"Hello, Teacher"

            Despite the desire I expressed in my last post to be a reliable and steady example of faith and genuine love for the girls, it now seems that I will be unable to be quite as reliable as I had hoped. Oh, how to begin this explanation…

            Initially, I was sent by the Salesians to work as a volunteer at the Hogar.  However, only 3 days before our fellow volunteer, Lainie, was due to arrive in Montero, I entered (rather unsuspectingly) a rapid-fire series of discussions with Madre Rosario, Madre Clara, and Madre Inez, concerning the work to be assigned to Lainie and I.  Although I by no means wanted to have the responsibility of making a decision that would surely have a significant impact on all involved, my attempts to give the sisters the authority in making the decision were unsuccessful—in fact, they returned the choice to me on two occasions.  That is, they wanted me to choose to either take on the position originally designated for Lainie, or to continue at the Hogar as library manager. During the process, I tried to give serious, prayerful consideration to the strengths, weaknesses, and personalities of both myself and other volunteers who would be affected. The sisters, hoping to have someone take over the position of an English teacher at the Institute, thought it might be best to have someone with a solid grasp on Spanish in the position. In addition, I knew Lainie had originally anticipated working in an orphanage and could quickly win the affection and respect of the girls with her lively spirit and fun personality. And, I thought, I would enjoy the opportunity to teach children about language, and I have a background that seems to have prepared me a bit more for that type of work.

            Finally, I have had, for a long time, a profound admiration for good teachers, those people who teach not only in a professional capacity, but teach as a way of life, because that’s part of who they are.  The people I cherish and respect most as mentors are teachers and professors; many of my friends are currently working as teachers or hope to be teachers some day; the man with whom I shared my most influential and profound relationship to date also had a beautiful gift for teaching, which drew me to love and admire him deeply.  When he was the midst of teaching me or others, I would sometimes be hit by a wave of intermingled but very strong feelings: gratitude, desire, admiration, pride in him, joy… in essence, I think it was during those moments that I found it easiest to see Christ working through him. And, of course, Christ was called Teacher by his disciples.

            Although I do not claim to have the same gift for teaching that so many of my friends and mentors own, I would like so much to be for the children here what these people have been for me. Strangely enough, I originally applied to the Salesian program and various other volunteer programs with the vague idea of going abroad for the year as a teacher.  Around the same time that I began seriously considering various missionary programs, I received notice that I had not been accepted as an English Teaching Assistant with the Fulbright program. Though slightly disappointed, I turned my full attention to the other volunteer programs, now fully convinced that I should be doing work within the auspices of the Catholic Church during my year of service. When I joined the Salesians, I decided to give myself entirely over to God’s will, and I was ready to jump into the Hogar life with both feet. However, it now seems that the stirring desire to teach that I experienced before coming here was not a distraction from God’s purpose for me in Bolivia: He simply took His time in revealing that purpose to me. So, without further ado, dear reader, I have decided to accept the offer from the sisters to transition from the Hogar to the Instituto San José Sebastian, where I will soon begin teaching summer courses in English. 

            Of course, my heart now feels a little hollow and strained every time I think about my girls at the Hogar, with whom I cannot be present in the same way.  I am determined to find some way of finding time to visit them regularly—if not every day, then at least every other day. That said, in keeping with the Salesian spirit, I am actively striving to be present to my  community at the  Instituto, including my new site partners (Viv, Laura, and Tom), the “Profes” (short for profesora) at the Guardaria and the Kinder, and the hundreds of adorable children who attend the programs here. 

            Although the task of establishing a curriculum and lesson plans is rather daunting (as is the slew of fresh rules of interaction to which I must grow accustomed), I have been granted the privilege of a few experiences which motivate me to continue responding positively to this new calling. Most salient among these have been my encounters with the young children at the Guardaria and the Kinder, some of whom smile and approach shyly, growing more animated when I ask their names and chat with them. Sometimes they call to me and wave--they don’t know who I am, but they assume that, like the rest of the adults there, I am just another “Profe.” A few days ago, I realized how thrilled I am to be taking on this new role, when I experienced a surge of excitement and delight at the greeting of a precocious little girl named MariaElise. Without any other provocation or introduction, she strode boldly to my side and said simply: “Hello, Teacher.” U.I.O.G.D.

Just a few of the Hogar girls I will miss. And my new room at the Instituto!!