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.