Friday, October 23, 2015

Finally on African Soil!

My flight from Amsterdam to Nairobi had a daunting four hour layover in Doha, Qatar from 1am until 4am, and I was dreading it my whole trip. However, the wait was not so bad and went by much faster and smoother than expected. The Hamad International Airport in Doha is a very comfortable yet busy airport that looks like it runs 24 hours a day. I ended up eating, relaxing, and checking on some e-mails that made the time go faster. Before I knew it, I was boarding on my flight from Doha to Nairobi!

I arrived in Nairobi Kenya very much not knowing what awaited me. I had knots in my stomach feeling nervous and anxious at the same time. Upon landing, my perceptions of Kenya changed a lot. I thought going through immigration would be long and daunting, but turns out that it was not that difficult and there was almost no line to get a visa and go through immigration (same booth). I had all my paperwork filled out, I paid $50 and I was in! Getting my luggage was fast and easy as well! The luggage carousel was actually as small as the ones I saw in Peru and Panama, but everything came out fast and efficient. I also thought the weather was going to be hot, but turns out that the weather was actually clear, chilly, windy, and very cool to my liking. I really enjoyed the weather because there were no dreaded mosquitos, and sleeping at night was very easy to do (since I was not sweating).

Going to Kenya was an eye-opening experience. Nairobi is a modern city that is run with technology, but at the same time, a very poor city that has its slums. Nairobi is also a very African city, which allowed me to have the final step of gradual immersion to South Sudan by being in an African city that I was not familiar with, but at the same time had some traces of familiarity. I saw the poverty in the slums and I also saw the development for the city’s future in the business district of Nairobi.

The Nairobi city skyline from the rooftop restaurant at my hotel.

The highlight of my Kenya trip is that I got to stay in a Salesian community (Don Bosco Boy’s Town Vocation Technical School). I am so grateful for the priest who invited me to live in this community for a few days! I originally had plans to stay at a hotel and relax in Nairobi, but in the end I was stranded in the hotel  because I couldn’t leave the hotel unescorted due to the danger to tourists in the neighborhood. I then called the priest who was in charge of the Don Bosco Boy’s Town to meet with him so that I can deliver a package from the Salesian Missions’ Office in New York. However, the priest was not very happy to hear that I was staying at a hotel, and insisted I cancel the rest of my stay so I can be at the Salesian Community. I am so glad I took him on that offer!


Statue of Don Bosco at the center of Boys Town in Nairobi, Kenya.


Chapel at Boys Town in Nairobi, Kenya.
 
The young men and women of the Don Bosco Boys Town were so nice and kind to me! They were very curious about American lifestyles, dream cars, girls, politics, music, and Hollywood films. The students asked me a lot of questions and I had some great conversations with many of the young men and women. I was overwhelmed by their hospitality towards me! One boy named Peter told me that he is very thankful for my visit, “a visitor comes so few times and far in between, that here a visitor is a beautiful blessing and a gift from God, thank you for coming here”.

I also got to visit the other Salesian institutes in a town called Karen, just outside of the Nairobi's city center. There are four major Salesian communities and institutions on the same road in Karen. There is the Bosco Boys (primary school for young orphaned boys), the Tumen Salesian Theological Studies (where all the Salesian seminarians in Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, and South Sudan are studying theology), the DB YES (Don Bosco Youth Educational Services) , and the Don Bosco Boys’ Town Vocational Training School (where I was staying and got to know really well). Along with the four communities in Karen, I also go to see the East Africa Salesian Provincial House in Upper Hill, a very important neighborhood in Nairobi where all the important government buildings are. The Provincial House is also known as Headquarters (HQ) for all operations in Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, and South Sudan. Along with operations, the Provincial House is also the site of the Mary Help of Christians Shrine, which is a very beautiful and impressive place of worship, much like the Holy Family Cathedral in Nairobi.

Me at the Holy Family Cathedral in Nairobi, Kenya!

The shrine of Mary Help of Christians at the Provincial House (Salesian East Africa HQ) in Nairobi, Kenya.

My stay in Nairobi has been a beautiful experience and a great introduction to Africa. I believe my stay in Nairobi really prepared me for South Sudan in helping me gradually immerse myself in a completely new culture. There were some familiar traces in Kenya, which are very much Western and similar to what I am used to such as: the language, although Swahili is the language of choice, most people in Kenya can speak and understand English; the connectivity and technology are fairly advanced in Kenya, where there is high speed wifi and 3G cell phone connectivity; finally, Kenya’s stable government and fruitful economy is one that I believe to be one of the best in Africa. However, Kenya is also very much African, and I was able to learn and see a little bit of African culture; I saw that despite the poverty in Kenya, the people are very happy, hospitable, and kind; that people in Kenya are very religious, in which most people are Christian and not just go to church (where Sundays nothing is open and everything is at a standstill), but that people also pray every day regularly; and that people in Kenya have a great respect for the environment and the earth.
 
Me with my new friend Br. Felix SDB (Studying to become a priest)!

Me with my new friend Br. Richard SDB (Studying to become a priest)!

Me with my new friend Edwin (staff of Don Bosco Boy's Town)!

One Salesian priest (far right) and one Salesian brother (far left) from Boys Town in Nairobi, Kenya, along with fellow guest: a Salesian priest from Khartoum, Sudan (center).

I will take my experiences in Nairobi with me to South Sudan and apply my knowledge to best fit the community in Gumbo. After seeing the community in Nairobi for a few days, I am not just ready and prepared to go to Gumbo, I am very excited and can’t wait to get started in my ministry! It has been a long two weeks of travel, and I am glad to have experienced it, but I am also glad it is done, next and final destination is Gumbo!


Me and most of the boys at Don Bosco Boys Town in Nairobi, Kenya!

Monday, October 19, 2015

Closing a Chapter of My Life in Europe

On October 2, 2015, I finally started my journey as a Salesian Lay Missioner in South Sudan! I wanted to gradually immerse myself from my familiar life in the United States to the very different life in South Sudan. My journey to South Sudan is a long two week journey, where I can experience other cultures that are more and more different than my own. I will first go to Barcelona for four days, followed by going to Amsterdam for four days, then making my way to Nairobi, Kenya, where I will stay for four days, and finally (after give or take two full days of travel) on October 16, 2015, I will arrive in Gumbo, South Sudan!

It was once said about Europe that it was created by history, it is the “old country” after all! I have never been to Europe before and it is somewhere I always wanted to go. I wanted to see the historical monuments and the different yet oddly similar way of life I had in America. This is why I chose to close the previous chapter of my life in Europe.

I finally step foot on European soil! However, I will not go into much detail about my trip to Europe since it does not have much to do with my ministry, it was sort of a vacation after all. I say vacation lightly, since after working 3 years non-stop I wanted to enjoy some of the fruits of my labor and go somewhere without any business agenda and just enjoy that place for what it is, thus being the perfect way to close the previous chapter of my life. In a way, my trip to Europe very much prepared me for going to Africa. I wanted to experience a culture that was similar to mine yet different, which is what Europe is. Therefore, my arrival to South Sudan is a gradual one, going from what is home and familiar, to something that is completely different.

Starting my experience of gradual immersion, I first went to Barcelona, which was somewhat different than my life in the US, but at the same time, I felt at home and familiar because I know how to speak Spanish. Reason for going was to meet with my friends, I got to meet a close friend of mine in Tarragona (one hour train from Barcelona) and finally got to meet her daughter (who I met before, but in the womb, while her mother was pregnant). I also got to meet my friends from college (my fraternity little, her roommate, and one of my namesake kids). I enjoyed the culture, the food, and the experiences.

Me in front of Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia Church (Still in construction after 131 years)
 
My Friend and her daughter in Tarragona, Spain!

After Barcelona, I went to Amsterdam, which is a bit more different to my life in the US than Barcelona because the city was built much more differently (with canals) and because the people there spoke a limited amount of English, but mainly spoke Dutch. I met up with my friend from my study abroad program in South Korea (Yonsei International Summer School) and I stayed at her house. I went with her to her hometown of Leiden and got to see the house she grew up in, I got to meet her parents, and went to the beach with her. Seeing her hometown was the highlight of my trip because I got to see something so different from what I am used to, and yet at the same time see how it feels like home for someone who is familiar to me. In Amsterdam I learned a lot about what I need to do to prepare for Africa, and like Barcelona (if not, more so) I really enjoyed the sites, the culture, the laid-back atmosphere (where I finally got to sleep in a few days for the first time in a while), and spending time with my friend.
 
The canals of Amsterdam are so beautiful!

A Dutch windmill in Leiden (I had to see one)!

Before I finish this post, I would like to thank all my friends that I met in Europe for making the time to show me around and for housing me, I really appreciate it and can’t thank you enough! I am so blessed to have friends like you!

My fraternity little and one of my fraternity namesake kids in Barcelona, Spain!

My fraternity little and her roommate!
 
With my friend after watching a movie in a really cool movie theater in Amsterdam!
My friend holding a heart-shaped balloon she found on the beach in Leiden, Netherlands (I think it says "Good Luck" in German)!
 
My friend had one last message for me before I left to Africa!
 
My next stop is Nairobi Kenya, where I will once again gradually immerse myself in preparation to experience a whole different culture. On to Africa!!!

Sunday, October 18, 2015

A Trip To Where It All Began

Right before I left San Francisco, I got the opportunity to pass by my elementary school one last time! I got to catch a glimpse of the building and internally reminisce about the days when I was a child. This is where my love for the Salesians all began!


I grew up in the Excelsior District of San Francisco, an immigrant-working class neighborhood on the outskirts of the city. The Excelsior District was where Filipino, Mexican, Salvadorian, Nicaraguan, Chinese, and Vietnamese immigrants went when they first arrived to the United States. There was a diversity of people walking on the street and also vast varieties of food so numerous that you can see the restaurants lined up on the street as far as the eye can see. Unfortunately, the Excelsior District was also a neighborhood where gangs would walk around at night and where the rivaling high schools would meet, sparking what could be best described as race wars. However, overtime the neighborhood has changed a lot; the schools are doing much better than they were thanks to a breakfast program implemented by the school district and for the most part the gangs no longer come out around, causing the neighborhood to be safer at night.

The Excelsior District had two Catholic parochial schools, one was Epiphany, which was run by the diocese and then there was Corpus Christi, which was run by the Salesians. Initially I was going to go to Epiphany because the school was much closer to my house and my grandma's house, but when my parents found out that they didn't have an afterschool program they sent me to the other school in the neighborhood, and it just so happened to be a Salesian school! The school was run mainly by lay people, but was managed and had a few teachers who were Salesian sisters (FMA's). I remember my days as a child, where I improved my interest in my faith due to the sisters' educating me about God and Catholicism.


Corpus Christi had a diversity that forced me to open my eyes to the different cultures and at the same time, taught me to be culturally sensitive. All my schoolmates were minorities (most of them  being Filipino and Latino/Hispanics), and most of my schoolmates were sons and daughters of immigrants. My fondest memory would be spending time studying and playing sports with my classmates. We were a small class of thirty-five that stuck together through thick and thin for nine years. I will never forget zipping across the court to kick a soccer ball or waiting for my turn to bat against one of the teachers who was pitching.


So there I was, walking past the place I grew up, internalizing all the memories and good times in my head. As I slowly started waking away, I couldn't t help but to turn back and take one final glimpse of the majestic red fence that surrounded my elementary school. The building still remains in tact and yet it no longer houses and parochial school, but a charter school. The only thread I can hang on to is the big red sign that reads Corpus Chrisiti School, which I was told, like our school spirit, will never go down!

 
Visiting and going past the place where my love for Salesians all began was exactly what I needed to prepare myself to go to Gumbo South Sudan! Consequently, I left and started my travels a couple days after this "pilgrimage". Wish me luck!


Thursday, October 8, 2015

Orientation Overview

Greetings friends!

I apologize for not posting this sooner, the past couple months have been keeping me very busy in terms of closing this current chapter of my life and opening a new one. Hopefully as things wind down, allowing me to have more free time, I will be able to give you more frequent posts the next couple weeks.

Today I wanted to recap my experience during the Salesian Lay Missioners Orientation that occurred from July 23 to August 15. During the orientation, I gained a lot of tools, training, experiences and moments of spiritual growth. I came into my orientation well aware that I was officially starting my ministry, and so I came in with the mentality that I was now a lay missioner. The orientation happened in the span of three weeks, and could be best summed up by splitting them week by week.

Week One:
The first week of orientation was mentally exhausting. We spent most of our days  in New Rochelle, NY getting trained at the Salesian Mission's Office and we spent all our nights that week lodging at Monroe College's dorms in their downtown New Rochelle campus.  In terms of meals, we ate at Monroe College's Dining Hall, where the food was very delicious but also plentiful because they served us big portions. Since we were given lots of delicious food, we had to walk a lot. The Monroe College campus, where the dorms and dining hall are, were a 15 minute walk to the Salesian Missions Office, where our training was. We would walk back and forth a lot to attend prayers/mass, eat our meals, and go to training.

The bulk of our training consisted of cross-cultural training, where we: learned to be culturally sensitive of the customs in the countries we are going to, learned the importance of our active presence at our respective sites, and  gained a lot of valuable exercise tools that will help in times of hardship and struggle that we can keep in the back of our mind to better cope with inevitable situations.

I attended the orientation with 15 other SLM (Salesian Lay Missioners), who were to be commissioned to serve at various countries and sites around the world. Along with cross-cultural training, I got to know each and everyone of them personally by talking with them during our walks, but also having sessions where we all shared with each other our stories of how we got here and why we chose to join the Salesians. (One other thing we did was have a session with a psychologist, which helped a lot in deciding what to talk about when it came time to sharing our stories.) I feel I really got to know my fellow SLM's and I very much admire all of them for their commitment to service and the strength of their faith.

Telling my story! PC:Deacon Pat Kearns

Week Two:
The second week of orientation was physically exhausting. The second week was the service week, where we spent all our nights that week at the dorms in Monroe College, but spent the whole day serving the community at Port Chester , NY.  During week two, we would wake up from our dorms in New Rochelle, get into 2 buses/vans and take a 15-20 minute ride over to Port Chester, where the day started with morning prayer/mass/adoration, followed by a full day of service toward the community, followed by evening prayer and dinner with the Salesian priests of Port Chester, and then finally return to New Rochelle to sleep.

For our community service, we were split into two groups, where one group would work at the Salesian kid's summer camp, while the other group would work at the Salesian soup kitchen/community center. Mid-week, we would then switch jobs. Although I was only there for two days, I really miss the children of Port Chester, they are great kids with a lot of energy and curiosity. I happened to be placed with the big kids (seniors), who were incoming 8th and 9th graders. Of course it was a challenge, but overall, I really enjoyed working with them. At the soup kitchen, I helped cook and bag food for the homeless, low-income families, and migrant workers of Port Chester. I also spent my days cleaning, dusting, throwing away garbage and painting the community center and soup kitchen.

The Second week, also had some great surprises in which we got to spend time with Salesian Brother Sal, who was assigned as the master carpenter of building the pope's chair, in which Pope Francis used to say mass at Madison Square Garden in New York during his US visit. Along with spending every morning and evening around Br. Sal (he taught us how to make paper doves), we got to see his work and sit on the chair that would eventually become the pope's. We also went to watch a New York Mets game vs. the Washington Nationals (where we landed a night game that caused little sleep) and enjoyed our time together watching a professional baseball game. The week ended with us spending time together at Oakland Beach in Rye, NY, followed by a barbecue treated from Deacon Bill of Port Chester.

Although I was physically tired, I felt accomplished and spiritually renewed because I had the pleasure to serve a great community!


Sitting in what will eventually be Pope Francis' chair!
 
On the bus! PC: Taylor McColgan
 
At the baseball game! PC: Taylor McColgan
 
The guys taking a jumping picture on the beach! PC: Taylor McColgan

Week Three:
The third and final week was spiritually renewing (I would not say spiritually exhausting). We moved out of our dorms in New Rochelle and moved into the Marian Shrine and Retreat Center at Haverstraw/Stony Point, NY. The retreat center was very beautiful, which consisted of: a walking rosary way, a large statue of Mother Mary, a beautiful chapel, and a giant field to play sports! We happened to have our retreat in conjunction with the Salesian Eastern Province SDBs' (priests and brothers') retreat, which they are required to attend at least once every year. Although our sessions were different (in fact, our retreats were two separate retreats), we got to meet a lot of the SDBs during meal times and recreation/break times. We would say morning prayer/mass, evening prayer/adoration, eat and play sports together.

It was such a great honor to attend our retreat alongside the SDBs. The first day of week three, we saw three brothers profess their perpetual vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, which they made permanent by saying that their vows will be forever. Our last day of week three, we got to see eight brothers renew their vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

As for the SLMs,we were officially commissioned on August 14th (second to the last day of orientation) in a beautiful and heartwarming mass! At our commissioning mass, we officially became SLMs ready to go to our respective countries!

I was very emotional that I finally made it, I am finally ready (as ready as I'll ever be) to go to South Sudan!
Hiking at Stony Point, NY! PC:Catherine McNeal

Officially an SLM! PC: Catherine McNeal
Good luck and stay safe, I will be keeping you all in my prayers!