Sunday, January 21, 2007

Missions 2007: An Arctic Adventure and much much more

Back in November of 2006, when I was still in Bolivia and just beginning to feel confident about my Spanish speaking skills (I had yet to talk to a Chilean…), I received an email from Chile asking if I would like to participate in Misiones, an annual 10-day trip with 100 Chilean high school students from Saint George, a high school in Santiago. This year, the trip would be the first of three to the island of Tranqui in the southern region of Chile. I was told that each new associate would be paired up with an associate who had already been living in Chile for a year, and that each pair would be placed with a group of 15-20 students, ages 16-18. Our jobs would be to chaperone and accompany the group, participating in all activities throughout the trip. Other than this email, the only thing that I had heard about Misiones was that past associates had attended the trip and they felt it was a good and challenging experience, also expressing that it helped with their integration into Chilean Spanish. Knowing my past work experience with this age group, I felt confident that I could handle such task. Also realizing that it was a great opportunity to travel and see the south of Chile, at no expense, I responded to the email with an enthusiastic “yes.” Fortunately for me, all of my other associates did the same, and thus, the HCA Chile Associates were signed up for our first trip together in the new year.

The first thing that I learned on this trip was that the island of Tranqui is actually an island off the coast of a larger island, Chiloe. This meant that after our 16 hour overnight bus ride to the south of Chile, we had to cross to the larger island first; this was done via a barge that carried our two buses as well as several cars across the strip of ocean for about an hour. We quickly felt the chill of the air; this point of Chile is so far south that it rarely warms up, even though it is summer. Once on the larger island, we drove about 2 hours to the other side. At this point, our larger group split into our assigned smaller four groups; each group would “mission” on a separate point on the island of Tranqui. I was assigned to go to the town of Nepué with Roy, another Chile Associate. In order to get to Nepué, we had to take another smaller boat, named the “Doña Ester,” for three hours. On this last boat trip, we encountered what I like to call our “Arctic Adventure”: an icy-rain storm in the middle of the sea that provided difficulty with keeping our luggage dry and at times seemed unbearably cold, yet, we all realized that every moment was an opportunity to truly see beautiful landscapes as well as penguins, sea lions, dolphins, and jellyfish in their natural habitat. It is definitely a memory like no other, but needless to say, when we arrived at Nepué we were exhausted and ready to relax in some place warm.

Little did we know that the island of Nepué, and the warmth of its people, would provide such a place for us throughout the duration of our trip. Since something like 90% of Chile is Catholic, the idea of the missions trip is to “mission” by visiting people in their homes, speaking to them about their daily life, praying with them, and thus, building Christian communities and reaffirming their faith. This concept did not sit well with me at first; I was not the “missioning type” – I certainly did not want to go door to door trying to convert others. I was also worried about the language; Chilean Spanish is completely different than Bolivian Spanish and I already had a hard time communicating. However, upon visiting with the people of Nepué, I quickly realized this my worries were unwarranted and this trip is not what it is seemed to be. Sure, I went with two other high school students every day and knocked on a few doors, but once the visit started it was nothing of a conversion process. We were always welcomed kindly, given tea or instant coffee and some type of bread, and many invited us to stay for lunch. I realized very early on that my visit was not about talking about God, but rather be present and listen to the people of Nepué. Many of the “Nepuanos” never get a chance to take a break from their daily life and talk to someone outside of their town; with a town of no more than 25 houses and one church, everyone knows each other and it is a 3 hour boat trip to the larger island. Also, most, if not all, were excited to meet and speak to me (even if I couldn’t understand them, they could not understand me, or both.) For many, it was their first encounter with a “gringa” (a Spanish nickname given to those from the U.S.). In fact, Señora Felicinda (picture shown here), a vibrant, spunky, and very involved woman at the young age of 84, took a liking to me and nicknamed me her “Little Gringita,” always sure to call me this and give me a little pat on the butt when I saw her. It was only at the end of each visit, usually stuffed full of bread products and tea (those little ladies have a way of pressuring you to eat more and more…), that we would discuss the Church’s daily reading and ask those present if they would like to pray. Yet, although the word “God” or “faith” was somehow saved for last, I truly feel that these visits sent the message that, we as Christians, care for them and want to include them in our Christian community. Anyone who is not shy or embarrassed about their faith should not be ashamed to take such a role.

As a side note, when I say that the Nepuanos never get a chance to take a break from their daily life, I don’t feel I am exaggerating. Daily life is in Nepué is spent cooking, cleaning, tending to house matters, and caring for animals and crops on their farm. If there was a man of the house, he either worked in the seas, collecting seaweed from the sea to sell (apparently they use it to make shampoo but also to eat) or working on a salmon farm. It amazed me to think that the nearest grocery store, post office, and any source of medical care were located on the large island, the 3 hour boat trip away. Even more, the people of Nepué are not able to travel to the island during the winter months, usually 4-6 months out of the year; the sea is just too dangerous for the boats during the winter months. Thus, the people of Nepué are completely self-sufficient, relying on the land and the products of their hard work in order to survive. In a day of globalization, filled with supermarkets and technology to “make our lives easier,” this is becoming harder to find.

Our days were spent “missioning” in the morning and facilitating activities with the children and teens of Nepué in the afternoon. By the end of the week, we could see the fruits of our labor in the attendance of the daily masses – the original attendance of 8 people for Mass when we arrived had increased to about 45-50. In the evening, after a meal prepared by the students on a rotating schedule, we left time out for reflection and of course, fun (afterall, I lived with 20 16-18 year olds). Many of my favorite memories from this trip come from our time in Nepué’s one-room school house, our lodging for the week. Surrounded by mountains, a beautiful ocean view, amazing people, and many things that many are never able to experience in their lifetime, I am excited and anxious to return next year.