Cultural Immersion
Today was a day filled with cultural immersion. We started the day at 8:30 am by gathering for a cereal or yogurt breakfast in the girl's unit of the Airbnb. After washing dishes, we all headed to Assumption Church in East Los Angeles where we would meet Fr. Ted Ley (a Marianist) and participate in Sunday mass. During this fifth Sunday of Easter, the gospel of John reminded us of Jesus' command to "love one another." This is good to keep in mind as we live in community and serve the people we have been called to love during this trip.
After mass, there was a tardeada, a music festival, where the children from Assumption school showcased their talent in singing and dancing. We had lunch here, with the option of a chicken fajita or a birria (beef stew meat) plate. There was one song where they invited the audience to join the children in dancing, Payaso de Rodeo, for which we had learned the basic steps the night before. It was nice to see the families interact and the proud parents cheer on their children. Fr. Ted showcased the choir of students that he taught to sing while he played the keyboard. As always before leaving a place, we took a group picture.
We then headed back to the Airbnb and started cooking dinner from our respective culture within the cities that we come from. Chaminade students cooked fried rice, kalbi (grilled beef short ribs marinated in teriyaki sauce), and banana lumpia (a deep-fried banana dessert) with vanilla bean ice cream. St. Mary's University students made aguas frescas (horchata, lime cucumber sparkling water, jamaica hibiscus flower tea), beef tacos with roasted bell peppers, beans, and two different types of salsas. Dayton University students made buckeyes (peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate). It was evident that what made the meal so delicious was the love that was outpoured in the making of each dish. This same tender love was present in the discussion after dinner as we reflected on the reason why we were doing service this week. Some of us followed the spirituality of St. Teresa of Lisieux, doing small things with great love for the greater good by washing everyone's dishes, even though we were all tired from cooking.
Then we headed to the Urban Lights in downtown Los Angeles to take pictures. We stayed there until midnight and sang Happy Birthday to Francisco, who turned 21! It was a memorable night, we cherished the bonds between us with pictures and made sure that everyone got nice individual pictures in the beautiful art piece.
After mass, there was a tardeada, a music festival, where the children from Assumption school showcased their talent in singing and dancing. We had lunch here, with the option of a chicken fajita or a birria (beef stew meat) plate. There was one song where they invited the audience to join the children in dancing, Payaso de Rodeo, for which we had learned the basic steps the night before. It was nice to see the families interact and the proud parents cheer on their children. Fr. Ted showcased the choir of students that he taught to sing while he played the keyboard. As always before leaving a place, we took a group picture.
We then headed back to the Airbnb and started cooking dinner from our respective culture within the cities that we come from. Chaminade students cooked fried rice, kalbi (grilled beef short ribs marinated in teriyaki sauce), and banana lumpia (a deep-fried banana dessert) with vanilla bean ice cream. St. Mary's University students made aguas frescas (horchata, lime cucumber sparkling water, jamaica hibiscus flower tea), beef tacos with roasted bell peppers, beans, and two different types of salsas. Dayton University students made buckeyes (peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate). It was evident that what made the meal so delicious was the love that was outpoured in the making of each dish. This same tender love was present in the discussion after dinner as we reflected on the reason why we were doing service this week. Some of us followed the spirituality of St. Teresa of Lisieux, doing small things with great love for the greater good by washing everyone's dishes, even though we were all tired from cooking.
Then we headed to the Urban Lights in downtown Los Angeles to take pictures. We stayed there until midnight and sang Happy Birthday to Francisco, who turned 21! It was a memorable night, we cherished the bonds between us with pictures and made sure that everyone got nice individual pictures in the beautiful art piece.
Comments
Post a Comment