Adventure

Oxford Dictionary describes adventure as
1. An unusual and exciting experience
2. A daring enterprise

Life is an adventure. I don’t know who originally said it, but for me, it is true. Whether I seek it out or is just finds me, adventure is ubiquitous here. Everyday I find something new, unusual, and exciting. Most recently I started work at Colegio Roberto Clemente. Sure it is my work, my volunteer service, the reason I am here far from my family and friends, but it is also a great adventure. The school is very impressive. Compared to many, it has great trees and gardens that create a cool and welcoming environment. The school is really big too with almost 1500 students in both the primary and secondary programs, comparable to pre-K thru 12th grade in the states. My first week was incredibly chill. I went half days and mostly hung out with my coworker Yamil who teaches religion class for basically every student at the school. He has only been at the school for about one year and so is also still getting accustomed to the school. His hospitality and friendship have me really pumped to get going with my work. The first day of class I was introduced to the entire student body and many of their parents. It was overwhelming. They applauded louder than anyone else. I was humbled and embarrassed.
You may ask, “well, what is your work?” Let me tell you. More or less I am the campus minister. They have never had anyone to fill this position so I have a ton of freedom to observe, learn, and then create activities, programs, or clubs. Some ideas we already have for the year include: a movie/documentary club, retreats, music ministry, and maybe some outdoor outings. On top of that I will be tutoring classes of little munchkins three mornings a week. Also, I will likely be helping out with the soccer and baseball teams. (The school doesn’t have rugby…yet. Haha) That’s pretty much all I know. For all I know when I arrive tomorrow they’ll have changed their plans. I’m flexible. That’s the name of the game. It’s an adventure.



Sunday I went on a more traditional adventure. Michael and I set off with our friends Joe and Sean for Volcán Telica. We left the house at 6am toward Leon and caught another bus out into the countryside. We got off the bus at a bridge and struck out toward a huge and intimidating volcano, miles away. It took us about 3.5-4 hours to hike up to the crater. It was so hot and dusty. The crater was out of this world. We couldn’t really see across the crater because of billowing steam coming out from about 200 feet down in the crater. The view from the top was beautiful and the cool wind was a welcome relief from the heat of the forest below. By the time we reached the bottom around 4pm we were ready for a victory beer and a bus to get us home. We were literally caked in dirt and sweat and smelled like it too. We rolled into the house approximately 13 hours after we had left, exhausted, dirty, and so happy. When I was sitting on the top of the volcano I remembered the story of Elijah on Mt. Sinai (1 Kings 19: 11-14). At the summit all I could hear was the quiet whisper of the wind. It was such a dramatic shift from the loud bustling life of Managua. In that wind I felt peace.
It might seem that I only write about the big adventures and life changing experiences but the truth is that the longer I am here the more I can begin sitting and listening to the small whispers that are all around me all the time. The come more and more frequently past the bustling noises of life.




What I´m listening to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62i9Sodwp5o&feature=related
What I´m reading: This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald