Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Journey in Uruguay- Tuesday July 30th, 2013
Today is our final full day in El Dorado and our day began earlier than usual. With our usual breakfast and our bodies ready for another day of work, we made our way to the San Adolfo Fe y Alegria school. I am now thinking about the progress which we have made over the past few days at both the school and the Fe y Alegria teen center. It has been a group effort with each member doing their part to achieve success throughout the duration of our stay.
As we arrived at the school we split into groups with half painting the remaining walls, while the rest scraping away at pillars and walls which were dirty. I was in the group scraping away paint and dust which had accumulated over time. The repetitive movement of the steel brush and the constant barrage of shavings hitting my face made it quite difficult to work effectively. To top it all off, the day had mixed weather with the heat blasting us in the morning and the cold air in the evening. At this point I have become accustomed to the weather, but what surprised me was the fact that there are so many people in Uruguay who have to deal with this type of labor in these conditions every day. This feeling of thankfulness which I am having runs through the veins of each and everyone in the group as it motivates us to work harder.
To continue on our labor experience, one man in particular, the painting contractor Fernando, has been assisting us on our mission to improve the school. He has been both a great help and motivational figure as he, while having an injured leg, has been working with us the entire time . Not only is he hopping around from place to place, but he even climbs on the roof of the school to help paint. His desire to fix the school has been a great inspiration to me as it gives me a better sense of what it takes to work hard.
While working at the school a few individuals went back to the teen center to work on the mural which we were given the honor to help paint. Not only do we get to paint it, we were also the ones who chose the design which will be used on the wall which David, Sal, Keenan and I primed yesterday. The teens of El Dorado have embraced us with open arms as we have been congregating and participating with them in different events. A few days ago on Saturday we had the chance to hangout with a few of the older teens as well as Jonathan, one of Fe y Alegria's advisors. Once again I have met a very inspiring individual. Jonathan is probably one of the most hardworking individuals I have met on this trip as well as anywhere else. Not only is he an advisor at the teen center, but he teaches at San Adolfo during the day time. The teens under Jonathan's care have made this trip a worthwhile experience, as we are given the chance to meet people of our same age in another part of the world.
My experience here in Uruguay personally has been a life changing experience. I say this because the people I have met and the events I have partaken made this immersion into a fun and exciting adventure. To explain one of the many highlights of the trip I was able to interview the Jesuit Provincial of Uruguay and Argentina, Fr. Alejandro Tilve, and Fernando Anderlic the Director of Fe y Alegria Argentina. Between the two of them I was able to fully understand the message of Fe y Alegria which is to bring hope and opportunity to those who need. The duty which we served this week was to make a place which would cultivate hope for the students to pursue knowledge.
Thanks,
-Brandon Briones
Monday, July 29, 2013
Uruguay Immersion-July 29, 2013
Today, we were woken at 8 AM, ate breakfast, got dressed, and began our day painting at San Adolfo Fe y Alegría school. To begin the morning, Brandon Briones, Ben Gebrat, and I painted one of the roofs, while others began painting window bars. After being here in El Dorado for several days now, I have gained a sense of pride to be able to help the Fe y Alegría community. My goal is to prove to the children and this community that they should have hope. I feel that this Bellarmine Brotherhood is doing just that. This has been such a rewarding experience, as I have experienced nothing like it.
After painting for about an hour, the kids gathered in front of Jonathan, the elementary school teacher and youth group coordinator, where he engaged the children in a Spanish version of Simon Says. My favorite moment of the day was seeing the kids energy and smiles during the game.
After the conclusion of lunch, while others continued to paint the bars, Kenan Matthews, Salvador Gutierrez, and I painted the entire roof of the school classrooms in just about 1.5 hours.
As we continued to paint, Bill Lewis and Pedro Sanchez were invited to join some children in a game of Monopoly. As I was talking to Pedro about his experience playing with them, he shared that one of the kids kept on cheating and trying to sneak money, which I found humorous. As the kids were unsure on how to play, Bill and Pedro still had a great time bonding and connecting with the kids.
This experience here in Uruguay has been the best experience I have ever had. With only one night and a day left in El Dorado, I feel as though I will be emotional, as I will miss the children, the people we have met along the way such as Fernando, Beti, Beto, Johnathan, and many others.
As I am working to improve my Spanish, I love communicating with the kids. Towards the end of the day, Bill, Mr. Henry, and I began talking to a girl, Katalina. We asked her what classes she enjoyed the most. Humorously, she seemed to enjoy every subject except for art, as she loved to paint but not to draw. This reminds me that some members of the group will be helping some children paint a mural on a wall. I look forward to seeing what they will create. I hope to continue to form connections with my Bellarmine Brothers as well as the kids here at San Adolfo Fe y Alegria School in our last couple days here in El Dorado.
-Brandon Machado
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Bellarmine Uruguay Experience - Sunday, July 28th
This morning we were blessed with an 8:45 wake up call, after having decided to attend the 10:30 mass at San Adolfo church, the local Catholic church. Some proactive Bells including David Dalton, Kenan Matthews, Brandon Brionas, Salvador Gutierrez woke up early to clean of a wall that they would paint later in the afternoon. Following the traditional breakfast of bread, butter and various jams, we prepared for what would be, for many of us, our first mass given in another language. I had no clue what to expect. How much would I be able to understand? Will I stand out in my hoodie and jeans? What will my first Spanish mass experience be like?
I walked down, removed my always controversial Chargers beanie and took a seat in the second pew next to the choir. We then received our Spanish song books and before I knew it mass was underway. The mass was similar to a standard Catholic mass in the States, with the added challenge of not fully understanding what is being said. We sang, clapped, stood, sat, kneeled, prayed and received communion. Following the communion, our group was called up and formally thanked in front of the church audience by the priest and a community leader Silvia. Following the mass, Silvia took a few strong men including myself to transport a bed, cabinet and other furniture from her house to a room in the back of church. Others, including Brandon Brionas, took time to spend some bonding time with Florencia's adorable two-year-old Sofia. We then returned to our farmhouse home to have lunch and got ready to paint.
We had another successful day at the school worksite, making a lot of progress. Today we accomplished painting an additional two walls, some doors, and the bars in and outside of the classrooms. After we finished working, Edith's daughter, Kimberly, brought us a basketball and we played a pick up game inside the gymnasium.
We ended a fun day with a trip to the local corner store, another wonderful meal prepared by Beti, and some of Beto's maté prepared in Pedro's long-awaited hoof cup.
I look forward to another rewarding day tomorrow in the service of others.
Bill Lewis
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Saturday, 7-27-13 (by Ian Granger)
We woke up this morning at 8:00 AM, had the usual breakfast (French Bread, jam, and hot chocolate), and sang happy birthday to Bill, who turns 17 today. At 9:00, Florencia picked us up, and drove 4 of us at a time to a street corner, and from there, we walked to the La Huella orphanage. We spent about half an hour there, playing soccer and speaking with Augustin, the head volunteer there. It was really special to play soccer with the orphans, to see how much fun they were having and to be a part of that. The youngest orphan was named Santiago, and it was really cute watching run around with the ball (playing soccer better than I ever could), and when it was time for us to leave, he followed us to the bus and spoke with us until the bus had to leave. It was heart breaking to see how dirty and rundown their home was, but it was great to see how happy the kids were.
After that, we drove outside of town to a ranch, and had a nice lunch. It was a four course meal,starting with salad, then ravioli, steak or chicken, and ending with a caramel filled crêpe. When we were done with the meal, everybody but Mr. Pinkston, Mr. Henry and myself (Ian G.) rode horses. While we were waiting in line for the horses, Daniel and David chased down a chicken, and Daniel caught it with his bare hands. It was very impressive. After the horseback ride, we got on the bus and drove back to El Dorado.
When we got back, they were having a dinner for teens near the house we are staying at, so we hung out and talked with them until dinner time.
When I think back on the day, I am surprised that we could be having such an opulent lunch, while we were only a few miles from such poverty. It made me feel guilty that we had so much, while they had so little, but why should I feel bad for just having some fun and eating with my friends? I don't know, but it's making me think. Which is a large reason why we came here, to learn and to think.
-Ian Granger
Friday, July 26, 2013
El Dorado Día Tres By: Daniel Mendez :P (7/26/13)
Today was a busy day. It was full of work and excitement. Today we were able to paint the school after one and a half long days of sanding. We are still not done but we got alot done today. I am greatful for the man who has been helping us with the refurbishing of the buildings. Fernando is a man who speaks no English; however, we are all able to communicate with him. Most of us understand him by the gestures and body motion he uses. I speak Spanish, so I am able to speak with him and translate for the guys. Something special that happeneded today was that the JESUIT PROVINCIAL OF ARGENTINA came by to have lunch with us. Originally he was only going to visit the school, but he decided to stay for lunch (we had pollo con arroz) when he heard that we would be here. Fr. Alejandro Tilve (that was his name) sat on the other side of the table so I was not sure what they were discussing at the time. I found out later what they talked about because Mr. Henry and Mr. Pinkston filled us in. To be honest, I find out about a lot of things mainly because they need someone to translate documents and other things (: Anyway, the best part of the day came after lunch. We were allowed to teach a group of kids that were in an after school program. They ranged from ages 5-11 and they were all extremely happy to see us. We separated them into three groups and directed different activities. Some played Jenga, others played Uno, and my group sang. We taught the younger group "Row Your Boat" and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" along with "Happy Birthday." All of the children sang and did the actions that we gave them. The last thirty minutes I led everyone outside to play capture-the-flag. I lost track of the score and most kids did not play one hundred percent correctly, but we still had a lot of fun. When we got back to the house, the youth center was open and filled with teens. I talked to a couple of them but then I went inside to take a quick shower to get all the paint and grime off. Unfortunately, the paint did not come off. My hands are covered by dried paint right now. Oh and also......Mr. Henry accidentally turned off the water heater. The water wasn't exactly freezing but it was pretty cold. After I got out of the shower I went outside to talk to the teens and play a little soccer with them. The counselors eventually called us in to decide something special to decorate the teen center. The teens had made some designs as suggestions for a mural, and they had all of us decide on what mural we wanted them to paint. We voted for a quote that said "No es impossible que sea possible" (Its not impossible for it to be possible). After that we had our usual ping pong tournament. (We usually get hyped on mate' to make the game more intense :P As the night wound down, we ended with the usual reflection that proves to be extremely helpful in making us aware of all the wonders that happened that day.
The most special moment for me today happened on the field where we played capture-the-flag. Today I meet a boy named Santiago. He is probably around five years old. I met Santiago while we were singing. He was the first child who actually sang and performed the actions simultaneously. Eventually everyone performed the gestures like him, but he was the first one of the group. He was wearing a blue vest and he had glasses on. Anyway when we started playing capture-the-flag, Santiago came up to me and asked me how to play, for he did not understand (I had already explained how to play to everyone). I kneeled down and started to explain but as I did so, one of his friends snuck up and tagged us, putting us both in jail. That round ended with both of us in jail, for we were never rescued. When the next round started, Brendan B. gave me his video camera and told me to film the game a little bit. I started filming and I noticed right away that Santiago was looking at the camera. After I finished filming I asked him if he wanted to film. He came running towards me and did something I was not expecting. He stood next to me with his hands on his side looking out at the playing field a little bit. I would have expected him to reach for the camera but instead he positioned himself beside me in a way that made it easy to teach him how to use it. I showed him how to hold it, how to turn it on and off and how to zoom. He stared playing with the zoom right away and I helped him hold the camera because it was a little heavy for him. After a while Santiago said he wanted to film on his own, so I invited him to sit with me on the grass. I gave him the camera and he filmed for a little while. He seemed to always point it up to the sky and film the sun! After another while one of his teachers came by and told him to return the camera to me. He did it hesitantly, but after about a minute he gave it to me and told me to film him. So he danced around the field and rushed at the flag only to be captured again. I was the referee so I picked his team to free him quickly. What will always stay with me is his smile and the way his face lit up when I gave him the camera. That was truly special to me. I hope to see him again on Monday. I know the schedule tomorrow, but I will let it be a surprise for everyone else (I had to translate it for Mr. P so thats why I know (:
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