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.