Advent - A Time of Waiting

 This night we pray our lives will show this dream He had, each child still knows. 

We are waiting. We have not forgotten.

Sitting here, in a Pilsen coffee shop writing lesson plans and listening to Christmas music, I could not be happier. But it is Advent, and I have made it my mission this season to wait, and to not forget. I need to remember why I am here, volunteering in Chicago, but also how and why Christ came to be with us on Earth, and what that means in my life. Advent is about waiting, but in the sense that if you listen to God’s call, although it may not make sense at the moment, if you wait long enough, God’s purpose will become clear. Follow His call and you will eventually find your purpose.

This is NOT an easy task, especially right now when I am trying to discern what to do after my volunteer year. I feel like I just got here, but now have to start thinking about what will come next. This means choosing between going back to school and volunteering abroad. Choosing between staying in this beautiful city, close to my family and friends, and going back to the Dominican Republic, keeping my Spanish honed and visiting my campo family (who called me again a few days ago, and I did not understand one word my campo Dad said to me…I felt awful) and continuing direct service. Either way, this means leaving my kids that I have become so close to at Visitation, and hoping that all the work I have done this year with the kids I have been helping with literacy is kept up. I know they will not be forgotten, but I have a small problem with letting things go. I know I can’t stay there forever, but I will miss it. And there is so much turnover at that school, that I can’t help but remember that I will just be one more person staying for one year and moving on.

Another piece of my Advent adventure is finding some sort of service to do in Chicago. I know, I know. I am already volunteering at least 40 hours a week. But if there is one thing the Jesuits have taught me, it is to be restless. And ladies and gentlemen, I am restless. There is so much to learn from the people in Chicago, even just in Pilsen, that I can no longer just go to work and go home. I have failed so far to immerse myself in the community, and am finished sitting back. I could be in no better place to learn about immigration and other social justice issues.

This is my Advent mission. I will, of course, continue after Advent, but what better time to start changing myself and pushing myself to do more than in this time of waiting? So I would like to ask for your help. Hold me to this. I’ll keep you updated on the progress I make, and I need you to remind me of the drive I have right now to be restless and do more.

Have a Merry and Blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

Love, Becky

My Ministry - Visitation Catholic School

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what I do at Visitation, and it varies depending on the day. There are so many pieces of the puzzle, but put them all together and you have one great experience. But let me break it down for you so you know what I do.

5 am…wake up. I’m not telling you this to complain, just to be honest about what I am doing this year. Hopefully some future volunteer is reading this and thinking…”Wow, that sounds early, but I think I can handle it. It would be a good challenge.” I get ready for school, make my lunch, pack my bag, and try to make the 6:30 bus, usually barely catching the 6:40 bus.

7:25…get to school. I spend the bus ride praying, reading, and reviewing/writing my lesson plans for the day. As much as the bus ride stinks, it is nice to have that time in the day to relax and reflect on what I have to do that day. It’s a good time to compose myself. This way, when I get to school, I can get my stuff together, making copies and digging out all the tools I need for my lessons.

7:45…the bell rings. Kids start piling in, and I spend my time still getting things together, and also redirecting those kids that have a tough time getting started in the morning. They need reminders to get their coats and backpacks put away and get started on their morning work.

8 am…the tardy bell rings. Everyone should be in their seats by now and working on their morning work. After about 15 minutes the 3^rd grade teacher starts going through the questions so that kids can correct their own. I spend that time finishing getting myself together. It takes me a while sometimes!

8:30…teach religion. This is one of my favorite parts of the day. Rather than lecturing, I really just get to lead a conversation about Jesus, God, and what he wants from us. Sometimes I follow a book, sometimes we just talk about bible stories, but either way, I have their attention. They really enjoy learning about this and hearing stories about God and Jesus.

9am…I start my literacy pull-outs. I pull out a total of 7 kids, and here is where I need to stop and tell you about one of my kids that I has turned out to be one of the most challenging but most rewarding. Also…changing her name.

Sarah is a tiny little girl that is new to our school this year, and lives in the homeless shelter with her mom, brother, and two sisters. Three of the kids go to my school, the other is a baby. She and her brother and sister are a few of the cutest kids, but they are very behind in school. From what I know about her, it seems like no one has ever given her or her brother and sister the light of day. They are all very behind in school, and need lots and lots of help. Sarah is in 3^rd grade, and I pull her out for work from the 1^st grade phonics book. We are half-way through our short vowel sounds. What breaks my heart the most is her potential. She is picking up the phonics very well, and works hard, so I know she is capable of so much more. Her situation just prevents her from getting the attention she needs in this area.

It is for this reason that I believe God sent me here this year. There are a few other kids, too, that I hope to have an impact on, but I will save their stories for another time. But without the grace of God putting me at this site, she may not get the help she needs. I am so blessed to be put in this role, and do not take my responsibility lightly. I can’t wait to see the progress she will make by the end of the year.

10am…on Monday’s I get to do something really exciting. I am co-leading a group called Strongirls, a program geared toward teaching girls how to have healthy friendships and the negatives to bullying. Every Monday, a counselor and I pull out the 6^th grade girls and we get to sit in a circle and talk for an hour about things like prejudice and stereotypes. It’s one of my favorite parts of the week because I get to take on the role of a counselor. It has also affirmed my desire to go into school counseling, and I will soon be looking at grad schools for counseling programs. I really enjoy being there for these kids and take a more nurturing role, which sometimes can’t be found in teaching when you are trying to keep control of a classroom.

11am…I get ready to switch over to 2^nd grade. I have lunch with the teachers and take the kids out to recess. It’s another one of my favorite parts of the day, and the kids love it so much. They don’t always get to go play outside. They don’t exactly live in a safe neighborhood. So they love being able to run and jump around on the playground.

12pm…We come in and I help out the 2^nd grade teacher with her 24 crazy kids! I also help out with math. We started Everyday Math, which, for any teacher out there, is amazing, and a great way to teach math. However, the kids are new to the program, so can’t work independently yet on some of the worksheets. The 2^nd grade teacher had a brilliant idea to do math centers, and since then, the level of crazy has gone down. I am one center, the teacher is another, and there are two more where the kids work independently on a worksheet after receiving considerable help from the teacher, and also play a math game. Trying to keep the focus of six kids working on math is considerably easier than 24, or even 8. I feel like I can reach them a lot better, and get to know their needs more, and where they need the most help.

I would also like to note all the great things I am learning about teaching from being in 2^nd grade. The teacher probably wouldn’t agree, but she is a volunteer, too, and is great with the kids. They are just a crazy class, but I can’t imagine myself trying to teach them. She just knows all the right things to say to them, and has so many great techniques. It’s great!  

2:30…time for pack-up. You would think this would be easy, that kids would be excited to go home…but you would be mistaken. Pack-up is the craziest, most chaotic part of the day. And I don’t know what we can do about it. I am still in 2^nd grade for this, and I can’t help but laugh at the chaos. That is all I can do sometimes. But I still love it!

2:45…we finally make it outside and the kids go home. I spend the rest of my time at school getting cleaned up and processing the day. I look for new ways to teach literacy, and I re-evaluate what I did and how it worked. What I teach is always trial and error. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I really have no idea what I’m doing. I just put things together and hope for the best, and eventually will have a good handle on how kids learn and what I need to do to keep them entertained.

4pm…head home or church. Some days I am so tired, and still have more to do at home, so I just head right back to Pilsen. Other days I really need to refocus, so I head downtown to daily mass at St. Peter’s instead to pray and to process what happened in my day.

I love my job, and I wouldn’t change it for anything. It has its challenges, but its character building, and a great way for me to learn and grow. I am very happy and blessed to be where I am, and can only hope that I am making a difference in these kids lives. They need someone to love them and nurture them, because many of them don’t get it at home, and I hope that I can be that someone. I think that I’ve made some difference so far, but I’ll keep you posted! There is still a long time ahead, and I can’t wait to face the challenge…right after Thanksgiving break!!

The Things I Love...

There is so much I have been feeling about my service so far, and I tend to focus on the negatives far more often than the positives. I also have so much more to say than can be written in a blog post! However, in 3rd grade we are talking about different forms of writing. We have twenty minutes of "Work on Writing" and you can write about whatever you want, however you want! And did you know that making lists counts as writing?!?! So here goes:) 

The things I love about my life...

• The man that sells newspapers on Garfield and Ashland that says "Good Morning, Sunshine" to me every morning when I walk past! It puts me at ease in a neighborhood that I am not so crazy about. 
• The kids. They are exhausting, but there are things every day that I love about them. Erica is a sweetheart, and keeps me going when I am stressed with the class. She looks up at me so ready to learn, and I just have to keep teaching, no matter how tired I am. Chris is difficult, but he has a huge heart. Unfortunately he is the victim of a lot of harassment from the class. He has a hard time paying attention in class, and doesn't have good habits when it comes to taking things that don't belong to him, but when he has my attention and I can work one-on-one with him, he is the greatest kid and works hard to learn. The kids in my class have it rough, and its not easy teaching in an inner-city school, but every day I thank God for the opportunity to touch their lives, and for them to touch mine. I also ask Him for the strength to get through each day, but that is beside the point:)
• I love that I am now getting the opportunity to work with small groups and individuals in my class. And in other classes. The new 3rd grade teacher has been a blessing. She is great with the kids and is doing a great job taking over, and I am happy to have a little less stress and give these kids the education they deserve. And now I can do more things that I am actually qualified for. I'm glad I can help these kids in a way that works for them and for me. 
• I love my community. I come home every night and can share my problems, and they listen (at least act like they're listening) while I vent endlessly. Thankfully, this is not the case any more, but the first few weeks were tough at school while I was attempting to manage a classroom for the first time. Thank you Sean and Stephanie, and also Lisa, Julia, Morgan, Erica, and Mike!! You are all such blessings in my life. 
• I love Wednesdays!! Every Wednesday night we travel to the St. Martin de Porres convent to share community with four Dominican Sisters of Springfield, and it is my favorite part of the week. Srs. Judi, Judeen, Pat, and Beverly are the most supportive, funny, and helpful people in the world, with the biggest hearts I know! I feel so at home with them, and know that I am loved and I have four wonderful people looking out for me in Chicago. I am so blessed to have them in my life this year.
• I love the support I am getting from the other teachers and the principal. There was a little drama at the beginning, but I am glad to know that it was because everyone had my best interest at heart. And now I am in a much better place, and am finding my niche at the school. 
• I love Chicago. The other night, I enjoyed downtown accompanying a friend shopping, I listened to some good free music and enjoyed fireworks at Navy Pier, then went up to the North Side with my roommate to a fellow teachers housewarming party. All before ending the night exploring Boystown! The freedom I have is amazing. I miss my car a lot sometimes, especially when i go home for the weekend, and it's no longer in the driveway, but I also love not having to drive, and the freedom that comes with the L pass. 
• I love Pilsen. It's a crazy community, but I love that I feel completely at home. I am not afraid at all, but still conscious of what is going on around me. It is small town enough to where I do not feel overwhelmed by living in a big city, yet it is still in Chicago. I also love the religious and social justice aspects of simply living here. From the murals of Our Lady of Guadalupe to the spray painted "Nadie es ilegal" painted on the wall of a building, I love it!
• I love that I am close to my family. Being around for big things like MY GODSON'S BAPTISM mean so much to me, and is something I have missed in the last four years. I am happy to be where I am. I may not always stay so close (I don't think I'm done with Latin America yet) but I am happy to be here now. 
• I love my family. My immediate family, my extended family, my Dominican family, my Reineman's family, my Omaha family, and my campo family (who contacts me regularly and makes me feel terrible about knowing so little Spanish). You are all so great in supporting me through this adventure. I am truly blessed, and feel so loved. Thank you all for being there for me through my life, from the first time I thought of doing a year of service, through discernment, to providing me with the tools I need to make my ministry a little easier.

It's a long list, but all very important and very close to my heart. Shout out to Reineman's True Value, Grandma, and Mom and Dad for providing me with so many school supplies! I feel so blessed and loved to have so many people who care about me. Thank you to all of you who are there for me. I love you all! And miss you so much. 

And finally, a Dominican Blessing...

May God Creator bless you.

May God Redeemer heal you.

May God the Holy Spirit fill you with light.

My Chicago Adventure

Our home...we live in the taller building on the right. 

"Encuentro" means "I find" and although I am no longer involved in the Encuentro Dominicano program after which this blog was named, I think it is still a fitting title because I am still discovering so many new things about myself, the area where I live, and about life in general. I want to tell you everything I have done since I have been here in Chicago, but I have had so many amazing experiences that it would be nearly impossible!!! So I’ll share a little bit about my new city, and my community, and my ministry. All are wonderful and I am grateful every day that God has given me this opportunity…

First, Pilsen. This primarily Mexican neighborhood is where I call home. It is pretty close to downtown, just a little South and a little West, but it seems like a completely different city, and at times a completely different country. I have had some of the best Mexican food I have ever tasted, and as I walk down the street I can hear the sounds of Bachata, Meregue, and Mariachi music blaring from houses and from car speakers. This neighborhood is so alive and vibrant, with murals on every other building making sure that every resident and visitor knows that they are in Pilsen. A mural of Our Lady of Guadalupe always tells me when my bus stop is coming up, and I need to get ready to get off the bus and go home.

Our home is very close to the center of Pilsen, and right across the street from St. Pius V school and church. We’ve built some community with the church with the help of the Dominican priests that live above us and run the church. Fr. Brendan, one of the three priests we share community with, has invited us to street mass, to festivals in Pilsen, and even mass on the beach one morning, where we entered into community with other churches from around the city while others were having mass on different beaches in Chicago, all promoting peace and an end to violence on the streets. I have felt so welcome throughout these few weeks, and have enjoyed the smiles and greetings of the people here. I’ve also enjoyed the street festivals that seem to go on every weekend! It is amazing how much life this neighborhood has.

Living in my house with me are Stephanie and Sean, and the three of us have been exploring the city, cooking meals, and discovering interesting things about our house every day. It’s been great having someone to explore with, but even better to have someone to eat with, laugh with, and pray with just about every day. When its not just the three of us, we share community with Lisa, a volunteer from last year that lives downstairs, Julia and Morgan, current volunteers living with two sisters in North Lawndale, and once a week we share meals, prayer, and lots of stories with four sisters that live in South Chicago. I look forward to Wednesday nights so much, because they make dinner for us, and we get to talk about our week, and get their feedback, which is incredibly valuable from people with so much experience serving. It’s been great getting to know them, and I am really looking forward to sharing meals with them this year.

Finally, my ministry. As is with any new job, it takes some time to get into the swing of things and figure out your role in the school and exactly how things run. Unfortunately I did not get the chance. School started 1 ½ weeks after I did, and although I got my classroom set up, I had little time to prepare myself for anything else. I am the 3^rd and 4^th grade teachers assistant at Visitation Catholic School in Englewood, and on the first day of school we had 3^rd and 4^th graders in the same classroom and realized that wasn’t going to work. I volunteered myself to take on the 3^rd grade and be somewhat of a homeroom teacher, and Ms. Matula, the 4^th grade teacher, could come back and forth to teach lessons. So Friday morning, I took the 3^rd graders into my classroom and practically became the 3^rd grade teacher. With the help of Sr. Gloria, a Dominican sister who came out of retirement to help me, I was able to make it through the day with as few setbacks as possible. However, I am still working to make the day go smoothly. When it comes to lesson planning, I will have help, but classroom management is another issue. And these kids are something else. I’ve dealt with behavior before, but its going to take a lot of patience and positive thinking to not get as stressed as I did by the end of the day on Friday. I wish I could have some training or ease myself into it like a typical job, but that is not an option. I really like where I’m at, and I’m praying for help from God to guide me in the right direction and help me improve myself so I can better educate these kids that really need someone to be there for them.

So that has been my first few weeks in Chicago. I can’t even get into my time in New York, although I will say that during the first week, I was convinced more and more every day that I am in the right place with the right people. I’ve never felt so much a part of my community, and at the end of the week in New York, I couldn’t believe that I had to say goodbye to everyone I met there as they went off to their own ministries. I can’t wait until January when we all meet up again. And I hope to get more sleep this time!!! I was just too excited to be around everyone to sleep last timeJ