I cannot believe I am writing officially four months into my year! December was the quickest month by far. We traveled a bit, had a lot of parties with neighbors, and enjoyed the holiday season together.
The first week of December was our normal routine. We went to work and visited neighbors. Lilly, Nicole, and I even took a trip to the mall! We went through their Santa's workshop and got a fun Christmas coffee.
I had a few Christmas parties throughout the month at work. Different organizations came in and gave presents and lunch to the families. It was fun to see the Christmas spirit in Casa. We made different decorations each week to hang up on the walls or in their rooms. Nicole and I participated in the office Secret Santa too! It felt nice to become a part of the staff there instead of just on the outside. We went to one of their houses for the party and exchange. We danced with our co-workers and ate a delicious meal. This month was also hard because the woman I was closest with left with her two girls. I came in one Monday and she told me they were leaving that afternoon. Her girls have huge hearts and a ton of energy. The older girl always wanted to play UNO and the little one greeted me each day with a hug and saying “te amo mucho” They taught me how to love with my whole heart. The woman gave me a painting she made before leaving and wrote “para mi best friend Maggie” . I am so glad to have this beautiful painting with me now. It reminds me to continue to pray for their safety and joy as we go our separate ways. I still miss them dearly each day I go into work, but I know I can continue to give this same love to the women who are still living at Casa. This work comes with a lot of transition, which is different from the other work sites. I am learning to love and let go at the same time and how important it is to recognize the goodness in letting go especially when the women leave a place like Casa. It is growth for them.
We went on our three month retreat to Cuenca during the second week of December. It was just what we needed. The five of us got a chance to begin to process the first three months of our experience. We reflected on what was drawing our attention the first few months and how it has affected how we view the culture and our faith. I reflected on the reactive system to domestic violence instead of proactive. I see how hurt women are by the men in their lives and we continue this cycle instead of creating systems of intervention for men before they hurt women. We had the opportunity to talk as a community about how we feel like community living is going. Although it was a difficult conversation, it drew us closer together and I am very grateful for that space. This month has been filled with a lot of gratitude for my community who so quickly became a vital support system.
Along with a space for reflection, we had space to explore the nature in Cuenca. We took a hike to the top of the mountain behind the retreat center. When we reached the top, it started pouring rain and a double rainbow appeared. It felt surreal to me and I was in awe of God’s creation. We had time to play games and laugh together. I love being able to create spaces of laughter amongst the heaviness of our days. I imagine that’s what Christ did with his apostles after a long, heavy day at work. We came back from retreat refreshed and excited to jump into the holiday season with neighbors.
The following weekend we had our neighbor Christmas party! The guys organized a live Nativity with the kids on our street! It was ADORABLE! We had pin the carrot on the snowman, hot potato, and coloring for the kids. We served hot chocolate, cookies made by the women at Casa, and popcorn.
We performed our own dance as well to a classic Spanish Christmas song called Mi Burrito Sabanero. Our neighbors were cracking up as we were dressed in our costumes dancing like crazy for them. I loved the entire day! It is so nice to provide some hospitality to the people who continuously accept us into their homes and feed us. I love having all the people I love in one space. This was just the start to our Christmas activities.
Later that week, we went caroling around the neighborhood delivering Christmas cards and a goodie bag. Lilly, Mark, and I took Gloria and Raulito to the Malecon for a Christmas outing. We saw the Christmas tree downtown and explored the boardwalk a bit.
On Christmas eve, we all went to Juana’s house and did some Christmas karaoke with she and her girls. She made us hot chocolate (even though it was almost 100 degrees) and we watched the Grinch. Her family has been struggling with some family illnesses so it felt good to bring some Christmas spirit to their house for a few hours. Her girls like to dance too so Zuri and I were dancing to some Spanish Christmas songs. We went to Christmas Eve mass with Gloria, Raul, and Monica. Everyone brings their own little baby Jesus to be blessed on the altar. It was a simple and peaceful service much like the first Christmas with Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. Spending the Christmas season here brought a new perspective to the journey of Mary and Joseph. Christmas is meant to be a time of celebration in a simple and humble way. I loved sharing a glass of Coke with Raul after mass. The celebration was being together rather than what you brought to the celebration. Jesus is glad we came, it doesn’t matter what we have to give. After mass, Mark made us a nice dinner and we did our Secret Santa gift exchange sitting on the floor of our living room in our pjs. It was perfect and just what we needed.
We got up on Christmas morning and ate a pancake breakfast! We caught a bus at 10am to start our time off. We traveled to a town called Baños in La Sierra. We stayed in a hostel on the side of the mountains. It was such a beautiful trip. We went white water rafting and ziplining (yes I was terrified, but I did overcome my fear). We hiked to three waterfalls near our hostel and explored the center of the city. We visited the hot springs that Baños is known for right next to the Santa Agua waterfall.
We ate delicious food including a nutella crepe :) We sang karaoke on two occasions, which was the cause of a lot of laughter between the five of us. The scenery was incredible and again something I am still in awe over. Another time where I am grateful for my community for pushing me outside my comfort zone and for laughing with me. It was great to just spend time together outside of the heaviness of our daily lives and now we are even stronger going into our next eight months. I know traveling and leaving is a privilege, which makes me even more grateful for this experience.
We were back on New Year’s Eve to celebrate with our neighbors. I spent most of the night with Monica, David, Angie, and Samuel. We were together at midnight as the multiple sets of fireworks went off on each street. They burn paper mache dolls filled with fireworks in them too. I wasn’t sure where to look because so much was happening! Samuel and I set off a few little explosives in front of their house while Luisito and Adami watched in amazement. I was with my Ecua family for the New Year, which felt just right. I then stayed up dancing with Nereida and her family until 4am! And I went to bed 3 hours before the party stopped. It was a unique and unforgettable way to start the year!
We have been resting and prepping to go back to work this week. This month brought a lot of reflection for me. I had a friend email me about my safety. Monte Sinai is very different from Boyds or Philadelphia and yet I do feel safe. I was with Maria at her tienda when the gang came up and requested their weekly cut of their money. I have only heard about this happening because many migrants leave their homes due to gang run neighborhoods. This was the first time I witnessed it. Nothing was threatening- I would not have known it happened unless she told me, but it made me more aware of where I am living. I’ve been reflecting on how to love fully. It’s easy to love Monica and Maria because of their soul and spirit. It’s harder to love the men that abuse the women at Casa and yet Christ calls us to love all. Christmastime made me reflect on Christ’s life before his ministry began. He lived with his parents and worked. He was fully human during that time even though we don’t know much about what happened. This probably means it was pretty ordinary. How can I continue to feel Christ in those ordinary moments? 2022 brought a lot of extraordinary things into my life. Thank you to my friends and family that supported me through 2022. It was a wonderful year. I am excited to see all that 2023 holds too. Thank you for the letters and emails too– I love having a piece of home in Monte Sinai. Until January. Con Amor.
