futbol!

So – I played soccer today. That might not seem like that big of a deal to those of you who don’t know me all that well, but…well, it is. I guess it just needed to be part of my job before I’d venture back into an athletic game, but I did – and…get this: I actually enjoyed myself. I wasn’t that good and I know I’ll be sore tomorrow (running around for an hour at 6,000 feet is something to which my body certainly isn’t accustomed) but I had a good time.

And beyond that – it was a good lesson in humility. Every day we’re asking these students to make themselves look stupid as they try to communicate in toddler level Spanish. I was there once, but it’s been a while and while I still make mistakes, I’m comfortable doing so at this point and usually realize when it happens. It had been a while since I had felt as exposed and untalented as I did when we started today...and then I got over it. And that felt really good.

two weeks in...

It’s Friday night and the majority of the students are hanging out together in the room next door. It’s been a long week of orientation activities and ‘getting to know you’ games – but it seems to have worked, they’re all ripping on Arnold in a terribly dubbed version of “The Predator” and continuing with their own version of ‘getting to know you’.

With both my week of personal orientation, and now the week with the students here I’m two weeks in and feeling good. And while my first week of personal orientation was really good, it’s been so encouraging for me to have the students here. They all bring stories and knowledge and senses of humor that are such fun to get to know – turns out I sort of like meeting new people : )

I’m also grateful to be here with a community. This program believes so strongly in learning in community and sharing what we’re each going through with each other. I knew coming in, but it has certainly been reinforced that the subject matter of this semester will be heavy indeed. And it’s not just hard to hear because it’s tragic and sad, but it’s hard to hear because having heard these stories, and knowing these people puts huge responsibility on each of us as receivers of that information. I’ve already spent some time feeling overwhelmed by it all – but I’m content to be in a place that refuses to let me be complacent. And, because we’re in such tight community – we don’t have to process this all alone. Which I’m also excited about.

(An afterthought: While re-reading what I’ve written thus far I realize that my posts have been lacking in specifics about the actual things that are impacting me…it’s too late tonight to write more (I think it’s time to head out dancing) but I promise to attempt to include more of that in the future).

where in the world...

Since I would have *bombed* the Carmen Sandiego challenge as a child (and even/especially now) I thought I would not assume that others just so happen to know where I am at this moment in time.

So a very short geography lesson follows - many of you will already know these things, and for those of you who don't, there's no need to feel shame. When they offered me the job I also pulled out a map to see exactly where I'd be.

The map above shows Central America in relation to the states (good ol' Texas and Florida representing) and South America below. I drew a black box around the portion of Central America in which I'll be living over the course of the next year - and you can see a close up below (don't be tricked! the box I drew does not include all of Central America).

I am currently in Managua - which is nicely noted with a star. Tonight I will take a bus to San Salvador and on Saturday I will take another bus to Guatemala City. We'll meet the students in Guatemala City on Monday and be there for a few days before heading to a smaller city - I can't wait to meet all of the students, and to be in a place that's not quite as warm as it is here.

That's all I've got today; and I promise that this will be the only geography lesson you'll get from me - I always did like Rockapella more than the geography trivia anyway.

my path...

Greetings! and welcome to my humble lugarcito (little place) online!

Some of you may have read my Cuernavaca blog, some of you may be entirely new to this ‘blogging business’ but I wanted there to be a space in which loved ones could check in on my thoughts and experiences in Central America this year.

I write today from my bed in the Program House in Managua, Nicaragua. I slept 10 hours last night, caught up on some reading, went on a small city tour with my new coworker Joe and am attempting to let my spirit ’sink in’ a tad.

Those of you who have spoken to me about this Internship know that my expectations were vague, to say the least. With each conversation this place and my role in it are becoming more clear, little by little. It’s incredibly warm here today and my body is tired, my head aches, but my spirit - only slightly muted by the heat - is tentatively giddy about the months to come and the path on which I’ve embarked.

Say not, "I have found the truth," but rather, "I have found a truth."

Say not, "I have found the path of the soul." Say rather, "I have met the soul walking upon my path."

For the soul walks upon all paths.

The soul walks not upon a line, neither does it grow like a reed.

The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of countless petals.

- Kahlil Gibran