On Religion

Dear Reader,

Up until this point I haven't directly said much about my religion. I did this out of respect as I know we live in a society that allows differences of religion to cause tension. However, my faith is something I'd like to share with the whole world. It has also come to my attention, with the trial of 7 Baha'i leaders in Iran underway, that now is the time to addresses this question: What is the Baha'i Faith?

Of all the independent world religions, the Baha'i Faith is the youngest and second-most widespread. Originating in Iran in 1844, it has brought together people from diverse backgrounds. As Christians follow Christ, Baha'is are followers of Baha'u'llah, a Persian nobleman who lived in the 19th century. We believe His teachings will bring about the promised age of peace on earth, but we all must work towards that. We recognize the fundamental unity of all the great religions and the prophets as reflecting the same light of one God.

That's my little introductory blurb for now! The international website is www.bahai.org, viewable in many languages. The Baha'i Writings are available for anyone to read there as well. And, if you have not seen photos of the Baha'i World Center in Haifa, Israel, I encourage you to google some! I'm looking forward to the day I can make my pilgrimage there and see the gardens on Mount Carmel myself.

Thank you for joining my effort to promote knowledge and peace,
Sigourney

Education and Learning

One morning recently, a marvelous thing happened. I woke up with a profound sense of belonging. I felt like I was adjusting well to my new home and work. A welcoming peace was about me as I arose out of bed. Not a few minutes later, I go to put on my shoes and discover a dead cockroach in one of them. Yuck. So that's how my existence here is, always something new!

At the school, the kids really like playing ¨duck duck goose¨. We play games sometimes, I like to think of them as a fun orientation to practical applications of English! However, my first grade is on probation, as I like to think of it. They have been misbehaving, throwing paper on the floor, bickering with each other, etc. I've had to shout at them, which puts me really out of my element. In that class this week, I had them take notes a lot, but we still got to sing songs.

For all of their antics, they are so endearing. Once, a group of about 15 greeted me as I entered the school, all swarming around me in a big group hug! I have a small desk in the library/computer room. The computers are old and without internet. The school itself is colorful and lively, made of modest materials and a simple metal roof. There are 5 classrooms. Between kinder and first grade is a level called prepa. In the mornings the other two rooms host 2nd and 3rd, and in the afternoon 4th and 5th grades.

Oh, and I've been meaning to say that Oscar is a common boys name here. At first, with my Sesame Street up-bringing I couldn't get the image of a garbage can out of my mind. And those with that name have all been very charming and nice :) Rene is also a boys name, took me a few weeks to get used to that.
All for now! Ciao!

4 Months...wow

The short of the story is that yes, I'm finally teaching English classes at Colegio Ridvan. I have 7 classes each day and 131 students My service there is exhausting, but so rewarding. My teaching helps me delve into my creativity more as well. Most everyday I have Itsy Bitsy Spider or a similar song in my head after classes!

I've moved, again. Now living in a very nice community called Santa Elena, near the capital. I've enjoyed my travels, but being back to a daily schedule has its perks as well. The school is about a 40 minute bus ride away and in a poor area. The contrast doesn't shock me as much as before. I'm glad to be able to educate some children there, I believe learning brings its own wealth and prosperity.

Tried a new fruit today called marañon japones. They look like chili pepper-shaped apples. The seed inside looks like a brain and I'm glad it's not customary to eat it! Can't shake my addiction to the pupusas here, at the school I get to eat them as a snack every morning! More about the kids and food later.

La Escuela de Verano and Mourning

I walked through the gates of the Baha'i Institute to find large groups of people sitting in lawnchairs. The sun was brilliant and welcoming as I reuinted with my roommate and sat with one group of adults. For the children, the ¨summer school¨ was a time of learning about virtues through the arts. Youth and adults participated in what was more of a conference-style series of workshops and discussions.

A highlight of the 3-day summer school, for me, was being able to see the friends I had met from Chalatenango and San Salvador again. In that short time period, 273 people were in attendance. Some who lived close commuted in the morning and night. Others visited for only a day. There was a dormitory for girls, one for guys or the various tents set up about the lawn for those who could stay the whole weekend.

On the closing day, we watched a video about the 41 Baha'i conferences that had taken place around the world last year. Anyone interested can see the video here - http://www.bahai.org/arising/. Some of the locations were familiar, like LA in the US, Sydney in Australia, and Madrid in Spain. Other cities I had never heard of before such as Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, Padua in Italy, and Lusaka in Zambia.

Needless to say, I arrived back in the town of Olocuilta inspired and joyful. However, an emergency had occurred. The father of my host family lost his nephew in what was a tragic situation. I won't go into details, but I do want to share the tremendous spirit of the family and the culture of funerals here.

Some of the young man's family had been visiting for the holidays, but it seemed like all the aunts, uncles, brothers and relatives arrived for the funeral. While the members of the extended family are from different faiths, the process of burial is Catholic. In the house of the grandmother, the furniture was moved and the walls of the livingroom were made bare. The day I learned to make tamales, the casket arrived and mourners came to say prayers. The large gathering sat in the room with the body the entire night, til dawn. The 200 tamales, sweet bread and coffee were served to all.

The following day, I was in the crowd of at least 100 people who walked, en masse, to the cemetary. I can't explain how that felt. Even those who were working in the shops along the way stepped out to show their respect. The cemetary, like the one I saw in Guatemala, was filled with colors. Definitely nothing dark or gloomy.

Now, and until 9 days after the body was laid to rest, people come to the house in the afternoon to say the rosary. Along one wall is set the nephew's photograph encircled by flowers, reaching from the floor to eye level. There are also several tall candles that burn almost continuously. While I've seen many pained faces and tears, the atmosphere consists more of love and a quiet acceptance.

The new news of my service is that I'm moving on Tuesday to live near the capital. I'll travel in the mornings to teach English classes at Colegio Ridvan. The word ¨ridvan¨ means paradise and it is a Baha'i-inspired school with about 100 students from kinder to fifth year. I'm excited and hopeful for this opportunity, but sad to leave this community just when I felt such a part of the life here. The good thing is I can always visit here on weekends. El Salvador is a small country; travel is no 7 hour drive to Anchorage!

Feliz Año Nuevo

Happy New Year!!! (I have to say, however, that this is only my first new year of 2010. Baha'is have another calendar which begins each year on March 21.) Last night, I was awoken from my dinnertime nap by the noises of fireworks. I don't think I could have slept past 12:00am if I tried! The streets were filled with smoke and the laughter of children. People set off fireworks, sprinklers, etc. on the roads near their houses. There is definitely a different culture of safety here, but I've only seen 2 slightly burnt fingers. Oh, and I've got a slight cold. So I'm resting before I travel to the Baha'i summer school, which started today and will continue to the 3rd.

I've recently moved to another family's house here in Olocuilta. Their last name is Salvador, which is actually a common name here. My roommate is elsewhere preparing for her trip back home to Australia, so I'm more or less by myself now. But it's a great opportunity to learn more Spanish!

Recently, I met two other girls who where visiting the country. They had completed their year of service at the Baha'i school, Colegio Ridvan, some time ago. One was from Canada and the other from the US. Both had been planning their return to El Salvador before they even left! It was a nice glimpse of what it will be like for me in the future; the friendships I make here will last a long time.

Diversity is something very important to me and I know we could all do more to embrace our differences. Here, I've been exposed to situations my life at home hadn't yet educated me about. Frequently, I'm in the company of two children, one is autistic and the other mute. Right now, I'm at a loss of words to describe how harmonious the kids play and interact together. Even during times when the ugliness of the world appears in their lives, they take it with a rare maturity. Yet, I know the children I'm talking about have been blessed with loving families and this is not the case for many children here.

On a lighter note, we were watching the History Channel and it was talking about Fairbanks! In Spanish! That was a nice little treat. Okay, que te vaya bien, hope all goes well for you guys!

Guatemala and Other Service Adventures

I taught the majority of a childrens´ class this week! Our virtue of the day was service. After a prayer and short discussion of the meaning of the theme, I helped the children memorize a quote and sing a song (in Spanish). I also read a story to them that demonstrated an example of ¨servicio¨. We end each class with something artistic, usually drawing = so cute!

My usual week here consists of a childrens´ class, multi-faith devotional meetings, two English and virtues classes with local youth and study circles. Baha´is all over the world provide these services to whomever is interested.

Plus, as you may see, I´ve recently been spending time traveling to other parts of El Salvador to teach my faith. During my conversations with people, an attidude of sharing is emphasized. I am not here to preach to people, but to share a message I love dearly. I like this simple, easy-going approach and being able to aquaint myself with amazing people, both of my religion and not.

My roomie, a family from Olocuilta, and I traveled to Guatemala last week. After 5 different buses and 15 hours we arrived in the city of Cobán. I met a lady who had moved there from California 30-some years ago. She had white skin, like my mom, and blue eyes as well. The host family we stayed with looked like my cousins from my dad´s side of the family. I like these reminders of my family a lot and it further demonstrates the unity of mankind. Some women of Cobán wear their traditional blouses and skirts. It was neat to see the mix of old culture and modern clothing walking side by side in the streets. When we visited the Baha´i Center, I could see some beautiful houses of many colors on the hillside. In my mind I thought, ¨Wow, I want to live in one of those houses.¨ Turns out, it was a cemetary...oops.

My new camera was delivered to me by a gracious friend from Fairbanks, who visits the country frequently. A part of me is happy, but it´s also difficult to find joy in such things when you walk in poverty. There are so many beautiful things about life here, but much sadness as well. And I know I´ve just begun to learn about the least of it. I am so lucky and my duty is to share what I was so fortunate to have been given. Love is all around me, but there is a large part of me that can´t rest while there is such injustice in the world.

And please post a comment if you´d like to know more about a certain aspect of my service. My hope is to share positive international news, but also portray as realistic as possible the conditions of life in this country. Hasta luego, adios.

San Juan Tepezontes, La Esperanza and more!

Right now, I'm happy to just be sitting in a chair. That being said, I've been able to visit more of the area around Olocuilta, by bus some of the time, but mostly by foot. My expeditions began this past Sunday. A group of us took a bus to San Juan Tepezontes, which is about 50 minutes up the mountain. After I got off the bus, I was told we'd be taking a walk. Now this meant hiking down a cobblestone and dirt road about three kilometers in the sun while I was wearing flip flops. Truely not complaining, because the scenery was amazing! And when we arrived in the town of La Esperanza, the people I visited made the journey worth it. I'm getting to where I can better understand the Spanish of children. At one home, I sat near a grandma whose grandson was on the other side of her. He kept trying to poke me with a balloon on a stick, until it popped in his face, then I decided to sit next to him and we chatted for a bit.

Earlier today, we took a much longer hike to a place I forget the name of. The journey went someting like this: walking along the highway, up a hillside, through a little residency, down a dirt path to the edge of trees, down through the trees to a river, along the river rocks, and finally arrived at a little house in the middle of paradise, or so I'm going to call it. All of this took 3 hours. I made this journey with two Baha'i families I met here. Some of their kids navigated the trails effortlessly and inspired me to get into better shape! The little house turned out to be a place where water was filtered and stored. I'm getting better at transitioning between places with running water and without. If I haven't mentioned already, you generally can't flush toilet paper in the country. It's deposited in a wastebasket instead.

There's a whole list of little things such as these I've become more or less acclimated to. Up until recently, I always wondered if I had changed. I kept thinking, "Okay, if i go home now, will anyone notice anything different about me?" Today, I stopped trying to look at things that way. Perhaps this is not the time for such a question. Currently, I'm focusing on taking it all in. The ups and downs of adjusting to a new culture and life are just a part of the process. The main point is that I'm dedicating a year of my life to helping other people. Whether things go as planned or not, it is nice to know I have another life in Alaska awaiting my return.