Christmas Celebrtion

     Have you even been to Mass at 5 a.m.? How about to Mass at 5 a.m. for nine days straight leading up to Christmas? Well on December 15 the countdown till Christmas began in Humacao, PR with their Misas  de Aguinaldos that take place in different masses around the area and take place at 5 a.m. Though these masses are celebrated before sun rise they are very traditional, have a high turnout rate, and play very up beat music. Aguinaldo means to give or a gift, so close to the end of every mass a member of the choir group sings a solo as a gift for everyone present. After the mass, a group of people set up a table with sandwiches, fruit, bread, coffee, water and juice as a gift for everyone who attended.  I must admit that I am not a big fan of waking up at 4 a.m. but I did make an effort to attend the last two Misas de Aguinaldos. For the first one, I practically rolled out of bed, brushed my teeth, put my hair in a bun, drank some coffee and went to mass still half asleep. As soon as I walked in I noticed that everyone was well dressed, fully awake and singing very loud and proud. I was a bit shocked when I saw how many people were present and at how well they were dressed. I guess I thought that because mass was at an unpleasant hour people were going to roll out of bed and go just like me, but I was wrong. Any how, I was upset at how under dressed I was for about a minute before I forgot about it and joined everyone in singing. The mass was beautiful. Everyone was so awake and happy to be there and celebrating the anticipation of Jesus that I couldn't help to be excited myself. I made an effort to clear my heart (and head) of all grudges, guilty thoughts, sad memories, regrets and unhappiness in order to receive Jesus with an open and clean heart. I was excited for Jesus' Birthday!The second mass I attended was on Christmas Eve and it was just as enjoyable as the first one.
     Then for Visperas (evening prayer) on Christmas Eve the sisters who live in Santa Escolastica prepared something special for Ashley and I. I got to dress up as an Angel while S. Myriam read the story when the Angel appeared to Mary and Ashley placed baby Jesus next to Mary and Joseph. After prayers, we sang our way into the Prioress' living room and we all sat down. S Carmen gave all the sisters, Ashley and I a Christmas gift for us to open. This was different because normally the sisters wait till January 6, the day of The Three Kings to give and open any presents. After we opened our gifts, Ashley and I gave the Sisters the gifts we bought for them. We bought them a nativity set made with sea shells, a nativity set made on a star that they can hang on the wall, a nativity set with magnets that they can put on the fridge and the cutest gift: a picture of the community dogs with reindeer lanterns and us wearing elf hats. They really enjoyed all their gifts. They were so excited that we were able to place lanterns on the dogs but we explained that that wouldn't of been possible without the help of S Rufina because one of the dogs: Luna is vicious. I am not sure if it's me or the dog but after 4 months of living in the monastery I still have not been able to pet that dog.
     On Christmas day, we all had a lunch together and enjoyed each other's company. We talked and laughed just like any other lunch or dinner. Then around 3 p.m. S Vivian told Ashley and I to join her along with S Maria, S Mary Ruth, and Paul (S Mary Ruth's brother) as they went on a Parranda. A parranda is when a group of people go from house to house singing and the host of the house offers the group something to eat or/and drink in return. We went to three house and were fed at all three. The first house was the house of a man who used to be in the choir group with the sisters and he is now battling  Parkinson's disease. His wife offered us snacks and something to drink after we were done but since Ashley and I were still full from lunch we both declined the offer. S Vivian told us that it was rude not to accept so we ate something. The second stop was at Yvonne and Caesar's house and they fed us too. My stomach was hurting by then but I really needed the coffee by then because I was worn out and it was only  about 6 p.m and we still had one more stop. Finally we went to one of S Vivian's sister's house.  We didn't sing at that house because they were playing their own music but we still stayed for a while and conversed with the family. All in all it was a long tiring but enjoyable day. They did such a great job in keeping me busy that I did not have time to feel homesick. It was a great experience and I loved the fact that they took our Christmas traditions and incorporated them to their new experience. That really made me feel loved, and appreciated. It is hard to always see the bright side of things but I was able to see the light there. I felt as if I was celebrating Christmas with family; just not the same side of the family that I am used to.

Sleep over at Colegio San Benito

     Sister Margarita is one of the three sisters (the others are S Angela and S Esther) who live in Colegio San Benito. She works with Father Adrian for the parish in Ceiba, PR. She works long hours weekly because it is only her and the Father working in that parish along with volunteers from the community. For Thursday December 9th, Sister Margarita had asked Ashley and I if we could help her decorate a hall in Ceiba for Father Adrian's 20th anniversary of priesthood. Of course Ashley and I agreed to go. So the plan went as follows: Ash and I went to Ceiba on Thursday evening to help S Margarita decorate the hall along with some women from that community, we slept over Colegio San Benito Thursday night, woke up Friday and went to school, and after school we went to celebrate Father Adrian's anniversary. It was a full two days and at the time I had a toothache and a cold so it was a little hard to enjoy everything to the fullest but nevertheless I enjoyed it.
     The anniversary celebration was a huge success. 300+ people showed up to the hall. S Margarita said that the people of Ceiba really appreciate Father Adrian and love him dearly. The entire event was planned by S Margarita but all the funds for the event were given by the community. Some people paid for the hall, some for the food, some cooked, some helped decorate, some helped serve and some helped clean. This event was a perfect example of community effort. S Margarita said that everyone was very generous with their time and money when necessary.

     The following Monday when we spoke to S Esther and she asked why we didn't stay the whole weekend. Ash and I were a little surprised because we were never told that the Sisters from Colegio San Benito wanted us to stay for the weekend. It was unfortunate because I had a good time even though it was only one night but we are looking into rescheduling a full weekend with the Sisters from Colegio San Benito in the near future.

My Coconut Obsession

     Saying that I am in love with coconut is an understatement. If one were to ask my close friends, they will say that I am obsessed with coconut. I love everything that has to do with coconut. I love the way a coconut tastes, smells, looks, and feels. At one point in my college career I had coconut hair products, coconut body wash, coconut lotion, coconut body spray, and coconut candles. I am always willing to try new products or taste new foods that include coconut.  I've used coconut so much that my boyfriend once said that he associates me with the scent of coconut; to me that was a very good compliment. I love coconut. 

     With that said, when someone asked me if I wanted to try "tembleque" (a Puerto Rican coconut pudding) I was excited. The first time I heard this was  on Monday December 6. We had it for dessert in the monastery. S. Myriam explained that the name tembleque comes from "temblor" which is earthquake in Spanish because when you serve the pudding it shakes. The texture of a tembleque is  more  jello like than pudding. The tembleque that we had on Monday tasted very much like coconut water straight from the coconut. It wasn't too sweet and more water based. Since we slept over at Colegio San Benito last night (I will explain why in a different blog post) Ashley and I didn't pack our lunch so we ate at the cafeteria. Though we didn't tell anyone we were already planning on eating there, everyone kept telling us that we should eat there because they were going to have a very traditional Puerto Rican meal with dessert. The meal consisted of harbichuelas, arroz blanco, lechon, ensalada and tembleque (beans, white rice, roasted pig, salad and tembleque). It was a very tasty lunch but unfortunately since my wisdom tooth still hurts I wasn't able to enjoy most of it because the salt in the meat kept stinging the inside of my mouth. So I simply dove into the best part of my meal, the tembleque (in my opinion because I love dessert). One word: Heaven. This tembleque is what I imagine the food in Heaven tastes like. It was thick, rich in flavor, milk based, and smooth. You could taste the coconut in every single spoonful. It was just delicious! I even asked the cooks who was the one that made the tembleque because I wanted to tell her myself how great her dessert was and how much I enjoyed it. She was so happy. I hope she finds it in her heart to share her very own recipe with me before I leave in May (I'll keep my fingers crossed).If I had any doubt about me not being as obsessed with coconut as I thought I was, this dessert reassured me that I am still obsessed with coconut as I ever have been.

 God bless the hands that helped prepare this meal. Amen.    

Oh, tears

     As I was reading Megan's latest blog entries and listening to Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 In E Flat Major, a few tears ran down my face. I'm not sure if its because I can relate to some of the loneliness Megan described in her blog, or how she dislikes not doing anything, or being sick. Maybe its because listening to classical music reminds me of home and how I used to listen to it as I went to sleep every night or because I'm starting to get sick for the fourth time (yes, 4th!).  Or maybe because S. Vivian said that she considers Ashley and I a part of her family and because S. Mary Ruth said  that she treats Ashley and I as the blood sisters she never had. Or maybe it's a combination of all the above.
     Today, I helped S Rufina prepare dinner for tonight's celebration: S. Vivian and S. Mary Ruth's Birthday Party. I made a salad S. Rufina picked from a cookbook that S Mary Ruth got free at Cosco. It was a Walnut- Apple Spinach Salad. When I first saw the ingredients (spinach, walnuts, apples, olive oil, vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt, and pepper) I didn't think it was going to be a salad I was going to be eating; I've never been a fan of spinach or vinegar. But it was delicious! S. Rufina  made her amazing rice, steamed vegetables, grilled chicken with a special green sauce and baked a fruit cake. We prayed, ate, sang, and played games. In the end, S. Maria (the event planner in the monastery) asked S. Vivian and S. Mary Ruth to say a few "palabras de luz" (literally it means words of light, but basically to share a few things they are grateful for). S. Mary Ruth said that during mass she started to think about her two wonderful brothers and how God didn't give her a sister she could play with as a child, but that he had given her a community of Sisters she could live with. Then she added that that is why she is always joking with Ashley and I, because she sees us as her little sisters. S. Vivian said that going to the Holy Land gave her a lot of time to reflect and be grateful for everything she has and that she prayed for her community family, her blood family and Ashley and I because she considered us family too. After their little speeches, the rest of the Sisters gathered around them and blessed them both by lifting their hands above their heads and singing a song. I have to say that EVERY TIME the Sisters do this, I want to cry. I don't know why, but I do. I just get all teary and my eyes get filled with water and I'm scared of blinking because a tear might run down my cheek. Actually, I do know why I feel like this. I feel like this because I imagine myself being the one who is receiving the blessing in late May of 2011 and the Sisters are giving me their last blessing before leaving Puerto Rico and going back to Minnesota. Its amazing how far one's imagination can go if one doesn't control it. But in all honesty, I picture that. It's not that I want to leave or anything, but just thinking about how much the Sisters mean to me and how much I'm going to miss them that makes me want to cry. This little thought allows me to fall in love again with the Sisters and appreciate every single one for everything they have taught me, all the care they have given me, and the love they continuously show.  So by the time the blessing song is over, I'm happy again with my arms extended over the person who is actually being blessed and grateful that I am one of the people blessing her.
     As I mentioned above, I'm starting to catch a cold AGAIN. I've been taking vitamins, drinking Orange juice, taking Cold Snap when I feel the symptoms coming, I exercise, I eat right and I just don't know what else to do. I've been having a really bad tooth pain (wisdom tooth: top and bottom) that is quickly turning into sore tonsils  and cold. I'm trying to stay positive but it's getting a bit hard with this stuffy nose. But I'm not giving up.
    

Welcome December

     Oh my, I cannot believe November is over! I see the decorations for Advent and it makes me really excited to anticipate the birth of Jesus.  I am excited about the real meaning of Christmas and not just the presents which has been the "exciting" part for many years before. It's so easy to get caught up in the shopping, buying, giving, receiving, decorating, and all that and forget about the real meaning of Christmas. All these years I have been counting down the seconds till midnight when it goes from the 24th to the 25th to rip open my presents. Why do we open our presents on the 25th? Jesus didn't receive his gifts from the Three Kings till January 6th. Are we (people who open presents on the 25th) that impatient? I'm sure if I was anywhere but here I wouldn't be talking like this. But truth is, being here is giving me a different perspective on Christmas and I'm enjoying every piece of it.
     The Sisters here, celebrate Christmas but they also celebrate Three Kings Day. Some of the Sisters have told me that Three Kings Day is a bigger celebration than Christmas! I'm excited to see that happen. As of now, all I know is that we are having a Christmas dinner here that will be followed by lots of singing. I don't know any of the small details but I'll be sure to include them when the time comes.
    Thanksgiving was a very unique experience; non like before. First off, if I were with my family for Thanksgiving the day would have gone something like this: work in my sister's restaurant till 6 p.m., leave the restaurant by 7:30-ish p.m., go home and get ready, then all my siblings and family friends would meet at my parents house to begin our Thanksgiving celebration at about 9 p.m. Later on in the evening we would probably begin to put up the Christmas tree if we weren't too tired. Yup, exhausting.  In the monastery, we had noon prayers and a Thanksgiving lunch. We were done around 2:30 p.m. and had the rest of the day to ourselves. I felt a bit strange because I'm usually busy till evening so being done at 2:30 p.m. made my day feel really long. However, it worked out perfect because later on that evening I was able to Skype with my sisters, brother, nieces and nephews. It was so nice to see all of their faces excited because they could see me and because they were about to eat. I also received some great news about my new born niece and she will hopefully join the family by Christmas. Then on Saturday, Ashley and I put up and decorated the Christmas tree with the help of Sister Maria.  It's so beautiful. Sister Carmen is suppose to decorate the rest of the living room so I'm waiting till then to  post a before and after picture of the living room.
     Even at school, all the Christmas and Three Kings Day decorations are starting to go up and make the hallways look amazing. A couple teachers even have fully decorated Christmas trees in their classrooms. I can't remember ever seeing that! It is so nice to feel all this joy as we get closer to the 25th at school and in the monastery.

Keeping the mind occupied

      Wow! I feel awful for not posting in two weeks, but I have been busy at school and doing a lot of thinking while I'm at the monastery. At work, the computer lab has been picking up so there are a lot more classes going. Also, there is a group of three girls who are in seventh grade who have been making a PowerPoint Presentation on "Bullying" to classes in fifth, sixth, and seventh grade. In their presentation these young ladies talk about the different types of bullying (emotional, physical and mental), give examples of bullying, and suggest different methods to prevent bullying others and being a victim of bullying. I'm not sure how bad bullying is at Colegio San Benito but I imagine it's more or less the same as any other K-9 grade school. I just love that the computer lab is being used more and more every month. The first time this group of girls presented they were really shy and spoke very soft and could hardly be heard over the air conditioner. Having done many many presentations myself throughout my college career, I gave them some helpful tips on how to improve their presentation (make eye contact, don't read off the screen, don't write too much on the page, etc.). Thank you management department at CSB/SJU for drilling me on how to give a successful PowerPoint Presentation, I can now pass my knowledge to students in Puerto Rico!
     As for the kindergarten class, well they are something else. Everyday is a new adventure with them. Sometimes I tag-along with Ashley and see her with her other two classes because I cannot get enough of them somedays. I must say that sitting in with Ashley in her other classes is really interesting. Interesting because I see her adjust to every class. The way she teaches, talks, acts, and disciplines the students changes depending on the class she is teaching.  Impressive and cute to watch. Also, by discipline I mean how many times she calls a student's name before she writes it on the board. Continuing with the kindergartners, I am so proud of Ashley (and myself) for the test scores all three classes got on their second English test. The class I help Ashley with had an average score of 91%, her class for Miss Lopez had an average of 94% and her last class (if I recall correctly) had an average of 85%. I don't want to mention the test scores on the first test, but take my word that some of these students went from a very low grade to an A. Props to the parents as well because I'm sure they worked just as hard as we did.
      In the monastery, life just got better. Sister Miriam had an accident and was in the hospital for 10 days and finally came back on Tuesday. I really missed her jokes and her lively presence here. Sister Vivian got back last night from her trip to the Holy Land so we are complete again. Being in such a small community, one can really tell when a Sister is missing. It feels good to know that all the Sisters are back together and slowly but surely, we will be eating together again.
    As for me personally, I have purposely been trying keeping myself as busy as possible because it gives my mind less time to wander off and think. On November 6th, my oldest sister had an emergency C-section  to save her daughter Aliyah . I don't want to go into details about my sister and her new born but I will say that baby Aliyah has struggled to stay alive; she is having trouble breathing on her own. And that has had a toll on me emotionally. Though I pray for her health daily (and I know many people who are also praying for her; Thank You!) it's just so hard being so far. I wish I could go home for Thanksgiving to be with my family and meet my new niece. Thinking about not being home for Thanksgiving then makes me think about how I'm not going to spend Christmas with my family either. I knew this about the program and I was fine with it and I still am, but it's a harsh realization; my first Christmas without my family. Yes, the Sisters here are great and I'm sure I will have a wonderful time with them, but at the end of the day I just want to see my Mom and Dad (gosh, I'm getting teary as I'm typing). I am trying really really hard not to think this way and think about the positive in this: like experiencing a different Christmas, a new environment, a new culture, a new way of celebration overall. I have accepted that my honeymoon phase is literally over and now it's time to readjust. The most I've gone without seeing my family has been 5 months and knowing I won't see them for 9 months is... hard. When my mind wanders off like that, I usually quickly brush that thought off and think about the now and why I am here. I am here because I believe my service is helping the Benedictine community, the Sisters, and the school. I am here because I want to experience the Benedictine way of life with the Sisters of Monasterio Santa Escolastica. I am here because I believe I am making a difference.
    I am really grateful that Ashley is here with me. Not just because we can both cry together (it's a joke, we haven't cried... yet) but because its the two of us. We are both experiencing the same thing and can support each other. I know Megan is also going to spend Christmas away from her family too. But, we are all strong. I can just get really emotional sometimes. What doesn't kill me, makes me stronger.
    

My Schedule

          At times when I think about writing my blog I hit a slump because I get the "I have already written about this" feeling. I think about what I have done throughout the week that I would like to share or a particular point in time and it all seems pretty much the same to me, which isn't that exciting. But it wasn't till I mentioned my troubles to a dear Sister I was emailing back and forth who said "…just because it seems ordinary to you, doesn't mean it won't capture the interest of readers…” So this entry will be dedicated to everyone who wishes to know about my "ordinary week" here and how I feel my service is helping the people around me.

             The Sisters of the Monasterio Santa Escolastica have a K-9 elementary/intermediate school called Colegio San Benito. The Prioress, Sister Carmen is the Financial Controller of the school, the Sub Prioress, Sister Myriam is the Director, Sister Mary Ruth is the Principal, Sister Vivian is the Pastoral Coordinator of the school and a religion teacher for the intermediate students, Sister Flora is the Librarian, and Sister Esther is the school's registered nurse. There are two computer labs at school: one for the bilingual department and one for the Spanish department. I am the assistant for the bilingual computer lab. Depending on what day of the week and week of the month it is, my schedule varies daily. Mondays I have two kindergarten classes and Wednesdays I have the third class come and use the laboratory. In this early stage, my goals are to familiarize the kindergarteners with computer parts and control of the mouse. Their delicate little hands are too small right now to even teach them about right clicking with their index finger, but they do however right click with their thumbs. I set up learning games for the kindergarteners to play during their 40 minutes a week here. One of the three Kindergarten teachers will most often give me the topic they just learned or are learning about in their regular class that week and I find a game that relates to that topic. I try to use those 40 minutes here as additional practice for the kindergarteners without them knowing that. Having a computer in front of them, keeps most of them interested most of the time. 

         Aside from kindergarten, I also assist first through ninth grade bilingual teachers. The process here is that a teacher lets me know 1-2 days in advance the program and time their class will be using the computer lab. My job is to open the program on all 25 computers, make sure the program is running properly and that there are no malfunctions with the computer. If the teacher is going to be using sound, then I set up "group computers" (2-3 students to a computer and have them listen through a speaker instead of headphones) for the students. Most of the computers have sound, but not all the computers have headphones, so installing speakers makes it easier for all the students to participate. If a teacher is going to have a PowerPoint Presentation, then I set up the overhead projector in the computer lab. I believe my presence here has lifted a lot of pressure off Mr. De Jesus' shoulders. Mr. De Jesus is my mentor here and he is in charge of the computer lab in the Spanish department. Mr. De Jesus is also the technology director for the school. My being here has allowed Mr. De Jesus to focus on one department instead of two and gives him more time to work on technological repairs around the school. My being here has helped the teachers in the bilingual department maximize their time in the computer lab because they no longer spend 10 minutes getting all the programs started and I can help them and their students. Teachers don't come to the computer lab and drop off their students and expect me to teach them something; the teacher is still the teacher in the computer lab and I become their assistant. I also help Mr. De Jesus with miscellaneous tasks he needs help with.

         Besides the computer lab, I also help Ashley with one of her three kindergarten English classes. Why just one class you may ask? Well it is simple. For this particular class, there are a couple students who need closer attention because they are easily distracted and distract the other students. By having us both there, it is easier for us to do activities together, work in small groups, or work individually with those students who need the extra help. 

        I'm not sure if the sisters would have had to hire someone to assist Mr. De Jesus with the computer labs or if they would have gone on without a full-time assistant, but my presence here helps the bilingual department run a bit smoother. If Ashley wasn't here, a teacher who is already here might have had to teach the kindergarteners English aside from his/her own class. I think that my presence here has helped the sisters because we are now part of their staff. I am helping the teachers take full advantage of their time in the computer lab. I am helping the students by being a resource they can reach out to when they need help with computers. I am helping kindergarteners learn a new language that will hopefully benefit them for the rest of their lives. I am helping the Benedictine community of the Monasterio Santa Escolastica by being here and having them experience a different atmosphere in their community. However, even though I am here to assist others and share my knowledge, everyone has done a wonderful job at teaching me something new everyday. From living in a Monastery to the Kindergarteners, I am learning about the Puerto Rican culture and Benedictine way of life. But most importantly, I am learning more about myself. Living here has already started to change my perspective on life. 

Like A Prayer

"When do people pray?" asked Father Jaime during mass this past Sunday. Automatically I began to think about the times I pray and what I pray for if anything in specific.  If I backtracked to the beginning of this year, most of my prayers started off like, " Dear God, thank you for this day of life... Can u please help me... (what I needed help in) and I promise to..." or " Dear God, I'm sorry for... (what ever I was sorry for)" or my favorite " Dear God, I know I ask for a lot of things but can you please give me... ( patience, energy, or a positive mentality were usually what I asked for) and I promise to..." Most of the time when I prayed was in times of need or struggle, and I always felt like I had to do something in return for God for helping me. This was my way of not being selfish and only asking. I was blinded by the thought that "if God didn't help me the way I had prayed for, then he really wasn't helping me." Silly me. As if I could tell God how to help me. Just because God didn't help me the way I wanted him to, didn't mean he wasn't helping me. God only knows when the time is right and it took me a little while to realize that. God will not let me down, and God will help me get through everything because after all, "All things are possible  through Jesus Christ" Phillip 4:13.

     Father Jaime said that giving thanks is the second step in praying because one should not be selfish and forget to give thanks to the Lord just because times are better and you've been helped. Looking back at this summer I went on a streak of giving thanks for everything once I was finally happy with my life and didn't feel the need to ask for anything. I gave thanks for another day, a sunny day, a rainy day, a good day at work, a day with family, a day with friends, a good conversation with my boyfriend, making someone smile, someone making me smile; everything. It felt good to just be thankful. In my head I was pretty sure God, was glad I was just being thankful too.

 Finally, Father Jaime said that the last step in prayer people reach is when one prays for others. I noticed that lately I not only pray for me or give thanks for the things that I have gotten or are grateful for, but I also pray for others and give thanks for the things others have received. Yes, I would usually pray for my family but now I go beyond that. I ask God to help those who are less fortunate, those who are in a time of struggle, those who are sick, and for those who need his guidance. I ask God to help those who have recently lost someone and are sad, to see the light. I give thanks to God, for helping those who were struggling, for those who were sick, and for those whom he guided through a rough time. I'm not sure when I began to do this but now I say things like, " I'll pray for you" or "I'll keep you in my prayers" and really pray for them. I mean don't get me wrong, I wouldn't tell someone "I'll pray for you" and not do it but I would pray maybe once or twice for that person. Now, if I say "I'll pray for you" I do on a regular basis.

So listening to Father Jaime talk about prayer on Sunday put a smile on my face because without even realizing it, I have gone through the three steps he talked about. There's just this pleasure about realizing something after it has already happened. Kind of like an "Ahh" moment; a really good "Ahh" moment. What I find most interesting is that I don't know when the change in my prayer occurred, I don't believe its a coincidence because something had to happen to cause that change. What ever it was, I'm glad for it because now when I pray, I talk to God and not just at night before going to bed like I used to, but sporadically throughout the day. I can say that I have seen God everywhere and all around because I do believe God is everywhere all the time, but it has not been easy. It's hard to see God everyday because I'm not always walking on clouds and having the greatest time of my life, but being able to see God even when my smile is upside down let's me know that I am never truly alone and that I have worked hard to be able to feel God's presence even when times are bad. 

Maybe it's living in a monastery in Puerto Rico and volunteering that has helped me. Maybe it's going to prayers a few times a week, or maybe its praying everyday all the time that has caused the change in my prayers. Or maybe it's this entire experience that caused the change. What ever it was, I'm glad for it because this is something I will cherish and carry with me for as long as I pray.

3 Favorite Things About Today

    Today was an exciting day because we got to take Sister Mary Jane out for the day. We went to a Lechon grill (equivalent of  a pig roast) and sat by a little stream with great scenery. It was Caesar, Yvonne Sister Vivian, Sister Mary Jane, Ashley and myself. After spending a couple hours there, we headed over to Viejo San Juan. As we were driving there, surprise surprise, it began to pour! I thought we were going to look for plan B, but Yvonne insisted that we still go and Sister Vivian prayed to St. Scholastica to make the rain go away and sure enough by the time we reached El Morro in Viejo San Juan it'd stopped raining. We explored three levels of the fort and took lots of pictures. After that we took a walk down Calle del Christo and went into the Cathedral were a wedding was taking place. We also got to see the Plaza de las Palomas and to end our trip we went by The Raices (Roots) water fountain. It sure was a lovely day spent with great people.
    I'd like to mention a little piece of my conversation with Mary Jane yesterday that made me feel a whole lot better. I was talking to her about something along the lines of me finding it hard to see the bright side of things all the time or at least most of the time. So she said that a group of women she knows gets together every night and mentions the three favorite things about their day (I don't remember word for word but I'm sure it was something like that). She said that that helped her feel good about her day even when she thought her day wasn't so great. So I decided to adapt this evening practice for myself. Not that I had a bad day today but I'd still like to mention my three favorite things about today:
1) I really liked that we still went with our original plans and didn't change them because of the weather
2) I really liked that Sister Vivian went with us and had a great time; I really enjoyed all her historical information about everything we saw
3) I really enjoyed spending a full day with Mary Jane and getting to know her better than I did

S Vivian, S Mary Jane, Yvonne and Caesar @ the El Lechon Grill

Raices water fountain

In El Morro

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

Yesterday Ashley expressed how she felt about the kindergarteners, "I am in love I never thought you could be in love with more than one person but I am in love with 62 and they don't even reach my elbows. " I have to admit I feel the same way. Working in the computer lab has allowed me to meet students from k-9th grade. I feel closest to the kindergarten group because I also work with/for them when I help Ashley in Mrs. Velasques class and when I help her paste their work into their notebooks. I love those kindergartners.
      On a different note... Guess who is here? Yes! Sister Mary Jane! Oh, how good did it feel to see her in the airport and walking out of baggage claim. A part of MN is right here with us and it feels great. I am excited that she will be visiting the school tomorrow and supervising Ashley and myself. Thank you Sister Barbara for the cute picture and card, I will be sure to share them with Sister Myriam, Sister Rufina and Sister Flora.Sister Ruth, its unfortunate you couldn't come in Sister Mary Jane's checked luggage but thank you so much for the card that I received. It is still 85 degrees here with plenty of rain! Finally, thanks to all the Sisters who told Sister Mary Jane to say,"Hello" to us.  Really appreciate it. Thanks for the support, prayers, and love you are all constantly sending in my direction. It is greatly appreciated. When ever I start to get a little lonely or homesick I just remember that I am never alone (one: because God is always with me) because I have the support of a wonderful Benedictine Community. Miss and Love you all. 


                                                       ~Peace & Hugs, Laughs & Love~

Bless the hands that prepared this meal..

      After a full week of getting, having, and getting over the flu, I am proud to announce that my taste buds are back. Today just like  every Saturday I've been here Sister Flora has prepared lunch and boy, does she do a delicious job. Today's meal: Pollo en King (Chicken on King) was by far the best meal yet. Along with the chicken was rice, a carrot salad, homemade dressing and avocados. I am so glad the flu is gone and I was able to smell and taste the rice, chicken, mushrooms, bell peppers, and all the other magical ingredients that came together perfectly in order to complete the meal. Dessert was papaya (which I HATE fresh papaya) glazed with cinnamon and sugar. I didn't know it was papaya till I asked what I was eating. Mmm... Thanks to everyone who prayed for me to get well, it worked!
       On a equally exciting note, I am counting down the days (3 more days) till S Mary Jane comes to visit! S Mary Ruth has already mentioned a little place she'd like us to take S Mary Jane! Of course, I'm not going to say where, but I am excited to see a familiar face from Minnesota. I wonder if S Ruth is going to come along in S Mary Jane's check-in luggage? Well, you can't blame me for wondering.
    

Chef Nevarez

What an exciting weekend! To begin, Saturday was our day of cooking. We found out last Wednesday on our way to Longhorn Steakhouse when S Carmen casually mentioned that Ash and I were going to cook on Saturday for lunch. What a pleasant surprise right? Wrong! Ashley and I looked at each other with the expression of "What the..? What are we going to cook?" on our face. I quickly panicked as I tried to think of "meals" I can cook. (Quick note: all the sisters expressed how much they LOVED Mexican food upon our arrival three weeks ago and asked if we could cook anything). I thought, "Wow, they are really going to test us!" So after dinner that day, Ash and I taked about all the possible meals we could make without burning down the house, or at least the kitchen. We decided to make Green Chicken Enchiladas with traditional Mexican rice and beans, guacamole, chips and chocolate cake for dessert. On Friday when we went grocery shopping for all of the last minute ingredients, we discovered that Ralph's in Puerto Rico did not carry Enchilada sauce (who are we kidding, we weren't going to make it from scrach; I regrettably can't cook beans..yet) so we switched to plan B. Instead of Enchiladas, we were going to make Chicken tacos.

    Saturday morning, we started bright and early because in case anything happened, we had plenty of time to fix it. So as the sisters were starting their Chapter Meeting (thats the reason we were cooking) we started chopping in the kitchen. Ash startd with the cake and I started with the chips. I cut the tortillas in pretty little triangles and fried them up. Some were perfect, some were "tanned" and some a little roasted, but they were all delicious! Then I began the guacamole (my favorite). Ashley had already cut the cilantro, onions, tomato, and limes so my job was to smash the avocados, mix everything and add salt. MMMmmm (my mouth is watery just thinking about it!). Meanwhile Ashley is preparing the rice (which was AMAZING) and warming up the beans. Yeah, we didn't cook the beans from scrach; it takes too long. Any ways, finally we prepared the chicken and grilled it. We set up the table, fixed the food buffet style, and were done right at noon, just in time for lunch. Or so we thought. Usually, we eat lunch at noon but no one said we were having lunch at noon that Saturday. So we waited... and waited.... and waited. We wondered how long can a Chapter Meeting be? The sisters must be starving by now. So at 12:45 sharp, the sisters enter the kitchen. They compliment the smells and the looks of the food but, I just want them to taste the actual food. I was a bit nervous. When Ashley and I entered the dinning room, all the sisters began to compliment the actual food. We were extremely pleased by they compliments. They went something like, "It's so GOOOOD", "I've never had rice this delicious", "The chips are great", etc. Boy, was I happy. And then the unexpected happened. S Mary Ruth said she wanted us to cook for her birthday party. Since S Mary Ruth and S Vivian are born on the same month, S Vivian said we can cook for her too. And then, S Rufina (the sister who cooks most of the time) said that she didn't know who was going to cook on her birthday, but it wasn't going to be her. Wow! I was a bit shocked they liked it that much. Not that I expected the food to taste nasty or anything but I was really really happy they liked it so much. Some of the sisters even got up for seconds! So once again, Ash and I exchange that same look as we did when we found out we were cooking in the first place.  Last but not least, the Devil's Chocolate Cake! What a way to end a meal! I'll just say that some of the sisters took a nap after this lunch.

    Then Saturday evening, Ash and I went out with Yvone and her husband Ceasar (a couple that the sisters have know for almost a decate and are in the same choir group). They took us out to El Conquistador resort in Fajardo. I went to the casino for the first time and played on the slot machines. Those are the only machines I understood. All in all, it was a good evening of just being out and in a new enviroment. Then on Sunday, Ash and I went to mass in the morning and then spent the whole afternoon in Plaza Las Americas. Its like a smaller version of the Mall of America with a little over 300 stores. Walking around and seeing all the familiar stores made me feel as if I was 'home" for a bit. Again, it was nice to just be out and about, walking, people watching, and doing a little shopping. It was a great and enjoyable weekend and we found out that this weekend might be full of excitement as well.

       S Maria's nephew is getting married this weekend and S Mary Ruth told me that we might be going along with her.  The wedding is in Maria's hometown of Mayaguez. Mayaguez is located on the west side of the island and rumor has it that the best beaches are on the west! So i'll just wait and see what happens next... Till then, toodles!

We don't explode, we stretch...

Maybe about 90% of the time I had dinner at Gorecki I would always end my meal by saying, "Ugh. I feel I'm gonna explode" (after eating so much of course). And onetime my dear sweet friend Jackie Murillo corrected me one time and replied, " We don't explode, we stretch." For some reason I thought that was the funniest thing, anyone could have said. But having that shame of being so full that I couldn't move, or eating so much I would get tired and sleepy, made me come to the decision that I should not ever have that feeling again because it wasn't a good one. It was selfish to eat that much food simply because I could. I am proud to say that I have not said, "I feel I'm gonna explode" much since I graduated in May 2010. Of course until today.

   S. Mary Ruth told me yesterday that S. Carmen (aka the Prioress) wanted to take us (the September birthday girls) out for dinner today. She said it was a surprise and had no idea where we were going. We went to Longhorn Steakhouse (S. Carmen's favorite restaurant!) to celebrate our birthdays for the third time! I ordered a Tender Mushroom Filet Chops smothered with onions, mushrooms, and red wine sauce with french fries. This was of course after, a slice of bread with butter, 2 wings, a Caesar Salad and half of my Pina Colada. After the meal, I murmured Jackie's response to my little guilty after meal guilt. I laughed. But it was all so good and tasty and the steak was juicy and well done (sorry I don't like pink meat) just how I like it. S. Carmen asked if we'd like dessert and looking around I could see everyone was full as well. So she suggested we buy Krispy Kreme doughnuts and take them home. I couldn't believe she could still crave something after our dinner when I felt like unbuckling my pants. As we walked into the Krispy Kreme doughnut shop, we were greeted by a lovely gentlemen who gave us all free, fresh, soft, mouth watering and melting glazed doughnuts right off the line! Mmm, did I mention they were free?! So I ate it and unbuckled my pants instead of trying to suck in my stomach. "Sweet Jesus" as Ann Marie would say. it was a perfect treat. The entire evening was a gift on top of a gift. I have really felt at home here (with the exception of last weekend). The Sisters are all truly, Gifts from God.

     The reason I said that I have celebrated my birthday three times is because I have. One: the day of my birthday, two: Yesterday (the Sisters celebrated all the September birthdays), and three: Today. Yesterday we had a blast! Mass, dinner, the singing, dessert, the games,  the blessing, and all the gifts. I haven't had such a wonderful party since my Quinceanera. I received some PJ's, lotion, deodorant, toothpaste, drier sheets, soap (lots of it!), face wash, and most important cards. Each Sister wrote a card in addition to their gift and they expressed how grateful they are that we are here, how much they care for us, and some of the Sisters wrote "blessings from God and the Virgin Mary". I love them! Its been great. 

Can I have some TCL to go please?

Okay, so it took me two weeks to become "ill". Since I was a little girl, whenever traveling my family was always very careful because I was the one that fell, got injured, got sick, cut herself, pretty much the one that accidents always happened to. So now that I have been in Puerto Rico for two weeks, can someone please tell me how is it possible that my right eye is swollen for no given reason? I had an ingrown pimple (i know its sick) next to my nose and all of a sudden I wake up and my right eye is swollen all around =(. I really just wanted to be home this weekend. Ashley and I shared similar feelings today about that. 

    Its not that any particular event happened that made me feel this way, but I just got really home sick. i just wanted to see my mom and have her nurse me back to health. She would have put some ointment on my face, probably made me a tea to drink and some chicken soup. Gosh, I miss home right now. I will not post a picture of my face because I think its pretty ugly looking right now. I just hope the swelling goes down by tomorrow just in time for school. 

   its getting late so I'm going to go to bed. Miss you Mom, Raulito, and Dad. Miss you Sisters and all the kids. If I would have been home today, we would have gotten off work at 6pm, gotten home like at 7:30 pm, and my Dad would have probably invited people over to out house for a bit. 

   On the bright side, things can only go uphill from here.

Todo En Su Tiempo

Wednesdays around here are sort of a "free evening" day because we only have morning prayer (so, if the Sisters wish to do something out of the daily work, they can take this evening). Today, September the 8th, is S. Maria's Birthday! She would not tell us how many years she has been alive but my guess would be about 50-55 tops. S. Maria is such a lively woman who speaks ridiculously fast in spanish. When she talks I literally just try my best to listen for key words so I can make out what it is, she is talking to me about. Then I repeat what I think she said and she'll say yes or no. Once, I told her that she speaks really fast for me and she looked at me for 5 seconds, raised her eyebrows, and smiled. She is a sweetheart too. One always knows when S. Maria is around because she whistles her way throughout the house, so you can hear her before you see her. Happy many Birthdays to you Sister Maria!
     Today at Colegio San Benito (how funny huh, english translation: College of Saint Benedict) was my first REAL work day! I had two classes come to the computer lab: one was math, the other narrative writing. With the math class, I sort of just supervised the students and made sure they were all playing math games. But in the narrative writing class, I helped with Microsoft Word editions 2003 and 2007. It was simply spell check, open file, save and print. The teacher (Ms. J. Morales) had given them an assignment to write their own narrative short story. As I walked around the computer lab, I read bits and pieces from the student's papers, some of them had titles like, "Violent School", "Biggest Loser, Gustavo", "Robot Mixer", and "Ms. Morales and her Puppy." Something I noticed right away was how meticulous the stories were. For example, "Biggest Loser, Gustavo" (more like BIGGEST LOSER, Gustavo!) went something along the lines of, "Gustavo is so fat. He wants to loose weight. So he plays a show to get fit. He weighs 3,000 pounds. He has to be naked because no clothes fits him. So he loses weight. Then he is happy because he is fit." Wow! I can really picture this Gustavo guy being really fat and sad, but determined to loose weight. So he participates in a game to help him "get fit". Sounds a lot like the TV show "Biggest Loser", but the fact that a 2nd grader can type this amazes me for some reason. I cannot complain, I had a great day in the lab.
     Then, I helped Ashley with Mrs. Velasquez class. I believe Mrs. Velasquez has the most kindergardeners out of the three classes. She has this one particular boy (whom I will not mention his real name and will call Bobby) who is a handful himself. He did not attend pre-school, and is the youngest of them all. So, Bobby said (because he didn't ask) he needed to go to the bathroom and I said no. There was about five minutes of class left and since he wasn't doing the "Pee-Pee dance" (you know when a child is holding their legs tight and swinging them from side to side saying, "I really need to go") I thought I could make him wait it out. But he insisted that he needed to go and started crying, so I walked him to the restroom. He went in, washed his hands and came out. As he was walking out, I told him that we needed to hurry up because it was already time to go home. Well, instead of hurrying up to the classroom, Bobby started running towards the gate (about a 50 yard dash). He ran all the way to the front of the gate, turned around, ran towards the classroom, then turned back around and ran towards the gate again, waited, then ran to the classroom (meanwhile, I'm running behind him the whole time scared to death that this little boy might actually exit the gate). I have to admit, its funny now, but I was worried. But he made it to class safe.

      After school, S. Mary Ruth and S. Vivian took Ashley and I out for a drive. We drove up to Naguabo (the next town East) and walked on the beach. The scenery was breathtaking, the water was clear, little fish were dancing around our feet, and the sun shining high like only the sun can. It was the perfect place to take the time to really see a part of God's perfect creation and feel blessed for having the privilege of just being there.
     I really am happy to be here, and truly am grateful for being able to experience what I have experienced so far. I know it has only been a week and 4 days and have a lot to learn, but not every 22 year old, just out of college grad has the opportunity to live in a Benedictine Monastery, with 10 wonderful Sisters and volunteer at a K-9th grade school where everyday is a learning experience. Yes, I could have been working for a salary or hourly wage, but would I be discovering who I am? Or who I want to be? Or how I want to be? With myself? Towards others? Probably not. And like my sweet Father always says, "Todo en su tiempo" (Everything in its time). And  right now that "tiempo" is about me and my spiritual, physical, and mental journey with the Benedictine Values and how they will define my values for the rest of my life.

Shoe Heaven!

Well, it turns out that there is a little shoe store on the way to the post office and Ashley and I decided to "take a look"on out way back home. BAD MOVE! They have many heels, wedges, pumps, flats, jewelry and clothes! We didn't take a look at the clothes, but the most expensive pair of shoes was oh, about $12.99. I have to admit I am pretty pretty excited! Now I'd like to show off the Purple Pumps Ashley bought me for my birthday. Thanks Ash! Now guess where I'll be buying Ashley's birthday present?!

Festival De La Pana

Flan de Pana

Today Sister Vivian took her mom Luz, Ashley and I to the Festival de la Pana in her hometown, Barrio de la Mariana. It was the 23rd Annual of this festival where everything sold (at least food wise) is made with Pana. Pana is a fruit that grows on these tall green trees and depending on the size can almost pass as a green basketball. Also depending on how ripe the fruit is, it can be bitter to very sweet. Ashley and I tried sushi made with Pana, Flan de Pana, pastries made with Pana, and I bought a cocada con Pana. To be pretty honest, I cannot explain the taste of Pana. For example, the sushi had Pana instead of rice, but it tasted just like sushi with a slightly different taste. But nothing out of the ordinary. My apologies if my explanation sucks, but thats how I feel, I cannot explain it.
After the festival, Sister Vivian took us to Palmas del Mar which is a private resort outside of Humacao. The location has an amazing crystal blue beach on site and the homes there look like the "Suburbs". Beautiful, big homes that over look the beach. I was very surprised for some reason when I saw this place. Even though it is very very beautiful and elegant, it would be a shame to travel all the way to Puerto Rico and judge the entire Island based on this tiny private resort. I feel that I have experienced and seen more of Puerto Rico living in the monastery than I ever would staying at a resort. 
  Any ways, going back to some of the things I have done this week include going grocery shopping with Sister Rufina and helping her make the salad for dinner, celebrating my birthday, going to school and assisting Ashley as we both taught about 18 kindergardeners the A-B-C song and danced all around the class room, and attending Visperas (evening prayer). I'd like to mention that Sister Rufina is allowed to give us "the body of Christ" during evening prayer. Sister Mary Ruth explained that she is certified to do that and that Sister Carmen whom is the Prioress is automatically allowed to do that because of her position. There is something unexplainably powerful about having a woman take this role. I understand Sister Rufina cannot bless the wine or the bread like a priest can and she cannot hold mass either. But the simple fact that it is her, presenting the Body of Christ to me, make me feel as if patriarchy is nonexistent for those 5 seconds in the Catholic Church. I am surprised Saint Benedicts Monastery does not practice this, but I am sure they have very good reasons why they do not. the Sisters from the Monasterio Santa Escolastica do this out of necessity because there are only two Priest in this area. I just waned to mention, that I love it!
  
      

I can hear the Coquis!

First full day in Humacao, Puerto Rico and we already have Hurricane Earl heading this way! As for now it is projected to be a tropical storm, but Sister Mary Ruth said that it can still change to a hurricane so we are taking all precautions and preparing for it. I have to admit that I am a bit excited because I have never experienced a hurricane but I am also scared because bad things can happen.

On a happy note, I have to talk about a funny thing that happened in the airport to Ashley and I. So, we had landed in San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) and were walking to baggage claim when we saw this sort of tall woman who looked Caucasian, had short grayish hair, with glasses and a bright blue (like the blue from the Bahamian Flag ) t-shirt on, walking towards us. For a split second, my heart dropped as we simultaneously thought "ANN MARIE"but that thought disappeared just as fast as it came to mind. It was impossible for that woman to be  Sister Ann Marie because that meant she would have had to been on the same plane as us (not to mention catch the same plane from MSP too). But for that split second, a warm familiar feeling rushed through my body and I felt as if I was back in the Saint Benedict's Monastery. I miss all the Sisters already. But we were received by two special Sisters from El Monasterio Santa Escolastica, Sister Mary Ruth and Sister Maria, or should I say, Hermana Mari Ruth y Hermana Maria.

Today, we met the rest of the Hermanas, had lunch with them, mingled, told a few stories about the things we did when we were in the Monastery, and of course delivered all the hi, hellos, and hugs sent via "Nunny mail" through the "kindness of Ashley and Daisy." Then during evening prayer, something unexpected happened: the continuation of the Blessing now from the Hermanas here. It was beautiful. They blessed Ashley and I (and of course we cried) and gave us a gift: a shiny black bracelet with Saint Benedict and the Saint Benedict cross all around. =)

After the Blessing, we had dinner and went to mass. I am now home and I can hear the Coquis outside the window. Since we are preparing for a possible hurricane, the Hermanas brought in all the plants and I think some of those frogs came inside along with the plants =/ But its a nice little sound, for now.

See You Later MN

Hello and welcome to my blog. Today was the last full day of the BWSC orientation. It was a very emotional day for all of us (Megan Sinner, Ashley Zartner, and myself). In a span of 10 days we learned so much and bonded with the Sisters we came in contact with. They received us with a warm welcome, offered us their home, shared their stories, got to know us, but most importantly we got to know them. As Ashley said earlier today that she had never experienced unconditional love besides her mother and God, we definitely experienced unconditional love here. I am sure going to miss the Sisters and everything about this place, but I am also excited to begin my adventure in Puerto Rico.

As one of the pioneers of this program, I am excited, thrilled, nervous, and ready. My cup of knowledge and Benedictine values is now full and ready to be shared with everyone I meet in Puerto Rico. Ashley and I will be leaving this Saturday and begin working on a very special day Thursday, September 2nd (also known as my Birthday!). I have to admit, I am pretty nervous about my 22nd birthday date and the new experiences and friendships I will begin to develop from that day on.

So for now I say, "See you later MN and Hello Puerto Rico!"