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