Orientation begins...

Hi Friends,

I am writing from Boston College! We are one week into orientation and I honestly cannot believe we are here! We have had some wonderful talks and activities and time to just meet and get to know the other volunteers. It's has been crazy busy, but very informative and fun. I'll try my best to review the week.

We have a packed schedule from about 7:45am-11pm each day. We've had some wonderful speakers come in. Yesterday we listened to a lecture by Fr. Jim Martin S.J. I forgot the book that I have by him (The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything) in my backpack so I wasn't able to get that signed, but I LOVED the talk. We've also had presentations on countless things like call, spirituality, Catholic Social Teaching, missology, safety, sustainable ministries, and crossing cultures. The nerd in me has really enjoyed some of these.

The staff has also gotten creative in trying to prepare us for our upcoming year or 2 years of service. One day we had rice, beans, and corn for every single meal (which for me meant A LOT of rice haha). At first we all thought this was meant to be a lesson in simplicity. But in further reflection, the activity was meant to help us see how we react when things do not go as expected or as we would like. While in country we really will need to be prepared and energized for whatever we may encounter and be willing to relinquish control over a situation.

On Thursday we were assigned our houses. I will be living in the Mount Sinai community...I'm psyched!! The community is characterized by it's active faith and parish life which really excites me. I will be living with 5 other awesome volunteers (Ana, Heidi, Jimmy, Greg, and Mike). Once we arrive in Ecuador we will have a two week in-country orientation with the current volunteers and the in-country director. After this we will determine which work sites we all will work at. We will be about 45 minutes away from the other 7 volunteers living in El Arbolito and will get together with them at least once a month.

There have been awesome Rostro de Cristo alumni volunteers with us sporadically throughout the week. The passion that they have for the program and seeing the friendships they've formed amongst each other is really inspiring. They've been really helpful in suggesting everything from recipes to try to places we must visit when we take vacation time.

It has been a crazy, emotional, busy, and reflective week. It has really been a gift to spend time with 12 other RdC volunteers and 26 JVC volunteers. The room has a tangible energy of the Magis - the more. It is humbling and amazing to sit and listen to 38 young adults articulate their call to volunteer and their desire to give and to do more.

We still have one more week ahead of us. We are all starting to feel a little overwhelmed by the quantity of information being thrown at us. Luckily, we have a silent 2-day retreat ahead of us next week which I'm looking forward to as a time to rest and reflect.

Love and miss you all,
Colleen