One of my favorite daily sights is the dog walkers. Every morning, going up on the Avenida Circumvalar (which circles (circumvents?) the eastern part of the city, up on the edge of the mountain), we pass through a nice area of apartment buildings and private parks and such, and there are usually a few folks along the way who are out walking armfuls of dogs.
This week in the park where the school is I saw a small, scruffy dog in a dingy dress playing with a kickball. It put its front paws on the ball and walked backwards, moving in circles with the red rubber ball. I imagined it to be the practice time of a washed-up circus act, no one but me paying any attention, let alone pesos.
Friday afternoon the kids had P.E. class, so I went outside with them and Profe Lucas to the ball court. At first we had the whole court to ourselves, which is rare in that park, but soon a group came up to use half of it. This group was a little different than normal, though. Instead of the elementary kids in their matching uniforms or occasional teenagers in street clothes, this time about fifteen women all dressed very modestly in dark gray and many wearing large cross necklaces had come out to play basketball. That’s right: nuns! As I mused over the monastic life and their choice of exercise, one of our students strayed onto their side of the court with the ball, almost getting run over by the enthusiastic b-ballers. Luke yelled, “Cuidado con las monjas!” (Careful with the nuns!), to which he and I both died laughing. I mean, really, how often do you get to use that phrase?
Every afternoon on the ruta taking the kids home, we play “I spy.” Yo veo algo… verde! And then begins the guessing (and my asking kids to not shout). Today we played until we got tired, then Ingrid suggested the game where you search for the letters of the alphabet, in order, on signs that you pass along the road. Thank the Lord, going through that game twice lasted until we dropped them off. Today was way better than yesterday’s ride, during which they wouldn’t stay seated and insisted on yelling most of the way – at each other, at us, out the window at the president’s palace “Hola, Presidente Uribe!” (I actually encouraged that one; and had to correct one kid when he first shouted, “Hola, Presidente Chávez!” Wrong country, friend.) They continued shouting, and got louder the closer we got to their barrio, which is called “PARAÍSO ALTO! PARAÍSO ALTO! PARAÍSO ALTO!”
Somehow, most of the way 6 or 7-year-old E. slept on my lap, in spite of his friends’ attempts to wake him with shouting. Before zonking out in my arms, he babbled on about the cars and motos and policías we passed along the way. Most of the time I couldn’t hear or understand him, but once I caught the word cárcel: jail. I looked down at him and asked what he was talking about. “¿Cierto que a los marijuaneros se los van a llevar a la cárcel?” (Isn’t it true that the potheads are going to be taken to jail?) I agreed, we talked about it a bit, and I managed to keep my laughter in until later when I told Ingrid about his conversation.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Profe!
I'm tired! I was sick all weekend with a fever, so I spent a lot of time in bed (although probably not as much as I should have... I already had plans to visit some friends' house, so we went anyways!). Thankfully this morning I awoke without any trace of fever, so I was able to get up and go work!
Yesterday, like every Monday, was team meeting day, so all the people working here with Formando Vidas got together from 9:30-1:00ish. By the time we got back at 2:00, I was so exhausted I decided I wanted to sleep more than I wanted to eat...And I slept through the thunderstorm that brought with it a pile of sleet! I thought I heard something hitting the window, but just ignored it. Anyways, when I finally got out of bed a couple hours later to heat up some leftover rice and lentils, I was surprised to see white all over the ground in the patio!
Today I started my week at Escuela Luz y Vida (Light and Life School). It went well. There wasn't any force feeding of children; these all eat well: I think they understand the value of food a little more than the wee ones do. The kids are very sweet and very difficult. I'm assisting a teacher in a class of five boys, all of whom are basically special needs kids. Whew! (or as we say here: uysh!)
How many times during one day can you possibly hear "PROFE!" yelled? And supposedly be able to distinguish which of the teachers is being summoned? And then have some sort of response to whatever the situation is, whether it be a disagreement, a need for help with school work, permission to go to the bathroom, to be pushed on the swings, or just some attention?
This morning, when we arrived with the ruta (bus route to pick up and drop off kids), the first thing we did was go play on the playground while waiting for the others to arrive (we were a bit early). While there, a street man walked through, searching the trashcans. Here, many of the foods and condiments that we have in jars in the States come in bags (jam, ketchup, milk). It broke my heart to watch him squeezing a yogurt bag for any last drop that might have remained inside.
This afternoon, because of rain, it took longer than usual for the ruta to drop everyone off and arrive back at the office, where I stay. We left around 2:40 and didn't get here until 5:00, at which time I went straight to the grocery store. I wasn't until probably an hour later, when the Tuesday pastry lady rang the bell to sell us delicious pastelillos filled with chicken, that I reached in my pocket and found: Jose's keys. He's one of the boys in the class I helped with today, and I kept his keys for him when they fell out of his pocket while playing. I hope he had somewhere to go until his Mom got home and let him in. Que pena...
Yesterday, like every Monday, was team meeting day, so all the people working here with Formando Vidas got together from 9:30-1:00ish. By the time we got back at 2:00, I was so exhausted I decided I wanted to sleep more than I wanted to eat...And I slept through the thunderstorm that brought with it a pile of sleet! I thought I heard something hitting the window, but just ignored it. Anyways, when I finally got out of bed a couple hours later to heat up some leftover rice and lentils, I was surprised to see white all over the ground in the patio!
Today I started my week at Escuela Luz y Vida (Light and Life School). It went well. There wasn't any force feeding of children; these all eat well: I think they understand the value of food a little more than the wee ones do. The kids are very sweet and very difficult. I'm assisting a teacher in a class of five boys, all of whom are basically special needs kids. Whew! (or as we say here: uysh!)
How many times during one day can you possibly hear "PROFE!" yelled? And supposedly be able to distinguish which of the teachers is being summoned? And then have some sort of response to whatever the situation is, whether it be a disagreement, a need for help with school work, permission to go to the bathroom, to be pushed on the swings, or just some attention?
This morning, when we arrived with the ruta (bus route to pick up and drop off kids), the first thing we did was go play on the playground while waiting for the others to arrive (we were a bit early). While there, a street man walked through, searching the trashcans. Here, many of the foods and condiments that we have in jars in the States come in bags (jam, ketchup, milk). It broke my heart to watch him squeezing a yogurt bag for any last drop that might have remained inside.
This afternoon, because of rain, it took longer than usual for the ruta to drop everyone off and arrive back at the office, where I stay. We left around 2:40 and didn't get here until 5:00, at which time I went straight to the grocery store. I wasn't until probably an hour later, when the Tuesday pastry lady rang the bell to sell us delicious pastelillos filled with chicken, that I reached in my pocket and found: Jose's keys. He's one of the boys in the class I helped with today, and I kept his keys for him when they fell out of his pocket while playing. I hope he had somewhere to go until his Mom got home and let him in. Que pena...
Thursday, February 12, 2009
what I've been doing this week
Tuesday through Friday:
Wake up at 6:00, shower?, dress, eat, the bus is here to pick us up already? -- run!, look out the window as the city passes by – from the north to the city center, drop off workers at the school, arrive in the Santa Fe neighborhood, get off the bus at the drop in center, help make breakfast, drink coffee, kids arrive!, greetings, prayer, serve breakfast, stay in your seat!, eat your food!, eat it all!, sing, lessons, a million visits to the bathroom with kids, crowd control, helping with lessons, snack, crowd control, another lesson or maybe game time, crowd control crowd control crowd control, let’s go to the park!, pushing kids on the swing, crowd control, helping kids across the monkey bars, don’t hit each other!, don’t play with trash!, stay on the blacktop!, curing hurts, it’s so-and-so’s turn on the swing!, go down the slide, not up!, time for lunch (finally)!, wash up, prayer, serve food, eat food, force feed small children, make sure everyone eats everything, lesson or play time, games, is it time to go yet? no?, bathroom visits, playtime, it’s so-and-so’s turn with this!, share the blocks!, time to go? okay, clean up!, does everyone have everything?, get on the bus with kids, go south to drop of some kids, ride about an hour back across the city, finally we’re back at the house!!, eat, hang out, play and talk, eat, hang out, shower?, talk, read, SLEEP.
Wake up at 6:00, shower?, dress, eat, the bus is here to pick us up already? -- run!, look out the window as the city passes by – from the north to the city center, drop off workers at the school, arrive in the Santa Fe neighborhood, get off the bus at the drop in center, help make breakfast, drink coffee, kids arrive!, greetings, prayer, serve breakfast, stay in your seat!, eat your food!, eat it all!, sing, lessons, a million visits to the bathroom with kids, crowd control, helping with lessons, snack, crowd control, another lesson or maybe game time, crowd control crowd control crowd control, let’s go to the park!, pushing kids on the swing, crowd control, helping kids across the monkey bars, don’t hit each other!, don’t play with trash!, stay on the blacktop!, curing hurts, it’s so-and-so’s turn on the swing!, go down the slide, not up!, time for lunch (finally)!, wash up, prayer, serve food, eat food, force feed small children, make sure everyone eats everything, lesson or play time, games, is it time to go yet? no?, bathroom visits, playtime, it’s so-and-so’s turn with this!, share the blocks!, time to go? okay, clean up!, does everyone have everything?, get on the bus with kids, go south to drop of some kids, ride about an hour back across the city, finally we’re back at the house!!, eat, hang out, play and talk, eat, hang out, shower?, talk, read, SLEEP.
from Feb. 5th
“Be ready at 7:00 a.m. Andy will come pick you up then.” So we were told yesterday, so Ingrid, my Canadian roommate and I were up a bit before 6:00 getting ourselves together. Finally, sometime after 8:00 the busload from the farm (just outside of the city, where several staff and children live in 3 different houses) arrived, and then we went to pick up Andy and his wife.
Plans change.
Like Tuesday when I arrived at the airport, I was a little early and my luggage must’ve been some of the first unloaded, so I was through security very quickly… to wait 45 minutes until some folks arrived to collect me. I had called after 30 minutes to make sure they hadn’t forgotten, and was told that one person was coming for me, but it ended up being 5, none of whom were the one mentioned originally!
From the airport I went straight to El Otro Camino (the Other Way), a day center open 20-hours per week. There, we ate lunch and then waited while Andy (who is the director there) had conferences with parents. We left and went by to pick up some donations from a church (three mattresses, three chairs, an enormous desk, some shoes) then finally, around 3:00 p.m. that day I made it back to the house/office where I’m staying for this first month or so.
Ingrid arrived two days before me from Quito, Ecuador. She’s from Alberta, but had been there at a language school for a month (like what I did in Cusco, Peru). We get along very well. Living in this house right now are the two of us, Grecia from Dominican Republic, and Colombians Sonia and Diana (Sonia’s teenage “daughter”). Other ministry folks stay here sometimes, as do short-term groups.
Today (Thursday), when we finally left the house, Ingrid went to the school (Luz y Vida) and I went to El Otro Camino. My first job? Cleaning up the cat’s two puddles of diarrhea from the floor. Andy said it would help develop a servant’s heart in me. Thanks, Andy.
After that, some others arrived and we began to organize and clean the classrooms, in preparation for the children’s return next week (they’ve been closed down due to the holidays). After an hour or so, six of us went out for a walk through the neighborhood to pray for the people living there and for opportunities to get to know them, especially the children. Just a few blocks from the day center we entered into the “tolerance zone” where the police basically ignore the prevalent illegal activities and brothels. We would like children from this neighborhood to participate at Otro Camino in addition to the kids who are brought from different parts of the city.
What else? I’ve walked a lot but haven’t yet ventured on the bus system, which seems chaotic but I’m eager to attempt (with clear guidance on which one to take and where to get off). Still getting to know names and faces of the staff workers. Still waiting to get the internet password (which no one remembers, or won’t work anymore, or something like this) so that I can access my email from the house. I ate some good chicken today, and I’ve had some plantain (both sweet and green), so I’m happy!
Plans change.
Like Tuesday when I arrived at the airport, I was a little early and my luggage must’ve been some of the first unloaded, so I was through security very quickly… to wait 45 minutes until some folks arrived to collect me. I had called after 30 minutes to make sure they hadn’t forgotten, and was told that one person was coming for me, but it ended up being 5, none of whom were the one mentioned originally!
From the airport I went straight to El Otro Camino (the Other Way), a day center open 20-hours per week. There, we ate lunch and then waited while Andy (who is the director there) had conferences with parents. We left and went by to pick up some donations from a church (three mattresses, three chairs, an enormous desk, some shoes) then finally, around 3:00 p.m. that day I made it back to the house/office where I’m staying for this first month or so.
Ingrid arrived two days before me from Quito, Ecuador. She’s from Alberta, but had been there at a language school for a month (like what I did in Cusco, Peru). We get along very well. Living in this house right now are the two of us, Grecia from Dominican Republic, and Colombians Sonia and Diana (Sonia’s teenage “daughter”). Other ministry folks stay here sometimes, as do short-term groups.
Today (Thursday), when we finally left the house, Ingrid went to the school (Luz y Vida) and I went to El Otro Camino. My first job? Cleaning up the cat’s two puddles of diarrhea from the floor. Andy said it would help develop a servant’s heart in me. Thanks, Andy.
After that, some others arrived and we began to organize and clean the classrooms, in preparation for the children’s return next week (they’ve been closed down due to the holidays). After an hour or so, six of us went out for a walk through the neighborhood to pray for the people living there and for opportunities to get to know them, especially the children. Just a few blocks from the day center we entered into the “tolerance zone” where the police basically ignore the prevalent illegal activities and brothels. We would like children from this neighborhood to participate at Otro Camino in addition to the kids who are brought from different parts of the city.
What else? I’ve walked a lot but haven’t yet ventured on the bus system, which seems chaotic but I’m eager to attempt (with clear guidance on which one to take and where to get off). Still getting to know names and faces of the staff workers. Still waiting to get the internet password (which no one remembers, or won’t work anymore, or something like this) so that I can access my email from the house. I ate some good chicken today, and I’ve had some plantain (both sweet and green), so I’m happy!
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