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.