One of the wonderful, and most difficult, things about working at Centro Arte para la Paz is that we have volunteers come for shorter periods of time. When we arrived in August of last year, we met the incredibly talented artist Melina Alexa Ramirez. She stayed for a month giving art classes, and painting our walls in our house!
Then came Shannon, the dancer and crocheter extraordinaire. It was so fun to see El Salvadoran girls Irish dancing - what a cool experience for them. We had the opportunity to get to know Tyler as well, Shannon's partner in crime and a super fun guy. We even shared a Christmas together! She was here from October to February.
In January, Roger, a professor from Canissius College in Rochester, New York arrived to teach for a few months during his sabbatical. I really enjoyed our breakfasts with him, talking about the world from the point of view of an very sarcastic English professor.
In May, 3 volunteers arrived having just graduated from Augsburg College. Julia, the artist, taught photography, art class, and helped edit videos for Centro Arte. Adrienne, the Spanish teacher, taught English and art classes. Bear (Oso), the sociologist/dreamer, helped with skateboarding and taught computer classes. We enjoyed connecting with them. We went on adventures together and of course talked about Minneapolis. They left last week! The time went by so quickly!
And then there is our "community night" friend Emily from Washington state. She has been working at the women's center, helping with their programming and working on an anti-violence campaign. She is just fantastic, the kind of friend you hope to find. It was not easy when we first arrived here in Suchitoto, and she provided support and laughter.
It is hard to be in the present moment, isn't it? Always looking ahead to the next thing. I want to appreciate my time here, it is precious, holy time. My Spanish is getting better, I am finding new opportunities to use my skills at work, our relationships with others are growing deeper.
Our dear secretary Delmy is leaving Centro Arte. The director of El Grupo, one of the schools we teach at is leaving her job. Things are changing, all around us.
Chris and I plan to be here until May of 2014. I have decided to get my master's in Social Work, and Chris will work towards his master's in Physician's Assistant Studies. We have so much to look forward to, and so much to be thankful for.
If you are reading this, I am grateful. Thank you for following our story.
Here are just a few photos of recent adventures!
"It is when we are confronted with poignant reminders of mortality that we become most aware of the strangeness and wonder of our brief life on Earth."
-Kathleen Basford
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