Immersions
L’Arche Bologna Blog 3-Ellie
As I approach the last week of my journey I wanted to share about two topics that have impacted me and my time at L’Arche.
The first is the language barrier. I came to L’Arche knowing little Italian. (I thought “ciao” was spelled “chow”. Very wrong I quickly learned!) Luckily, Spanish is very close to Italian, but they are definitely NOT the same. I took Spanish classes throughout high school and my father grew up in Mexico, so I grew up hearing Spanish being spoken.
By knowing some Spanish, I started off being able to understand the topic of the conversation but not all of the words and what people were saying. Often when I do not know a word in Italian I can try in Spanish and sometimes it is similar enough that the assistants understand what I am saying!
As my time at L’Arche progressed, my Italian improved tremendously. I can now speak much better and know many words. Each day I try to learn a word that I can use in conversations with the rigazzi (residents) for everyday L’Arche life. Today I learned how to say “Set the table.” As I learn to speak more Italian, my comprehension has grown as well. I can now understand much more in conversations and when others want to tell me things they can do so in Italian. Also I can understand what the rigazzi say to me and can respond to a certain extent.
The language barrier has been not only tricky for me, but also for the assistants and rigazzi. It has been interesting with the assistants because the assistants fall into 3 main categories in terms of communicating with me. The first is the assistants that speak English. In my house there are 3 assistants who are fluent in English and are very easy to communicate with. One assistant tries to tell me in Italian and if I do not understand she will then tell me in English. One assistant even told me, “speak English with me only, I enjoy getting to practice and keep up my English.” The second category is the assistants who do not speak English but still try to communicate with me. There are quite a few who know zero English but they still try to have conversations with me and try to get to know me and include me in everyday conversations. I really appreciate their efforts to try to get me to learn Italian and treat me as if I knew how to speak Italian. The third category is the assistants who do not speak English, but also do not try to communicate with me because they simply do not want to work around the language barrier. This group is very small and not many assistants fall into this category. But there have been a few assistants who merely ignore you because they just don’t even want to try. I responded to an assistant when she didn’t think I understood what she said, and it changed her outlook. She began trying with me more and wanting to help me. This meant a lot to me because I felt like I had helped her realize that I want to learn and it doesn’t matter that I am not fluent in Italian.
The rigazzi are all different in how they respond to my Italian. A few of the rigazzi are extremely helpful and I ask them what things are and they help me learn new words. One rigazzi even taught me how to count to ten with correct pronunciation. But some rigazzi sometimes do not understand me fully and give me a “huh?” look. There is one rigazzi who does not like my poor Italian and tells me “Basta” which means stop or enough when I pronounce the word wrong or say words out of order. So I try to have my Italian at its best when I am around this rigazzi and am sensitive to his feeling about my Italian. There is one rigazzi in my house that does not talk and does not verbally communicate, and does not respond to any words in Italian. When I am alone with him I practice my Italian with him by saying it aloud and just try to talk as best as I can. He does not respond to any words so it is a nice time for me to practice with him.
The second thing I wanted to describe is communication with the rigazzi. Not all communication and relationships with the rigazzi are ones where I talk to them. All the relationships with the rigazzi are different which makes them special to me. For example, in the morning when we go to the saloon to say good morning to everyone, there is a rigazzi who lives in a different house than mine that says “ciao” to me and then invites me to sit next to him. When I see him I fix his shoes and realign the velcro. After that I give him a short back rub and then we are done. He does not like to talk much to anyone. But that little everyday communication where I fix his shoes and sit next to him is our friendship. It is interesting how each rigazzi wants you to be their friend in different ways and how they interact with you.
With one week left, I will continue my relationships and build on my Italian, but I will also have a hard goodbye.
Ellie
L’Arche Bologna Blog 2- Ellie
Ciao amici!
A few days ago marked the half way point of our time at L’Arche. It seems crazy that we have been here a month, but also that we are almost done. The time has gone by so quickly. It seems like a long time ago that I arrived, met my house residents, and began this journey. Time at L’Arche is interesting because the days are very long, but the weeks pass by so quickly.
After being here a month, the language barrier is not nearly the challenge it was in our first few weeks. I am comprehending more and more each day and am learning to be conversant in Italian. Each day I try to learn a new word that can help me in my conversations with rigazzi (the residents) and assistants. For example, today I learned what “sit” is in Italian (its sedersi). The rigazzi are also improving in communicating with me. The one rigazzi who refused to talk to me because I was not fluent in Italian gave in and we had a conversation about his band Fuori Tempo.
In my time here there have been many highs. This week I had several things happen that I enjoyed and made me laugh. They are little things but showed me the character of the rigazzi. I listed a few below.
-I got to take one of the rigazzi out by myself for a walk without an assistant (usually there is always an assistant with the rigazzi)
-One of the rigazzi who doesn’t talk to anyone but has a good character, walked past me and put napkins on my head as a joke.
-I had the opportunity to cook for all of the volunteers and my food was edible!. (It’s a lot harder to cook in Italy than the US – talk about pressure to make something good!)
-Played Uno with the rigazzi and they beat me and yes I did try to win 🙂
-I got to do an art project where we made jewelry from clay. I really enjoyed this activity because at home in Boise I teach mentally disabled adults art.
-I was lectured by one of the rigazzi because I didn’t set the table the way they wanted. This was funny because they often care so much about the little things.
-I was able to go with our workshop to the park and have a picnic. Everyone likes getting out into town so outings are always fun.
-I did have one not so great moment. I did not make the bus on schedule and had to walk 8 km back from the train station. While I enjoy a good walk, 8km is pretty far!
These are just a few of the things that happened to me this week and which will be good memories for me. I feel blessed to be able to help the rigazzi as well being blessed by them. They are a very special group of people.
Ciao from Italy!!
Ellie Jacobs
L’Arche Bologna Blog 1-Ellie
Angie and I have completed our first two weeks at L’Arche and they have been a unique experience. The first week was the most difficult because it took a few days to fully learn our roles as volunteers. The rigazzi (members of L’Arche community) also had to learn to adjust to someone new who does not speak their language. Trying to communicate those first few days was difficult. Often the language barrier can be difficult when you don’t understand what you need to do or the rigazzi want to talk, but Angie and I are picking up Italian quickly. We can understand some because some words are similar to Spanish. My Italian accent needs lots of work though!
A typical day starts by getting up and going to breakfast. When I get there the residents are finishing eating and I help clean up. After breakfast, we head to the Saloon where all assistants, volunteers, and rigazzi sit in a circle and pass around a sign that says “buon giorne” on it. When someone gets the sign, the person has it you say “buon giorne ___(name)”. This good-morning ritual is a good way to start the day before we start our other activities. We have workshops, which is a time where everyone is assigned a task. The first week I worked with the bunnies and chickens and cared for them. This second week there were a lot of changes in the structure of how workshops were to be held and it was very mellow because the changes needed to be explained to the rigazzi. Typically, we all eat lunch together and after I clean up after lunch, Angie and I have our 2 hr daily break.
Angie and I like to either go walk into the small town where we are located or a nap is always a good choice. After our break there is an afternoon activity. Each day the activity is different. This week I helped cook dinner, did laundry, supervised an art project, and went on a walk. Some rigazzi do different activities like Special Olympics practice, help pick vegetables, go to the supermarket or horse back riding. After activity time we eat dinner, clean up and end the day with evening prayer which ends at 9:15 PM. It is a long day but very rewarding.
Some of the days have been long, but some go by very fast. Overall, I am learning lots and cherishing my time with the rigazzi. One of the most fun events we have done is participating in the annual Bologna festival. All of us went to town to celebrate and have fun. Some of the rigazzi got up and sang and danced. It was so much fun to see them so happy and excited. We are only two weeks in but I can already tell this will be an incredibly memorable experience.
Nicaragua 2017 blog #5
Hola from Granada, Nicaragua!
What a great place to begin to gain closure after our long journey throughout central Nicaragua. Mimosas on the beach in the morning, a few long days laughing and swimming in the Laguna de Apoyo, and even a shot at the dance floor of the local discotecha on Saturday night! We’re kidding…mostly. However, as the trip has come to an end we have had the chance to reflect on some of the most impactful aspects of the journey.
Over the last few days we put our finishing touches on the walls of the school we helped Seeds of Learning construct, performed a song and dance as a sign of gratitude towards the students at the elementary school, took on a new perspective of Matagalpa from a hilltop outlook just outside the city, had some wonderful ethnic cuisine at a restaurant owned by the coordinators from Seeds of Learning, and said some hard goodbyes, hopefully temporary, to our friends in Matagalpa.
Upon arrival in Granada, despite sore hands and backs from the construction, we all agreed that we would do it all over again if we had the chance. Between free time spent swimming, shopping, walking around downtown Granada and short naps, we took time to recount all the amazing experiences we had the opportunity to take part in.
We’re happy to be headed home, but we are incredibly thankful for three life-altering weeks.
Sincerely,
Nate
Nicaragua 2017 blog #4
Hola! Matagalpa is treating us well so far. We have spent the week doing construction work at a local school, and doing crafts and activities with the students. So far we have made octopi out of paper plates, bracelets, hand puppets, played with bubbles, and done lots of coloring. At the construction site we have been assisting in mixing cement, laying bricks, digging trenches, and bending rebar.
We usually work until noon and then our afternoons are filled with speakers and visiting local community leaders to gain more perspective on what life is like in Matagalpa. Our second day we went to a jewelry workshop in a community called Plomo where a group of women made pieces out of dried seeds.
Yesterday we listened to a presentation from a local surgeon about public health and the revolution in Nicaragua. We were all really inspired with the struggles and perseverance of health care professionals like him during the revolution.
Today we visited a mountainous community called El Progresso where we got to see some previous work of UP students, learned how to make tortillas, played with local school children, and got to meet some more community members. Tonight we prepared for a farewell performance to the community of El Tule where we have been doing construction work and helping out in the classrooms. We’re really excited to get to show our appreciation to the community that has been so welcoming and kind to us!
Nicaragua 2017 Blog #3
Hola from Matagalpa, Nicaragua!
After a week of living in La Concepcion we said farewell to our homestay families on Saturday morning. We all learned a lot and will remember this experience forever, and emotions raged from family to family. Some of us were able to deeply connect and create relationships, making saying goodbye difficult. For others, this was more of an experience of personal growth. But overall, we all learned more than we could ever have imagined about being a member of this tight knit community of La Concepcion…
With our bags packed and strapped to the roof of two vans, we drove off to Matagalpa to begin our time working with Seeds of Learning. The three hour drive took us through lush green landscapes, small towns, and industrial areas. After arriving in the bustling and vibrant city, we drove around the city center looking for our hostel – the result of minimal street signs ands addresses… Luckily Jorge, one of our leaders from Seeds of Learning, came to our rescue and guided us to our beautiful hostel… We were welcomed to our new home for the week with an amazing lunch followed by a short orientation at the SOL library, located a couple blocks away. This library, started by SOL, offers a space for some of the children in the city with extra educational opportunities through an after school program. Here students have access to shelves of books – unlike in most Nicaraguan schools – and engage in creative arts and science projects, This program is relatively new and growing, and we all are excited to learn more about its impact on the community by seeing it in action this upcoming week.
We wrapped up Saturday with a big group reflection, reviewing our week in La Concepsions and our experience living in our home stays. To say our group discussion was insightful is quite the understatement. We touched on large scale topics like what it means to be human, what we feel our life purpose is, and what matter most. We all acknowledged how grateful we are for this experience.
Sunday morning, after a yummy french toast breakfast on the hostel balcony, many of us headed to Mass at the nearby Cathedral. This was a special service, as the archbishop was visiting, a nun was renewing her 50 year vow to the church, and there were special for prayers for Venezuela in their time in need. Although the two hour service was a bit long, we all found it to be an amazing experience to share together.
After Mass, we all went to lunch at a nearby cafe and headed to a Ceramic Workshop. Here we learned about a unique type of pottery – black pottery. This practice hat has been passed down from generation to generation within a family in this city and is one of the few remaining parts of the native Matagalpan culture. Now the business is run by a few sisters and we were lucky to meet one of them and learn some pottery skills. We were also able to make our own pieces of pottery and are excited to see how they turned out. This was a great experience to learn about another artistic aspect of the Nicaraguan culture.
Later on in the day, we met back up at the Library to watch a documentary about the educational system in Nicaragua. The film followed a few students from different backgrounds and regions as they navigated the difficulties of the school system, which include lack of resources, difficult university entrance exams, and poorly paid teachers. Although it was frustrating to learn more about the shocking reality, especially after our first hand experiences and connections in La Conception, we all feel inspired to work with SOL this week contributing to the community!
Stay tuned for more updates!
– Elise, Rainey, and Autumn
Nicaragua 2017 Blog #2
Hi everyone!
We arrived here in La Concepción on Sunday, May 14 (Happy Mother’s Day!!) after a 45 minute drive from Masaya. We had a brief introduction with Hazel, the director of La Mariposa language school, then it was time to meet our host families that we would be living with for the coming week. That night we got to know our families and were exposed to the lives of the average Nicaraguan. The majority of us had latrines outside the home, were served traditional Nicaraguan dishes, learned how to do laundry by hand, and quickly learned the difficulties of not having running water.
Monday began the week of volunteer work we would be doing in the community. An average day looked like service in a daycare, cultural center, ecological reserve, or local public school. The second half of the day we would engage in Spanish classes with La Mariposa. Our group was split into two groups where we would alternate between service and language school. This was a difficult adjustment, as we had all gotten used to spending time in each other’s company. Luckily we all were able to take a lunch break in the middle of the day to have a meal together and reflect on these experiences.
As the week progressed with the language school, many of us noticed improvements in our Spanish speaking ability and found it easier to communicate with our host families and make connections with the children we have been working with. Even though the living conditions were surprisingly difficult for some of us, we were all ready to help each other and learn from this experience. The service work we have engaged in allowed us to gain various perspectives of life in Nicaragua. Many of us appreciated the opportunity to use our Spanish in real world interaction.
The highlight for many of us came on the excursion we took Thursday night to El Volcan Masaya. We were extremely lucky to be in Nicaragua when the volcano is the most active it has been in over 15 years. Looking into the volcano was a truly magical sight. You were able to see volcanic lava and smoke. We were all stunned and left speechless by this sight.
Tomorrow we head to Matagalpa for another week of service. Many of us are disappointed to be leaving the people we have met here but we are still excited to be moving onto a new place and new experiences!
~ Emily and Faith
Nicaragua 2017 Blog #1
Hello everyone!
Well, we’re here! We arrived on Wednesday, May 10th and hit the ground running. Starting Thursday morning, we went on a scavenger hunt around Masaya, our first location. Our host from Carpe Diem, Kevin, organized the hunt to familiarize us with the town. We were given tasks that involved interacting with locals, going to the popular markets in the city, and finding other historical or unique locations within Masaya. Some of the places we visited were El Mercado Viejo and El Mercado Nuevo which were full of authentic Nicaraguan art as well as fruits, vegetables, grains, meats, and other essentials.
After the scavenger hunt, we discovered what soon became one of our favorite places: a smoothie shop located in El Parque Central. Since then, this has become a frequent hangout spot over the last three days where we have played frisbee, hung out together, and even joined a Zumba class that was put on by the locals. The second day we were here we woke up and hiked to a fortress called “Coyotepe”. Although the fortress had beautiful views of Masaya, Lake Nicaragua, and Volcano of Masaya, it also has a haunting past. During our tour of the fortress, our tour guide discussed the history and conflicts between the liberals and the conservatives. Essentially, the fortress was home to political prisoners that were tortured and ultimately never to be seen again. Walking through the passages where prisoners were held was unsettling and to see and hear the conditions in which the prisoners endured, coupled by the United States’ role in perpetuating the evil that occurred in the fortress and Nicaragua during these years of warfare.
Today, our morning commenced with an early morning excursion to FUPROSOMUNIC (Foundation Solar Project for Nicaraguan Women) farm. This farm was founded by an extraordinary Nicaraguan woman named Mercedes, who has served in the military, and earned both her undergraduate and Master’s degrees in chemical engineering. At the farm we helped create trenches for terrace farming and created bio intensive beds. In addition, we also harvested oregano and other herbs. We also received a historical lesson from Greg, Mercedes’ partner and husband. After which they showed us their solar powered furnace room and stoves, along with the rest of their sustainable farm. In addition to agriculture and farming, Mercedes works to promote women’s rights and hosts workshops to teach women in the community how to build the solar powered ovens and lead more Eco-friendly lifestyles.
Tomorrow morning, we will be heading to Mass and then going to our home stays in La Concepcion. Because of this, we will not have Internet connection until May 21st.
See you then!
-Celeste, Maggie, & Summer
2017 Border Immersion – Day 5 (Thursday, March 16th)
A reflection by Angie Bustos and Dannise Matarlo:
“There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives” -Audrey Lorde
Today, was really about learning how to transition from being bystanders to begin standing in solidarity with people marginalized by the immigration system of the United States. As we begin to wrap up our learning experience here in Tucson, Arizona we begin to question, what now? We started to embark on different ideas that address this social issue of immigration. When we began this transition we found it very difficult to find a way in which we can have a realistic approach to reforming the current standing of immigration. As conversations continued within the community we have built during our time here, we brought to attention the importance of education and advocacy.
Keeping our conversation of education and advocacy in mind, we defined key ideas that are important to understand and continuing our conversation outside our immersion community to the university and Portland community. As our experiences here in Tuscon begin to conclude, our journey and more importantly our dialogue about this immigration issue is only beginning. With that in mind it is urged that the issue of immigration continues to be seen as an issue and NOT simply a topic of discussion.
Another important aspect that arose from our action planning was the struggle to have the ability to continue being committed to the lifelong issue of immigration. It is understood that tackling social issues like immigration can be discouraging since many times results are not tangible. The lack of visible policy changes can be frustrating and cause people to burn out. Understanding these different aspects it is important to be reminded why one decided to commit to this issue and focusing on the positives that can be found in the darkness.
One particular story that struck our minds was from Deborah with the Tuscon Water Protectors. She had been an advocate in many immigration solidarity projects and there was a point where she found herself question whether her actions were really making a difference. This really resonated with us since we are only beginning our journey. One of her positions of solidarity, she answered phone calls in a 24/7 Hotline center, she recalled a phone call in which a man was lost in the desert but he was still in Mexico. She told us she was able to find this man rescuers and how moments like these, where a person lives, makes all the handwork worth it.
With stories like Deborah’s and conversations of immigration fueling our thoughts, we have come to the decision that social issues like immigration and others are intersectional. Their ability to interconnect is due to the lack of recognition of basic human rights that accompanies different social issues. With this in mind it is important to address our society’s understanding of human rights. Additionally, we must also keep in mind that there is more than one perspective to all social issues and to keep that in the back of our minds as we begin educating our communities and advocating for those the marginalized.
Itinerary:
Thursday, March 16th
8:30am: Walk to Southside Presbyterian
9:00am: Meeting about Sanctuary Movement with at Southside Presbyterian
12:00pm: Lunch at Borderlinks
1:00pm: Meeting with Florence Project in Tucson
2:30pm: Meeting with Josue
4:00pm: Action Planning Journal Prompt
6:00pm: Dinner with Chukson Water Protectors
***Pack. Fill Out Simple Evaluation. Be ready to walk out the door in the morning
Southside Presbyterian is rooted in the sanctuary movement of the 1980’s and is a leader in the new current sanctuary movement. It started as a mission to the Tohono O’odham people. In the 1980s the congregation became one of the key churches in the Sanctuary Movement, helping refugees fleeing terror in El Salvador and Guatemala. The Southside congregation continues to work with immigrant community members around human right, poverty and food justice.
Florence Project is a nonprofit legal service organization that provides free legal services to men, women and children detained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), formerly known as the INS. Although the government assists indigent criminal defendants and civil litigants through public defenders and legal aid attorneys, it does not provide attorneys for people facing deportation charges. As a result, 90 percent of the detained people go unrepresented due to poverty. The Florence Project strives to address this inequity both locally and nationally.
Josue is a community leader who, among his many organizing roles, has worked on the topic of healthcare and undocumented immigration.