My Arroz Zen

The work station... Piles and piles

There is rice everywhere here. Every Bolivian staple dish has rice. We hardly go a day without eating it. Since I’ve been here, too, there have been bags of rice for the girls to sort through to pick out the woody part—every day there is a schedule of what girls need to finish their bags.  Such an every day thing here, I never could have imagined rice being an instrument into a deeper understanding of why I am here.

A couple of days this week, I have sat down to help the girls pick through the rice. Talk about a tedious task…. But after sitting through it, concentrating on the menial task in front of me, I think I finally understand those mini Zen gardens that people have in their offices or homes—it totally opened my mind up to a deeper insight for the first time since being in Bolivia.

My first realization was the most obvious and had to do with the physicality of picking through the rice. Rice is small, as is the woody part that needs to be removed. To pick through and separate the pieces requires fine motor skills and the fine touch of your fingertips. It was this intricate use of my fingertips that I was reminded of the blessing of being alive. All dramatics aside, I am blessed to be here on earth. As many of you know, in my junior year of high school I ran through a glass door severing my right wrist close to the main artery. After two surgeries, to repair and transfer tendons, and unbelievable nerve pain, I regained my motion, but lost normal fine touch feeling in three and a half of my fingers. On a daily basis, I rarely recall my injury. Muscle memory has taken over, and my brain has adjusted in order to make up for my lack of total feeling in my fingers. But when a task is placed in front of you requiring the use of your fingertips—like picking rice—the fact that you don’t have the greatest feeling in your fingers becomes apparent.

My arm the night of my accident
Sorry if anyone gets queasy!

My ring finger has now become my pointer finger. Any task that requires the use of my pointer finger, my ring finger takes over if possible: scrolling on my computer, picking things up, pressing buttons, using scissors, and picking rice. It’s actually pretty weird, and one of my younger girls even asked me why I scrolled on the computer with it rather than my other finger. It had never fazed me before she asked. Now I’m kind of self-conscious…

My accident has changed the way I live, on small levels (using a goofy finger for things) and on grand levels (reminding me that life is a fragile thing). Not having full feeling in three and a half of my fingers is a reminder to me what I am capable of getting through and that life can never be taken for granted.

My time with the rice also really got me thinking about my girls and the life that they each lead. You know, going through the rice really is not fun. It is a strain on your neck and your eyes, and it is just plain boring! But the girls need to do it, and although I don’t always agree with it, it even comes before sleep or homework. As a volunteer rather than one of the girls, I am able to come and go from the rice room as I please. I can choose to go in to pick rice; I can choose the amount of time I spend in there. The girls are not able to do so. I began to see the parallels between the rice room and the hogar, and even Bolivia itself. I chose to come and live in the hogar for a year, and I have the ability to leave at any time if I ever feel the need to. If I feel uncomfortable, if I miss my family, if I feel overwhelmed—I can walk right out the door. I could even hop on a plane if I felt that strongly about leaving to go back to the comforts of the United States…to the family I know, to the weather I am used to, to the comfortable life I am used to living. These girls do not have that option. This is their life. The food they eat is the food they know. Sharing a home with 119 other people is they home they know. The structured cleaning and tasks that come up (like the rice) is the structure they know. I am only here for a year of my life, and then I get to go back to the luxurious things that I know: owning a car, going to a restaurant to eat, having a boyfriend that I don’t have to hide from the madre ;). But really, I have the opportunity to leave all of the difficulty I have experienced here behind and go on with my life. This is their life, and I am only here for a year of it.

This thinking led me to the insight that, yeah, I am here. I am living among these girls. I just finished reading Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Great book. But there was one excerpt that gave me a wow moment while reading because it went right along with the discovery I had while picking rice:

“You are as likely to see sea life from a ship as you are to see wildlife in a forest from a car on a highway…If you want to see wildlife, it is on foot, and quietly that you must explore a forest. It is the same with the sea. You must stroll through the Pacific at a walking pace, so to speak, to see the wealth and abundance it holds.”

If I am going to find the true wealth and abundance of Bolivia and Hogar Sagrado Corazón, I cannot just be an outsider looking in. I’ve gotta be here! And I’ve got to do it quietly—that’ll be a struggle :). I need to be here during their meals eating what they are eating; I need to be here when they are sitting around talking; I need to be here to share mass with them; I need to be here with them picking through rice. I can learn so much more! I want to show them that I want to be here and learn about their lives. Some of these things I may not particularly like or may be different than what I am used to, but this year is not about me. It is easy to avoid eating the food the cook prepares and go out and buy something. It’s easy to avoid the rice room and find something else to do. It’s easy to shut myself up with my computer instead of talking with the girls. This year is going to be a constant challenge for me to push myself beyond what is easy.

All of this thinking of being present made me think of Jesus. Throughout his life, Jesus was among people who lead different lives from him, who were different from him. He was constantly traveling, and He opened himself up to people from all different walks of life. He was present—eating among the tax collectors and talking with the Samaritan woman. These people were different from him. He was just there and loved them. That is all we are all called to do: Open up our lives to people who are different from us and just love them. I have tough days here where I feel out of place, when I am uncomfortable, or when I am lonely. But I know that these are the challenges God is giving me, and they are the times when he is most calling me to be like His son. And God always brings me back up, giving me opportunities to feel a part of the community again—He gives me special moments with my girls. Really, that’s the best gift I could ever receive.

Sooooooo if ever there is a time in your life where you feel you need a little self-discovery, grab yourself some rice. It works wonders. 

Love from Montero,
Lain

There's a first time for everything!

As of October 27^th, I have been in Bolivia for over a month. What better way to commemorate this milestone than to go back and think about all of the things that I have never done, some things I never imagined I would do, that have only added to my time here in Montero?  Yes, some may be a bit of a stretch, as I am trying to make this post informative into the life I am living here as well, but I hope they are nonetheless entertaining.

Tania with her LOAD of laundry

1. Starting things off with something I mentioned in a previous post: Washing my clothes by hand. So I think we all are hoping (especially my parents) that I have done more than one load of laundry since I’ve been here. Lord knows my track record with doing laundry in the past has not been the best, but I learned that I need to manage it much better here in Bolivia. Tania, my site partner, taught me the importance of staying on top of my laundry because the day she taught me to do mine, she had severely fallen behind. It was quite an adventure to get all of her clothes washed and then lugged over to hang up. It was hilarious. One thing I miss the most from home regarding laundry is FABRIC SOFTENER—more specifically the delicious smell it brings to my clothing. As much scrubbing as I do and maybe even a bit too much detergent in hopes of a fresher smell, my clothes never smell as good as they do at home.

2. Speaking of smelling good: I now buy my fruit and vegetables from an outdoor market. The fruit stand smells divine. Right outside of the Hogar doors is a market that stretches the length of the whole street. The picture does not do it justice. It is nuts: shoes stacked to the ceiling, bundles upon bundles of bananas of all colors and ripeness, chicken feet hanging by ropes, huge bags of every different kind of pasta, stands packed with cheap electronics. This lovely place is where I buy my fruit and veggies! Now I know there are plenty of famer’s markets in the states, but I just have never been to any of them let alone purchase anything. They have great deals here: 7 apples for 10 Bolivianos (7 Bs=$1-ish) . Wouldn’t see that kind of price in the states! I frequent the fruit stand for apples and kiwi.  Yum.

The view of the market right outside the Hogar doors...Only a piece of it!

Las Palmas--one of our favorites

3. Now to make everyone even hungrier: I have had my first salteña and empanada here in Bolivia! A salteña is a super savory breakfast pastry that is filled with chicken or beef, veggies, and other deliciousness. They are super juicy and melt in your mouth. The only downside… they aren’t sold after 11. Then it’s time for empanadas! Empanadas are very similar to salteñas, but they can come in more varieties: cheese, onion, chicken, beef. These are an afternoon treat, but are not sold after dinner. All the volunteers here are convinced that a 24 hour salteña/empanada shop would make it big…even if it was solely supported by the volunteers here...We love us some pastries. These delicious snacks go perfectly with a jugo con leche—juice with milk—which tastes just like a milkshake. My favorite is strawberry. Now I’m hungry.

Ann-Marie, Me, Tania, and Monica at Las Palmas

Viv on the back of a moto

4. It is totally doable to walk to the salteña and empanada shops, but why do that when you can ride on the back of a moto!? The primary mode of transportation here in Montero is by moto. There are men in vests that are constantly driving the streets picking up and dropping people off. The common way for women to ride is sidesaddle. I have ridden sidesaddle once, which was a crazy uneasy feeling the whole way home. Typically we ride two on the back of the moto because it is safer and much more fun. Riding on the back of a moto has been one of the unexpected joys of my days here in Montero. Every time I hop on the back of one of those babies, feeling the wind in my hair and the thrill of not having control, I send up a little prayer of thanks to God. Every moto ride leaves me smiling. It’s the little things.

Viv, Monica, and Ann-Marie
in the back of a trufi

5. This talk about transportation is a great segue to talk about trufis. A trufi is a mini van that travels between the main cities in Bolivia like Montero, Santa Cruz, Okinawa, and Yapacani. An individual pays 9 Bs for their spot in the van, and hops in when the van come into the Trufi station. What is so unique about is that you could be in the van with six other passengers that you do not even know. I have traveled almost an hour in a mini van with six other people that I had never met and a driver that I had never met… Never thought I would say that. I have fallen asleep in more than half of the trufi rides I have ridden in J We are starting to talk to our drivers more and making friends with them. You never know when you are going to need a friendly driver!!

6.  Making friends. I like making friends. I now have my first friends from the UK! Ann-Marie and Monica are two volunteers here from the same kind of program as the SLMs, just from the UK. Ann-Marie was here at the hogar last year for three months. She got here the day after me and was here for a month. Monica was here about a month before me and is leaving in December.  They work a lot with the babies (Santa Maria) here at the hogar. 

Me, Monica, Ann-Marie

They have been great to have around—for one their Spanish is much better than mine and Tania’s so they can help translate things the girls say. And their British lingo is so goofy, just like American lingo is to them. Do you know what a bin liner is? I do. But really, the four of us have gotten really close working so closely together. We have had very fun, very interesting times together. We support each other’s salteña and empanada addiction, through sickness and health, and even check each other for lice.

7. Which leads me to my absolutely favorite first, not: Checking myself for lice. As a child, I luckily avoided lice. Here at the hogar though lice is rampant—previous volunteers saying it is not a matter of if, but when. The girls are checked for lice and are cleaned of what they have, but they never use any treatment. With so many girls around hanging on you, yeah, you’re going to get lice... So guess what?

8. I have lice for the first time. Ew! Gross! Yuck! As nasty as I imagined it would be, I am not that grossed out now that I do have it. More than anything, it is just a hassle because you have to wash all of your things… I have accepted the fact that I am going to get it many times, and it is a way of life here at the hogar. Just got to treat it and move on. I kind of see it as my initiation to the hogar… Woooo hoooo

9. There are lots of other bugs here at the hogar too. Ants searching for sugar in the kitchen, mosquitoes wanting to suck your blooood, gross flying ants that come out when it rains. But my least favorite of all of them is the cricket. I have had my first fight to the death with a cricket here in Montero. One week, my sleep was severely interrupted by the constant chirping of a cricket. The first couple of nights I thought the chirping was coming from outside my window—so there wasn’t anything I could do about it. After a few nights of restless sleep because of the darned chirping, I decided to do something about it. I closed my window, but the sound did not deafen. Then I realized the blasted thing was in my room…The really terrible thing about crickets and their chirping is that whenever there is commotion or movement, they stop chirping. So there I was in my room in the dark, like a maniac, searching blindly for this cricket ruining my beauty rest (Let’s be honest, I need all I can get). I pulled out my supersonic hearing to find the booger. Turns out the cricket was just chilling in a hole in my wall—I saw his pesky antennas sticking out. I took a pencil, had the urge to scream “Prepare to die,” and stuck it to him. Pure satisfaction coursed through my bones. I then clogged the hole with a bundle of toilet paper to prevent more intruders. Best night of sleep yet. I know we are taught to love God’s creation no matter how small, but there has got to be some kind of asterisk regarding annoy things that interfere with your sleep. I am extremely happy to report that my sleep has not been interrupted by the chirping of a cricket since.  

10. Now for a poor transition…

Speaking to interruptions: For the first time, my relaxing shower was interrupted by a little electricity traveling through my body… In the showers at the hogar, we have to turn the water on first, then flip the switch to get “heat”—some days it works, some days it doesn’t. Nevertheless, it is always worth a shot. The strength of the shower is inversely related to the heat of the water (on a good day). I turned the shower on a mild stream, and the water got to a nice warm temperature. After a bit, I decided I wanted more power, less heat. I went to reach to twist the dial and got a little surprise! Never had I been shocked in the shower before! After having a good laugh at myself, I flipped the switch off and adjusted the water how I initially wanted it. Let me tell you, this little lesson has made me very cautious in the shower. No more shocks for this girl!

11. I am learning all sorts of new things 

about electronics here! From electric showers to computers, I certainly have my work cut out for me. We have five computers here in the biblioteca, and I am in charge of helping the girls with the problems they have on them. My solution for almost everything? Hitting the power button. I am a magician. Computers need printers too, right? Right. And printers need ink. And with 120 girls printing, you go through a lot of ink. For the first time, I have replaced the ink in the cartridge with a syringe! I still don’t think I have the technique down—it comes out of the bottom a lot…—but I think I am getting the hang of it! I may even do the same for my cartridges in the States. So much cheaper!

12. Electronics are incredible. For the first time, from Bolivia, I am able to send and receive text messages, receive and make phone calls, and have a voice mail from my computer! My number is 513-461-0401! Give me a ring! Send me a text! I only need Internet, and I can communicate back!

13. Internet is another story. Never before have I never had consistent Internet. Sure, we had a bit of trouble with a dropped connection every now and again in the apartment, Brittney, but I have never not had Internet for days on end. It is a strange adjustment. I am definitely learning to live a more simple life.

I am sure that I have many first here at my new home in Montero, but these are the ones that stick out most to me and that I find the most comical! Life certainly is different here, but I am learning to adjust—both physically and mentally. I am making things my own, finding my joy in the small things, and finding refuge in the swarm of hugs, kisses, and smiles I receive throughout each and every day. I am so lucky.

Lain

Small things

My second night in Bolivia, I was holding one of the girls comforting her on the way to the doctor’s office. Turns out it was just a little dehydration and a little acting, but I couldn’t help but be a little spooked. After that I knew that this was real—this was going to be my life for the next year. I already had 120 little hearts in my heart, and that was only the beginning…

This is little Emilí, who was a couple days new the the Hogar when I arrived. She was having a bit of a tough time adjusting--which prompted the trip to the doctor

I have now become Leini. Walking through the hogar: “Hola, Leini.” When I come back from being out: “Leiniiii!” In the library on a busy Sunday: “Leini, can you get this!?” “Leini, can I do this!?” (in Spanish of course). I do not think I have heard my name shouted so many times. Being pulled this way and that can definitely be tiring, but being here for the girls—seeing them smile and laugh—makes it all seem so small. But isn’t that what Mother Teresa said we all could do? : “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love”. I’m trying Mama T. 

The empanadas for the party! YUM!

We have had such fun days here at the hogar! The hogar is split into four different dormitories, going from youngest to oldest: Santa Maria, Santa Ana, San Francisco, and San Jose. On the feast day of their saint, each dorm throws their own dormitory party!  We just recently had the feast day of San Francisco, and we had a great time full of FOOD, dancing, games, and picture taking. The girls gave us formal invites, making each of us the madrina of a different part of the party: balloons, dessert, and food. It was a neat tradition to be a part of, and I cannot wait for the next one! These girls certianly can dance!! 

 

Viv, Tania, Maggie and I with our stylists for the day

We've had such fun days at the institute as well! We went to the beauty class and got to be their practice mannequins. Who doesn't LOVE getting their hair played with? Vivian, Tania, Maggie, and I got our hair and nails done! Man, do Bolivians love their hair gel :) We looked super fancy afterwards-ready for a night on the town! Even my little dinky nails got to be pretty! They invited us back to be their practice dumbies again for their next exam. We will certainly be returning

Me, Monica, Tania, Ann-Marie

We have had such hot days here at the hogar! While the hot days can get dreadful, we had the gift of going to a local pool one day! San Francisco, San Jose, and us volunteers enjoyed the sun and the water soooo much. We even had a “cookout”—There were hotdog type things that were already cooked…we think. Madre Fatima joined the girls in the water, full habit and all! It was great to see her enjoying the girls’ company and the girls competing in her races. 

 

We have had such rainy days too!
This has made for Internet connections to be faulty and for lazy days around here. The roads get super muddy, making it tough or just undesirable to go out into the swamp that is Montero. 

We have had such great Saturdays here in Bolivia!
Saturday is our day off, which we utilize to the max! Our typical day is a trip into Santa Cruz, where we are able to get away from the hussle and bussle that is the hogar. We have the best Girls' Days Out--finding some scrumptious non-Bolivian-ish food, having fun with our taxi drivers (FERNANDO), and ending up laughing the entire time. We also have had nice days in over at the volunteer house by the convent, watching movies and just relaxing. We are hoping to visit our SLM friends in Okinawa and make a trip to Buena Vista, which is only a short Trufi ride from Montero. Here in Montero, I have been blessed with a large community of people to be with me and support me on my journey. Serving alongside others is always so rewarding, but serving among friends is truly special. 

We have had even better Sundays here at the hogar!

The day starts with taking all of our girls to mass at 9. Afterwards, I open up the library. Sunday is the only day the girls are able to use YouTube, and let me tell you: They love their Korean soap operas. There will be ten girls climbing over each other circling a computer trying to see the video...I don’t think I will ever get it. After the library is closed, it is just time to relax and hang out with the girls. Following is a delicious dinner with all of the volunteers over at the convent/institute. Some of the fine delicacies thus far have been a delicious curry chicken with mashed potatoes, Tamale pie, Costa Rican tuna casserole, and a tres leches cake! What a great way to end every week and reconnect with our supporting community.

The Sunday dinner group: Laura, Me, Maggie, Monica, Viv, Ann-Marie, Tom, and Tania taking the picture

We have even had some out of the ordinary occurrences here! The other day, Madre Clara (on the right) was trying to burn some unnecessary cardboard boxes over by the volunteer house. The next thing you know, the fire had gotten away from her and spread to the entire field. It was super dry and hot that day, and we had to play firemen and dump some water so the fire wouldn't spread. This prompted our "Only in Bolivia" catch phrase.
  

My mother-and probably some other mothers out there too-will be happy to know that I have now completed two loads of laundry WITH MY HANDS :)  Scrub a dub dub, clothes in the tub!! 

I have finally fallen into a rhythm here at the Hogar, and I definitely feel more comfortable being myself with the girls-messing up my Spanish at all. I figured I've always been the goofy one back in the States, so why would that change here? Afterall, it is that goofy person that God called here to be with these girls. I also have always been a person of the small things--a smile, a hug, or something special that lets someone know that you care about them. I intend on following Mama T's advice and just keep doing what I can--the small things--to make these girls feel special.

Please keep thinking about our girls here in Montero! Christmas is right around the corner! Read the tab above^^ for more information!

Con todo mi cariño,

Leini 

P.S. I now have a GoogleVoice account! It works just like a phone: We can call and text one another whenever I am around a computer. It works right from your phone! Add my number to your contacts pronto!! 513-461-0401 :)

Honey, I'm hoooome

You know, I always have heard third times a charm, but luckily this time around it was only the second! I don't think my little heart could have taken it. For those of you who don't know, I was stuck in America for a few days longer than expected because of flight delays and filled up flights. But what a truly lovely few days they were, and then I was really itching to get to Bolivia!

The entrance to my new home!

AND NOW I'M HERE! In my new home for the next year! So much has already happened, and I definitely chose the correct name for my blog: Overwhelmed!!!!

My placement changed again right before I got down to Bolivia. I am now working in Hogar Sagrado Corazon in Montero, Bolivia--a home for over 120 girls whose parents have died, are unable to take care of them, or keep a harmful home for their children (many times involving abuse). I have put a page up at the top of my blog ^ of a video of my new home! Godwilling I will stay here! At this point, I am ready for anything :)

Upon entering the Hogar, I was greeting with so many little faces and little hands wanting to say "Hola". It was the start of a beautiful friendship. This constant need for love and attention from every which direction has not halted in my two weeks here, and I feel blessed to be able to be only one pair of God's hands here in this hogar. This pair of hands is embracing young girls who are missing their mothers and fathers; teaching the girls hand games that it hasn't played in YEARS, but that it still remembers by heart; playing La Cucaracha with the little ones (which is my new Spanish version of my favorite game Ticklebug!); caressing the faces of little girls in tender moments; coloring birthday cards for the girls to make their special day even more special; and now typing here so that I may share these beautiful girls with the rest of the world!! How lucky I am to be these hands.

Here in the hogar, I have been given great responsibility already! I am in charge of the hogar's Madrina program, which is a sponsorship program run by the volunteers here that connects each girl here with a godmother, godfather, or godfamily that can donate money and correspond at least twice a year to ensure a promising future for each girl. It really is such a great program, and the girls love receiving the special gifts from their madrinas. With this comes many responsibilites: keeping track of the account (money matters), many trips to the post office, recording every correspondence, getting together birthday gifts for the girls, and raising all of the money for Christmas gifts for the girls!! More on that later. I also am in charge of the library here at the hogar--opening it a couple times of day for the girls to do homework on the five working computers, to read, to color and do puzzles, and to play games on Sunday. It is such a cool atmosphere when there is a "Solo Libros" day--looking around at all the gears turning in their little minds is SO rewarding.

It is so hot, dusty, and smelly here. For those of you who were wondering, the burning of sugar cane smells just like a thousand dirty diapers. But I find myself getting used to all of the quirks of Montero. Riding into town on the back of a moto is a little joy that I SO look forward to--hopefully I'll have a picture soon! The girls here do not care how dirty or sweaty I am--although sometimes they may point out to me that I am mojada. Although I sometimes get frustrated not knowing certainly words, the girls here think my Spanglish is funny.

So all in all, things are really great here. God is definitely trying to show me that I cannot nor do not control everything--changing my placement around on me, delaying my departure a bit, throwing me some curve balls here and there. He wanted me in an hogar all along, and I definitely feel like this is exactly where I am supposed to be. I've just got to learn to fully commit to "LET GO, let God." :)

Chau from Bolivia! (These crazy Bolivians and their goofily smelled Italian salutation!)
Lains

P.S. The internet connection is not strong enough for picture uploading but hopefully I will get them up soooooon!!

Also, for those wondering, here is my address!!
Voluntarias Salesianas
Attn: Lainie Sanker
Casilla #4 de Correo
Montero, Santa Cruz
Bolivia

Oh boy.

Wow. 

This has really been the best summer--perhaps break is a better word--that anyone could ask for. Filled with hilarious moments and unforgettable memories, this summer was a great send-off for my Bolivian journey. 

To start it all off, following graduation, I headed off to Tennessee to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel with Gannon's family. (Just peruse a couple of the pictures on Google... They've got nothing on the real thing.) So neat. You could spend a whole week just finding new nooks and crannies in the place. We did, however, venture out a couple of times. I got my very first hole-in-one in putt-putt, BUT more importantly, I beat Gannon.  Another day, we went onto the Nashville strip. I fell in love. Maybe three times? I love live music. I love good live music players. Our week ended with time on Norris Lake, basking in the rays and getting back up on the waterskis! 

Returning from utter relaxation, I was able to go back to Respite's Kidz Kamp for a couple of weeks and reconnect with all of the precious gifts I have had to joy of working with for the past year. Just call me Miss Lainie. My bud Christian still remembers me! And Kordell is still singing with the best of them!! These beautiful children make my heart swell with every fond memory, even some sore ones too. 

Christian and I went through a lot. But just look at that smile!

My singin' Kordell. He is incredible.
@Miss DanielleLevesque can vouch for that.

Although not at Kidz Kamp, Stevie and I had great couple months together singing songs and laughing at my ridiculous dance moves

My stint with Respite ended with some delish brownies and the annual trip to Norris Lake with the whole Sanker clan! Fully equipped with Doodles and a party pontoon, we were prepared for a great weekend of family, food, and fun. And, boy, did we get tons of each!!

Jumping off a bridge...
Just like leaving for Bolivia
Totally freaked but totally psyched
I've just got to jump.

Returning home from Norris, I packed up my home in Columbus and drove a honkin' big UHaul from Columbus to Cincinnati. Then, it was time for THE BIG APPLE with my fellow Salesians!

Orientation with the Salesian Lay Missioners was a three week-long orientation/retreat/hangout/awesome experience. It was full of amazing individuals, spiritual awakening, cultural training, lessons in the ways of my buddy Donnie B, using our elbow grease, great fun, and lots of my favorite thing: SINGING. :)

The week started with a goofy scavenger hunt around the village of Port Chester. My team got 3rd place.... Clearly by this picture, we deserved first

We had an off day and a group of us traveled our way into the city. Best memory of the day? Dessert at Ellen's Stardust Diner. GO!

After a week of service in Port Chester, cleaning and helping out at the soup kitchen, we went to the Marian Shrine in Stony Point, NY--sharing in a retreat with the Salesian priests and brothers and the Salesian Domestic Volunteers! 

Father Richard

Do you see any resemblance? 

One of the running jokes of the week was that I was his daughter.

Our commissioning mass was held by the Bishop Luc Van Looy of Ghent, Belgium! He was alongside of us throughout the week. What a loving, holy man. Funny, too.

All of the SLMs and SDVs. What a year we have ahead of us!!

The SLMs and SDVs entertained the Salesians, singing "Hail, Holy Queen" and "My God" from Sister Act
And let me tell you, we were goooood :)

All in all, my three weeks in New York were incredible. My placement has now changed, and I could not be more ready and excited. I am now working in Montero, Bolivia in the Centro Sagrado Corazon, near Hogar Sagrado Corazon. I still don't know exactly what I will be doing, but I do know I will be around a kindergarten and daycare. I might teach English. I might help with computers. It's like jumping off that bridge--just got to have faith it will all work out. A feeling of ultimate peace in the journey I am about to embark on began in New York among my amazing comrades and has continued throughout the rest of my time here. 

Since returning home, I have connected with family and friends: going up to Columbus on most weekends to see friends and football--having an awesome time--and spending the weeks with my family and preparing my self and my things for Bolivia! I am leaving this Saturday! The 22nd!

This past weekend, my family had a going away party. It was a great time of laughs and some of my favorite desserts!! You've GOT to try out this recipe!! Don't be put off by the name. It is DELICIOUS. As a gift, my cousins decided they ought to prepare me for the Bolivian cuisine--by getting my a PIG'S FOOT and PIG STOMACH. 

We even fired up the grill for them!
Thanks Maria and Ben!

Goodbyes are never easy, and I have deeply felt each one of them. I am so blessed to have so many tremendous, loving people in my life. I have been changed for good knowing each one of you. 

So, I'm feeling pretty good. Better than good. I am ready. It's a nice feeling. God's with me, the Holy Spirit is in my heart, and I am doing this. 

"Lord your summons echoes true when you but call my name.
Let me turn and follow you and never be the same."

--The Summons

Until next time, which will be FROM BOLIVIA,

Lain

¡Hola!

Hmm... this whole blog thing is not coming easily to me. How do you put a name to something when you're really not sure what exactly it is!? I know the name of the place I am going: Santa Cruz, Bolivia. I know a broad idea of what I will be doing: Living at Casa Nuevo Horizonte (a home for girls in various universities around Bolivia) and working at Hogar San Lorenzo (an orphanage). More about the Casa can be found here and about the program that runs the Casa--Keep the Faith--here. Pretty cool place. But my placement is a new placement, and I have no idea what to expect!!

I have been racking (I mean serious rackage) my brain for a name that can be applied to everything and anything that I may experience as my world as I know it changes this September.... But I don't really think that is possible! How can I describe what I will be doing in the home of the fabulous Lake Titicaca? For those of you who don't know, it's pronounced titty-caka . Brought to my attention by none other than my father.... :)
I'm not going to lie... I kind of cheated. The very first sentence of Keep the Faith's "Who We Are" section on their website is "If one travels to Bolivia, you may just become overwhelmed." And I loved it. Overwhelmed.
Overwhelmed, affected, changed, influenced, impaired... (Thanks thesaurus.com).
I'm not even in country yet, and I am feeling these things. With the reality of this hugnormously large step in my life--being away from all of my comfort and security--becoming more and more, for lack of a better word, REAL I have been a roller coaster. My stomach literally does loopty-loops. My emotions even more so.

What a crazily awesome awesome opportunity I have to go and be the loving presence of God to these women and girls in Bolivia. How and the heck did I get chosen? And to be so lucky to have so much support, blessed with great listeners and advisers to help me along my figureouttings. Re-instilling the confidence in myself that, yes, I am capable and worthy. Wow. I am overwhelmed.