Coimg back...soon.

Greetings all.

I will be returning to this blog soon after straying away to another platform - and not writing much there. More details to follow.

New Blog Site

Greetings dear reader. I have moved this blog to a new site. You can find all my new updates at the new and improved O Brother blog at WordPress. Just click here or in the sidebar. See you over there!

Saint George's Faculty Retreat

Saint George's College spent Thursday night and Friday on the beach in retreat. We had great weather and great attendance. I got to talk to many people that I had not had the opportunity to get to know.

The theme of the retreat was on hope. We looked at how Jesus brings us hope, some theological aspects of hope in the Scripture, the Catechism and Aparecida (the 2007 Latin American Bishops' document), how we bring hope to our students, and how we have experienced hope in our lives.

My favorite activity of the retreat was morning prayer. We gathered on the beach and listened to the story of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. Then, we shared some bread and fish in our small groups and talked about the significance of the symbol for us. 

Here are two pictures.

Another Blog Update

There is a lot happening in my blogging land. I've have had several of these projects in my mind for months but have not had the energy, until lately, to realize these projects due to my transition. It's great to have energy again - and to be writing.

Today, I posted the first entry in my new blog called Minds and Hearts in Action. It is blog about spirituality. This first article is about how I use a 3x5 index card as a prayer aid. Check out the blog and tell me what you think.

Blog Update

Another blog update...

The Daily Mass Reflection blog will now be hosted from WordPress. Please visit the Daily Mass Reflection blog. The link in this post will take you to the new site, as well as the link on the sidebar.

Good Ol' Saint George's

It has really been an adventure teaching here at Saint George's College. This is partly because I am teaching in Spanish. When I arrived in Chile about 6 months ago, my Spanish was very bad. Now, my Spanish is only pretty bad. My goal for year's end is that my Spanish will only be not so bad. 

And then, there is the question of culture. It is a different world here. The school, in its structure and pedagogical practices are different too. I often feel as if I am not sure what is going on around me - and often I am not. Fortunately, there are other teachers at my school from the United Sates who are doing a year of teaching here. We spend a lot of time commiserating with each other. 

One of the things that is different is the political activism in the country and in the school. For instance, recently, students in all parts of Chile have been protesting about the educational system. The students, especially in the universities, are unhappy with the quality of education. The result is that they go on strike and stage protests. Last Wednesday, the students in the high school section all walked out of class and headed to the gym to discuss the issue. This was unauthorized by the administration and 100% organized by the students. Supposedly, tomorrow, most of the students will go on strike and stage some type of protest outside our school or downtown. It is not that our students have problems with our school in particular. They are attempting to be in solidarity with other students in the country. 

Still, I do like it here in Chile and at the school. This has been a very enriching experience. I only wish I had better language ability and cultural understanding at this time so that I could be a more effective teacher. These abilities will come in time. Here are two pictures from Saint George's from this past Friday. The first one is from student council campaigns during the morning break. The second is from the electric car competition from the technology class.

 

Community Night

Good news. The water shortage did not affect our community night! After evening prayer, we had a game of dominos. I've not played this game too much. It's not very popular where I come from. But down here, dominos is king - and serious. Want proof? Just look at the concentration on the faces of Br. Matthew and Luis, one of our temporarily professed seminarians.

After, we had some great sandwiches at a local restaurant. A very relaxing and fun night. This is one of the best things about religious life - community. It's great to simply relax with your brothers.