have been, for the last two days, a bum simply hanging out at the house and relaxing for the last couple of days before school starts back up again. It is nice to be allowed to have a little time to yourself without anything to do.

I hope and pray that all of you are well and enjoying the time with those who you hold dear.

Puerto Varas

After being back for a couple of days from my last trip, i got the itch a bit and went back down south to the Lake District.
I left on Monday with a friend of mine Molly. We went down to Puerto Varas until Friday morning then we switched and went to Frutillar for a couple of days. We were met up by another friend of our Connor before we went to Frutillar.

The lake district was beautiful and got to do some sweet hiking. The lakes up north were turquoise, it is a wonderful sight. The weather was nice, except for a couple of days of rain. Nothing that is too bad compared to what we have in the NW, But of course in my last minute packing i forgot to bring any sort of suitable rain gear, so i just had to be a little wet.

The trip overall was very relaxing and it is always nice to get out away from the city for a bit to experience nature. My plan for the next couple of days is to take care of stuff here around the house and get a little bit more organized. The house is kind of a wreck due to us keep coming and going, along with the slight bed bug problem that we have.

I hope that all of you are well and are enjoying whatever gives you life.

Villarrica

The second part of Brian and John's Adventure down south lead us to the town of Villarrica.

We arrived around midday at Villarrica set out to find lodging. This was of course after a little hiccup that we had immediately after we got off the bus. In my, all to common, absentmindedness and lack of attention to detail i left my camera in the pouch of my seat as it set off to its next destination. Thanks to the help of Carlos, the employee at Jacks(the bus company) we (like i truly had anything to do with finding my camera) were able to track down my camera and have it returned to me later that day.
After hearing that my camera was going to be returned later that day, we left and found a nice little hostel in near the Lake in Villarrica. The lodging was a step up from our past lodging and had a nice little log cabin feel to it.

Things we did in Villarrica:

-Saw yet another free concert in the city
This was a small folkloric group that we happened upon after going out to have a drink and converse at night. It is impressive to see the amazing musical talent of so many artists here. I have come to appreciate it more. Living with a music player has definitely opened me up to new and otherwise unknown types of music.
-Went to the beach in Villarrica.
It was nice just to be able to soak in the sun and enjoy the lake water. Again, not being a details person, i overlooked the need for sunscreen and found myself slightly burnt. This would present itself to be a problem the next day.
-Visiting Pucon
This is the more touristy city on the lake. After our visit to the beach we went and saw the city of Pucon. It was a typical resort city and was a little overwhelming to be honest. We did step in to a Casino, in honor of a friend of ours who recommended we go. I was fairly successful doubling up in poker and winning 20 bucks and then playing 5 cent slot i won an additional 15 bucks. So for 45 minutes worth of work it was rather fruitful. This also helped pay for the rather extravagant lunch that we had. (something that wasn't planned into the budget, but the food was delicious and we just had to splurge)
-The hike up a volcano
The next day we went on a 24-28 km hike up Mt Villarrica, a live volcano that gave impressive views of the surrounding lakes, mountains as well as being able to see the smoke the was coming out of the volcano. The hike was wonderful barring the rubbing of the backpack on our recently sunburned backs.
-Visiting the University in Villarrica
Originally we went to visit the University to see the chapel and we were then recommended (forced) to see the little museum that they had in the basement. The exhibit was fairly impressive and the guide that we had was very helpful. He actually had us try on some replicas of indigenous clothing and then had us sit in an actual indigenous canoe (over 400 years old) to take a picture. This was slightly awkward for us, considering we are taught in the U.S. not to touch the artifact, and the guide had us simply step into it.

At the end of the day we got on a night bus to Santiago and enjoyed a 10.5 hour bus ride home, reaching Santiago early Thursday morning.

Valdivia

Valdivia

A city in the south of Chile that has some wonderful rivers and scenery and is also know for its brewery Kunstmann and their seafood, as well as being an old German settlement. There still remains to be a large presence of Germany ancestry in the town.
Brian and I on our excursion, stayed for three days in Valdivia which is about 12 hours south of Santiago on a bus. We arrived in the city with little to no plans (something that we did for the entire trip, but it ended up being absolutely wonderful). Luckily we found a hostal right when we entered Valdivia. Actually, a better way to put that is that we were almost forced into the habitation by an supremely confident and bull-headed woman, who also owns the hostal.
The place was fine, and it was fairly inexpensive which was nice.

Things we did in Valdivia:
-Saw the Kunstmann Brewery
Realistically this is the only Chilean national beer that can pass as actual beer. This might be my beer snob from Portland coming out, but the in house brew coupled with the traditional German food made for a delectable little luncheon.
-Visited Parks in the south
Frankly not that impressive, it would be like waking through a park in the middle of Tacoma with a bunch of houses and what not all around.
-Visited Parks on the Isla Teja
Way cooler, this was also coupled with the viewing of a traditional Chilean rodeo which was pretty fun. Then there was also a festival in the park that was showing and selling the wares of the local inhabitants.
-Saw La Noche
This Chilean group, was playing a free concert in tandem with the crowning of the Miss Valdivia Celebration. The group themselves are decent, but are for some reason, ridiculously popular right now. It would be like seeing (insert famous trendy band/singer/group) live for free.

The time spent in Valdivia was very nice and relaxing, it was nice to be able to get out of Santiago for a while. Then after Valdivia we headed off to Villarrica.

Hola

sorry i have been having trouble with my aol account.
so if you could use my gmail account. johnnypaul8888@gmail.com
Hope you are all doing well

Profound Power of Poverty

I will take this time this to look back and reflect on the mission trip that we just got back from. The most noted feeling that i had during the entire trip was one of warmth and acceptance. Everywhere we went we treated as royalty. Everyone we met welcomed us with open arms. Where this love and warmth was most prevalent was during meals. We ate tons. Example: Sit down for a lunch of rice and chicken (one that was alive the day before in the backyard). I was asked if i was hungry. I responded politely that i would like a little bit more. I was given another full plate of the chicken and rice. Actually i think the second plate was bigger, as if she was daring me to finish it. I, being in a very hungry state, did. I was then again asked if i would like more. Having learned my mistake i politely declined. The abuela (grandmother), simply muttered something about me being flacito (skinny kid) and brought me a whole bowl of cazuela. This is a typical chilean dish, it is a soup with rice and vegetables, and thrown in this soup is a chicken leg, a baked potato, and a large chunk of corn on the cob. Needless to say that i was stuffed. It was interesting to see how food is love, and that they are willing and able to live on so much less.
Everyone grows their own gardens, this is also what feeds most of the people. Most live a self sustaining lifestyle. Many of the families also make bowls and dishes out of clay that comes from where they live. This is sold at fairs to raise money for the rest of the things they need in life.

It is amazing to see how the families are so welcoming. You are treated not as guests but as long lost family that has finally arrived for an overdue visit. It was amazing being able to work with the children of the area, but also to see the growth from the kids that came from our school. You are forced into becoming a family and i was able to (hopefully, barring the language barrier) get at least some points across to the kids.

The time out in the countryside makes you appreciate what you have and to realize that there are many things much more important that money. I currently feel revitalized in my soul, after having caught with the family (who came down for a wonderful little trip) and then jumping immediately into missions. Alas, my body doesn't feel the same way and i have been battling a cold for the last couple of days, but i am getting better. I hope this message finds you well, refreshed from the holiday season.

So Long, So sorry

It has been more than a month and i am sorry for the lack of correspondence. I have had a very, very busy last month.

Highlights from last month:
End of School. It was a wonderful experience, but it was over due. It is nice to be on summer vacation finally. The school year ended well with various celebrations and the finals for the students.

Christmas time and celebrations: Brian and I had several different celebrations for Christmas. Some with the school, some with the Congregation and other with various other people that live in the area. Overall, we were again, welcomed with open arms. We had a ton of food and it was nice to spend the holiday with people. But then again you always miss home and the family during the holiday season. I belatedly am sending out my best to all of you and i hope your holidays went well.

Family in chile:
The Power Clan in Chile. The family came in on the 27th and spent a week here in Chile. We got to spend a bit of time catching up which was nice.
High points: The beach house in El Quisco and the wonderful food and night at Buenos Muchachos. The beach house was wonderful, the view, the tranquility, all of it. We had a wonderful dinner at Buenos Muchachos to see some of the cultural dances and enjoy some wonderful beef and wine.

Low Points: The fact that the street i live in is basically a disco and this was clearly seen when the New Year's celebration ended at around 6 in the morning. We were lucky enough to enjoy the music throughout the entire night. Coupled with the obnoxious music is the fact that our house currently has a small mite problem that made sleeping in some of the beds a bit of a hardship. The goes along with the fact that we are a large family that couldn't be accommodated in my small house. So, we made the right decision, and moved my family into a hotel for a couple of nice.

After my dropping my parents off at the airport on the third and immediately went on a missions trip. The mission trip was wonderful and i will write more on this in the next couple of days. But it was amazing to see the growth in the kids and also the impact that we were having on the communities that we all worked in.
Well i am exhausted from a LONG month of business and we have meetings tomorrow and thursday with Father Don, the director of our program, who has come down to Chile to check on our progress.