Spiderman, Jesús, and Possum

October, one of my favorite months in the states and coincidentally Cardigan Season, has come and gone and I can’t believe I have been here for over 3 months. I see Instagram’d pictures on Facebook of snow and fireplaces and I realize my sense of time has altered in so many ways. Sure, I am getting used to Latin American time, meetings starting an hour late, but also it is as if I’m in an eternal summer. In the States the leaves have fallen, the cold approaches and I can’t believe it.

Nevertheless, no matter how far away I feel some days, the days here have been scooting along. And here’s what’s happened.

Last update I had played guitar for Rosa’s 91st. Well, this month has been a month of birthdays.

Greg (the one with frosting on his face) has family near Guayaquil and his cousins threw a party for his 22nd birthday.

Our guard, Omar, also completed another year and a couple weeks after we celebrated with his family, he was followed by his son’s 8th, Omar Elias.

We had Brittany´s, who just turned 1 years old. My ice breaker this year has been magic...with the only two card tricks I know by heart.

When I last wrote, Clubber was sad. He needed a friend, and Rostro pulled through. We are now the proud owners of a new 4 month old Rottweiler, and her name is Nala.

My job description just doubled.

There is a Mormon Church a couple blocks away, and the 2 local missionaries came over for dinner. One is from California and the other Colombia and I think they appreciate getting to know other non-natives in the neighborhood.

Weekend commitments at the parish are continuing to go really well. Still teaching confirmation catechism every Saturday and play guitar at the masses when the youth group needs me to. Two weeks ago two masses overlapped and the normal singers couldn’t get to the second mass. Damien, the 19 year old youth group leader and head music minister, convinced me to take the lead. If there are any attendees of that particular mass reading this right now, I apologize.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, but with Día de los Defunctos (Day of the Dead) and All Saints Day, the day doesn’t hold much weight here. I was determined to keep it alive and since it fell on a Wednesday (my day to tutor at the afterschool program) all I needed was a costume meant for a 7 year old. I prayed for wind and cool air and the day turned out to be one of the hottest and brightest yet.

Since it took about 20 minutes to put on, I wore it on the bus there and back...I couldn´t sit down.

My job at Hogar de Cristo is going well. I work 25 hours a week and more and more of that is out in the neighborhood, talking to committee members, exploring new areas, and even attending weekend “block parties ” (see pics below) I had been searching for a place to hold the computer workshops they want me to start, and last week I secured an area. By myself. I went to a school with the intention of only setting up a meeting to then talk about it, and I walked out with a computer classroom. Normally I struggle with feeling productive at work, especially with my Spanish level, but I think that day was a confidence booster and something I needed. I start the first workshop session with the committee coordinators this Wednesday!

Played the Egg on the Spoon in your Mouth race at a committee aniversary party, and placed first.

Also played the Dance Bachata while Holding a Tomato between your Faces game. Did not win that one.

A neighbor, Bolivar, heard I enjoy drawing. That somehow got translated to “He could paint a design on your pickup truck.” So this past week I spent some time with masking tape, spray paint, and the name “Jesús.” Pictures to come.

Jimmy works at the health office at Hogar de Cristo and had his test to be able to give HIV tests this past week. “Cramming” for that kind of a test looks like this:

Got my blood drawn in our living room as well...it would have been rude not to let him practice on very-visible veins.

And this past weekend we had our first of 4 Rostro retreats. It was in Ayangue, a very small beach town set back in a cove, and it was absolutely gorgeous. The retreat was led by an old Rostro volunteer, Amy, and it was a weekend to rest, reflect and take advantage of the amazingly large photogenic cliffs and rocks.

The crabs were abundant but had a sixth sense. Couldn´t get close enough so settled for the shell.

The Mount Sinai Crew

The whole Rostro de Cristo Clan

Jaime and I, when on our hike, came across the Little Mermaid rock. Naturally--after finding a way to get out there and after many, many attempts--we got a picture.

Lastly, and this one fortunately doesn’t come with a picture, my list of new foods is getting longer. I’ve spoken of cow tongue, stomach, hoof and heart…and a few weeks ago I added fish eyes. Well, last week topped it all. The day before my graduation, the Creighton Center for Service and Justice held a missioning service for all post-graduate volunteers, and the guest speaker was an ex-Rostro volunteer. She told a story where she ate something at a neighbor’s, and afterwards discovered it was possum. After that service everyone was curious and worried and asking about my diet for the next year, and I just laughed. Well, last week I ate possum. Perhaps I will write about the experience in a future blog, but just know I tried it, I kind of liked it, and shortly after had possum liver. I will not forget that soon.

Like I said, 3 months has flown by, and I imagine the year will continue to do so. As Christmas approaches it seems like the sun does too, and everything is moving along. There are, of course, days I feel I may be moving backwards (not knowing what to do at my job, days when Spanish seems impossible) but those are becoming so much less frequent. Every day is a challenge in some way, but the community I have here—in my neighborhood, at work, with Rostro—has made all the difference.

Tomorrow’s another day, usually I have no idea what’s in store, but I think I’m beginning to like that.

Until next time.
Miguel