Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
James 1:2-4 NLT
Hihi! This is future Justin starting to write this at Takana, a hotel we SMs like to hang out in on our day off! The time writing this and the events in this blog are pretty far apart now, so my memory is getting more and more foggy. To combat this, I think I will start clumping blogs into multiple days rather than a single day per blog. Although there might be stories that fall through the cracks, I'd rather write these stories while they are still fresh. I may be slacking, but I eventually want to write these stories as I experience them. Thanks for understanding! Please enjoy~
*Correction!* Future future Justin here! I just realized that I have spent a solid bit on one day. Therefore, while future blogs may be condensed into one blog, I think that this blog will be this day only. Thanks for understanding once again! Please enjoy~
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It seemed like the time paused as the words processed in my brain. We were still at the meeting. The director of Familia Feliz was giving announcements. "The main house parents are going on their vacation starting this coming weekend..." he continued, "Both you and Aiden will take over as the main house-parents to cover them." My eyes went wide. I think I felt a drop of sweat start to form on my forehead. Maybe I was a bit too obvious with my body language, because the director laughed. "Usually the SMs who hear this news celebrate. After all, you get the whole house to yourselves." I composed myself by letting out a weak laugh. "Haha. Yes!" I did a fist pump. "We get the house to ourselves!" I smiled.
Coming to Familia Feliz, I was warned about this place. "You never actually know what you'll do until you get to Familia Feliz." It was pretty logical thinking. After all, with only few volunteers, it's bound to happen when one becomes unavailable. You'd have to cover the cracks somehow... but even so, my expectations were me mainly doing media work. I did guess I would have to do some house-parents work, but being full-time parents? Am I really worthy in taking in children that aren't my own, and being a role model in leading them to be more Christ-like? I still have my own problems I need to solve, yet I'm supposed to be a role model for these little ones? But a verse came to mind: "God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT. After I decided to go out and serve as a SM, all of us were required to attend studies in how to be an SM. This is only one of many scripture we read over to get ready for missionary work. One of the most important things when going out serving, is your relationship with Christ. Although we might not be worthy in our work, with God- He makes the least of us into the greatest. So even if you feel like you can't do it... "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13 NLT
While it was a sudden announcement, we were told that this would be only temporary. Plus, we would have Sierra, a veteran SM who has already experienced this for her year. The only thing was that she would only be with us for a couple of days before she would have to fly back to the States. Luckily, some other SMs volunteered to pop by and assist us at our daily lives. I think we would be fine. On another note, our main roles were decided. Me and Jayden would be media, Aiden would be maintenance, Ellie would be focusing on growing crops, while the others would be main house parents. It's a solid team. Of course, I wouldn't be able to work on anything with media until after our main house parents are back. The only thing we would work on is getting used to our environment and improve in those aspects. I think I'll focus on finding out the schedule of our house, what needs to be done on a day to day basis, and how to deal with children.
Another thing that popped up in the meeting is the teachers needing assistance in their classrooms. It'd just be helping them in their classrooms by keeping the kids quieter, guiding them on their homework, or just being an extra eye. [Future Justin here~ I forgot whether I got voluntold or if I volunteered as tribute, but somehow, I got involved with assisting in the school.] I had been chosen to be one of those volunteers- which meant, I would be attending school from 8-12 assisting in a classroom, every day, for the foreseeable future. I honestly don't know how to feel about sitting in a classroom with a bunch of kids, but it would definitely be an experience. It'd be good for me to get to know the other children besides my own. Who knows? Maybe this activity would become my favorite thing.
The meeting was concluded. The countdown has started- around 4 days until the main parents leave. I might as well get used to the schedule here. Before coming, I heard a bit of what to expect, but there was still a lot that I had to experience for myself. Besides caring for the children, I would need to learn how to cook larger portions of food. I knew how to cook for myself; I frequently made some dishes in college. However, those portions weren't big enough for around 15 people. Knowing I didn't have that experience yet, I decided to observe around the house. Teacher Emi, the mom of Leones, would be the one to usually make meals. As such, I decided to observe her cooking techniques and quantity of ingredients. One thing I noticed, was how she made the rice. I thought I knew how to make rice. After all, I'm Asian. But Hispanic rice hits differently. I think the key difference was the preparations before boiling the rice. Usually, I would just wash the rice, then leave it to boil. But what Teacher Emi does differently, was before boiling the rice, she would fry the rice. Not like fried rice. I mean like- fry raw rice. After frying them until they were golden, she would just add water and then let it boil. I don't understand how a simple step would let the rice gain so much flavor! Though, something to note was that, Aiden Wilhelm, who had worked at the cafe, said that he used to do this too. So, while this was a wild thing to me, the technique could all be vouched for by him. I have a feeling this is the first of many things I would learn here in Bolivia.
One fun fact that you could learn about me is: I really hate animals. They require a lot of time in terms of keeping them happy, healthy, and entertained. It is also a pain to clean up after them. The only benefits would be their company and loyalty. Logically, it isn't worth it. Moving on, the Leones house has 3 pets. One dog, one macaw, and one cat. According to the previous SMs, the dog bites their toes... so their opinion on the dog is unfavorable too. The macaw is actually a pretty cool pet to have- apparently they used to have two pet macaws... but the other one got eaten by an eagle... The cat is nonexistent, like most cats, and just comes and goes. [Future Justin here~ I have a lot of little stories about the pets, but since this is like the first week- I'll just keep it to how I first met them... They kind of get crazy lol] I remember just passing by all the different animals; after all, I dislike animals. Though, I knew in my heart, I would be living with them, so I would have to respect them too.
I decided to start with the dog (Typical Asian move). With dogs, you just have to let them get opportunities to trust you. Don't start off too strong. Just get to their level, aka squat, and extend your hand to them. Let the dog decide if they want to come to you. It'd be hard for you to trust someone you didn't know as well, it's the same for dogs. Once they decide to come up, they should sniff your hand. That's a good sign. And depending on the dog, and/or the type of person you are, the dog should trust you more easily and may want to lick you. But that's a problem. I hate dog licks- it stinks... "Wow, how'd you get Otis to like you so fast?" Sierra said. Apparently, when she first started living in the Leones' household, the dog liked to bite her feet. Oh, by the way, the dog's name is Otis. He is a little dog, with a big personality. He loves his owners and usually sticks by their sides. He rarely barks, but if bothered or when guarding his house, he is a rapid barker. While he seems perfect to be held like a baby, which he is, he doesn't like being attempted to be picked up. It doesn't mean he doesn't like to be held as a baby, it just means he doesn't like the attempts. I guess he has some sort of pride. But truth be told, don't tell Otis I told you, but... one time I picked him up, and he slept in my arms!
Next was the bird. It was a normal blue macaw. Or as Aiden would probably say... The Blue-and-Yellow Macaw. It's a common macaw found in Bolivia, but it still was pretty amazing that Leones had one as a pet. I'm honestly pretty scared of birds. Especially bigger birds. When I was a child, a bird pooped on my head, and I've hated birds ever since. Anyways, the macaw would chill at the window sill of the house during the day. Then somehow, that bird would appear next to our room, inside the house, on the second floors railing. It was kind of terrifying at first, but I learned that the kids usually helped the bird by moving him indoors. I guess, it was expected since he was a pet of the family. A bigger problem with the bird, was its biting habits. It liked to bite you. Birds usually like to explore with their mouth, which is their beak. It's like an extra hand- except they don't have hands anyways... so it is their hand. Their hand hurts... Anyways, I currently believe that this bird is a spoiled brat because he gets treated so well. He sleeps with the children every night. He wakes up, gets carried to his normal sitting spot. He gets fed breakfast, lunch, and dinner... the food is the same as what we eat. He gets to explore the house like a king. If he doesn't like the food, he just knocks the bowl of food on the floor and makes a mess. If he gets hungry, he will fly into the kitchen in attempts to get whatever he can get. If he gets bored, he ventures to whatever his heart desires. This bird is legitimately like another kid. Luckily, I searched up ways on how to spend time with macaws as pets. Apparently, pet macaws need a thing called 'preening'. If they were in the wild, macaws usually travel in groups. In those groups, they are able to maintain hygiene with each other. But alas, since their pet macaw had no other macaw to help him preen, it was a good opportunity to bond with the bird. I just took the time one day to just... sit next to him, and then search his feathers. I think he knew what I was doing and just let it happen. He did have to guide me whenever I made a mistake though... If I did something wrong, he would screech and then hold my hand with his beak for a second. Preening seems like a complicated thing. I think I did a good job though, because I think Blue accepted me around the house more. Even though he is technically a Blue-and-Yellow macaw, the kids kept calling him, Blue. I guess that's his name.
Last on the animal list was the cat. I saw him around. It ate food after Blue had finished eating, but it disappeared as fast as it appeared. Truly a mysterious creature. At this time, I don't know what it's name is, but it's a yellow tabby cat I think. I'll get to know the cat eventually.
Let's talk about school. It was morning and I was prepared to head to school with the children. I was supposed to be helping Teacher Raul. He had a big class, hence him needing another teacher to help monitor and discipline the children. I was scared. Children are scary... But I persevered and sat at the back because it had the most problems according to the director. The kids were friendly, asking my name. "¿Cómo te llamas?" the little ones tugged on my shirt, looking up at me. "Mi nombre es Teacher Justin." All the adults or volunteers were addressed as a teacher. It was actually pretty cool to just hangout with the children as they did their school work. A bunch of copying words off a board. Lots of recess time. Cleaning up the classroom before noon. Then leaving back to their houses.
I think it's time to talk about my birthday. I honestly don't like sharing about when my birthday is. But most of my friends do know it's in this week of August or so. The reason why I'm sharing it here is because there's a certain tradition in Bolivia apparently. Though, it could very well be a Familia Feliz tradition... If they know it's your birthday, you will probably get egged and floured. They literally take eggs, throw them at you, then finish you off with flour. Although, for some reason, I remember being in my room at near noon, organizing our items, but then hearing: "Teacher Justin! Teacher Justin!" I walked out of my room to find Emily, the only daughter of the family, calling my name. "Es tu cumpleaños?" She was asking if it was my birthday! I was perplexed- I had told nobody, so how did she know? Sierra. Teacher Sierra had told them. Welp- I guess I'll get floured and egged... but I didn't! Maybe I will survive throughout the whole day. I decided to stay within the confines of our house. Most of the the evening was spent with me organizing, playing with the kids, and eating. I did get occasional "Feliz cumpleaños, Teacher." from the children, but none were bold enough to egg me.
This was a good day. I finally got to know what I needed to do while here in Familia Feliz. I didn't get egged today. What a blessing. Now what would make my day is to just sit down, and hang out with my friends. More specifically, Jayden and Matthew. They were house parents of the older boys' house: "The Guerreros" Although they were in a completely different house, they were right next door. I think I'll go say hi for a bit. It was already evening, I had already eaten dinner, everyone was just chilling. I'll just pop on by to say hi, then go to bed.
I walk to their door. "Permiso a pasar?" Which means, "Permission to pass?" In the meeting, we were told to ask permission to enter other people's houses. It made sense. "Si!" A reply came from the house. I opened the door to Jayden sitting at one of their table. One of his kids was in the kitchen cleaning. I walk in, approaching Jayden, starting a conversation with him. I heard some shuffling in the kitchen, but I just assumed he was cleaning extra hard. I am almost at least 4 steps away from Jayden. I remember hearing hurried footsteps behind me, and Jayden getting up and stepping back. Huh? I felt a hard object on the back of my head followed by a crack and a wet squishy feeling. It was the kid in the kitchen. In the short span of me walking a few steps towards my friend, he had gotten an egg on the top shelf, and ran towards me, smacking that egg as hard as he possibly could at the back of my head. I was stunned. I looked back at him, but I probably shouldn't have. The next thing smacked me followed with white smoke. He was prepared with the flour as well! While we had a good laugh- and I got my revenge by giving him an egg and flour hug, but now I had to take a shower. Well- it was amazing I survived as long as a did.
After today, I don't think I regret coming to Bolivia. I now have a purpose here. I have children to care for, pets to tame, and jobs to get used to. If anything did come to mind, it would probably be the steeled resolved to make the most out of these 8-9 months that I'd be here for. I don't know if I'm prepared for it, but I will make it through with God's grace. I can't wait to see what else God has planned for me.
Finished writing October 14th, 2024