Orientation Madness

Hey World!
Sorry I´ve been MIA for the past month, this whole orientation thing has kept me busy.  So while I´d love to include everything that has happened, for the sake of your eyes and my budget, I won´t do that. Instead, I´ll give you a few highlights.


Boston Orientation
1. Finding out my house. We were kept waiting in mystery for the first week of orientation as to where we were living and with whom.  Naturally, I was incredibly nervous to find out, but when they called my house, I was flooded with relief and happiness. Not that there´s any of the 16 volunteers I´d be mad if I got them in my house, but just knowing made it so much better. I will be living in AJS, or Antonio Jose de Sucre, a neighborhood in Duran where I stayed as a retreatant. I am in the smallest house of 4 people, and also the only all girls house. I will be living with Julia, who´s from the Philly area and went to University of Scranton, Liz, who´s from Long Island and went to John Carroll, and Brittany, who´s also from Long Island (I can´t escape the Long Islanders! Part of my life now), and went to Manhattan. These are girls I clicked with instantly and have always been able to be myself around, so I´m really excited to see how the year goes with 3 great girls!
2. Being with the JVC group. JVC International volunteers were also with us for orientation, and they offered great light and insight, and were a ton of fun to be around. It was sad to leave some new friends!
3. Silent retreat. During the 2 weeks, we had a lot thrown at us, from talks and sessions to being constantly surrounded by people. The silent retreat at the end was a great chance to unwind and process everything, as well as have some quality God time before departing. I did a lot of journaling, reflecting, and relaxing. Yet what I was most surprised by was how much fun I had. Even in silence, we found a way to be goofy and let go, such as piano recitals and dancing in the rain.


Ecuador Orientation
1. Meeting neighbors. A huge part of this year is being with people and not doing, and we have started that by hanging out with neighbors. I have found everyone hospitable, loving, and generous, even though they don´t usually have much to give. So many have given us food and drink )which we have to take even when we don´t want it!) and have been open about their own lives. The other night, as a welcome dinner for us and a goodbye dinner for the old volunteers, Wellington (one of the guards who lives next door and is awesome) and Soraya (his wide, a sweetheart) cooked us a huge lasagna dinner. Their three kids and some neighborhood friends were also in attendance, and it made me feel incredibly welcomed into the community.
2. The old volunteers. While most just left, they have been here and have been a great resource for us--so helpful! They have showed us the ropes concerning living in community, introducing us to people, helping us with our jobs, and much more. Seeing how much they have grown gives me hope for me in one year.
3. Last Saturday, we went to mass in Mt. Sinai (an invasion community on the other side of Guayaquil from Duran, where I am) so that we could visit the volunteers there and get to know their community. The mass at Santa Teresa on Saturday night was one of the most beautiful experiences I´ve had. In the beginning, I met a girl named Gabriela, and I could tell immediately she was special. This was the last mass for the old volunteers, so the whole thing was especially emotional. During peace (which was akin to Loyola´s peace--that huggs and long), she came up to me and hugged me for at least five minutes, neither of us letting go. I literally felt like I was holding Jesus--she was crying, vulnerable, scared, sad, yet grabbing onto hope and trusting that it will be ok. Her beauty amazes me and I know I will never forget it.
4. The beach! As a surprise after a hard few weeks, Megan (the in country director) took us to the beach Thursday, which was the perfect way to unwind, relax, and reenergize.
5. Moving in. After nearly one month of living out of a suitcase, we finally moved into our house on Saturday. Unfortunately, this meant doing a mega clean of Arbolito, another volunteer house, which was at least fifty times more disgusting than the dirtiest frat house you´ve ever seen...but at least it´s clean now! Our house is adorable, perfect for the 4 of us. I love it so much and I can´t wait to make it our home.
6. Finding out my job placement. The first week, we were busy visiting all the job sites, and Tuesday we officially decided where we will each be. I will be an English teacher for the afternoon school at Nuevo Mundo, a great school in Guayaquil for rich kids in the morning and kids who can´t afford school in the afternoon. I´ll be teaching 2 classes a day to the US equivalent of 8th and 9th graders, and working in the community in the morning. I´m nervous to start but curious as to what´s in store for me!


I promise to write more about my community and worksite soon--those are 2 things I want to spend time on and give you enough information about, so be patient and know that it will come! In the mean time, paz y amor!