New Beginnings

     I would like to inform everyone that my tooth extraction went well. I actually felt no pain and at one point I even began to think that everyone who frightened me with their stories were exaggerating or couldn't handle pain very well. I felt like this for about two hours before the anesthesia began to wear off. When that pain started kicking in, I was walking back and forth in my room waiting for the pain killers to kick in because I couldn't figure out if I wanted to cry or lay in bed for the pain to go away. But that was the most pain I felt. I don't do well with pain so as soon I started to feel the slightest pain I took a pain killer. I mean I bought pain killers just incase so why "take the pain" if I really don't have to? My cheek was swollen for a few days but nothing major; it was a successful extraction!

     So, because of my extraction I missed the first week of school and started working the second week on Tuesday (Monday was MLK). My new schedule goes like this: 8:10 a.m.-10:55 a.m. I tutor a student named Robin in Ms. Morales' 4th grade Bilingual class in English, Math and Science. At 10:55 a.m. I supervise the playground for First, Second, and Third grade students till 11:45 a.m. I take my lunch with Ashley  at 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. The last two periods I have open for substitutions if necessary but if I am not substituting then I go back and help Robin with Religion and Spanish. Needless to say, I am busy, busy, busy and I love it!

      Why Robin you ask? Well in S Mary Ruth's words "Robin (and her sister) is a special case." Robin and her family came from Holland last summer. Robin's first language is Dutch and was learning some English in Holland. Her family moved here on business related terms. From what I know, her parents were not planning on staying for more than a year but that might change because they liked Puerto Rico. Robin had a difficult time last semester because she didn't understand English very well and two of her classes were entirely in Spanish (Religion and Spanish) and her teachers didn't know enough English to translate everything for her. So this semester I am working side by side with Robin till the beginning of April. Personally, I think her English is great for the most part, Spanish well, let me ask this: Can you learn a new language when it's taught in that language? If you are like most people I would say no. So Spanish is a bit difficult for her. I've sat next to her for a few classes and I even don't know what she is learning in Spanish so I'm learning too, then teaching her. These past two weeks have been so fulfilling I cannot explain the joy I feel. I told her from the beginning that I am here to help her with her work so eventually she does all the work on her own. In the beginning of April I will start substituting full-time for an Art teacher that is going on maternity leave. So far, Robin has had an oral presentation for English and a pop-quiz on multiplication and got a 90%. I am so proud of her and am looking forward to see her improve. 

Let the Good Times begin! Or shall I say Continue?

S Annie T. baking cookies.

     This year was off to a great start. Thanks to my boyfriend Sean of almost 4 years, I was able to receive this New Year in his hometown of Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas with his family and him. It was so great to spend lots of time with his family and sight seeing around the island. Nassau may be 7 mi. X 21 mi. but driving around it sure makes it seem a lot bigger. On my last day there, we were able to make a quick stop by St. Martin's Monastery where the Benedictine Sisters live. I was received by a nice big warm hug and was given a tour of the monastery by S Mary Benedict. I told the Sisters I came across, that I was one of the three volunteers from the BWSC program and they seemed so excited and happy to have me stop by. I gave them all greetings and blessings on behalf of the Sisters from Puerto Rico (the Sisters in PR asked me to if I stopped by) and I brought greeting and blessings back. I had a wonderful time in Nassau but like every break one enjoys, it always feels too short.

Los Tres Reyes

     I returned on the 5th and on the 6th I was on the road again with S Carmen, S Mary Ruth, Yvonne, Caesar and Ashley on our way to Juana Diaz to celebrate El Dia De Los Reyes (Three Kings Day). We arrived at Juana Diaz to catch a glimpse of the last of the parade just as two of the three kings were passing by. Following the Kings were two separate groups that came in singing and dancing. This reminded me a bit of Junkanoo in the Bahamas where you have different groups rushing with costumes, playing music, dancing, and marching. Not to say that Junkanoo and this celebration are alike because they are extremely different and they cannot be compared but just the pattern was similar: costumes, dancing, singing, and a band. The parade ended in front of the Plaza in Juana Diaz. We had a two hour out door mass to complete the festival. We stayed around for a few hours after mass to eat and check out the tents that were selling things like natural soaps, candles, candy, hand made crafts, and anything having to do with Los Tres Reyes (the Three Kings). After the celebration we headed over to the Holiday Inn in Ponce and stayed the night there. It was really nice not to have anything planned for the evening since I (and I'm sure everyone else too) was drained from being out in the sun all day! The next day S Mary Ruth and Yvonne took Ashley and I for a small tour around the Plaza in Ponce. We were back in the monastery by 5p.m. that day that I was finally able to unpack from the Bahamas and this trip. It was a really really good Christmas break!

S Carmen and I during our trip to Juana Diaz.

     Spring semester started today at Colgio San Benito, but I won't be starting till Monday. Given that tomorrow I will be visiting the dentist to get my wisdom tooth removed, I was going to miss tomorrow and Friday (everyone I've talked to has told me that I will NOT be able to do anything the day after) so S Mary Ruth told me to stay home today.

     Last semester I spent most of my time at school assisting any teacher that needed my help in the Bilingual Computer lab. Everyday in the morning I helped Ashley with one of her three Kindergarten class as well. Ashley and I had a deep conversation about her confidence in the classroom and we agreed that it would be a good idea if Ashley began this semester by herself. She is so confident (at least from my point) that I feel Ashley is so ready to continue teaching on her own. As for me, I will begin to do something different too. S Mary Ruth is currently working on a new schedule for me to begin work on Monday once this whole tooth thing is taken cared of. As of right now, I am not sure what I will be doing though I might be a teacher's assistant for a 4th grade bilingual class and a teacher's assistant for an art teacher who teaches 7th-9th grade. I will be more certain of my new schedule once Mary Ruth comes home. But I am excited!

Church in Ponce, PR.

     Thinking about starting a new semester is a bit awkward. It is awkward because it means I have to acknowledge that one semester is done, one is beginning and I am at the half way mark. I can't even begin to explain all of the mixed feelings that are bottled up inside. I'm sure I will write about all my feelings later down the road and for now I just want to enjoy today and not worry that I have um, oh lets see, about 18 weeks left! I can freak myself out sometimes. I just have this thing for dates and counting down that I can sometimes upset those close to me (e.g. When I tell Ashley how much time we have left) if they aren't as excited as I am.  So, all in all I am well rested and ready to start this new second semester and see what's coming my way. 

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.