Unexpected pole-vault

19th of november 2011



I left Ania downstairs with boys (read: boys and girls - Alexandra and Deli) and I hide myself in the room to write something, finally. Normally at this time I would clean a kitchen with boys and after I would listen some stories of Miguel - about toucan whose head he shooted away by himself or about a crazy cow who bumped into some woman carrying shopping bags.
At 9:30 p.m. we have a common prayer and then something that we call "word for a good night". We have to be vigilant with Ania (more or less) until 10:30 p.m. because boys like to rough and tumble in the bathroom and fight in their bedrooms. Sometimes at this time we also have to help someone with his homework or for example draw a First Holy Communion's poster.

Life here is an endless spontaneity.We have set our daily schedule but complying with it would be boring. All the time we have to change it - thow out or add something. Let me show you how it looks like, using an example of the last two days.
Saturday. In the last moment we found out that there is a holy mass in the chapel at 6:00 p.m. - they've organized some retreat days for young people from Cacla who are preparing themselves for the sacrament of Confirmation. So...we all ran to the chapel. It was already 6:10 p.m. Everything inside was already decorated because at 7:00 p.m. there had to be a wedding (It's another story but generally as for a peruvian conditions it was a royal wedding. One week ealier came a bride and asked about the lenght of the chapel because she wanted to buy a carpet and cloth for the garlands). Padre Ruben started a mass about 6:40 p.m. Hurry is not necessary, we are in Peru, there is a time for everything. To be true I thought that they would cancel this mass because the wedding guests were already entering the chapel (I will also mention that in the meantime boys moved the pews and they tore off some of the garlands.). Whatever. The thing is..I didn't expect that it's possible to say a mass in such a fast rate, that means 20 minutes. And I also didn't expect that is possible to present all the candidates of Confirmation in the meantime of cleaning chalices. So somehow we managed to leave the chapel in time.
After the mass there had to be a common birthday party of  seven our boys. We've prepared ealier a dining room for this opportunity. The problem was that our dining room is situated next to the chapel so we couldn't start our party because the music could disturb to celebrate the wedding. So we had to invent something to do to fulfill this free time. Somebody has proposed to clean the dining room, kitchen and pantry. I started to laugh because we were 20 people and we have already cleaned all these places after the dinner. There were two plates to wash, five tea spoons, one mug. And in the pantry we only had a few things to put on the shelfs. But I'm not surprised anymore of anything here.

 The party started about 7:30 p.m. and was quite cool. A lot of laughs. The best moment of it was a moment of "pińada". It's a latin american birthday tradition. They buy a big ball (It can be in a shape of some animal or anything) and put inside a lot of sweets and other small gifts. Artur bought a "football ball". He hang it on a long, metal bar. He climbed with it on the chairs (left and right feet was standing on two other chairs) to be as high as it was possile. The ball was really high so boys only were tearing off the ribbons, jumping and jumping. Everything looked like in the slow motion movie as long as Alfredo didn't participate to this crazy game. When he joined the real fun has started. It's impossible to describe how exactly it has happened. I only saw two chairs (the ones those were under the feet of Artur) moving and flying to the other part of dining room. Artur made something like pole-vault and fell down on the floor like a little beetle. Right behind him came into being something in a shape of ant-hill - all the boys plus Delia and Alexandra, lying aheap and snatching the sweets out of their hands.We were convulsed with laughter.

Hide-and-seek game

13rd of november 2011
I’m sitting on the green grass in front of the house and I’m looking at the mountains. The sun is playing hide-and-seek with the clouds. The majestic Andes are an excellent hiding-place for the white clouds. Here is so beautiful. I live under the sky - literally. I look into the God’s window. I meditate. It has been three weeks since my arrival to Calca but I feel like I have already been here a few months. It's all because of this luggage of fatigue, weakness, emotions, small joys and sorrows. First days were difficult. To keep in mind the names of the kids seemed to be something unreachable for me. To understand what they say was like a miracle. Sometimes they had to ask me a dozen or so times if they could play football or rise earlier from the table. I’m not sure who was more nervous – me or they. Every morning I was waking up with the ‘squeezed’ stomach wondering what a day will bring. I didn’t know the rules prevailing in the house and division of tasks. The boys weren’t in hurry to help me. My ignorance was a perfect opportunity for them to evade of their daily work. The plan of the day, the one that had to give me at least a little sense of security was so flexible that unfortunately almost useless. I felt like shouting out to the God’s face, that is not like it supposed to be...
　

　
I’m sitting on the green grass in front of the house, and I’m giving thanks to God for the mountains. Thank you for the sun and the white clouds. Thank you for my kids: for Wilmer, whose whistling drives me crazy; for Delia, who always says that it's not her turn to clean; for Miguel, who tells amazing stories; for Fran Diego, who always knows what is the best; for Geronimo who walks with his head in the clouds; for Americo, who doesn’t speak much with me; for Alvaro, who doesn’t know that Lima is the capital of Peru and for Juan Carlos, who instead of studying reads a newspaper under the desk.
Every day, I get to know myself better. I fight with my weaknesses and habits. I learn how to raise when the difficulties come and how to find a joy in the smallest things. Meetings with other people are my motivation to make an effort, to walk towards holiness.
I’m sitting on the green grass in front of the house and I’m asking God to teach me how to look through His eyes, how to listen through His ears. I’m asking him to teach me how to love the way He does...infinitely.

Being in the clouds

It's 22nd of october. A few days ago I arrived to Peru. I feel here so good that my heart screams with joy. I'm thousands of kilometres away so probably you can't hear it. That's why I'm going to turn this scream into some letters.
It was hard to leave Poland. I don't like to say goodbye. Forcing to give a smile I've waved for the last time to my family and friends. A few minutes before I entered the plane I had received some text messages from Wojtek who is in Uganda and from Asia and Kasia who are in Zambia. I started to cry. Just like that. Because of emotions.
Aboard plane I felt like a homeless person. Minute by minute I was realising that I'm leaving everybody and everything. I was aware of the fact that I will not return in a week or two, or even in a month. Peru was still far away. After 15 hours of travelling I noticed first little houses of Lima. Just one look and I started to feel like at home. New home. And again I was crying. This time of happiness.
At the airport I had to explain why I have so many candies, chocolates, crayons, colorful papers, paints and books. I guess custom officers were afraid that I came to Peru to sell it all.
But with understanding they've accepted the fact that these all things are just a gifts for the kids of Casa Don Bosco and they left my suitcases alone.
I couldn't wait anymore to see Lima. The city welcomed me with the sound of horns, with salsa, colors of the rainbow, screams of the taxi drivers and sweet smell of fruits. I don't know what is so special in that city. On the one hand scares, on the other fascinates. I was absorbing everything. Every piece. I was breathing Lima. I wanted to traverse the length and breadth of the city, go to each house, smile to each child, to touch by my look every person.

After I settled all of the formalities at the offices I started my trip to Calca. The bus was speeding through that sleepy city. I was observing disheveled boy walking in one shoe. By the window was sitting a swarthy Indian woman with the plaits as greyed-blue as a smoke from a chimney on the winter's evening. The landscape was changing like in a kaleidoscope. Desert, where roams a homeless dog. "Cardboard houses", that can be so easily turned over by a stronger breath of wind. Beach where the meek as a lamb waves snuggle to the sand. And finally, Andes - predator getting ready to jump. Mysterious. Untamed. Threatening.

Peru unveils me a face like Holy Lady of Czestochowa.
Being on the level of 4000 metres I looked into the eyes of sun. I thought It's not possible to go higher, but the bus continued to "climb up" . Slowly. As the snail, that is not in hurry to get anywhere. On the other side of the window I saw a boy with the sad eyes playing football with the cows.
After 22 hours of travelling I've arrived to Cuzco. Just one hour more and I'll be in Calca.

An adventure with llama

It's a gift I've received today from my sister Marta. She drew it by herself.
Thank you!!!

A girl from Ollantaytambo

For some time I’ve carefully looked at a postcard that I brought a few years ago from Peru.
The little girl’s face on the postcard enraptures me, her smile is entrancing and the colours generally inspire me. I get up in the morning and with a cup of coffee in my hand I greet this stranger. I cannot resist her gaze; not anymore. A piece of brown paper appears on the table, I chase away a curious spider and I begin a journey into my own memories. To Ollantaytambo – maybe on the doorstep of one of the houses I’ll meet the girl from the postcard.

When did you first feel in your heart the need to go on this mission?

It is quite difficult to say when exactly. I always wanted to be an interior designer and my dream started to come true when I started my studies. I had planned my own design office; dozens of colourful pencils on my desk, tracing paper, inks, sketch pads. A truly artistic mess! I wanted to pass my driving test and get a car to visit my clients and their projects. But at some point it stopped giving me joy or satisfaction. I was overcome with anxiety and the conviction that maybe I’d taken a step too far in my dreams. My thoughts were constantly somewhere else, far beyond the limited horizons of a drawing board. In the 4th year during the preparation for my diploma I already knew that I wouldn’t be an architect in the future, at least not of walls fireplaces, furniture and carpets. So I began to invent another scenario and I was looking for my place. Somewhere deep in my heart I was accompanied with a thought…a mission. For many years this idea had been going away then coming back like a boomerang. I was biding my time with God explaining to Him at the same time that I had a completely different vision of my life. He placed in my path some people and He put me in some specific situations which more or less aroused in me the belief that my vocation was to serve others in this very concrete way. And finally I’ve capitulated. I distinctly remember that day, almost a year ago when with total awareness I told Him that I would give my all to Him and that His will is my will. If He so wishes He can send me to the very end of the World and I would even bear the spiders. And suddenly everything became brighter and made perfect sense.

'Nasz Józefów' Nr 6 (9) June 2011

Why Peru?

A better question might be – Why did God send you to Peru? Actually I do not know. I believe that they need me there the most. Responding to His call I’ve trusted Him and let Him lead me. When I look back at my life I can see it; how persistently but at the same time gently He was preparing me for this specific task. But He never urged, never pressed…I was free in His choice. He put in my path many people who aroused in me some special love for Latin America, helped me discover its beauty and also to get to know the problems of this part of the World. It’s they who were my first teachers of Spanish.

'Nasz Józefów' Nr 6 (9) June 2011

How are your preparations for this trip progressing?

Since September I have been preparing myself in the Salesian Missionary Centre in Warsaw. Every month I attend weekend formation meetings, which allow me to get to know more about the daily work of missionaries and volunteers and about the culture of mission countries. By participating in various workshops and training courses I have the opportunity to learn the secrets of journal writing and of taking quality pictures or to deepen my knowledge about tropical medicine and problems of inculcation. During these meetings we get to know the Salesian spirituality, we develop our emotional maturity and improve our ability to work in a group. We have the ability to test ourselves on many levels and just to get to know ourselves, our talents and passions which allow us to make better use of our potential on the mission. Through prayer, reading and meditating of the Holy Scripture, participation in the Mass and Sacraments we form our spirituality. But of course, it’s not everything. There is also another side of preparation, which includes language study, collecting ideas to play with the children, collecting materials necessary on the mission outpost, necessary vaccinations, searching for any ways to get the money for the plane tickets and lots of other small, but very important things.

'Nasz Józefów' Nr 6 (9) June 2011

What are you going to do in Peru?

I will be working in Calca, near Cuzco, in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. There is the house of Don Bosco (Don Bosco Casita) for the poorest children, who are not able to study because of a bad financial or family situation. Most of them come from the small, mountain villages that cannot be reached by bus or car. Sometimes it takes a whole day to walk to their villages. In these villages, children have only an opportunity to finish primary school. If they wish to continue their education they have to move to a larger city. Unfortunately that’s very expensive considering the cost of renting a room and the cost of living. Additionally, there are other costs associated with further education – such as books and other school accessories. Not many parents are able to send their children to a secondary school. That’s why the Don Bosco House is a great chance for these poor children. The house becomes a home for them whilst they are studying. My role will be that of an older sister who will take care of them and help with their daily duties. I will talk to them, listen or maybe just give them a smile and a hug, as older sisters do

'Nasz Józefów' Nr 6 (9) June 2011

What are your dreams and plans for the future?

I don’t think too hard about the future. My thoughts are based on the here and now. Maybe my trip to the missionary post in Caica is just a step forward, a kind of ‘half –measure’ leading me to my main purpose. But that is still not shown on my ‘map’. Instead of planning I prefer to trust, in an infinite way…and let myself be led.

'Nasz Józefów' Nr 6 (9) June 2011