Adventure to White Sands: Time of my life!

June 23, 2013 will always be known as one of the most memorable, fun, freeing, happiest days of 2013. It was a full moon that night, and I had the privilege of seeing this beautiful sight with beautiful people in the most beautiful place I have ever been to. Border Servant and a visiting border immersion group from Colorado took a trip to White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. It was probably the strongest natural high I have ever felt in my 22 years of life! White Sands is about 1.5 hours away from El Paso. We left here at around 5, and made it in the dinner time frame. Aside from White Sands itself, the road trip was also very much enjoyable and unforgettable!

I don't know about you, but I'm such a big fan of road trips. Especially when it's with a big, fun, amazing group. We all fit into the Colorado van and Rick drove us. Sitting on both sides of me were Erika and Justin, behind me was Erin, Felipe, and Lilly, and the girls from Colorado sat in the back. It was a great group of people to be traveling with! Pastor Rose Mary and her family drove separately in their car and met up with us there. Car rides are such a great bonding moment. Not to sound cheesy, but it's (mostly) true! Plus, with the Border Servant group, it is always a really fun time. We have thee most random conversations... I don't even... Over the course of 1.5 hrs, we all talked about the meaning of faith, great books, conjoined twins, horror movies, and our excitement to be at White Sands. During this time, Justin was also pulling my hair (because he is 7). I could not stop staring out the window and looking at the beauty. It is a different kind of beauty that I am use to due to the desert. However, my love and appreciation for the desert scene has grown significantly during this time in El Paso. I don't know how to explain it, but I'm always telling myself "This place is so beautiful" whenever we're out driving. I'm really trying to enjoy this time in the desert and the different view it brings.

When we reached White Sands, everyone just said in unison, "OH WOW!" or "THIS IS SO PRETTY!" or "OMG LOOK AT THOSE DUNES!" ...yeah, we're such newbies. Our excitement level is of a 5 yr old on Christmas Eve, but who can blame us? It was one of the coolest feelings to see nothing but white sand all around you, and dunes of various sizes. As we got further into White Sands, the driving path quickly became nothing but sand. Sand, blue sky, a gorgeous sunset, and picturesque clouds were the only thing in sight. A huge sense of peace came over me and I was instantly reaffirmed that this was going to be an amazing night-and it was all of those and much more! Sidenote: we saw a camel ride taking place. How great would that be to be on a camel in White Sands?

We found a place to park that was located in the Full Moon Activity section. It was already starting to become crowded, and those cool people wearing the vest and cones were directing traffic. As soon as we parked, we all hurried out of the van like kids. We instantly took off our sandals and felt the sand below us. It was so soft, smooth, and pretty. Erika and I decided to pitch in and carry the 5 gallon water cooler. Smart decision on our part. It was difficult carrying that thing up sand dunes. However, the whole time I was carrying the cooler I couldn't help but pay attention to how soft the sand was. It was the smoothest, softest, prettiest sand I had ever walked on and seen. We set the cooler down in our picnic spot, and, in unison, the whole group gave each other THE LOOK (you know, that look that you give your best friend when you have the same idea) and immediately ran, jumped, frolicked, skipped, etc around with merriment and a jump in our steps. We were just so happy and excited to be there! I don't even know how to explain. All around us people were happy, picnic'ing with their family and friends, taking pictures, jumping/sledding off sand dunes, and just having such a wonderful time. We definitely took pictures (all of which are on my facebook in some way) and were just loving life together! :) We each took turns sledding down the dunes. We then wanted to jump off dunes and then immediately attempted taking pictures. Let me tell you, jumping off a tall sand dune is one of the most liberating feelings in the world. Think about it. Below you there is just simple, harmless soft white sand. Above you there is the gorgeous sunset and picturesque sky. All around you are sand dunes as far as the eye can see. Last, but not least, on all sides of you there are your friends who you've been taking risks with the whole summer, and you all jump off a tall sand dune and take one more jump together. It was such a beautiful, memorable moment with my Border Servant friends.

After we had an intense and enjoyable time of jumping off the dunes, we all decided that it would be a good idea to eat dinner. We were so excited to be there that we had almost forgotten that we were starving, haha. We had a lovely picnic together. I looked all around me and couldn't help but think, "This is what it must feel like to just let go and really feel genuinely happy." The sun began to set, the band began to play more, and I sat, talked, ate, and just loved life right back at that moment. Justin, Lilly, and I sat in the sand and talked. Before we knew it, everyone all at once yelled in Spanish and English, "The moon!" Everyone where we were sitting turned around and ran over to look/take pictures of the moon. It was gorgeous! The moon almost looked bigger from White Sands, and I have no idea why I felt that way. It looked so distinct and brought a feeling of joy with its rising. Like a noob, we took pictures of the moon, and pictures of Justin pretending to eat the moon. Once the excitement of seeing the full moon had passed (it was awhile before it did pass, though), Lilly, Justin, and I went back to the picnic sight, enjoyed each other's company, and listened to the band. The band was pretty good! I never realized how much I love Hispanic/Latino/Mexican music before until that night. It's too catchy for its own good. The three of us decided to lay down on the sand, and it felt so right to do that. We were laying next to each other, and looking up at the stars. It was incredible how distinct the stars looked that night. They were so beautiful, chilling up there and bringing happy feelings with them. Justin turned to me and said in such a sincere tone, "The world is so beautiful." I couldn't help but answer him in the same sincere tone and say, "It really is." I stretched my arms out on all sides and just smiled. It was almost like a natural high came over me that hadn't been felt in a very long time. I don't believe I've ever felt as connected to the earth and my friends until that very moment. It was difficult for  me to stop smiling. I was so happy, and very much at peace.

Justin and Lilly left to go dance (because there was a "dance floor" in front of the stage. I wanted to join them badly, but I also didn't want to move from where I was and how I was feeling at that given time. Once I decided to sit up, I marched on over and danced with them. Justin and I danced together for a couple songs. It was fun, and he is coordinated and needs to give himself more credit (if you are reading this, that is the truth). He kept saying "I don't know what I'm doing," but he really did. I felt so happy dancing again, especially since I hadn't done so in forever and a day, AND that it was under the stars and a full moon. Plus, there is something special about dancing with a friend. You never forget it. We went back to the group after dancing to a couple of the songs, just to make sure that they hadn't left us yet. They all said that they wanted to stay longer, luckily. It was difficult for me to navigate myself back to the group in the dark. You have to get freakishly close to peoples' faces and be all awkward when approaching them...and then innocently walk away. Golden moment. Lilly and I sat and talked about how much fun we had that night, and about life in general. I went back to see what Erin and Erika were up to. Not to my surprise, they were burying Justin. They had made excellent progress too because when I arrived the only things that remained uncovered were his big, bony hip and his pointy, bony shoulder (no offense, of course :)). We all talked about how we would forget about him, and how he also looked like a dead body that was discovered from below. He really did look dead. It was great.

We decided to head back to El Paso when the Full Moon activities ended. It was about midnight when we left. The car ride back was quite the adventure. We were all awake and chatty for the first 15 minutes, and then we were all suddenly asleep. I asked Justin if he would let me rest my head on his shoulder (his bony, pointy shoulder) and he agreed. As soon as my head hit his shoulder I was basically out. Towards the end of the drive, I woke up with my head leaning awkwardly back on the seat. It was a little painful, but I kept it there because I was very tired at that point. Rick slammed on the brakes, and my head just flung forward as fast as it could and just smacked right into Justin's shoulder. Like I said, it is a bony shoulder, and my head hurt so bad! Haha. Justin just turned around and laughed and then asked if I was ok. I had the slight fear that his shoulder had given me a concussion...but it's all good now! :P

When we arrived back at the church, I went to the bathroom to change into PJs, and sand came out of all sorts of places. Places where sand shouldn't be, let's just say that. It was humorous though :) I fell asleep with a smile on my face and excitement in me. I felt such a natural high inside me the whole night, and my spirit automatically lifts whenever I look at the pictures. Our trip to White Sands was definitely an adventure. An unforgettable, happy, joyful, peaceful, beautiful adventure. I'm so thankful to have had a night like that, and to have shared it with my Border Servant family. I love you guys! Our next trips are going to be amazing together.

Sometimes I feel like I'm living in a dream: Happy (almost) One Month!

I've been living in El Paso for almost 1 month now, and so far it has been the most unforgettable journey of my life. I've been blessed with meeting truly outstanding friends, and the experiences we've been through together have made us even stronger friends. The kids who I work with put a smile on my face, love in my heart, and admiration for them all. The experiences (good and challenging) have made us all grow in ways that have never been presented to us before. The people we've met along this journey have left the deepest impression in my heart. And the simplistic lifestyle is one that I am always going to nurture and keep. All you need is love, compassion, and purpose inside of you; the clothes on your back; your feet and intuition for transportation; and beautiful people who keep your soul alive.

I am not going to write down every event or experience that has happened since I last wrote in this, but to continue off of the title of this blog, I have had way more moments that have left a sense of peace in me. These moments force me to stop and actually realize that I am making a difference over the summer, and that the people who I've met along the way have changed me in more ways than I can offer gratitude. Erika, your spritely, optimistic, "we can do it!," and smiley personality just lifts my spirit automatically! You are such a kind soul, and have a gentle heart, whether you realize it or not ;) I really hope to someday be more like you in ways of always looking at the good, even during the darkest days. Erin, gurl, you are such a hoot and bring so much peace with you. When you walk into the room you can just feel the atmosphere become more centered and peaceful. Your thoughtfulness to articulate what you want/need to say, peaceful state of mind, and ability to be serious and too silly for your own good should be something that everyone strives to obtain. You have the ability to make everyone laugh and feel like nothing can go wrong. (P.S. SAIL!) I know that I can always count on you for a good laugh and a chance for adventure! (because we're always getting lost together, haha!) Lilly, I admire you so much! Your need in searching for how the world works and communicates is just fabulous and beautiful. Searching for something is a sign of a true learner and colorful imagination. Your sense of humor is so enlightening and brings so much carefreeness to our lives. Plus, you could care less how others react to what your beliefs and morals are, which is so bold and fearless. Honestly, most people are still striving to be on your level of self-affirmation. I really hope to be like you in the way of always doing what is right for me and giving zero fudges of what others may think. Also, keep singing! Your voice is so BEAUTIFUL! Justin, I just love you and look up to you so much. You are truly one of a kind. You are super-human in that you can do EVERYTHING that's handed to you, and you have the ability to touch so many people's lives with your optimism and positive energy. You put others' needs and wants before your own, and are constantly trying to figure out how you can make someone's day better. You are silly, 7 years old at heart, sometimes a noob, and have really taught me that love can be transfered through hugs and positive energy. Thank you for always putting a smile on my face and my heart! You all have really made a big difference in my life, and I'm going to miss you more than words can say when our time is over here.

The experiences and moments that have been presented will also always stand out as something special. There have been many experiences that have challenged me in ways that have not been tested in the past. It's interesting, because occasionally I catch myself thinking, "I can't believe I'm in El Paso." If you were to ask any of my roommates, we would instantly say, "It's so different than the Midwest, but it's a good kind of different." The culture probably has a major part on the differences that are noticed. The border culture is unlike any other, and is overall an extremely relational one. People are much more family-oriented, and also have a very strong respect for the older generations. People down here are also more touchy in that you greet people with a hug and kiss on the cheek. I fee like that is something that is not commonly seen in the Midwest? Or maybe in just parts of the Midwest that I've lived. I am still in the process of learning Spanish, so we shall see how that resolves in the end. Fingers crossed that I will be able to actually understand more than 2 or 3 words mentioned in a conversation.

One of my most favorite memories from our time down in El Paso has been setting up a basketball hoop, eating tamales, and hearing immigration stories from a family who lives in the colonias. I mentioned what colonias were in a previous post. However, just to reiterate, colonias are settlements along that U.S.-Mexico border that originated as squatting-type grounds. The population of them grew pretty quickly during the 1980's when documented and undocumented immigrants settled in them. There is much poverty that inhabits the colonias, but also really profound beauty that I have not seen anywhere else. We visited a family made up of a mother who makes tamales for a living, 2 daughters, and 1 son. The father is absent and currently in jail. I am not going to write about this experience in much detail, because a lot of emotions were felt that cannot be explained into words. However, I will say that it was probably the most rewarding afternoon I have experienced. There are no words that can be used to describe the look of a child's face when they receive their first basketball hoop. It was even better that it was a group effort in making this family's day. Mostly the men of the group helped assemble the basketball hoop, and the women talked with the family and kids during this time. I had a terrific conversation with the oldest daughter who is in middle school. Middle school is already a pretty screwy time in a person's life to begin with, but having a lot of family decisions relying on your shoulder as a teenager would make it much more straining. When we were about to leave, the oldest daughter gave Erin one of her bracelets that she was wearing. Erin asked the girl if she was sure that she wanted to give it to her, and she said yes with a huge smile on her face. Erin then took off her cross necklace that she has worn everyday, and put it on the girl. It was a beautiful moment, and the girl looked so happy. I am really glad that I was there for that moment, and also got a picture of it taking place. When we were driving back to Cristo Rey from the colonias, I couldn't help but stare out the window and smile. It was such a rewarding, memorable, and wonderful afternoon. It made me think to myself "I feel like I'm living in a dream. This afternoon was too beautiful."

This evening, we are taking a road trip to White Sands National Monument. It is in Alamogordo, New Mexico, which is about 1.5 hrs from El Paso, according to Justin. We are going with the border immersion group that is here from Colorado. We will be heading out at 4:30 p.m. our time, and getting back at around 10:00 p.m. It is a full moon, so we are all very excited to see this view and experience White Sands together! We've heard a lot of talk about this place and can't believe this trip is already here! It feels like it was a long time ago when we were talking about going there. This month has just flown by tremendously fast. It really needs to slow down! Overall, trips and experiences like White Sands have been so memorable, especially with our group.

So Happy (almost) One Month, interns! It's been an amazing time. So excited to see how the rest of our time together unfolds!

Thursday Pool Days: THE BEST

So to put it nicely, I've really sucked at keeping this thing updated lately.

It probably seems obvious to say that a lot has happened since I last wrote in this. Luckily, I have a grand memory and can recall evrrything from erryday. I am sitting in the office and have just completed researching activities, typing up spreadsheets, making lists, emailing UTEP students who are interested in volunteering for the program, and laughing with Justin and Lilly. It's been a long, 13 hour day. I decided that this would be a perfect time to reflect more on what has happened and recall some moments that are truly unforgettable. Those memories and events that are not written down, due to the lack of updating, will always be stored in my heart/noggin, and I'd be more than happy to share them in person :)

I guess a good place to start would be to say that I have officially taken my job as the program director. This position has been quite nuts, and has taken up much more time than I was anticipating. It has been very fun, however, practicing a role where I am responsible in overseeing 40'ish (and then some) people. The kids are soooo great and cute. They give me energy all the time and, in general, make me love life and what I do at Cristo Rey. The program runs Tuesdays 12:30-5:30, Wednesdays 12:30-4:30, and Thursdays 11:45-4:30. That does not include the hours used for preparation, outside responsibilities, calling families, tutoring on Mondays, and meeting with the assistants and volunteers of the program. It's been a very challenging experience but has already provided much growth in how I think, oversee, speak, view communication, and other important aspects of the world. The program started on the 18th, and week 1 has been completed as of today! Yay! :) I know almost every child's name, know the names of all the assistants, and volunteers. I've definitely been using a lot of the skills and communication practices with the kids that I learned in my Ed classes. When you have to reach so many kids of various ages, you really have to be creative in how you go about doing that, and in a creative way! Today (Thursday) was probably my favorite day of the week thus far.

Every Thursday we go to the pool (or another field trip set up) at the Armijo Recreation Center. The pool is indoors, which is very nice with the weather. I was thinking that the pool was going to be the most hectic part. However, getting there was way more chaotic than anything! I had the assistants and volunteers arrive at Cristo Rey early to help make 75 sandwiches, pack up all the boxes of juice, bags of chips, fruit, etc. People were approaching me almost every minute from all different directions asking me questions, requesting me for help in something, and also asking me if they were doing everything correctly that was asked of them. It required me to think on my feet in a very fast-like manner. Once people kept coming to me, however, I had everything down with what I wanted to communicate with them. Even the main staff at the church approached me with all types of questions and requests. The important factor was to get to the pool on time. Thankfully we did, and in plenty of time! :)

The pool time itself was so much fun and the kids had such a blast. I had at least 3 kids per arm hanging on to me, wanting me to "flip" them, catch them from jumping from the sides of the pool, etc etc. Justin and I stuck together during much of the time as well because the kids wanted to play with both of us at the same time. Usually if I was alone, one of the kids would say, "Mees (Miss), find Justin so that we can play together!" It was very cute. Justin and I had a blast playing with the kids. I was splashed by multiple kids and Justin (who is basically 7 years old) throughout the afternoon. Justin, if you're reading this, thanks. I'm not sure what it is about the kids, but whenever they call me by "Mees (Miss) Jennifer" my heart just melts and I can't help but smile as they try to talk to me in their adorable, high-pitched voices. We played many games of "tag," hide and go seek, and hey let's splash and soak Jennifer as much as possible. There is also a slide at the pool, and periodically throughout the day kids would come up to me and ask me to go down the slide with them. Justin and I also went down a couple times together, and when we reached the bottom there were some of our kids clapping and cheering us on. It was so adorable! Justin and I would give piggyback rides to the kids, and Justin actually got in trouble for carrying the kids. When he told that to one of the kids, he just responded in his adorable voice, "OOO Meester! You got in trouble!" (P.S. Yeah way to be a good example, Justin)

Since we go to the pool every Thursday, that basically means that Justin, Erin, and me are going to have super buff arms by the end of the summer :) All it took was just lifting and dumping children, and having at least 3 per arm. Gosh, I just love the kids! I don't really know how to fully express how much fun I had with the kids this afternoon. Justin, Erin, and I all had a blast. We were all sunburn and wiped out by the end, but it definitely adds to the list of "most memorable afternoons of my life."

Haha, I'm not going to use names on here, but someone wins the prize for the best expression :)

These two together are trouble/funny

I just love her

Justin I love you!

It is also safe to say that my happiness level has significantly increased if every Thursday is going to be like today. :)

Mi aerodeslizador está lleno de anguilas. And I love this life.

The title of my blog post "My hovercraft is full of eels." In case anyone wanted to know. I happened to learn that today. Today at work Erin and I really sat down and disciplined ourselves to learn Spanish; looking up common phrases online, practicing conversing with families who have come in to register for the summer program, and also had Justin teach us how to conjugate verbs. I don't think I have felt a sense of excitement and happiness learning another language since ASL. Pastor Rose Mary has now started to speak Spanish phrases to us, and let us figure out what she's saying using context clues. The other staff members have started doing the same. It's almost like they had this planned. It's tough, but a very great learning experience! Un idioma nunca es suficiente (One language is never enough).  My goal for the summer is to be able to converse with the kids without having to ask, "Como se dice ... (insert word here) en espanol?" (How do you say... (insert word here) in Spanish?" Fingers crossed that this goal will be achieved!

I would like to take some time to write about my day yesterday. It was overall a funny, eventful, and joyous day. I can't say enough how much I enjoy working with Erin and Justin. They are both such lovely individuals and have made the days at Cristo Rey so happy and silly. It is so wonderful that I feel like I can be my true self around the BSC family for only knowing them for a brief period of time. Erin and Justin in particular have turned me into way more of a sassbasket than before, but have also really challenged me to become a better person and reevaluate my life and the direction I would really like it to progress towards. We have too much fun at work, and sometimes it doesn't feel like we're even working. There are those occasional moments when Erin and me (the newbies of Cristo Rey) think "Oh Sh** what are we doing here," but then we always figure it out together, and Justin is always there to laugh at our cluelessness...as well as offer us encouragement via hugs and his perky personality and phrases. For example, "Jennifer, laugh always." We took some staff pictures yesterday that are just absolute gems, and by gems I mean goofy. Erin also drove the church's giant van for the first time! The three of us drove to A-House to drop off some clothing donations. Afterwards, Rose Mary came to the church and we talked more about the program and coordinating planning. We ended the work day with a brief nap, and then mopped up the sanctuary and hallway.

After work, we had our community night, WHICH WAS HIKING! I was counting down the hours for the hike! Hannah, our boss, came over to Cristo Rey, and joined Erin, Erika, Lilly, Justin, and me for dinner. After dinner, the 6 of us headed out to Star Mountain for what was going to be the most beautiful hike we've ever experienced in the city. Star Mountain is located in downtown El Paso and it has its name because there is a star that lights up during sundown. The star resembles Texas. We drove to Rim Road where the mountain begins. We stopped real quick to take some pictures of the glorious view that Rim Road overlooks. It is a view that neither of us could ever get sick of seeing. Once we were all satisfied with the view, it was time to begin the hike up!

This hike was much easier than the last one. The mountain was not as steep. However, there were many lose rocks that overlapped the main stepping rocks. One bad step and, well, let's just say that you'd be the first one to the bottom. We were all overcome with such shock and happiness seeing the view that met us at the halfway point. We could see the mountains all around us, and the ones off in the distance near Mexico had THE MOST BEAUTIFUL sunset/colors/thunderstorm taking place that we could see. It was so stunning! I am still speechless thinking about how glorious it looked. It was wonderful how we all were so surprised by the beauty, and so much peace and happiness was felt inside that we could share that moment together. Here are some pictures of what we saw. The clouds drooping below was the rainfall. We later saw lightning! From a Christian point of view, that moment really reaffirmed to me that God's beauty is unlike any other.

We decided to continue to the top of the mountain, and by then it was pretty dark outside. Dark, but absolutely beautiful. The city was alive below us, the mountains were our conquering point, and the sky was radiating with such natural beauty. We also found the star on the mountain! It looked so cool up close, especially because we had only seen it from the city point of view.

Justin has the star on his t-shirt! He happened to be wearing that shirt for the hike, and was so excited to finally see it up close in person! "Dreams do come true, you guys!"

When we reached the top of the mountain, we all had our own resting places. We sat in silence and watched the beauty and city from below. It was so peaceful and felt almost like a dream.

While we were coming down the mountain, it was hard to leave that view and all of that peace that was felt while sitting on the mountain top in silence with my BSC family. Erika, Erin, Lilly, and I all admitted that this was one of the most beautiful places we've ever been to. It's hard to explain this, but I felt very much awake after that hike. I couldn't stop staring out the car window looking at the city, the mountains, and the sky. I also couldn't help but think "Man I am going to miss this place way more than I was expecting."

Hikes and community nights have quickly become one of my favorite parts of this trip. They have been so fun and memorable to experience with the BSC family as well. We have been spoiled and blessed to have these moments together. After the hike, I couldn't help but reflect about how much I've changed since coming to El Paso. This next rant relates to one change that I've noticed.

I have been really fortunate to always be surrounded by people who are constantly happy and smiling about how they're making a difference here in El Paso. Being with positivity and optimism is really refreshing and wonderful. Your attitude inevitably becomes the same, and continues to grow in that direction; finding the good in everything you see and experience. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely those moments when I think "Oh my gosh my job is so overwhelming," or, "Hmm, I wonder if it would be socially acceptable to just plop right on the floor here and take a nap?" Then, almost like perfect timing, someone does something crazy and goofy and I cannot help but smile and laugh. Sometimes until I cry, which is the best type of laughter! Wether it is Justin jumping up and down because he's like a 7 year old at heart and easily happy about everything (and then eventually gets me to his hyper level), or Amy telling one of her famous stories with her signature facial expressions... happiness is contagious down here!

This evening Erika, Erin, and me went to Sam's Chinese (funny name for a Chinese restaurant, but actually pretty good!). It was wonderful food and company! When I came back, I was pretty wiped out, but knew that I needed to clean up the office space as well as sort all of this paperwork that seems to always be piling up. Justin's family is here for a Border Immersion trip over the weekend, so we had the privilege of meeting them AND we get to come along for the trip. It will for sure be a fun time! His family is awesome and silly, just like him. I had a great talk with Justin and his sister Bella in the office, and then continued to organize. Erika then came in and we had another great heart-to-heart. Heart-to-heart conversations with these people are a very common occurrence, thankfully!

I am actually really looking forward to our border immersion time. We will be busy from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m tomorrow (Friday) to Sunday. But it will be a very rewarding time. Justin also solidified with us last night that we will be going to White Sands in Las Cruces, NM on June 23!!!!!!! You have no idea how stoked I am for this trip! For those of you who have never heard of White Sands... this is what it looks like...

Yes, those are sanddunes. Yes, we are going sledding down them. Yes, it's going to be a blast :) We have all been looking forward to this trip since we arrived in El Paso, so it is great to hear that a date has been solidified. Trips with BSC are nothing but unforgettable, bloody brilliant, and beautiful. I love this BSC life and serving the community more than I imagined possible. Te amo, El Paso!

¿Puedo hablar con... (insert child's name here)?

Today at work seemed more draining than the other days. We had registration for the summer program, and it felt like the day was never going to end. We had 40 copies of registration packets ready to go for the parents to fill out. Slowly, parents began to come to the church and fill them out. The last thing we did before our lunch break was call the families to remind them that registration was taking place. That probably sounds unnecessary, but it in the culture it is crucial to send reminders of important events and dates. This part of the day was the most difficult one of them all.

We were given a list of 40 kids, and were told that it was highly unlikely that the parents spoke English. Rose Mary told us that she wanted us to call and practice communicating with the language barrier. At first I thought, "This seems like you're setting us up for failure." However, it was a good challenge. It was definitely an uncomfortable feeling communicating to parents, and pretending like we knew Spanish. We were told by Justin to say to the parents, "Hola! ¿Puedo hablar con... (insert child's name here)?" which translates to, "Can I talk to... (insert child's name here)?" This was very helpful because all of the children are bilingual. I had a couple of instances when the parents would either hang up on me, said "No no, Spanish?", or immediately gave the phone to their child to talk to me. For the families who I left a voicemail to, I tried to emphasize the importance of the phone call by making sure that I had the words Cristo Rey, their son/daughter's name, and summer program. It was also clear to me by speaking to some of the parents briefly that they actually understood English, but were just not able to communicate with the language itself. At first I was very nervous and kind of frustrated that we were unable to completely communicate with each other. This feeling surprised me a lot through calling parents, because I have been communicating with little/none spanish successfully up to this point in time. However, it really solidified my want and need to learn spanish during the remainder of my time in El Paso. I am FAR from some people in the U.S. who refuse to learn spanish with the reasoning behind "We live in the United States of America, I don't need to learn English." (Sorry if that seems insulting, but that happens way too much) I have learned some phrases that have benefitted me so far. When the phone rings in the church's office, I always answer saying, "Iglesia Luterana Cristo Rey, this is Jennifer" just so the people are aware that I speak English as my first language. When I hear them ask if I speak Spanish, I immediately say, "No español" and "su número?" which is "your number?" and they are very eager to help me out and give me their phone number and name. I'm very willing to learn more Spanish down here, especially since it is the kids' primary language and is a part of their culture. It gave me a better understanding of what it must feel like to be living in the U.S. and not know any English. You feel frustrated at yourself, confused, and overwhelmed. Some of the kids who I have read with are adorable and help me pronounce words. They are the best teachers, to be honest. When I have completely butchered my words, all they do is give me a confused look and then ask me if I meant to pronounce the word in another way. That is a much more gentle approach to teaching a new language than how adults tend to go about the process.

Overall, the work day was accompanied with excellent work company, Erin and Justin. I just love working with those two. Justin puts a smile on my face on an hourly basis, and Erin is such a sweet, kind-hearted friend with the funniest sense of humor. She definitely lights up my life. Justin's face was priceless when we told him the story about how we almost ended up in Mexico from getting lost, and that Erin totally walked into the middle of UTEP's graduation line. Erin and I also listened to Shakira at work, so that for sure lifted our moods. It is amazing how the people you work with can make all the difference!

Today's work day ended with a funny/great surprise! One of the year long BSC members, Amy, surprised us at work! It was actually quite funny because when I found her she was hiding inside a cabinet. I had to think about that for a moment, and remind myself that something like that would be expected from Amy. I loved seeing her again, especially since we last saw each other on Friday night.

Tomorrow there are more phone calls to be made, more registration, and more preparation. It will be interesting to see how the second day goes. However, I am very much looking forward to tomorrow's community night. We are going hiking! There is a mountain in El Paso that has a star that lights up at nighttime. I'm quite excited for this adventure! Pictures will for sure be taken. It should be a very fun time to spend it with my roommates, Hannah, and Justin!

Shakira Shakira!

Hola!

I don't have to be at work until 10 this morning, so I'm going to write about my adventures from yesterday (Monday, June 10) :)

As stated before, Erin and I rock at having the best of luck with random events taking place. We're starting to question if one of us is just bad luck. We were given the opportunity to drive the pastor's car to run some errands. I decided to be the driver; easier said than done! Our first stop was at the Armijo Public Library which is on the other side of downtown from where we're located. That was the easiest drive for us, and we just had to pick up summer reading time sheets and registration forms for our kids. We then had to go to EPCC (El Paso Community College) and UTEP (University of Texas El Paso) to post flyers advertising for our program. Doesn't sound too difficult, right? Wrong! Ha.

As we were leaving from Armijo, we had an overall challenging time navigating ourselves. In case anyone was wondering, there are WAY more one ways down here than in Minneapolis. I'm actually laughing a little bit while writing this because we got SO lost. I took a couple wrong turns and before we knew it, we were on the freeway heading to the west side of El Paso. Totally not the direction that we needed to be going. We were kind of panicking, and I joked a little bit saying, "Watch, we'll be in Mexico before we know it." Erin then replied with, "We won't, just don't go over any bridges and we'll be fine!" (bridges are the checking points between El Paso and Juarez) Ok, terrible joke, because we actually were heading in that direction! We kept driving to out in the middle of nowhere, not even sure if we were in El Paso anymore, and all of a sudden saw Juarez and the fence right off to the left of us. Yeah. Erin took my phone to try to find us a new route before we ended up on some random port of passage. We had to exit the freeway asap and pulled over into a Big 5 parking lot. We decided to stay  off the freeway just so that we wouldn't accidentally end up in Mexico illegally. We finally found our path and stayed on it successfully! This was followed by some celebratory car dancing to Shakira to help us feel better about ourselves.

Finding EPCC was tough, but easier than finding UTEP. Erin quickly ran inside to EPCC to post some flyers. She came out saying that she's pretty sure that she posted some where they shouldn't be posted, but you know what, it's all good! We spent too much energy freaking out to care. UTEP was another story. When we finally found the school, it was PACKED. Students were walking around wearing red graduation robes, so of course that would happen when we have excellent timing. It was awkward because we just blended in with the rest of the cars. I said, "maybe they won't notice?" I dropped Erin off at the gymnasium and illegally parked on campus (sorry if I took your spot, proud parents). A campus policeman came up to me and asked what I was doing parking there. I was scared sh**less that I couldn't form words, and the only thing that came out was "Oh, I...just parked here because I'm picking up a friend" (good job, me). Silly officer believed me though. He replied with, "Ok! Well, carry on!" and tipped his hat to me and walked away. I'm such a smooth talker under pressure :P Erin called me and said that she couldn't remember where I parked. I tried to describe to her where I was, but she was on the way opposite side of the building somehow. When we were reunited she was out of breath getting into the car. Apparently, she somehow walked right into where the graduates were lining up! She started off the story saying, "I was standing outside some random room, and a woman opened the door and said, 'Oh good, you're here! You're one of the students, right?'" and she responded saying, "Ok!" (Ha!) She somehow ended up in the line where the students were and said that everyone was staring at her, and most likely thinking, "Who the heyl are you?" or "She doesn't even go here!" Bravo, Erin, for stepping into that one!

We decided to keep driving around the campus to find the main student union area. I decided to turn onto University Ave, just as a guess that it could potentially lead to a more popular student area. A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders when we saw the Student Union right to our left! We were saved! Erin ran in and, again, posted flyers in "illegal" locations. Again, we didn't care what so ever. Our mission was accomplished and we were safe to head home! This was also followed up by more car dancing to Shakira, and other various techno and old/trashy rap.

Moral of the story? Car dancing to Shakira helps you feel better about yourself. I guess I would also say to never get in a car with Erin and me when we're in a new city. It actually turned out to be a very fun afternoon, just a different type of fun! We were gone for 3 hours, just to give you an indication for how much we ended up driving around and rerouting ourselves. It is these kind of moments that will never be forgotten!


Once we were home after driving all over creation, we had to quickly get ready to head out to dinner at Lilly's (my other BSC friend and roommate) boss' house. It was such a fun time, and we made it there in under 3 hours! Leslie (the pastor/Lilly's boss), her husband Dan, and her two children Eva and Harry are such a precious family. They also have 2 beautiful dogs which had me sold. Eva, who is 11, and I played together and she ended up sticking by my side for the evening. We had a great time talking about our summers, our dogs, and middle school advice together. She is adorable, and wants to be an elephant biologist when she's older! It was very profound, mature, and entertaining to hear her state, "When I'm older I want to live in Africa and work as an elephant biologist." I had no trouble telling her, "You know, not many kids your age would say the same, or be as confident knowing that!" It's true, though! That's so awesome for her! Eva definitely has a kind heart and soft-spot for animals. Even how she treats her dogs is unlike most 11 year olds. I really hope she continues to pursue her dream of becoming an elephant biologist. We ate burgers, flaming hot cheetos (everything down here is flaming hot), and gelato. It was delicious and great grill/BBQ food! We all sat outside, laid on the grass, watched the stars, and talked. It was a wonderful way to end a chaotic day.

The people we have met down here in Texas have been far too kind. Everyone down here is super friendly overall. I have yet to meet anyone who has a rougher personality or is not welcoming. I feel like that is what makes El Paso so terrific, the people. I couldn't help but stare at the stars and think about how much I'm going to miss this place, that I'm definitely going to cry when our time is over, and that I'm going to miss who I am down here. Sometimes when we discuss plans towards the end of our time down here I even start to feel extremely sad. It is wonderful when you have the opportunity to find yourself in an unfamiliar place. You will almost miss the person you were just as much as the experiences and people you've met. That one guy was dead on when he wrote, "How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."

El Paso Dust/Lightning Storm, starring Erin and Jennifer

Live footage of walking home from work at the start of a dust/lightning storm. And the coworker/roommate/friend bond just keeps on growing! :)

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3