i never realized that broken glass could shine so brightly.
leonard bernstein´s mass
first of all, please forgive my poor English skills—i´m finding myself in limbo right now, balancing somewhere between english and spanish, but not fully grasping either at the moment. so, highlights:
camping: in the middle of march, a group of us took advantage of the beauty of south america and went camping on the beach in besique! we only went for one night, but it was probably one of the highlights of my entire (almost) 8 months in chimbote! we arrived in the late afternoon and caught the last few hours of sunlight catching HUGE waves and bodysurfing into shore. the lifeguards were pretty upset that we were swimming out so far, but then again, they had reason to be concerned, considering many chimbotanos do not know how to swim. that night we built a huge campfire on the beach and then slept in a make-shift tent of old plastic bags under a little thatched roof. although the chill at night was miserable, it was so beautiful laying under the stars with the waves crashing just meters away, hanging out with beautiful friends. in the morning, we attempted to go fishing to make our own fresh ceviche, but were unable to catch anything because of the incredibly huge waves, crashing into us on the rocks. apart from being wonderfully fun, it was also a beautiful picture of south america, enjoying the beaches and playing in the surf with several people who have truly become close friends in such a short time here.
retreat: the day after camping, hermana leonila, todd, jane, julie and i left chimbote yet again for our annual retreat. we went to a beautiful little retreat center that the diocese owns in the small beach town of tortugas, about an hour south of chimbote. we spent the entire week in near-silence: journaling, praying, doing yoga, reading through old journals, resting, and spending time as a community. such a beautiful break from the chaos and dust of chimbote and absolutely refreshing for my soul. a short description of tortugas from some stream-of-consciousness journal time:
18.3.09 6 PM i am sitting overlooking what feels like the shell of a fishing town—quiet, almost-deserted, looking at a peaceful bay of small one-man fishing boats reflecting the last rays of the setting sun casting drops of light into the green clear water below, surrounded by hazy mountains of sand and and fury, guarded by pink and purple clouds; listening to the whispers of peaceful waves playing on smooth black rocks, punctuated by the hunt of sea birds diving for dinner and the distant calls of simple fishermen retiring their nets in defeat. A scene that fits better in the alchemist, on the shores of algeria, but never even imagined in totugas, peru.
feria de san jose: in march we also took advantage of an invite from an older friend (aka sugar daddy) to take a day-trip to trujillo, a wealthy city on the coast a few hours north of chimbote. we went for the celebration of san jose, the patron saint of trujillo. they model the festival after the running of the bulls in spain! it was pretty incredible—they actually ran bulls through the narrow streets of the las delicias neighborhood, then had a ceremonial bull fight! i had never seen one before, and while i had been warned, it was still quite violent and bloody. but beyond the bloodshed was a beautiful art that was celebrated. the bullfighters were kids—one was 12, the other 19! but the art of bullfighting runs in their blood—their father and grandfather have both been in the ring, and were there encouraging and cheering for the next generation. after the bullfight, we went to a fancy dinner with the former mayor of chimbote, as well as other very wealthy peruvians of varying titles and fame. it was such a treat, but depressingly ironic to be sitting outside the gorgeous glass house of the rich and famous, sipping expensive wine and talking about the extreme poverty of chimbote…
wedding: a few weeks ago, the girls and i were invited by a friend to go to a wedding in a tiny town outside of chimbote. it was so beautiful to be invited to share in the special day of 2 complete strangers, but the whole party welcomed us with open arms. it was pretty similar to a wedding in the states. the actual service was simple, little more than a regular mass, but the reception after was a huge party! the orquestra from one of the main discos in chimbote played for the reception. main differences in a peruvian wedding reception:
o music is pure cumbia, salsa, and huayno (go here to learn more about huayno). and everyone dances!
o party favors were wine, beer, cigarettes, halls cough drops, and rolls of toilet paper
o even though the party was still going strong, we decided to leave around 7 am to get a little sleep!
hospice: in february i started working with the hospice program run by the sisters of charity. it has definitely been a challenge, but overall i am loving the work. it is so beautiful to be able to go into the homes of my patients at such an incredibly painful time and truly connect with both the patient and the family. in my limited experience, i have already found that while death of the patient may be dreaded or feared, it is often met with a sense of relief. and the staff that i work with at hospice has the beautiful work of easing that transition and simply being a loving presence
semana santa (holy week): easter in peru is so much more than a few extra people at church on sunday and honey ham! the celebrations start the week before on saturday. i went with several friends from the parrish to climb the cerro de paz (hill of peace) and participate with about 2,000 other people in the stations of the cross. in most cities in south america, the tallest hill or mountain boasts a huge cross. this is the effect of the christianization of south america. as high spaces were often the holiest places for indigenous religions, the spanish chose to place crosses on top of the highest hills to symbolize the sovereignty of christianity. so in this now-christian nation, as a symbol of repentence and in memory of jesus´s journey to golgatha, every year there is a huge procession up the mountain, culminating in mass at the top. although hot and crowded, it was a pretty cool experience. and, being the only gringa in the crowd, i was singled out for an interview and made my peruvian radio debut!
the celebrations continued throughout the week with a palm sunday procession and numerous special services throughout the week. on holy friday, the youth of the parrish acted out a live stations of the cross through the streets of chimbote. it was pretty interesting to be a part of, and we actually gatherd a pretty good crowd that followed to the last station. all of my roommates participated, todd having the honor of playing jesus (hopefully not perpetuating stereotypes of jesus as white middle-class, but because no one else wanted to do it!). it was a pretty powerful image to be standing in a dirt soccer field after dark, with three people above the crowd hanging on crosses and the eerie sounds of women weeping at the feet of jesus.
todd´s brother and sister arrived on saturday with their significant others and we dyed easter eggs with some peruvian friends--and i realized what a strange tradition it is! for easter sunday, we had a huge feast at our house with the roommates, todd´s family, and all of the incarnate word sisters in chimbote, complete with pisco sours and an easter egg hunt--a beautiful mix of cultures!
overall: things are going pretty well here! after 8 months, i still feel like i am discovering new things and being awed by the culture and humbled by how little i know about the world. but on the other hand, life is normal(ish), i have a beautiful community, and i´m forgetting bits and pieces about what life was like in the states. as it starts to cool down a little here as fall approaches, i am missing spring in the states and all the excitement and new life and beautiful green buds...but then again, i am learning to appreciate the beauty here, generally in subtler places.
so breathe in the fresh air, be thankful, and laugh with delight!
