Moreau Center Social Justice Programs

Immersions

Final Reflections – Amanda Talavera

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Walking in to Manna house every afternoon, I would already hear the old CD player blasting Gianni Morandi. It was an everyday event for me and Tiziana (a community member) to bond over old Italian music. At one point, we would sing loud and proud together when I started picking up the Italian lyrics. We always sat by the window listening to old Italian music while chatting away about our day and weekend. I would position her wheelchair in front of the green couch where I would sit and we’d talk until dinner was served. The relationship I’ve made with Tiziana was one that I can’t compare with anyone. We were polar opposites, I, the extroverted positive girl, while she was more introverted and tended to complain about many things (it was quite humorous though). But our love for Gianni Morandi, Gramigna pasta, and art proved how close we’ve become. I will always remember how she’d always whisper in my ear when she wanted to tell me one of her many secrets or how she’d laugh after one beer during dinner. Her presence in a room creates such a positive energy despite her being quite introverted. I’m so lucky to have formed such a strong bond with someone like her.

Besides Tiziana, other things that brought me joy in my experience was the strong bond among the whole community. Yes, L’arche was work for some people but they all treated each other like a family rather than just “work mates”. And I’m so thankful that I was treated and acknowledged as a part of their family. I’d learn so many recipes from my Sicilian “mammas”, Italian slang, and overall just absorb their “Dolce Farniente” lifestyle. The community members, assistants, volunteers, and head people all contributed to this strong familial feeling in the community. I can now gladly say that I have a second family in Italy.

Aside all the positive things, there were a few challenges I overcame throughout my experience. I believe the most major one was the Italian language barrier. Going into L’arche I only knew the names of pasta and the basic “Ciao”. I instantly regretted my decision of not going on Duolingo during my first day in the community. Thankfully, it was easy for me to pick up Italian because it was quite similar to Spanish (I studied Spanish for four years). Also, I persevered to learn Italian by getting a book and taking notes of words I heard a lot in the community and translating them right after. Now, I can say that I’m actually pretty decent in Italian. I’m continuing my study of the language but I can understand and actually get by. I’m extremely grateful that in the beginning, the assistants who spoke English helped us with the translation. They knew it was a challenging time for us and they didn’t hesitate to help us out by translating and even teaching us. I can’t thank the L’arche community enough for this amazing experience. Two months in Italy definitely flew by but the memories and lessons will always stay with me. Per l’ultima volta, arrivederci a tutti!

Ciao tutti – Goodbye everybody

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Goodbyes are always difficult…

As I’m writing this, my friend and co-volunteer, Alessandra, is on her way back to the United States. I, on the other hand, am still in the confines of Quarto Inferiore at the L’arche community trying to figure out how to fit everything in my suitcase. Thanks to a delayed flight, I still have three more days in Italy and with the community. With so much time in hand, I’d like to reflect on this amazing and life-changing experience since I think it’s the best possible way to close our chapter as Summer 2019 volunteers for the community.

On our last day, July 26, the members of the community threw us a party to say their final goodbyes. Throughout the party, I couldn’t help but remember the memories as I looked at each community member, volunteer, and assistant. It was such a fun and wholesome way to end our experience as we were able to take pictures with everyone, talk to them for the last time, and recall our favorite memories with each person. Alessandra and I each received a gift, a handmade frame with a picture. My picture was the one taken during one of my favorite days I spent with the community members I became really close with. It was the day where we had our field trip to Vergato, an Italian mountain village, where we had the best Tagliatelle Alla Ragu. Opening our gifts and knowing that we were saying our last “ciao’s” to everyone was such a heartfelt and emotional moment for me and Alessandra because we’ve grown so close to everyone here. I consider the community as my home away from home now. I can’t thank them enough for helping me grow spiritually and teaching me how to live a life filled with passion and purpose.

Not even going to lie, a few tears were shed as Alessandra and I reflected and looked back at our wonderful time in the community and in Bologna. Our little walks to get gelato with the members, our songs before we eat any meal, our “Buongiorno” greetings every day, and even our dreaded kitchen duty. Words can’t express how thankful I am to experience life in L’arche and life in Italy. I definitely feel that I’ve grown and become more open-minded as a person in the last two months as so many lessons were taught and learned. Working in a community such as L’arche, traveling all over Italy, and meeting new people from different countries (shoutout to my German girl Paula and my Brazilian girl Giuliana) made me see life in a different light and perspective. 

One thing I will say is that I will definitely back. The relationships I’ve made in the community are so close to my heart and will be with me forever. Even just stopping by to say a “ciao” when I come back to Italy will make me the happiest person because seeing the community members smile makes me smile as well. Thank you to Daniela, Michael, and Tyler for helping us organize our time here in Italy. Thank you to all the community members who I’ve gotten to know all their stories and unique personality traits. A big thanks to all the assistants and other volunteers who translated for us in the first few weeks. Thank you to Alessandra for being my sister throughout our time here and now my life-long friend. Every little memory and moment in the past two months will stay forever close to my heart. And for the last time… “Ciao tutti!”

-Amanda Talavera

One Week Left in L’Arca!

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Our time in L’Arca Bologna is coming to an end. Amanda and I leave this coming Saturday, July 27. I am starting to think about the things I want to do and make time for as I reach the end of my volunteering experience here. I am also reflecting on the challenges I overcame during these past 2 months like the language barrier, learning how to communicate via body language to the core members, and even what/how to help around the house. I definitely think that I have learned a good portion of the Italian language. I am very basic when it comes to speaking it, but I can understand directions and instructions given to me. Unlike when I first came here, I was completely lost in both aspects of speaking and understanding. Living in the community with the people I work with and the core members was honestly hard at first. I lost my privacy and I had to get comfortable with becoming a family with people I barely knew but grew to know. With this, I learned to embrace the importance of togetherness. L’Arca has really taught me how to enjoy the company of others without having to do anything in particular. I have learned to enjoy sitting down with core members and just resting and relaxing. Some days, the core members and I (specifically Alessandro, who loves to sleep) would take a nap on the couch. I have made really deep connections with the assistants and the core members here and it makes me really sad to have to start preparing my goodbyes.

For my last week here, I would really like to treasure my time and the activities we do here. Over the course of the two months, I feel that the daily tasks I did started to become tedious and I overlooked them. Sometimes I feel like I wasn’t really living in the present while other times I felt like I was living too much in the present. I want to be able to spend time with the core members without focusing on things I need to do to help around the house. Although that is important as a volunteer, I would really like to spend my last days here with the core members and make more memories with them, whether that be making bracelets, dancing, or singing. During my first weeks here, I didn’t think that I could be so attached to people I would only spend 2 months with, but here I am really attached to them. I am really going to miss everyone here. They have all taught so many valuable life lessons and I am really glad to have spent my summer here learning about how to be present with others as well as with myself.

-Alessandra Coro

Asante Sana

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Faith’s reflection: 

A year ago Katie and I started working on this immersion and since then it has been nothing but beautiful chaos. Communication with our partners in Tanzania was a little difficult due to the distance but the lack of knowing what to fully expect and the trust that we placed in what was “meant to be” served us well. When we met our Holy Cross partners in Moshi, Kitete, and Arusha, we were greeted with nothing but genuine hospitality and boundless generosity. We had language lessons, were immersed into their kind culture, spent time with native families, were welcomed with a traditional dance from the Masai people, saw majestic animals in their natural homes, and went to masses that lasted well over an hour (6 hours to be exact!). Our group formed a lasting bond that taught us how to be open and provided us a space of comfort in the most challenging times. There were tears caused by difficult realizations and laughters caused by priests dancing in the rain. Asante sana forever to all those that helped make this trip happen and for those that this trip would have not been the same without. 

 

Katie’s reflection: 

May 2019 was a beautiful and transforming experience for us as immersion coordinators, as well as for our staff and students! 

We centered ourself in the local culture, language and cuisine. We embraced ceremonies celebrating various sacraments of the Catholic Church. We encountered women leaders who are transforming the rights of women in Tanzania and the world. Our days were filled with joy, laughter, tears, sadness, tiredness, inspiration and blessings. We experienced so much kindness and inclusion in one place! We are beyond grateful for the opportunities the University of Portland had to connect with our brothers and sisters in East Africa. Our hearts are forever touched by our encounters with the people of Tanzania. Here is to many more years celebrating and cherishing our time in Tanzania.

 

Poem (written collectively as part of a closing reflection by the Tanzania Immersion participants): 

I will always remember the sight of rolling hills of green full of life
The rushing wind hitting my face on our long journeys to faraway places
Exploring a new place and learning new things while creating memories
Awe, wonder, surprise
Surrounds me as I look at the countryside through my window
Feeling the vast landscape, so lush and green, I can hear mother nature’s heartbeat
Feeling the mighty presence of the mountain even though we couldn’t see it
Mud that is like caramel color paste
Which makes houses that are simple yet livable
The people are what make them a home
No matter how much they own, they got each other
Because it takes a village
But it also takes one
And if you are that one, anything is possible

Slowness

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It’s the end of our 5th week as I’m writing this and I can’t believe our time at L’arche Bologna is almost done! In just one month I’ve learned how to speak Italian (kinda?), how to cook pasta (the right Italian way), memorized an abundance of recipes that deal with zucchini, and how to use the bus and train lines around Italy without getting lost (well, almost). 

Life in L’arche for me has been slow. But, I don’t want you to connotate the word “slow” as something boring or tedious because the “slow” pace of life here has actually been quite relaxing and different in a good way from my busy life in Portland. I’ve learned to appreciate and eventually like the “slow” pace of work and life in the community. I work in Manna, one of the three houses where the community members live. Manna houses the older people in the community so the activities, work, and overall vibe in the house are more open, relaxed, and calm. In Manna, we like to listen to music together, read books, and do many group activities. On Fridays, we love to watch films while we munch on salami and relax together as a house.

I’ve gotten really close with two members of Manna house because we share the same love for music and art. As my Italian is limited, it doesn’t hurt to pull out Google Translate to interact with them. It may seem scary at first to talk in straight Italian to a local, but trust me, they appreciate and love the effort. When I make mistakes with my Italian or my pronunciation is not understandable at all, we manage to communicate by hand gestures or acting.

It was scary at first that Alessandra and I were placed in different houses because how could I survive without my only American friend in all of Italy by my side? As the days and weeks went on, we started to feel more comfortable in our respective houses despite the somewhat impossible language barrier. I love talking to Alessandra about what she does in Grano because it’s different from my assigned job in Manna. We like sharing stories about the community members and our favorite aspects and characteristics of each person.

It’s a Friday night here as I’m editing this post and I can’t wait for this weekend (we are definitely lucky to have the weekend as our break days). We have three more weeks left and we are trying to make the most out of it. I will use these next three weeks to strengthen my bond with the community members and practice my subpar Italian. I’ll see y’all in my next blog post. Ciao ragazzi!

-Amanda Talavera

Embracing the Pause, Building Relationships

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Throughout my time here in L’Arca, I have learned what it is like to live as a part of a community. Working together and knowing how to communicate with others is vital. In L’Arca, there are so many activities happening at once that it can get overwhelming at times and knowing how the community works as well as understanding the schedule helps a lot. During my first weeks here, I found myself frustrated at times because I felt like I was out of place and there would be times where I wouldn’t know what I should be doing. I have learned that I don’t always need to be doing something. Being in the moment, sitting, and spending time with the core members is just as important. At first, being a new volunteer to the community, I wanted to be able to help out as much as I could. For me, that meant always keeping my hands busy, running errands, or helping clean. I think this is because in the US we are so used to doing something all the time. Our schedules are busy with things to do all throughout the day that we lack to embrace the importance in stopping and appreciating the life we live now. In L’Arca, I have definitely learned how to appreciate time more. I have learned to take the time to pause, admire the present and the people I am with. 

This past week, some of the core members and assistants left for a week-long vacation to Piobbico, a city by the mountains. I came to realize how close I have gotten with the core members and the assistants because throughout the week I found myself missing them and thinking about what we would be doing during a certain time of the day. One of the core members I missed was Robbie. He and I have gotten close during my time here. I think it is because we both find happiness in helping others. Robbie and I always work together in the kitchen, helping cut vegetables and fruit for merenda (snack time). He helps me clean the dishes after and puts them away in the dishwasher. Further, we also usually attend mass together during the weekdays. I didn’t realize how close I have gotten to several of the members until they left for a week and my work schedule felt different without them. I am also getting close to one of the assistants here, Katia. She speaks English very well and I think we have been getting close because she wants to practice her English and I want to practice my Italian, therefore we help each other. She invited me to her home last weekend where she showed me the river and parks she lives close to. Because I have been spending my days off usually in the city, it was nice to have a change of scenery because it reminded me of Oregon! She showed me around her town, Casalecchio di Reno. We went shopping and she took me to one of her favorite Italian restaurants (did you know that Spaghetti with Meatballs isn’t actually Italian?!). It was truly a nice day spent with her. I am finally finding my place in the community and am getting close to everyone here! 

-Alessandra Coro

 

First Weeks in the L’Arche Bologna Community

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We made it to L’Arca! It has been about 4 weeks now since we arrived, and Amanda and I have learned so much. I remember being so nervous to meet everyone and start heading to the community because I still wasn’t entirely sure on how I was supposed to approach the community. When we reached the community, about a 25-minute drive from the airport, Alessandro showed us to the house, Cedro, where we were going to be staying for the two months we were volunteering. We met several of the other volunteers and we started to unpack our things and settle in. We had some time to rest and collect ourselves, but soon Daniela, the woman in charge of the volunteers in the community, called us in and gave us a tour of the community. It was all a little bit overwhelming because there was so much to remember, and the language made it even harder to understand and follow. At this time, she also gave us and explained our schedules. Since there are three different houses in the community, Amanda was assigned to work in Mana while I was placed in Grano. The first two weeks were difficult for me because it was hard to adjust to the community’s flow and learn a new language. Italian is still difficult for me and I am nowhere near being fluent, but I am able to understand when given instructions. I have also learned some phrases and words along the way which have really helped to communicate with the people with disabilities as well. 

Now that we have had about a month in the community, I feel like I have the flow of things around here. Every morning after breakfast, everyone goes to a large room in Mana to greet other community members good morning. That was extremely helpful in learning everyone’s names. I have learned that on Mondays, Amanda and I help out with physical therapy. On Tuesdays, we form groups and we go on a day trip outside of the community before lunch. Wednesdays can be very busy for me because it is usually cleaning the house and takes up all the time before lunch time. On Thursdays and Fridays, I usually help in the kitchen. That means either helping to chop fruits and vegetables or cleaning the kitchen. Getting the hang of the schedule makes it easier to work and allows for a smoother transition because then we don’t end up wasting time. Overall, my experience here has been eye-opening, and I can’t wait to learn more Italian and be able to communicate better with others. Being with the disabled members of the community has also allowed me to treasure the small things and appreciate time spent just being present in life.

-Alessandra Coro

Selma and New Orleans

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Hey family and friends!

In the final segment of the immersion, we were able to physically immerse ourselves in very impactful and powerful places. We traveled from Montgomery to Selma, where thousands of activists marched for their right to vote. 

Walking on the Edmund Pettis bridge represented the courage, pride, and triumph of the activists in 1963.  It was very powerful to know we stood where such amazing history took place. Seeing the footprints of those who walked and seeing the FBI surveillance pictures of the activists truly depict the impact that Selma had on the civil rights movement. However, even with how many steps forward marches like Selma created, it brings up questions of whether another march like Selma will occur in the future as we continue to battle with civil rights issues.

We then traveled to New Orleans, where we visited the Lower 9th Ward and learned more about the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the city and its marginalized groups. Although the community is not as lively as it once was, the love, courage, and pride of the neighborhood persists through community centers such as the local museum and grocery store. The stories of the individuals who survived Katrina were not forgotten; they are honored and celebrated as the community continues to rebuild.

We continued to learn more about the revitalization of the city at Studio Be, an art exhibit by local painter B Mike, that artistically represented the pain and suffering of Katrina, but also the celebration of black activists and the black community. 

In the final portion of this immersion, our group battled with the question of “What is our call to action? What are we going to do with the knowledge we gained throughout the trip?”.

At a panel in Montgomery, we were able to listen to the stories and advice of living members of the civil rights movement. They taught us that it is imperative that we continue to educate ourselves about the systems that oppress marginalized groups. That we must find our call in social justice no matter the career path we pursue, and to act on the issues we are passionate about. We are the generation that is next up to create change.

A huge thank you to the Moreau Center for Service and Justice, Tyler Wagner, and the other immersion leaders for making this experience possible!

Signing off,

Gloria Joseph and Jackson Blum

Safari Time

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After its long anticipated arrival, the safari arrived. While it meant it was one of the coolest experiences of the trip, it also meant it was wrapping up.

We got to indulge on one of the main tourist attractions of Tanzania and it didn’t disappoint. We started our safari (which in Kiswahili means “journey”) in Tarangire. When we arrived at the starting point we were greeted by these cute little monkeys that seemed very accustomed to the presence of humans yet still weary of them. The first warning our driver gave us before we got out of the car was to close our windows because; “they’re very sharp and fast. If they see snacks in the car they will get them.” Taking a quick bathroom break, walking around the area and just letting it sink in that we were possibly about to encounter the big 5 was a lot to digest and take in. You could feel the excitement in the atmosphere and the small encounter with the monkeys was just a small taste of what was about to come. A little into the drive we encountered a herd of “tembo” (elephants) enjoying their lunch. They were about about 15 ft from the car and were completely unfazed by our noisy Land Rovers and our excited squeals. One of the highlights of the day was when we finally got to see, mostly hear, some female “simbas” (lions) hunt and kill a pumba (warthog). While it was hard to witness, as the Lion King would say “it’s the circle of life.”

We continued to see more animals from Twigas (giraffes) to swala (Impalas) and colorful birds, when we took what we thought would be an uneventful lunch break our guides warning about the monkeys, like a prophecy, came true. When we got to our picnic site, we noticed how persistent and fearless the little guys were. How, regardless of us shooing them away they really wouldn’t flinch until our guides intervened. By the end of lunch we thought we had outsmarted them until our group got distracted and in a matter of seconds a chocolate bar and some biscuits were stolen. While that commotion was going on I (Paula) looked away from my lunch to see what was happening and when I turned back there was a monkey sitting in front of me making direct eye contact. Thinking he could get some dessert too, when I screamed at him he didn’t even flinch so I packed what I could and ran. When I looked back, there was a chocolate wrapper on the ground and one happy monkey.

After enjoying the sights of more animals, we headed to our campsite for the night and got to bed for an early morning. We set out for the Ngorongoro crater before dawn. The Ngorongoro crater was once a volcano the size of Mount Kilimanjaro that collapsed on itself and is now a natural sanctuary for wildlife. We saw hundreds of zebras, wildebeest and flamingos. We were blessed with the opportunity to see two male Simbas and the luckiest thing of the day was to see two rhinos. We got to see some hippos, water buffalos and enjoyed the sunny day in the crater. After a full day of safari we began our way back to Moshi.

Kwaheri wanyama, we’ll be back! Asante sana. (Goodbye animals, we’ll be back! Thank you so much)

Paula and Brittany

Visiting St. Brendan’s Parish

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We spent Friday the 17th on a 5-hour car ride from Moshi to a small, rural village called Kitete. The village is so remote that most people in the city of Moshi have never heard of it. If you try googling it, it doesn’t exist. The car ride (the parts that we were awake for) was beautiful; we drove past Masai villages, monkeys, camels, the Great Rift Valley, and Lake Manyara.

St. Brendan’s parish, where we stayed in Kitete, is on top of a hill (almost like the bluff) with an amazing view of the lake and surrounding hills. When we arrived, we were greeted by Brother Morris (also known as BroMo, pictured on the right in his swaggy Tire Rack sweatshirt and bucket hat) and a massive lunch. After stuffing our faces, we showed up to mass two hours late. But don’t worry, we got there in time for communion and the last two hours of mass (in Swahili). After mass, we were invited to share a meal with the community. We were still full from lunch #1 (and breakfast and snacks in the car) but we ate anyway. As our host mom lovingly said, “You’re in Africa, you’re allowed to be fat.”

After church, we had a bumpy ride back to St. Brendan’s to tour the vocational secondary school behind the parish. In the evening, we had soup and bread while we waited for the bishop to arrive. Thinking this was our dinner, we filled up. Two hours later, the archbishop showed up and we had dinner #2, this time, it was a full spread (yes, we counted: 6 meals, 1 day). This weekend was special in Kitete because the archbishop was making his yearly visit. Over the weekend, 124 couples were married and 344 people were confirmed. We were there for all of it. Additionally, it had been four years since the newly built church was consecrated and we were a group of 14 visitors–Fr. Sebastian was excited to point out the theme of 4’s. On Saturday, we attended the weddings. 5 hours later, 124 couples were married in the Catholic Church and our group became a choir. Mama Mo composed her first song in Swahili, Asante, and we performed the song during mass and introduced ourselves (this was the only part in English). The entire mass and celebrations were televised on national TV. Afterwards, we watched the newly weds feed each other cake and had the opportunity to feed each other wedding cake, too. All the sitting in church left us pretty restless and looking for movement. When there was no dancing after the weddings, we took it upon ourselves to start a dance party outside the pastoral residence. It began with Yeudith’s tiny speaker, but 20 minutes in, Fr. Sebastian ridiculed our quiet music and brought out a 3-foot tall speaker. We danced for three hours, rain and all. The music brought out priests, brothers, seminarians, the women who cooked our delicious food, and even a bride. It was a great bonding experience, and a highlight of the weekend. We also have a great Swahili playlist now.

The next day, we attended 344 confirmations. This time, we came prepared. We brought water, snacks, journals, and books to help us through the 6 hour ceremony. Some of the younger confirmandi performed a song and dance. We again performed a song for the congregation; we sang Sia Hamba, a South African folk song about marching with God. We had lunch after mass with the priests and bishop, and then laid low until dinner. This time, the party was inside. We danced and played musical chairs all night (we heard that some priests even stayed up until 4am). As Fr. Sebastian said, “In the Western world, you think therefore you are. In Africa, we dance, therefore we are.”

Monday morning, we had breakfast and toured the vocational school more in-depth with BroMo. Students study the trades of knitting, carpentry, welding, brickery and masonry, hairdressing, electrical work, or tailoring. It was amazing to see so many young people with so many talents. Many of us ordered custom-made skirts and shirts from the students in the tailoring department. They were beautiful! After lunch, we watched the student women’s netball and men’s soccer games. In the evening, we introduced the priests to Uno cards and played rambunctious card games for the rest of the night.

Tuesday morning, we woke up at 7am to attend–you guessed it–another mass. This time, it lasted 30 minutes (as promised by Fr. Sebastian) and the homily was given in both Swahili and English. After mass, we packed up our things and said our goodbyes. This was the hardest goodbye of the trip. We bonded with the community at St. Brendan’s and truly felt the spirit of the nation.

On the way to our next destination, we had an exciting drive. The roads were especially muddy and hard to cross due to recent rain, and not even our trusty Land Cruisers were equipped to handle them. We skidded and lost traction driving up and down steep, rocky mud roads. Inevitably, the cars got stuck. Before we could get too nervous, about twenty people came to our rescue from their nearby homes. After lots of trials and errors and muddy shoes, the locals were able to push us out of a ditch and safely back on our way. It was a 10-minute ordeal. 

Without them, we’d probably still be there. To us, this was a crazy car ride; for the locals, it was another Tuesday. This is one of many acts of unconditional kindness that we’ve experienced in Tanzania. We have been blown away by the hospitality and love given so freely by the people we have encountered. We are looking forward to the experiences we’ll have and people we’ll meet in our last week!

Cat & Ariana