Catching Up

Ooooof. It feels strange to realize that it's really been so long since my last update: so, sincere apologies to my faithful readers, who I'm sure would appreciate more consistency on my part. I think first, following the suggestion of a friend (thank you, Greg), I'll do a little bit of review and share some photos of the highlights.

Here are a few of the sisters at our Thursday Convent Lunch. Madre Ines (beaming in gray) is the director of the Guarderia, where I have been spending part of my time observing the two pre-kinder classes to identify any kids who might be at risk for falling behind in school later due to possible (undiagnosed) learning disabilities, difficulties in particular subject areas, or speech problems. Madre Ruth (foreground right) is probably less than 5 feet tall, but is always smiling and friendly--she and I made a tres leches cake together, with the generous assistance of the Postulants (Lourdes, Eusebia, Rosalia, and Angelica), which we served in honor of AnnMarie's despedida (celebration of saying goodbye). Hermana Sara (not pictured) and I are working together leading one of the youth groups on Saturdays--a youth group oriented on Franciscan spirituality (awesomeness). And, I just discovered recently that Hermana Angela has a passion for music, though she doesn't know how to read it, yet. (I might try to help her remedy that, at least indirectly.) Hermana Paula and I exchange jokes almost every time we pass each other--she's quite witty. And, Madre  Clara, of course, is the director of the Kinder, the general director at the convent, and, therefore, my new "boss." I have been growing accustomed to taking on lots of random assignments at her request, from buying kitten food to developing last-minute photos before graduation to designing Christmas cards for fellow sisters in Poland. She is truly dedicated to her work though and genuinely kind, so I'm glad to be able to help take some work off her shoulders.

On an end-of-the-year trip with the Kinder profesoras, we visited the Mariposario, which is a nature resort, boasting man-made pools and waterfalls, kayaking, an island full of cute Capuchin and yellow monos, a giant avian enclosure (which reminded me slightly of Jurassic Park), and an expansive butterfly sanctuary. The latter was simply mesmerizing. Butterflies of all colors and  sizes (some with wingspans longer than my hand) whooshed by every few seconds, some so close to my ears that I could hear the slight puff of air displaced by their wings. It felt simply magical to walk among so many delicate, beautiful creatures, twirling and flitting between rays of sunshine and vibrant green foliage. I was only able to capture one or two on camera, as they were in constant motion. I felt as if I had stepped into the enchanted forest of a children's fairy tale. And, like a child, I stared around  half-smiling and wide-eyed, on the verge of laughing in joy and wonder.

Over the past few weeks, my responsibilities have been quite diverse.  As I mentioned earlier, I found myself in the unanticipated role of school photographer for about two and a half weeks, organizing and shooting photos of rambunctious 5- and 6-year-olds, who were dressed by their teachers in miniature suits and princess dresses, complete with tiaras. We originally started out doing paired photos (see below), which might have sped up the process a little. However, we ended up creating individual photos for almost every student.  Struggling against absenteeism, miscommunication with the teachers, and the mass confusion generated by crowds of hyper children, I realized some of my own limitations, in terms of patience and organizational prowess. Nevertheless, the end result was largely successful, and I believe the majority of parents were satisfied with their princesas and principes.


Of course, as soon as I washed my hands of the photo project, hoping to avoid even looking at a camera for several days, my site partners informed me that there was usually and end-of-the-year video created for the parents as well. To get extra practice with video-editing, which I had recently covered in the graphic design course I'm taking here, I decided to revamp my energy for another project. Fortunately, all that was required of me was to combine sections of video and pictures, add a little music, toss in a few title screens, and voila! Ha. I had yet to realize that the excessive amount of material and my perfectionist tendencies would drive me to spend several long nights on another arduous process of arranging and editing. However, once again, the final product had some redeeming value: I feel accomplished to have generated my very own somewhat- professional video (unfortunately, I can't share it here, as some of the music is copyrighted).

On November 19, I started my teaching job, officially. My schedule became much more regular and the demands on my time more pressing, which, is in large part, responsible for the lack of posts you all have noticed. But, rather than tell you all about teaching at the moment, I'll let you readers chew on these stories for a little while, as I prepare the next installment of catch-up posts. Thank you all for being involved in my mission by reading. Please don't hesitate to share what I've mentioned here with others you might know, even if I don't know them myself.