Settling into Life with the Sisters

Sr. Angela doesn’t like garlic or tomatoes, which knocks out about half of the things of what I know how to cook and like. I thought she was supposed to be Italian! When we went grocery shopping, I was a little scared. We got so many types of meats and vegetables that I know I will eventually have to eat. I don’t think Sr. Angela completely understands the extent of my pickiness, but luckily she is easing me into new foods. So far I’ve tried cooked mushrooms, cooked carrots and cooked zucchini. I also had pasta with a ton of meat. Apparently the Italians aren’t too big on sauce either, but it was actually extremely delicious! Today, I tackle stew.

When I first moved in, I saw a Netflix envelope and was surprised that the sisters had an account. I’m not sure why, but I guess I had in my mind that religious people didn’t have fun or time for movies. And on the Canossians' website it talked about living simply. Last night we watched Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story. It was definitely inspiring to learn how her views and actions completely changed after finding the Church, and I couldn’t believe how much she and her family gave up to help the poor.

Living with the Sisters has been interesting. Although all of them are at least in their 60’s, they’re all very young at heart. I never feel awkward, but this lifestyle is a lot different than what I was used to. I like a lot about it, and I think that it’s helping me become a better person, but I feel like I’m maybe not letting enough of my true self be expressed yet. I feel like I have to be SO good. On the first day I came here I saw the Sisters were watching TV. It was a program on the Catholic channel of a choir in England. In my "previous life," while flipping through the channels I always wondered who actually watches things like that and enjoys them. This week, I found my answer. It’s not to say that is all they watch, because as I mentioned before, Sr. Ann said she likes Modern Family, and we’ve watched the news and Jeopardy, but it’s just a mix of two I guess. I think the longer I’m here and the more I get to know the sisters, (I need to remember that it has only been 3.5 days) the more the true Hiliary will come out.

We’ve finally got my daily schedule just about locked down. I’m going to start volunteering today at the San Jose Parish in Albuquerque with Sr. Marisa who is from Mexico. San Jose is a predominantly Hispanic parish, and Sr. Marisa has developed programs for teens and young adults and also teaches CCD classes. I can’t wait to actually do something, even though today will probably be a lot of watching. It will be great to meet some more young people and since all of them are bilingual, it will definitely help me with my Spanish!

I’m also going to try joining the choir at San Jose. Not because I’m a good singer, but a lot of the sisters think it will help me improve my Spanish. Wish me luck!

Here’s what my Monday schedule looks like. Other days of the week I volunteer more at San Jose or have teaching technique lessons or have more free time, but on the weekends I have Saturday afternoons and Sundays free.

8:30: Mass

9:30-10: Breakfast

10-10:30: Free time

10:30-11:30: Mission Meeting (learning about the history of the Canossians, St. Magdalene, St. Bakhita, VOICA, volunteering, spirituality and Paraguay.

11:30-1:30: Cooking, cleaning & lunch

1:30-3: Free time

3-4: Language lessons with Rosetta Stone

4-5:30: Free time & dinner

6-8: Volunteering at San Jose

8:30-10:30 Free time

I’ve Arrived!

After a small adventure getting the train Sunday morning, I’m in Albuquerque and settling in.

When we got to the train station in Flagstaff yesterday at 5:15 a.m. they told me that the conductor had misread the schedule. Instead of arriving for a 5:40 a.m. departure he arrived for a 4:40 a.m. departure and had already left. Apparently he was very confused about Daylight Savings time! Luckily, the train ended up waiting for us outside of Winslow, AZ (about 45 minutes away), so me and about 8 others hopped in a taxi and met the train at the Winslow station. We had a small scare about halfway through our drive to Winslow when our driver was told that they weren’t holding the train for us and we would have to stay in a hotel. Luckily that was a mixup and we were still able to make it.

Sr. Angela and Sr. Ann picked me up from the train station in Albuquerque and took me to the Cannossian community of Cristo Rey and the Spirituality Center, which are in the southern part of Albuquerque or the Valley. As expected, I had no trouble identifying the Sisters at the station (FYI they weren’t wearing veils). Sr. Angela gave me a tour of the community and I got to meet the Sisters that live there. Cristo Rey is the Provincial House, kind of like the headquarters, and attached to it is Casa Angelica, a home for young adults with disabilities where I will hopefully get to volunteer sometimes. I also learned how to correctly pronounce VOICA (voy-ka) and Canossian (can-ocean), which I have been saying incorrectly since May. Oops!!

I stole these photos from the Sisters' website since I failed as a blogger and forgot to take some.

Additionally, there are two other houses of Canossian Sisters that are about a 20 minute drive from the Provincial House and closer to the Sandia Mountains (which I learned means watermelon in Spanish). I live in one of those houses along with Sr. Angela, sometimes Sr. Kate and for the past few days Sr. Ann. Hopefully the other volunteer will be joining me in December or January, too. 

My room and the house are nothing like I expected, definitely not simple. Paraguay is going to be a major shock! I have my own room with a bathroom and wait for it…WIFI!!! Plus there is a huge kitchen, a nice backyard, an office area, many more bedrooms, a living room with a TV and cable (Sr. Ann said she likes Modern Family!), a fireplace and a chapel. The other house even has a swimming pool! I’ll also have a car to share with Sr. Angela and a bike.

My bedroom

My desk

My bathroom

After unpacking, we went to Mass at a local parish/school supported by the Sisters. Following Mass, we went out for Pizza and wine. The nuns like to have a good time, too! I couldn’t have asked for a better welcome!

More pictures and information about my training to come!

Sr. Anne, Sr. Angela and me enjoying our fire tonight.

Me, Sr. Kay & Sr. Angela

Flagstaff

Just about to head out from Flagstaff, Arizona after visiting my boyfriend, Matt. Since Matt is still busy with football season as the director of football operations at NAU, I’ve mostly been working on learning Spanish using Rosetta Stone. Although I now know a lot more than 15 words and can count all the way up to 20, I still have a long way to go. Even though he’s been busy, we've still managed to have fun bowling, watching movies and going to the NAU vs. University of Northern Colorado football game. 

Before leaving, my mom asked me what I was most excited for and nervous about in regard to training. Although I’m a little embarrassed by what I said, I still think it’s true. 

Most excited: To finally meet Sr. Angela after months of e-mailing, to unpack all of my stuff and actually feel like I live there and lastly, to actually begin my training.

Most nervous: No wireless internet/no internet in my room. I know it sounds petty, but when I was picturing what formation would be like, I planned on being able to Skype before bed and use my online Rosetta Stone program when I wasn’t busy.

First Stop: Denver

At Echo Lake

I'm at my first stop of my 10 day trip that will eventually get me to VOICA training in Albuquerque. After a great flight from Kansas City on Wednesday night that thankfully was only delayed 20 minutes due to the SNOW in Denver, I've been enjoying my time as an Aunt and  tourist visiting my oldest sister, brother-in-law and nephew. We saw the foothills and mountains, Echo Lake and even tried driving up to the peak of Mount Evans. Un/fortunately the road up was closed--I say this because even though it would have been cool, with the snow, sparse guard rails (What is up with that Colorado?!) and my intense fear of heights it was probably for the best.Two days of more exploring!

Does this look like a year’s worth of clothes to you?

Believe it or not, as of right now, I’ve managed to fit ALL of my clothes and a good portion of my shoes for both Paraguay and Albuquerque into one large suitcase. I still need to pack a few pairs of shoes and a small stockpile of toiletries into my duffle, but my awesome hiking backpack I got from my boss is filled with mementoes, books, computer stuff and a change of clothes. Who would have ever thought I could pack this light?! I can’t take all of the credit though. I do owe a big thank you to my mom. She went through all of the things I THOUGHT I would need with me and helped me downsize. Because in the end, six fashion scarves might be a little much!

I’ve been getting a little crafty and sucked into Pinterest, so I decided to make my own cloth travel frames (with Mom’s help on the sewing). They hang on the wall and can hold multiple photos in each plastic pocket, so I can rotate my pictures. When I’m on the move, I can fold them up into a nice little pile to travel. I’m pretty proud. Check them out! 

They’re hung a little crooked, but you get the idea.

P.S. I’ll be home for Christmas!

Two Weeks!

Ahhhh two weeks til go time! Even with all of my excitement, I’ll admit that I’m a little bit nervous. Not really about moving to Albuquerque and being away from family and friends, just nervous that I won’t be good at being a volunteer. Currently I know about 15 words in Spanish. This is not an exaggeration! Sadly, it’s the truth, and 10 of those words are numbers. But, I got my Spanish-English dictionary in the mail yesterday. It’s not that I don’t want to learn, it’s just hard to start by myself. I was on the fence on if I should do a program like Rosetta Stone, and after two weeks of doing nothing without it, I think it’s probably a good idea. Intensive self taught course begins now!

I found out that I’ll for sure be working in Encarnación, Paraguay. Like usual, I’m a little confused by what Sr. Angela has told me, but it seems like they are kind of an offshoot of a larger group of nuns in Posadas, Argentina, which is right across the river and border from Encarnación.

It’s now down to possibly one companion volunteer. She’s still deciding if she wants to do it or not, so I hope to hear from her soon. Not that I don’t want it to just be me and the nuns, but please pray she comes!! I should be getting my schedule of what I’ll be doing during training soon, and Sr. Angela said she’s already working on my flight and insurance for Paraguay.

The past month or so has been filled with a lot of goodbyes, but I’ve gotten so much support, that none of them have really been that sad. I got to spend time with friends from St. Louis, friends from home, friends from Church, family, and I even made it to Chicago to see some of my friends from studying in Ireland, who probably understand my travel addiction better than anyone. I still have two weeks to spend time with family, and I’ve kind of started to go into more of a hermit mode than I was already in. Sorry friends!

I know that all of these people will be thinking about me the whole way through, and will be a part of my life regardless of if I take a one year break from seeing them, so goodbyes have been better than expected! I’ve been blessed with great friends and family! Plus, there’s always Skype.

I’ll officially be leaving home on Wednesday, October 26. I’m going to take the scenic route, flying first to Denver for five days with my oldest sister, Nicki, and her husband, Jason, and my nephew, Oliver. I’m pumped for this bonding time since we’ll be coming off of my cousin’s wedding weekend and Oliver might actually remember who I am. I’ll be spending the next five days in Flagstaff for one last visit with the BF, Matt. Then I’m off to the train station for my journey to Albuquerque at 5:41 a.m. on Sunday, November 6. So early, but I guess it’s kind of symbolic of and literally the end of my leisurely life the past few months of getting up at 8 a.m.

And I’m going to……..Paraguay!

 

So this definitely wasn’t what I expected, or kind of even thought I wanted, but I am so excited! Finally, I can answer the seemly simple question that everyone has been asking me.

After researching Brazil and Paraguay three months ago either one sounded like a great destination. But, since I was under the impression that the Canossians only operated a health clinic in Paraguay, I definitely didn’t think I’d be sent there considering I have absolutely no health skills and even watching surgery  on Grey’s Anatomy kind of makes me squirm. I have experience with education and children. I thought Brazil was a shoo-in. I’d started more in depth research on the Brazilian culture, what it’s like to live there in general and for foreigners.

When I finally spoke with Sr. Angela four days ago, she casually slipped in that I should start learning Spanish in my free time. It took a few seconds to process what I’d actually heard—Spanish…this must mean I’m going to Paraguay! And just to make sure what she actually meant wasn’t lost in translation, I asked her again through e-mail, and it’s true.  

After doing some research online, I found out that the Canossians actually do a ton of things in Paraguay. And, from what I can tell, a lot of their work is done in Encarnaciòn, a city of about 70,000 along the border of Argentina. I’m not sure if this is where I’ll be serving, but for now it’s at least giving me something to research. (I’m starting to learn you have to ask a lot of questions and things don’t happen quickly with the Sisters—definitely a slower pace of life.).

In Paraguay, the Canossians run schools for all age groups and hospitals and homes for the elderly. They put a special emphasis on young girls, helping keep them out of prostitution when they move into the city for work. They are involved in the pastoral care of the sick, through professional schools for nurses and family visitation, they take care of catechesis in various parishes, chapels and centers, and help prepare people for the Sacraments. Additionally, they organize missions in the outlying areas, along with neighborhood meetings, prayer and discussion groups.

According to weather.com the average yearly temperatures fall between 65°F and 90°F! Not only does this mean pretty great weather all year, I only have to bring one season worth of clothes. This is definitely going to make packing a lot easier! My goal right now is to bring one large suitcase, a small duffle bag and a backpack for the entire year. If you would have seen my packing for either of my study abroad experiences, which were only 4 months each, you would be impressed and possibly skeptical of this goal. (I brought two large suitcases, one carry on sized rolling suitcase and one stuffed to the brim backpack.) I’m not so sure that I have a great understanding of what living simply actually means, but I’m hoping this is a start.

Things are really starting to fall into place, and I love it! Finding out where I’ll be serving has gotten me so excited that I ALMOST forget the sadness of leaving friends and family for a year that quickly creeped in after receiving an actual departure date. But, no sense in focusing on how much I’m going to miss everyone in a month, it’s time to celebrate. I’m going to Paraguay! 

Thanks for all of your support and please keep me in your prayers!

Hil