BAM
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Last time around
Please make sure you have this link in your favorites. This is my last email notification.
In this blog update - black Jesus, brotherhoods, and flashbacks to high school basketball
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
Attention - New Blog - http://bmeagher.wordpress.com/
I did it. I broke up with her (it)... blogspot.com that is. I will no longer be using this location for blog updates.
The new location is here: http://bmeagher.wordpress.com/
I have a few comments before you get too upset with me:
1. Please visit the new site and see for yourself if it is worthy of the change
2. Please save the new site - http://bmeagher.wordpress.com/ - in your favorites or bookmarks
3. If you were on an email listing where you received an email from me every time I made an update, well, that function no longer exists... I'm sorry. But, I will put reminders on this blog to visit the new blog - http://bmeagher.wordpress.com/ - and you will receive an email for that.
4. Just check it out for yourself... it's much easier to use than this one, trust me.
Again - http://bmeagher.wordpress.com/ - sorry for the change, but soon you'll forget about the old blog and enjoy the benefits of the new one.
-Brian
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
A small "American" moment
Since I've been in Peru I haven't done many things that remind me of living in Kansas City, or really, any American city. Every once in a while I indulge in a juicy Big Mac, which is soon to be followed by a stomach ache strictly unique to eating McDonalds... but, damn is it good while it's going down. Other than food, I guess the way I dress is still 'American-like'. One obvious example - I wear a hat when the function of wearing a hat is no longer necessary... ie: when it's cloudy outside, at night, and indoors... three things that bring an interesting ''oh-yeah,-that's-a-gringo'' look.
So, last Sunday I did something that I've not done since moving to Peru - watch American football. And more specifically - watch the Kansas City Chiefs. Around 11:30am I met another gringo, Dan, for a quick bite to eat at a nearby cafe, then he introduced me to the American gem hidden within the crowded streets of Lima's tourist district - The Corner Bar. Located about 7 blocks from my apartment, The Corner Bar calmly sits on the corner (appropriately) and by the looks of it, doesn't attract too much attention. But, as soon as you walk through the front doors you get transformed to 63rd and Brookside (no... not Sharps. I was thinking more along the lines of Hoopers or the Bbbbbbrooksider). The first thing you hear when you walk in is an English speaking announcer. The first thing you see, honestly, is about 30 other gringos dressed in various NFL jerseys... each watching their home team. The first thing you smell is a mix of fried food and beer - yep, I'm back! Now which TV is showing the Chiefs?
Dan and I found a seat and looked around the many tv's for the Chiefs game. Dan, being from Omaha, NE, is not a fan of any NFL team. But, just to keep it interesting, he rooted for the Eagles... what is it about people from Omaha? Actually, I think he chose the Eagles for other more obvious reasons - I mean, come on... even in Peru we can tell when the Chiefs play like poop. Anyway, we noticed another guy watching the same game and we invited him to sit with us. Come to find out, he was from Philadelphia and his name was Phil. No joke, I was slightly startled when he told me his name, but I got over it as quickly as the Chiefs decided to stop trying.
By the time the game ended, Dan's roommate, Randy, showed up to sit with us. Randy is also another Gringo... 51 years old, from Utah, and runs an internet company based in Lima. Randy's sole purpose for coming to the bar was not to watch the football games, but as he put it, to "get drunk enough to fall asleep until I wake up tomorrow for work". Yes, I am at Hoopers... I knew it!
After the final whistle blew I drank the rest of my Peruvian beer and thanked Dan and the rest of the gang for a wonderful time. I enjoyed the transformation back to the states, if only for a couple hours.
Sincerely,
-Todd Haley
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Whazzup SM - Issue 5
Last week, a very noteworthy "Whazzup SM" was published. The kids in First of Secondary (7th grade) worked on the latest English newsletter and I would say that they did a hell of a job. Their teacher, Alvaro San Roman, had them working on it for a while, but it was finally completed last week and it didn't disappoint.
I've attached the newsletter below. When you're reading it, please remember that these are 12 and 13 year old kids that speak English as a second language... so don't expect it to have the sophistication of The NY Times, The Wall Street Journal, and/or the Prep News.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
An Interview to Remember
As the camera is recording I’m not really worried about answering the interviewer’s questions. The three Junior students, grilling me about my past life, are patiently asking rehearsed questions as I am doing my best to clearly think of a good answer… knowing that any word that I say could be published. The interview is going well and I’m having a good time answering the questions, but, like almost everything that happens on this blog… things just get weird – “Brian, is it true that you interviewed for a job at VM (Villa Maria – an all girls school here in Lima) but you were denied the job because you were too handsome?”
Professor Brian Meagher
Teacher & “Model”
- How and why did you come to Peru and teach in SM?
Brian: How did I get to Peru? My girlfriend is Peruvian and she is from Lima, so when she moved back last year I came with her. How did I get to SM? I don’t know (laughs) I randomly dropped off my resume and Jelena (English coordinator) randomly called me, so I came in for an interview.
- Are you adapting well?
Brian: Yeah, I’m adapting well because SM is a really good place. The teachers are very nice… to me at least… at least to my face, behind my back I don’t know, hahaha, no, they are good. Everyone is really nice, students are great, I like MOST of the students (laughs) no, don’t put that in there. It’s a good place… and I’m still learning the language… it’s good, I like it.
- What do you think about SM students?
Brian: Many things, many things… I think they are, well at least my students, they are very intelligent, but they just need something to push them forward, to stop being lazy, because most of them are lazy. I was lazy when I was your age… but… They are great, they have a great attitude… I like them.
- There’s a rumor that you were a model in the US, is that true?
Brian: (Laughs) There’s a rumor that I was a model in the US like… if you’re talking about… modeling… depending what kind of model… First of all, NO! (Laughs) No I wasn’t a model, but thank you for asking me that question. I appreciate it.
- There’s another rumor that you applied to work in VM but they didn’t accept you because you were too handsome, is that true?
Brian: (Laughs) No, it’s also false. I think if I worked with 16, 17 year old girls that would just be a bad situation. I mean, with you guys… you are guys and you are already saying “ohhhhh Brian!” I can imagine… it would be a bad situation. It’s a good rumor so keep, yes, keep spreading it.
- What are your goals in SM?
Brian: I want to be more than just an English teacher, I’ve never been a teacher before, so coming her and teaching … I want to do something else besides what I just do in the classroom. So I am doing an English club or some kind of other activities that I enjoy, I like sports, I like photography, I like art, I like many things. So if I could bring all of that to SM, share it with students that’s what I want to do, not just being a teacher, but being a mentor and a friend.
- What are your plans for the future?
Brian: My short term plans are to stay at SM for a few years at least, if they like me. And my long term plans… I don’t know, I like being a teacher so far. In the first two months it has been really fun and good. So I think I may… I’m definitely going to stay in Peru for a long time. I like Peru and I like SM. So at least, if that doesn’t change… I will be here.
- Thank you Brian, we wish you all the best!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Noche de Gala
In honor of Santa Maria's 70th birthday, the school put on quite a show called, Noche de Gala. It was a celebration of Santa Maria's history using art, photographs, music, and the performing arts.
An orchestra made up of some students, alumni, and teachers performed a wide variety of songs: from Beethoven's Fifth to We are the Champions. It was quite an impressive performance, especially considering the fact that they played in the most acoustically-deficient setting of all time - the Santa Maria gymnasium.
Additionally, a few of my students performed several short skits and dances that were incredible. Really, they missed four of my classes this week to practice... so I was expecting something worthy of Shakespeare. And in fact, they performed a short skit from Hamlet; so I guess my expectation was met - quite literally.
Outside the gymnasium was a time line, created by a few students and teachers. It was a very impressive display of pictures and descriptions of the significant events in Santa Maria's history. I've posted a few pictures that I took of the night's events. I will try to explain them as best as possible.
Picture 1: After recreating the first Marianist meeting in Lima from over 70 years ago, here are 6 students receiving a well-deserved praise from the crowd. Five of the six are in my Advanced English class - from left to right they are: Alejandro, Rafael, Gabriel, Joaquin, Hernando, and Max.
Picture 2: Some teachers and parents are checking out Santa Maria's timeline.
(more pictures coming later... my internet connection is not working too well)
Love,
-Brian
Monday, September 7, 2009
*** A Peruvian Tale from the Twilight Zone ***
Introduction
Do you ever have those moments when you feel like you’re living in the Twilight Zone? Do you experience some things that are so bizarre that you actually stop, look around, and see if anyone else saw what just happened to you? Most likely you have, but if you haven’t, just think of the last time you were in a retirement home – ie: people are waiting in line for dinner at 3:30pm; some of the residents carry around baby dolls at all times; and one time my father, Lucia and I actually witnessed an attempted escape by an old lady in a wheel chair. As the emergency alarm was blasting, she was wheeling her way slowly out the door before an employee ran out and ‘caught’ her.
Well, for the last six months, I’ve been having those types of weird moments - Many bizarre events have taken place in and around my apartment here in Lima. I have documented the events and have put all the pieces together into this one, long, story. Everything that you are about to read really happened.
February 20th, 2009 – The Search Continues
It was early Sunday morning and I just finished eating breakfast with Lucia. I was still living with Lucia’s family at the time and I was sitting on a barstool in Lucia’s kitchen looking through the apartment listings for the 3rd weekend in a row. Up to that point my search for an apartment had been unsuccessful for a couple of reasons – I didn’t earn any money yet, and all decent apartments were out of my price range. This problem isn’t anything new. It happens to many people everyday, but still, it was slightly annoying that I had gone three weeks without finding anything.
That morning there was one apartment listing that seemed like a pretty good deal. The location was in walking distance to my work and wasn’t out of my price range. Lucia called the owner, Carlos, to ask for the details and for a viewing. Carlos agreed to meet that afternoon. I had a slight nervous feeling in my stomach. I knew, even before looking at the apartment, that this was the one I wanted. I think my urgency was due to a combination of living with my girlfriend’s family for so long and my desire to be an adult again… to live on my own like I was used to living before I came to Peru. I was afraid to admit that I was desperate, which, in retrospect heavily influenced my decision-making abilities.
Carlos happily greeted us on the third floor, which was where he lived, and lumbered his way up the two flights of stairs to the fifth floor. I could tell he had some trouble getting around. He wore a knee brace and breathed very heavily as if he was constantly trying to catch his breath. He was a tall, round man, mid-60’s, with the face of a Peruvian Jon Voight, the eyebrows of the Great Horned Owl, and a uni-brow that could rival Bert’s from Sesame Street. He was likeable though. He is the father of five children, and the grandfather of three grandchildren.
He showed us around and I wasn’t necessarily impressed, but I was very happy with the location. The apartment was extremely clean, huge, and nothing that I’d ever seen before. It was a penthouse of sorts, but Peruvian style… it was on the top floor and some parts were very impressive with great views and neat styling, while other parts were “uh, don’t go in there, it will scare you away”. I thought about it, weighed my options, and then made the decision to sign the lease.
March 15th, 2009 – Sign here, here, and here.
With the help of Lucia and her dad, Ricardo, I traveled to the Notary to meet Carlos to sign the lease. He showed up about 25 minutes late, which, if we’re talking about “Peruvian time” he was right on time. The agreement seemed fine and Lucia’s father looked over all the details to make sure I wasn’t agreeing to give up one of my kidneys. He gave it the international sign for ‘looks good’ with a confident thumbs up.
After signing the lease we waited about 15 minutes for it to be notarized and approved. I mention this otherwise mundane and unimportant time for a specific reason – Lucia’s dad and Carlos get to talking. Well, Carlos is doing most of the talking. I’m starting to feel more comfortable because I am seeing that Lucia’s dad, someone that I think is looking out for my best interests, is getting to know my future landlord, someone that I don’t really know. It just makes me feel a little more comfortable with the whole situation. As we’re leaving the Notary after everything is finalized I make a point to thank Lucia and her dad for their support. They didn’t have to help me but they are always looking for ways to lend a hand.
That night I ate dinner at Lucia’s house without Lucia. I was only with Lucia’s dad because the rest of the family was out running errands. I didn’t mind eating with him, it happens all the time and I enjoy his company. We got to talking about my new apartment, and I asked him what he thought of Carlos. He said, “He seems nice, and the lease agreement looks fair. But, he is …” and he pauses for a few seconds, then he says something I will never forget, “… Brian, there’s something about Carlos that you should know - he is a Communist.”
Wait. What? I’m not really sure what to say except, “huh?”. Ricardo goes on to explain that when he and Carlos were talking in the Notary, Carlos was explaining all the details of the book he was currently writing. Back in 1920’s, a big political influence in Peru was a man named José Carlos Mariátegui. He was a self-proclaimed Marxist, Socialist, and eventual full-blown Communist. Politically speaking, he died at a fairly young age… in his mid thirties I believe, before he could really make a significant, long-term mark on Peru. Well, Carlos explained that he was writing a book that argued the point that Peru’s economic, social, and political potential could be reached by following the beliefs and teachings of this man. Not only that, but in the early 70’s, Carlos spent 7 years living in Russia. Now, I’m not saying that living in Russia is a bad thing; I’m just putting the pieces together as Ricardo was explaining them to me.
Okay, I was starting to get a little worried. Is Jon Voight a communist?
Sunday, April 12th, 2009 – A Thousand Apologies
I had just returned from a trip to Chile and it was getting late on Sunday night. I had school/work the next day – the first day back from a 4-day weekend. Chile was fun, but the bus ride was 20 hours and I was exhausted. I decided to make it an early night and I got into bed, turned the TV on and watched Friends in Spanish until I fell asleep around 9:30pm. At 9:45 I woke up to the sound of people (not a person, but multiple people) walking in my apartment outside of my bedroom door. Uh oh. I immediately woke up and my senses amplified as a rush of adrenaline flowed through my body. I was still in my boxers and slowly crept towards my door to listen for voices. Luckily, my bedroom door was locked so I was momentarily relieved to know that my immediate safety was still partly intact. As I listened to the voices talk I recognized one of the voices. More specifically, I recognized the heavy breathing! It was Carlos.
I opened the door and gave Carlos my best “WTF” look, which, in boxers is a lot easier to pull off. He turned around and said, “Oh, Brian! A thousand sorry’s Brian. I didn’t know you were here. I was putting a mattress from my apartment into your storage closet. “
“What? A mattress? Why?”
“Because I don’t have room for it in my apartment anymore so I thought I could put it in your closet since it has so much room.”
How was I supposed to react to that statement? I was so confused, first of all because it was late and I was translating Spanish in my head. And second, because no matter what language we were speaking that was one of the most unique and weird things I had ever heard. He went on to say that he’s been trying to get a hold of me without much luck so he just decided to come into my apartment. Before I could even soak in what was happening he and his two ‘helpers’ had put the mattress in the closet and were gone. I just stood in the doorway of my bedroom stunned.
Queue the twilight zone music.
As I was standing there I thought to myself - Was this a common practice among Peruvian landlords? Was it assumed that as a renter I was under the mercy of my apartment owner’s blatant disregard for my personal space? Was the mattress a sign of his Communist need to redistribute the mattress allotment among the people in the building? Was this building a metaphor for Hitler’s Germany? …for Kim Jong-il’s North Korea? What was the next step? – Nuclear weapons testing? Elderly Death Panels!? What did I get myself into?
April 2009 – May 2009: A Series of opened doors and mysterious footprints
Over the next few months some odd things were happening in my apartment.
- Occasionally the power would go out in the entire building for about 15 hours.
- Nearly every morning the humidity of the night would creep into my living room and make everything damp to the point of puddles forming on the floors and tables. And with all of the pollution and dust in Lima a black substance would form on the walls and floors making the apartment almost impossible to keep clean.
- Sometimes I would come home from work and notice that doors that were previously closed had mysteriously opened.
- One day I came home to find a ladder in my hallway. Yes, a ladder. I’m pretty sure I didn’t have a ladder in my apartment before I left. Maybe Carlos was distributing the ladders among the residents.
- Every once in a while I would see footprints. I was to the point of looking at Carlos’s shoes every time I saw him to see if the size and prints matched his shoes. They did and I was nervous.
May 5th, 2009: HELP!
I remember that it was a Tuesday afternoon when an interesting email popped into my inbox. I immediately saw that it was from Lucia and the title of the email was ‘April Rent’. Then, using Gmail I could see the first few words of the email before opening it – “HELP” in all caps.
The email was a message from Carlos directed to Lucia. Lucia forwarded it to me with only the word “HELP” in the email. He wrote these exact words: (translated for your English language convenience)
Beautiful Lucía-
Your letters, your photo and your possible presence in the building make me sigh of helplessness not to be 30 years old to try to charm you. I am consoled to know you’re youthful, happy, and loved by Brian.
Cordially,
-Carlos
Okay, take a deep breath. After reading this email I realized I was dealing with someone who was clearly living in a different world than mine. Immediately, I thought of all the times he had been in my apartment. Before reading this email, my initial theory was that he was just extraordinarily nosy and snooping around my place because he was fulfilling some kind of ‘Russian spy fantasy’. However, after reading this email I started to get to a new level of scared. What was I supposed to do to respond? I asked around to see if this was normal in Peru. I didn’t know. After having some people read the email and listen to my stories, the majority response I received was to “Get out!”
I decided to stay in the apartment because I would constantly convince myself to stay – the location was so perfect, the rent was good, as soon as the weather gets nicer it will be better. I didn’t keep anything valuable in the place, and Lucia didn’t come over anymore… or at least, she didn’t visit very often. The following month and a half was fairly calm. I hadn’t noticed anything different in the apartment, but that didn’t mean that he hadn’t been in there.
Sometimes I would come home and the sliding glass door would be open. And on occasion some pigeons flew in and couldn’t figure out how to get out. Their little bird droppings were everywhere making a mess of everything. On one very memorable day I found a dead bird inside my living room after my door had mysteriously been left open. Unfortunately, the poor thing had a deadly crash with one of the windows and didn’t make it out alive. The email to Lucia, the birds, and the ‘break-ins’ were all signs. I was getting sign after sign – and for some reason, I wasn’t heeding them.
June 24th, 2009: A Simple Request
On June 24th the Swine Flu made its way to Santa Maria and we canceled classes for about a week. That week off I made a three-day trip to Huaraz in the Andes Mountains. However, I didn’t leave until Thursday so I had Monday through Wednesday to relax and do whatever I wanted.
I woke up around 8am on Monday morning and took my time to eat breakfast, and then I got in the shower to get ready for the day. When I was in the shower I heard something strange from outside my bathroom door. Really, any noise that’s heard while you’re taking a shower (while you live alone) is a little frightening. It sounded as if someone was in my apartment. Similar to my experience a couple months prior to this with the mattress, I was extremely nervous. If it has ever happened to you, then you know that it’s a horrible feeling.
So I got out as soon as I could and I heard my front door slam. As you can imagine, I had a feeling it was Carlos, so I ran outside the bathroom towards the front door. While still in my towel, I opened my front door to find Carlos walking down the steps with my natural gas container (the gas is used to heat my stove). He acknowledged me by saying, “Brian, I need to borrow this.” And continues to walk downstairs. No “excuse me Brian”, no “I’m sorry Brian”, no “Oh, Brian, I should have asked you to use this”… nothing. I asked him why he went into my apartment without asking. He doesn’t answer me and continues down to his apartment. That’s it… enough.
As soon as I got dressed and ready for the day I called him and left a message that his constant disregard for my privacy was unacceptable. I also wrote him an email – here are some of the highlights from the email…
“Imagine that your daughter is renting an apartment. She calls you to tell you that her landlord keeps coming in and out of her apartment, even when she is in the shower. Would you be concerned?”
“I don’t feel safe in my apartment. I come home to doors being open and things being moved around. I no longer keep anything important in my apartment – my laptop, camera, passport, contracts, etc. “
“Please, if you feel the need to enter my apartment for any reason you need to notify me. It is in our lease agreement that you do this.”
I waited a week before I received a response. Actually, during that week I saw Carlos several times around the building and he acted like I didn’t exist. Finally, when I received the response I was so nervous that he was going to say something nice… possibly even apologize.
Nope, no apology. He gave me a reason for each and every time he had visited my apartment. All of the reasons, of course, were “emergencies”. He ended the email by saying, “It is probably best that you find another place to live where you can feel more safe and calm.”
Okay, then that is what I’ll do. Carlos and I never spoke again, until one very awkward meeting.
August 16th – Let’s sit down and talk this out
Over the course of the next month I was not in my apartment very often. I slept there every night, but I would find every excuse to not be there during the day. I would go to Starbucks or other coffee shops for hours after work so I wouldn’t have to go there. I would go to Lucia’s house for dinner almost every night, only coming back to the apartment to sleep and change clothes. It was not going very well.
Through my contacts at work I found a new place to live starting in August. However, I decided that I would continue paying rent at the old apartment until my six month lease was up. The main reason for doing so was that I didn’t want Carlos to have any leverage when I moved out. This is where Lucia comes into the mix – if Carlos is the villain, then Lucia is the hero. She had reluctantly been involved in this mess. Once Carlos and I stopped communicating, she was the one who called Carlos’s wife and daughter to talk about me moving out. She organized several meetings with Carlos’s family to make sure that when I moved out there would be nothing wrong with the apartment. She organized a final meeting between Carlos and I to recover all of the unpaid bills and deposits.
(Side note: I have to tell you that when I first moved in I paid for three things – the rent, and two deposits. Also, the bills are sent to Carlos’ apartment, so I have to pay him utilities).
We met on August 16, 2009. Lucia and I were waiting in my living room for Carlos and his wife to meet us to go over the final numbers. Carlos and his wife were very nice that day. I was extremely surprised that they were so cordial. We walked around the apartment and agreed that it was in the same condition that it was when I first moved in, with exception to three dead plants, the cost of which would come out of the deposit. I signed a form agreeing that the apartment was in good shape and the only things needing to be fixed were the plants, which he said were dead… now that I think about it, that is another sign for me to get out… everything was dying!
Then, we sat down and they showed us what I owed to them – the last months’ rent and unpaid bills. I hadn’t paid the last couple months of bills because Carlos neglected to give me receipts for them. Also, I didn’t pay rent for the last month because Carlos was unpredictable… in the back of my mind I was afraid he would never give me the deposits back, so I didn’t pay the last month’s rent.
Lucia was my trusty translator and she was doing all of the talking during the meeting. We argued over the fact that the numbers for the bills were wrong, but Carlos didn’t have the receipts to back up his claims. Despite not having the receipts present, I agreed that those amounts were fine – in reality, I was tired of all of this and just wanted to get it over with. Then Lucia suggested that Carlos just take the amount that I owed for the rent and bills, and subtract that from my deposits… once it is subtracted then we will know how much he owes me. (After subtracting the bills and rent from my original deposits, I should receive around $250).
At that moment there is a short pause. Carlos sits back and says, “What deposit?” Lucia references the contract and says, “Look, right here. It says that before moving in we must pay one month’s rent, and two deposits. And here, Brian has the receipts for those deposits.” (Deposit for rent and deposit for the furniture).
No response from Carlos. His wife was texting on her phone… she was not even paying attention. Carlos was silent for the next minute – one of the most awkward minutes of my life. I guess he was thinking. Thinking about how he forgot that he received those deposits. Thinking that he was expecting to come into this meeting and receive one month of owed rent plus some unpaid bills. Maybe that’s why he was so cordial to me – you’re always nice when you know you’re getting money. But now, after talking it over with Lucia, he has just realized that he owes me money. This is something he did not expect.
After about a minute of silence and deep thought, possibly thinking about how much he hates my capitalistic number crunching, he says without emotion, “No. You owe me that money. That’s it.”
What? Lucia calmly responds to him by saying that the numbers are clear, they tell the whole story. She goes on to say, “You already signed the agreement saying that the apartment was in good shape. Now that we know that you agreed to this, reference the deposit clause in the contract – Brian is owed the deposits upon exiting the apartment.” Carlos was in shock at that point.
Lucia tries to explain again and again that this is what we agreed to. Carlos is not wavering… he is simply saying no. Finally, he gathers his paper work and tells us that we should consult a lawyer and get the money that ‘I owe him’. He and his wife walk back to their apartment and Lucia and I look at each other in amazement. What just happened?
August 18th, 2009 – Save the Friendship
Lucia’s mom knew a lawyer that was kind enough to listen to my situation and send Carlos a couple emails explaining to him the scenario, and possible outcomes. After a few days without a response from Carlos, Lucia called him to ask if he had read the emails. He said that he had read the emails and that he would not agree to pay me.
If you were me in this situation, what would you do? I was owed $250, which, to me is a lot of money. But I kept thinking about all of the trouble I would have to go through to get that money back – a lawyer, a mediator or judge, fees, fees, and more fees. I was stuck, and Carlos knew it. He knew that I wouldn’t risk paying all that money for a lawyer just to get $250 back.
After another week without a response I gave in. Lucia asked the lawyer to create an agreement saying that I would move out of the apartment without debts, and Carlos didn’t owe me anything. We sent it to Carlos’s email and waited for a response. He said okay, if we went to the notary and signed the agreement that he would sign it as well. So that is what I did. Carlos couldn’t meet me at the notary, so I went there with Lucia’s dad, Ricardo, and signed the termination agreement, then left the agreement there for Carlos to sign. Ricardo playfully reminds me of the last time he and I were in this notary together… yes, it was a funny moment… not a ‘haha’ funny moment, but the other kind. We left the notary in hopes that Carlos would come later to sign the agreement.
Uh oh, a new twist - Lucia called me that afternoon on my way home from work, saying that she talked to Carlos and he said that he changed his mind – he refuses to sign the agreement and he wants me to pay him the last month’s rent and the unpaid bills. I remember that phone conversation very well. I was in the car with my friend from work, Eddy. Eddy was listening to the conversation, and then once I hung up he asks, “What was that all about?” My only response was to tell him, “I’m living in the Twilight Zone.”
The following day I was going about my work like normal. I was trying not to think about yesterday and last weekend. I haven’t realized yet that all of this is really happening. I guess things could be worse, right? God, I hope not. I wasn’t really sure what to do… maybe have the lawyer send another threatening email? I didn’t know.
I checked my email early in the afternoon in hopes that there was some good news. I had an unopened message from Lucia with several exclamation marks and smiley faces. I guessed she had some good news – Carlos had called her and said that he changed his mind again… he agreed with the termination arrangement and that he wanted to “save the friendship”.
Wow, sounds great! Wait? What? What friendship?
Whatever, he signed the agreement that afternoon and that is all that mattered to me at that point. I took the keys back to his apartment as soon as I got off work. That was it. It was over, just like that.
Today – Is it really over?
I’m currently living in my new apartment, in a building and area that I trust, with a landlord and neighbor that I trust. Sometimes, however, I feel like this is the end to a scary movie. Just when you think it’s over, the villain wakes from the dead or appears out of nowhere to haunt you one last time… the scene ends and the credits begin right in the middle of the last evil attempt to kill someone … only then have the seeds been sewn for the sequel.
Especially in my case, I feel like Carlos was building up to a huge climax – like, he was saving his best for last; because sometimes I did feel like I was living in a scary movie. But he didn’t give me the huge climactic scene that I was expecting – the kind that merits a sequel. Instead, he gave me more twilight zone material – constantly shifting back and forth from his likeable Peruvian sensibility to his manipulative communist coldness. Very eerie and creepy; rather than horrific.
Despite the anti-climactic ending scene, I along with Lucia and her family, are just glad it’s all over. Actually, the other day I was back in Lucia’s house for dinner discussing Lucia’s last visit to Kansas City. She reminded me of the time we were visiting my Grandma and how we witnessed an old lady in the retirement home trying to escape in a wheelchair. I remember looking at my dad and just hysterically laughing at what we just witnessed. After the employee ran out and caught the old lady before she could get too far, he was pushing her back inside and looked up at us bystanders… he just gave us a shrug and a smile as if to say, “Just another day in the retirement home, get used to it.” That’s right my friend, just another day.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Tweets and New Run
Social Networking
So I started using Twitter a couple months ago. In one of my classes we talked about Facebook and other social networking sites taking over the world. So I signed up for Twitter ... you know, to contribute to the debilitating internet-reliant problems of our society... and I have made a few updates. Every time I make a twitter update it will show up on sidebar on the right side my blog. For those of you that never go to my blog and only read my email updates, you can check it out here - http://brianjames-livinginperu.blogspot.com/. Also, just for your safety, I promise I won't be too personal.
New Running Route
Last weekend I went running around my new neighborhood. I brought my camera along to take some interesting photos. I wanted to see how long it would take me to run to the shore and back, which, I found out wouldn't be too bad if there wasn't a huge cliff separating the ocean from the city. The fun part is going down... the not-so-fun part is going back up. I'm not complaining - just check out some of the pictures.
Picture 2: Same soccer game, different angle.
Picture 3: Taking the stairs back up to safety.
For more touristy pictures of the neighborhood, you can check out this website - http://www.mirafloresperu.com/
...or... here - http://www.mirafloreslima.com/
-Brian
So I started using Twitter a couple months ago. In one of my classes we talked about Facebook and other social networking sites taking over the world. So I signed up for Twitter ... you know, to contribute to the debilitating internet-reliant problems of our society... and I have made a few updates. Every time I make a twitter update it will show up on sidebar on the right side my blog. For those of you that never go to my blog and only read my email updates, you can check it out here - http://brianjames-livinginperu.blogspot.com/. Also, just for your safety, I promise I won't be too personal.
New Running Route
Last weekend I went running around my new neighborhood. I brought my camera along to take some interesting photos. I wanted to see how long it would take me to run to the shore and back, which, I found out wouldn't be too bad if there wasn't a huge cliff separating the ocean from the city. The fun part is going down... the not-so-fun part is going back up. I'm not complaining - just check out some of the pictures.
Picture 1: I ran into a small pick-up soccer game on the beach. That's right, in Peru and other South American countries they have pick-up soccer games. You can also see the hang gliders up top.
Picture 2: Same soccer game, different angle.
Picture 3: Taking the stairs back up to safety.
Picture 4: A road made of stone leading down to the beach.
For more touristy pictures of the neighborhood, you can check out this website - http://www.mirafloresperu.com/
...or... here - http://www.mirafloreslima.com/
-Brian
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Canete
Before I went to The States I went to visit to a small town, Canete, about an hour outside of Lima. I went with Lucia's brother, Francisco, to help build some houses. Really, all of the credit goes to Francisco and his friends. They've been going to this same neighborhood for the past year helping these people live a more healthy and happy life. I was just tagging along to see how many measurements I could screw up or how many of my fingers I could crush while attempting to use a hammer. I'm not exactly well known in the family to have good carpentry or manual labor skills, but I can try.
To get to Canete we took a number of buses. And although I will give Francisco all of the credit for the hard work we did in Canete, I will blame him for one thing - we left Lima at the worst possible time - 7:30pm, the height of rush hour... at the point in the day when you climb into a hot, smelly, damp, and s
moggy bus... when your personal space has been invaded and demolished to the point of complete helplessness. If you're a Seinfeld fan, remember the "Close Talker" character and multiply him times 10.I'm talking about a situation in which you're no longer lucky if you find a seat. No, the people sitting are the people feeling the most discomfort - If the bus arrives at their destination, they don't have enough time to stand up and wade through the crowd of people to get off before the bus has moved onto the next stop. I would
definitely compare it to those puzzle-like games that have 8 pieces for 9 spots, one of which is missing, and you have to move the pieces around in a certain order to make the picture. "Wait, you go there, then I go there, then you sir... you go over there, then I climb over your left arm, then you sit there, etc etc". And even worse, if you're sitting down that means that the people who are standing up are at the perfect height to have their butts directly in your face. Trust me, I'm standing up in that situation and I think if you had the choice, you would do the same.The first couple of buses were simply maneuvering our way through the city. Our second to last bus got us to the main highway - Panamericana. We were literally dropped off on the side of the busiest highway in Peru, at the busiest time of the day. It was not a comforting feeling just standing on the side of the highway waiting for our next ride to come. Francisco saw our bus, which to me looked exactly like all of the others, but he somehow knew this one went south to Canete and the others did not (the Peruvian sixth sense that I have yet to acquire). Luckily, it wasn't too crowded and had two vacant seats for the hour drive from Lima to Canete. When we arrived to Canete Francisco and I stayed the night at a dormitory building inside of a small trade and farming college. It wasn't too bad.
The work: Well, in short, we built little houses for people - Pre-fabricated houses that we simply had to put together safely and securely. The one problem I had was the lack of efficient tools. Nails, hammers, screws, screw-drivers, and possibly a modern level. One of the more difficult aspects of building these houses was making a level floor. The landscape is sand... uneven sand, everywhere. However, the guys had thought of a really clever and make-shift way to level everything. (I'm sure this strategy has been around for years, but I had never seen or heard of it before). They had clear plastic water hoses and they got a bucket of water, siphoned the water through the hose until it was almost full of water... then stood up each end of the hose at two corners of the house so that water wasn't flowing out. If the surface of the water at each end of the hose didn't match flush with the floorboard then we knew it wasn't level. (*by doing a quick read online of the Peace Corps book, "Handbook for Building Homes of Earth" I found that this method is called the Water Hose Method. If you can't tell, I wasn't a boy scout).
Well, simple tasks like nailing the walls to the floor and putting on doors and windows were made a little more difficult due to the rusty nails and the weak hammers. But, that is to be expected when doing these types of things. I spent a good hour trying to make the window frames fit into the empty window space because they were 'off' by a few inches.
Below are a few more pictures from the trip.
This one is the old house and most of the new house side by side.
This one is of the other two members on my team putting on the support beams for the roof.
Here is the main street in this little neighborhood with two donkey pulling a cart/platform, which, I assumed was the public transportation system.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Zack Greinke references don't go over so well in other countries
To my sincere delight I’m back on the blog.
I returned to Peru from a two week North American vacation. Actually, I got back about two weeks ago and have been trying to catch up ever since my plane landed. I arrived in Lima around 11pm on Sunday night, was in my new apartment around midnight, and was off to the first day of work early Monday morning around 6:30am.
My trip home was an incredible time. I saw just about everyone I wanted to see - family, friends, and dog... one of those three didn't remember me. Can you guess which one? (that bastard). Just kidding, I love that dog. Actually, I think he's the best, to the point of extreme bias... when nothing is really his fault. I would compare it to when any parents extremely overestimate the athletic talents of their son or daughter. You're sitting in the stands at your son's soccer, football, or basketball game and the mom or dad behind you won't shut up about how his/her son Jimmy is being recruited by all the big schools. Of course they are forgetting that Jimmy is 12 and only cares about getting the game over with so he can go home and conquer the latest level in the game, Halo.
As for Cosmo - When he peed in my roommate's bed my response was, "Oh, he peed? Where? On your bed? Well, probably because he was scared and hadn't been outside in a really long time." Or when he completely ruined the carpet in my bedroom by tearing it halfway across the bedroom floor - "it was the worst storm of the spring, he was scared". The worst case was when he pooped on Ezra's pillow. I couldn't make excuses for that one. We were all so amazed at how a dog could consciously jump on the bed and desecrate in the one place in which you put your face. Absolutely an unforgettable moment for Cosmo.
Biases aside, seeing my family was special. Even when some of the nights I just sat on my parent's couch and watched The Daily Show and Conan, it still felt good.
What else happened... well... I visited my friend, Jerry, in New York and attended my cousin's baptism in North Kansas City - what did they both have in common... among other things, someone being turned upside down and having water thrown on their head. (that’s a lie, I think).
I got stuck in La Guardia airport because of a bomb threat. I ended up being one of the lucky ones on national TV while waiting in line.
My little brother, Kyle, turned 21. He managed to go from completely sober to "I just need to go home now" in less than 75 minutes. Top notch.
Cash for Clunkers. Who would’ve thought that putting an old truck half-way into a smelly dumpster right in front of your workplace would be smart advertising?
Health Care is either being reformed or killing old people, either way I don't exactly enjoy explaining to Peruvians why the Americans are so angry at the new proposal - "This isn't health reform, this is CONTROL!".
So, in "Peru blog related" news... here is the latest...
The first week back at work was very hectic. The school had an unplanned two extra weeks of vacation due to the swine flu. Not necessarily because there were more cases of the flu at Santa Maria, but it was mandated by the Peruvian school commission (or whatever they call themselves) to take off those days. Both the students and teachers were a little rusty last Monday.
However, one of the more entertaining events of the week, besides my incredibly fun and educational English class, was Santa Maria's version of America's Got Talent. Or, for those of you reading this from Europe, Britain's Got Talent. (in reality, it was more like American Idol, but for this blog’s sake, I will say it was like AGT). And guess who was one of the four judges? Yes, I'm trying not to take so much attention away from the contestants; after all, they are the real reason we're having this contest in the first place. But, really, when you think about it, no one can deny that I am the designated "celebrity judge" to bring in the crowds and berate these young, potentially talented singers until there is some sign of psychological damage. Of course, I’m completely joking and would never hurt these kids. Anyway, I could possibly be considered Santa Maria's version of David Hasselhoff, a title with which I will proudly associate myself. Plus, I'm too much of a pushover to be Piers and I'm obviously too smart to be Sharon Osbourne, so by powers of deduction, I'm David Hasselhoff.
In all seriousness, Wednesday after school the auditorium was packed for the auditions. (packed = 7 people) One by one the students would go on stage and sing. After each performance the judges and I would get on the microphone and give the contestants our critiques. The other 3 judges had some experience in music so their comments were actually legitimate and helpful. Mine, on the other hand, were just sarcastic jokes that none of the students really understood. For example, in response to one of the performances I said, “I was looking for more Saturday Night Live and less Mad TV.” Absolutely no one got that joke… and honestly, its not that funny, but a little recognition would be nice. Below is a list of some other good ones that I was going to say, but after the first one about SNL had miserably flopped I had decided I would just go with more productive comments:
Here are some that I had consciously thought of saying before SNL flop:
- I was expecting the explosiveness of the 2003 Chiefs and you gave me the utterly hopeless 2008 Chiefs. However, in the end, both ended up disappointing so its not that big of a deal.
- Your performance reminded me of that time I was on the airplane coming back from Guatemala. I hadn’t eaten in 15 hours and they were giving out free pretzels. I opened the bag to find only 4 mini pretzels and a few crumbs. You can imagine my disappointment.
- I was expecting Facebook and you gave me Friendster
- The other night about four or five cats got in a huge fight behind my apartment. It was so brutal and loud that they woke me up. I could tell the fight was ruthless; possibly deadly... they were scratching, clawing, biting, hissing, yelping, until it sounded like one of them took a deadly blow and couldn’t recover. For some reason, after hearing your performance I am reminded of that horrible night.
- I needed more Zack Greinke pre all-star break and less Zack Greinke post all-star break. (that one was pushing it).
You get the idea
The following Wednesday we had another round of contestants. Some good, some bad, but all very courageous to get up in front of everyone and sing. Through the faint sound of laughter and jeers from the crowd of immature students, the performing students stood steady and sang with a lot of passion. In the end the judges and I talked about how all of them had a lot of courage to get up there and sing some not-so-masculine songs. I made a point to talk to all of the contestants after their performance (off the record… or, away from the microphone) to congratulate them on their hard work. The elimination stage starts this week. I’ll try to keep you all updated.
I’m working on a couple other blog posts that should be written soon. There’s a lot going on – among them: my new living situation as well as my former landlord whom I would consider the Peruvian John Voight – not for his acting abilities, but for his creepy look and general deviousness. No offense to Jon Voight; his performance in Anaconda was underrated. Also, I have an interesting work visa story from the always-reliable immigration office here in Peru.
Talk to you soon.
-Brian
I returned to Peru from a two week North American vacation. Actually, I got back about two weeks ago and have been trying to catch up ever since my plane landed. I arrived in Lima around 11pm on Sunday night, was in my new apartment around midnight, and was off to the first day of work early Monday morning around 6:30am.
My trip home was an incredible time. I saw just about everyone I wanted to see - family, friends, and dog... one of those three didn't remember me. Can you guess which one? (that bastard). Just kidding, I love that dog. Actually, I think he's the best, to the point of extreme bias... when nothing is really his fault. I would compare it to when any parents extremely overestimate the athletic talents of their son or daughter. You're sitting in the stands at your son's soccer, football, or basketball game and the mom or dad behind you won't shut up about how his/her son Jimmy is being recruited by all the big schools. Of course they are forgetting that Jimmy is 12 and only cares about getting the game over with so he can go home and conquer the latest level in the game, Halo.
As for Cosmo - When he peed in my roommate's bed my response was, "Oh, he peed? Where? On your bed? Well, probably because he was scared and hadn't been outside in a really long time." Or when he completely ruined the carpet in my bedroom by tearing it halfway across the bedroom floor - "it was the worst storm of the spring, he was scared". The worst case was when he pooped on Ezra's pillow. I couldn't make excuses for that one. We were all so amazed at how a dog could consciously jump on the bed and desecrate in the one place in which you put your face. Absolutely an unforgettable moment for Cosmo.
Biases aside, seeing my family was special. Even when some of the nights I just sat on my parent's couch and watched The Daily Show and Conan, it still felt good.
What else happened... well... I visited my friend, Jerry, in New York and attended my cousin's baptism in North Kansas City - what did they both have in common... among other things, someone being turned upside down and having water thrown on their head. (that’s a lie, I think).
I got stuck in La Guardia airport because of a bomb threat. I ended up being one of the lucky ones on national TV while waiting in line.
My little brother, Kyle, turned 21. He managed to go from completely sober to "I just need to go home now" in less than 75 minutes. Top notch.
Cash for Clunkers. Who would’ve thought that putting an old truck half-way into a smelly dumpster right in front of your workplace would be smart advertising?
Health Care is either being reformed or killing old people, either way I don't exactly enjoy explaining to Peruvians why the Americans are so angry at the new proposal - "This isn't health reform, this is CONTROL!".
So, in "Peru blog related" news... here is the latest...
The first week back at work was very hectic. The school had an unplanned two extra weeks of vacation due to the swine flu. Not necessarily because there were more cases of the flu at Santa Maria, but it was mandated by the Peruvian school commission (or whatever they call themselves) to take off those days. Both the students and teachers were a little rusty last Monday.
However, one of the more entertaining events of the week, besides my incredibly fun and educational English class, was Santa Maria's version of America's Got Talent. Or, for those of you reading this from Europe, Britain's Got Talent. (in reality, it was more like American Idol, but for this blog’s sake, I will say it was like AGT). And guess who was one of the four judges? Yes, I'm trying not to take so much attention away from the contestants; after all, they are the real reason we're having this contest in the first place. But, really, when you think about it, no one can deny that I am the designated "celebrity judge" to bring in the crowds and berate these young, potentially talented singers until there is some sign of psychological damage. Of course, I’m completely joking and would never hurt these kids. Anyway, I could possibly be considered Santa Maria's version of David Hasselhoff, a title with which I will proudly associate myself. Plus, I'm too much of a pushover to be Piers and I'm obviously too smart to be Sharon Osbourne, so by powers of deduction, I'm David Hasselhoff.
In all seriousness, Wednesday after school the auditorium was packed for the auditions. (packed = 7 people) One by one the students would go on stage and sing. After each performance the judges and I would get on the microphone and give the contestants our critiques. The other 3 judges had some experience in music so their comments were actually legitimate and helpful. Mine, on the other hand, were just sarcastic jokes that none of the students really understood. For example, in response to one of the performances I said, “I was looking for more Saturday Night Live and less Mad TV.” Absolutely no one got that joke… and honestly, its not that funny, but a little recognition would be nice. Below is a list of some other good ones that I was going to say, but after the first one about SNL had miserably flopped I had decided I would just go with more productive comments:
Here are some that I had consciously thought of saying before SNL flop:
- I was expecting the explosiveness of the 2003 Chiefs and you gave me the utterly hopeless 2008 Chiefs. However, in the end, both ended up disappointing so its not that big of a deal.
- Your performance reminded me of that time I was on the airplane coming back from Guatemala. I hadn’t eaten in 15 hours and they were giving out free pretzels. I opened the bag to find only 4 mini pretzels and a few crumbs. You can imagine my disappointment.
- I was expecting Facebook and you gave me Friendster
- The other night about four or five cats got in a huge fight behind my apartment. It was so brutal and loud that they woke me up. I could tell the fight was ruthless; possibly deadly... they were scratching, clawing, biting, hissing, yelping, until it sounded like one of them took a deadly blow and couldn’t recover. For some reason, after hearing your performance I am reminded of that horrible night.
- I needed more Zack Greinke pre all-star break and less Zack Greinke post all-star break. (that one was pushing it).
You get the idea
The following Wednesday we had another round of contestants. Some good, some bad, but all very courageous to get up in front of everyone and sing. Through the faint sound of laughter and jeers from the crowd of immature students, the performing students stood steady and sang with a lot of passion. In the end the judges and I talked about how all of them had a lot of courage to get up there and sing some not-so-masculine songs. I made a point to talk to all of the contestants after their performance (off the record… or, away from the microphone) to congratulate them on their hard work. The elimination stage starts this week. I’ll try to keep you all updated.
I’m working on a couple other blog posts that should be written soon. There’s a lot going on – among them: my new living situation as well as my former landlord whom I would consider the Peruvian John Voight – not for his acting abilities, but for his creepy look and general deviousness. No offense to Jon Voight; his performance in Anaconda was underrated. Also, I have an interesting work visa story from the always-reliable immigration office here in Peru.
Talk to you soon.
-Brian
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Who likes vacation?
Vacations, holidays, and the Ozarks. A wonderful advantage of being a teacher, besides the inherently high salaries and constant recognition, is all the vacation time. We get a few months off in summer, then of course all of the Christian holidays off, and then a week off every other month in between semesters. Its a great thing, really, vacation. However, some changes are in the works that are threatening my plans. The governing body that rules over the educational system in Peru has come down with its latest ruling - schools must change their official mid-year break to 'as soon as possible' to help prevent the spread of the Swine Flu.
Winter break here in Lima normally starts on July 25th, lasting two weeks. This break applies to every school in Lima. However, now that 2009 has been designated as The Year of the Swine (at least at schools in Peru), the updated winter break started July 15th and lasts until August 3rd.
Hmmm, that puts me into an interesting predicament. I made plans to travel to the U.S. while the school takes its two week break. Now that the break was moved up they (people from school) can't legitimately expect me to change my flight plans to accommodate the dates. Right? The news of the new mid-year break sparked a couple interesting rumors. The first rumor was that if you are a teacher and you can't be at school for that first week in August (because of prior vacation plans during that week) then you have to pay, from your own pocket, for a substitute. The second rumor going around was that after the school administration saw me play soccer last week, they were so astonished at my secret combination of pale skin and elite soccer skills that they made an exception for me and will let me honor my original travel plans.
Well, despite the incredibly legitimate rumors going around, I felt like I had a fair and genuine case for traveling ... and really, when it comes down to it... who is at fault here? Neither the school nor the teachers should be punished for this change of plans. So, I wrote a formal letter to the Principal detailing my travel situation, which also had some legal implications involved, and after reading my letter the school is now allowing me to honor my travel plans. At least I think they read my letter. They could have just thrown it in the trash and been playing with my nerves this whole time. Whatever the case may be, my travel plans are safe. Of course, I have another week to let weird and unusual events happen around me, so I'm not counting out the fact that something else could possibly come up. Weird things can happen.
Speaking of weird things, now that I've sufficiently explained my vacation plans, time to get back to watching Tom Watson online. Get it done.
-Brian
Winter break here in Lima normally starts on July 25th, lasting two weeks. This break applies to every school in Lima. However, now that 2009 has been designated as The Year of the Swine (at least at schools in Peru), the updated winter break started July 15th and lasts until August 3rd.
Hmmm, that puts me into an interesting predicament. I made plans to travel to the U.S. while the school takes its two week break. Now that the break was moved up they (people from school) can't legitimately expect me to change my flight plans to accommodate the dates. Right? The news of the new mid-year break sparked a couple interesting rumors. The first rumor was that if you are a teacher and you can't be at school for that first week in August (because of prior vacation plans during that week) then you have to pay, from your own pocket, for a substitute. The second rumor going around was that after the school administration saw me play soccer last week, they were so astonished at my secret combination of pale skin and elite soccer skills that they made an exception for me and will let me honor my original travel plans.
Well, despite the incredibly legitimate rumors going around, I felt like I had a fair and genuine case for traveling ... and really, when it comes down to it... who is at fault here? Neither the school nor the teachers should be punished for this change of plans. So, I wrote a formal letter to the Principal detailing my travel situation, which also had some legal implications involved, and after reading my letter the school is now allowing me to honor my travel plans. At least I think they read my letter. They could have just thrown it in the trash and been playing with my nerves this whole time. Whatever the case may be, my travel plans are safe. Of course, I have another week to let weird and unusual events happen around me, so I'm not counting out the fact that something else could possibly come up. Weird things can happen.
Speaking of weird things, now that I've sufficiently explained my vacation plans, time to get back to watching Tom Watson online. Get it done.
-Brian
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Birthday
For the third consecutive year I spent my birthday outside of the United States. My birthdays in 2007 and 2008 were very memorable considering the Guatemalan nuns can throw one hell of a birthday celebration. (in no way was that supposed to sound creepy and suggestive, but every time I reread it, it sounds bad - sorry). However, compared to the last two years of birthday celebrations which consisted of dancing nuns, spontaneous games
of limbo, and elaborate paper clowns posted all over the walls, this year's birthday had its own assortment of odd happenings. This year, though, one significant difference was the location - Peru, which, provided for yet another new and exciting July 11th celebration.Before I get into the details, though, I need to reveal some important facts about July 11.
- Top google searches for July 11, 2009: Alan Belcher's tattoo. What? Who? Exactly! Alan Belcher is an MMA fighter, who, apparently has a cool enough tattoo that it topped "certified auto recycling" and "Steve McNair funeral pictures" as the top google search of the day. And considering the popularity of the UFC and MMA fighting I'm not surprised that one of the fighter's tattoos had the top search query - no wonder most of the world hates Americans, our most popular sought-after piece of information is of a cage fighter's cool tattoo.
- The pact: I made a pact with one of my friends a few years ago, a friend that shares the same birthday as I, Drew, that we would spend our birthdays together for the rest of our lives... you know, like a dual-birthday-celebration-thing. Kill two birds with one stone. First of all, we all know that this pact is utterly ridiculous. Second of all, you should never make a pact after midnight in the musty confines of one of the finest establishment in all of Kansas City - Kelly's Westport Inn. Sounds like something that we all make fun of the morning after a long night out - "Hey Brian, remember last night when you agreed to ...(fill in the blank)... " By the way, considering the fact that I've been outside of the country the last three years in July, I have yet to share a birthday with Drew since that pact 3 years ago. I'm a horrible friend. Also, as a general rule of thumb, don't take the jello shots at Kelly's.
- 7-11: My fascination with my birthday having the same name as my favorite convenient store has been lost here in Peru. Peru doesn’t have 7-11 gas stations. Also, when they write the date they switch the day and the month. For example, in the US we write the date for July 11th, 1982 as: 7/11/1982. But, in Peru they would write it as: 11/7/1982. I can no longer conveniently remember my birthday by using a convenience store name.
Anyway, back to this year’s celebrations. The Friday before my birthday, I agreed to play soccer with some of my students after school. They've been asking me to play with them for a while, but for whatever reason Friday was the first day I was able to play all year. I've been giving them the impression that I have played as many soccer games as my little brother has read books. Which is to say - less than one. (And by the slight chance that Kyle is reading this, sorry brother, I love you). Before the game my teammates were kind enough to give me the basic rules of soccer... protect our goal, try to put the ball in the opponents goal, stay in certain positions on the field, etc. It was a fun little trick because they weren't expecting that I actually knew how to play. My teammates were pleasantly surprised by the fact that I scored the first goal within a few minutes of the start of the game. Teachers and students alike, walking out of school, were stopping by the game to watch the Gringo play against the South American boys. Really, I think they were amazed at how pale I am rather than watching me play soccer. The principal actually stopped by and was in complete shock (in a good way). After the game he said, "Brian, where did you learn how to play soccer?" I said, "Well, in Kansas City, where I'm from." After a few seconds of bewilderment he responded with, "But who did you play with? The Mexicans?" At that moment I was thinking, 'thank god for putting me into these awkward conversations on a daily basis... its giving me good practice for my future career of Awkward Silence Elevator Operator'. I explained to him that although the United States is not well known for soccer, there are still a select few that play. While I'm explaining this to him I'm screaming in my head "The U.S. JUST BEAT SPAIN... THE NUMBER 1 TEAM IN THE WORLD! THE LAST PERU WORLD CUP OR OLYMPIC APPEARANCE WAS BEFORE I WAS BORN!!!" ...and other various nerdy soccer references. He thought that it was great that I was playing with the students and was surprised that I would agree to do so. Points for Brian. For a random Friday afternoon, it was a great time. I hope to do it again soon.
After the soccer game was over I quickly got cleaned up to go to Lucia's parent's 25 Wedding Anniversary mass. Immediately following the mass was a celebratory meet and greet with the family. Shortly after the meet and greet Lucia's parents were on a flight to Boston to celebrate. And shortly after midnight on July 11, while Lucia’s parents were enjoying the luxuries that only coach airline seats can provide, I was enjoying some birthday sushi with Lucia’s brothers and sister. You might be wondering about the difference between birthday sushi and normal sushi? Well, really, nothing. Except that you eat birthday sushi on your birthday… and you eat normal sushi on days that don’t fall on your birthday. Keep up people.
Moving on... July 11, 2009. Jim Gaffigan, my favorite comedian, has a famous joke about eating breakfast in bed. He says, “That is a fantasy, because it gives you the option of going back to sleep when you're done.”. Why do I bring up this joke? Well, besides the fact that Jim Gaffigan is quite possibly the funniest man alive and I insert his jokes in daily conversations and claim them as my own, I tried to take his advice, kind of. I woke up on my birthday around 8:30am, had some toast and cereal, then went back to sleep for a couple more hours. It is a great feeling, especially for those who never really get a chance to sleep-in or enjoy the wonders that sleep and rest can bring into your life. (Just for fun, another Jim Gaffigan joke – “My wife is always like, ‘Why don’t you ever make the bed?’ Uh, for the same reason I don’t tie my shoes after I take them off: It doesn’t make sense!” You can check out the youtube videos here.).
After my second wake up of the day, Lucia and I went to Downtown Lima to the famous Hotel Bolivar. Apparently, that’s the place to go to taste the best of Peru’s traditional alcoholic beverage, the Pisco Sour. The hotel was incredible – a true “back in time” experience sitting in the middle of the traffic-littered downtown area. However, the pisco sours were nothing special. The drink is like an ultra-sweet, frozen lemonade that you get at the Royals games… except its melted and has alcohol in it. You can drink one and enjoy it, but don’t push it by drinking two or three – your stomach will hate you. I was happy though; I fulfilled my mission of “day drinking” at the Hotel. As you can tell, I’m easily amused.
From Hotel Bolivar I went to the tourist district of Miraflores. I enjoyed the rest of my birthday at a bar called The Jazz Zone. The night was a great night for cover bands. We first watched a Rolling Stones cover band then followed by a Beatles cover band. “Are we in the right place?” The Jazz Zone seems to be more like a cover band wonderland than a mild-mannered jazz hang-out. Whatever the circumstances were, I had a great time. Then, the icing on the cake happened after a trip to the bathroom (one too many Pisco Sours… hahahaha, joking). I was walking out of the bathroom and noticed a large photo on the wall. I recognized the English in the photo. In the photo were two guys holding guitars and standing under a street sign. The street sign read, “18th St” and the cross section read “Vine St.”. Whoa! Dude. Kansas City! I looked at the lower part of the photo and it read, “Kansas City, MO 1960”. How cool, I thought to myself. I was at a random bar in Lima, Peru and they have a picture of small district of my hometown. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture… of the picture…, but still, it was an interesting find. Again, I'm easily amused.
What a great birthday. The one thing missing was not the nuns, not the spontaneous games of Limbo, and no… not the clowns. I definitely missed my family - My mom and dad… my sister Teresa (and Jason), my brothers Kyle and Joe, the dogs… my extended family of aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. And of course the people whom I consider my second family – basically I’m talking about all of my friends that know where we keep the beer in “Grandma’s house”. “How dare you put beer in the kitchen. It goes downstairs in the beer fridge.” (For those of you that don’t know… Grandma’s house is the house I lived in for 3 years in Kansas City). Being away from the world that I know in the states has given me the opportunity to experience new places, people and events that I never thought were out there. So, regardless of the fact that I’m on a different continent than that of my family and friends, I can still say that I had a great, clown-free birthday.
I love all of you - you know who you are.
-Brian
Monday, July 6, 2009
Spelling Bee
I chronicled Santa Maria's Spelling Bee on Facebook, but for all those who don't have access... here you go.
I was an orator and a judge for the Spelling Bee. And as I said on facebook - I've never claimed to be anything but a nerd, so if these pictures are too nerdy for you, you've been warned.
In the pictures I'm wearing the standard teacher uniform - a dark blue suit, white shirt, and any kind of tie. I have to wear this everyday, except when it gets warmer outside... so, the summer months starting around September through the end of April.
This first picture is of me with the winner of the Junior class Spelling Bee.
With the primary students - Junior High students.
Listening intently for the correct spelling and pronunciation.
The judges deliberating over the validity of the word, "banger" when referring to sausages - too insinuating if you ask me.
With first, second and third place of the Junior class. Also with the English Coordinator, Jelena, and the other American teacher, Josie.
I was an orator and a judge for the Spelling Bee. And as I said on facebook - I've never claimed to be anything but a nerd, so if these pictures are too nerdy for you, you've been warned.
In the pictures I'm wearing the standard teacher uniform - a dark blue suit, white shirt, and any kind of tie. I have to wear this everyday, except when it gets warmer outside... so, the summer months starting around September through the end of April.
This first picture is of me with the winner of the Junior class Spelling Bee.
With the primary students - Junior High students.
Listening intently for the correct spelling and pronunciation.
The judges deliberating over the validity of the word, "banger" when referring to sausages - too insinuating if you ask me.
With first, second and third place of the Junior class. Also with the English Coordinator, Jelena, and the other American teacher, Josie.
Japi Tichers Dey Brayan
Today, Peruvians celebrate Día de Profesores, so naturally Santa Maria held a mass in the morning to help commemorate the occasion. The teachers received a half day last Friday and a free lunch in a very nice restaurant overlooking the ocean. (really, I don't think the students should benefit from teacher's day by getting a half day, but whatever, half days are just as fun for the teachers). We also received a small diploma from the senior class in appreciation for all of our work.
After Mass I walked into my classroom and found this phrase - Japi Tichers Dey Brayan - on my whiteboard.
If you pronounce the phrase using your best Spanish skills you will say, Happy Teacher's Day Brian. Obviously, it was a joke, possibly funnier to Spanish speaking people... but, if you laughed then great. More importantly, someone also wrote on my board, "I love Brian's class." and just like teenagers do, another student erased the 'c' and the 'l' in the word, class. Luckily, I could still see the remnants of the c and l on the board so the initial shock soon subsided when I looked more closely at the sentence. We all got a good laugh from it.
In other news:
- I'll be returning home in 3 weeks! 2 week vacation before I have to come back to South America.
- Happy Fourth of July!
- My voice cracked today in class, twice. The students erupted in laughter after they heard it, but, I played it cool, took a drink of water, and said, "Puberty is a bitch, what can I say?"
- Last Saturday I received several phone calls on my Nextel cell phone from teachers at Santa Maria. They were calling me to tell me Happy Birthday, but, there was one problem - it wasn't my birthday. Apparently, there was a misprint in the Teacher's birthday list!
- For the first time ever, I watched a movie only in Spanish... no subtitles - it was UP, by Pixar. Good movie. Then last night I went to see Ice Age 3... all in Spanish. I understood most of it, but there were some times that I had to turn to Lucia and say, "¿Qué?". It is something I am proud of ... that I can sit through a whole movie in another language and understand almost all of it. And yes, I'm sticking to the animated movies for now, anything more complicated would confuse me.
- Good luck to all my friends that are going to Guatemala this month. I really miss that place and am saddened that I couldn't go this year. I highly recommend going... what an incredible experience.
- More updates coming soon! I love all of you.
-Brian James
After Mass I walked into my classroom and found this phrase - Japi Tichers Dey Brayan - on my whiteboard.
If you pronounce the phrase using your best Spanish skills you will say, Happy Teacher's Day Brian. Obviously, it was a joke, possibly funnier to Spanish speaking people... but, if you laughed then great. More importantly, someone also wrote on my board, "I love Brian's class." and just like teenagers do, another student erased the 'c' and the 'l' in the word, class. Luckily, I could still see the remnants of the c and l on the board so the initial shock soon subsided when I looked more closely at the sentence. We all got a good laugh from it.
In other news:
- I'll be returning home in 3 weeks! 2 week vacation before I have to come back to South America.
- Happy Fourth of July!
- My voice cracked today in class, twice. The students erupted in laughter after they heard it, but, I played it cool, took a drink of water, and said, "Puberty is a bitch, what can I say?"
- Last Saturday I received several phone calls on my Nextel cell phone from teachers at Santa Maria. They were calling me to tell me Happy Birthday, but, there was one problem - it wasn't my birthday. Apparently, there was a misprint in the Teacher's birthday list!
- For the first time ever, I watched a movie only in Spanish... no subtitles - it was UP, by Pixar. Good movie. Then last night I went to see Ice Age 3... all in Spanish. I understood most of it, but there were some times that I had to turn to Lucia and say, "¿Qué?". It is something I am proud of ... that I can sit through a whole movie in another language and understand almost all of it. And yes, I'm sticking to the animated movies for now, anything more complicated would confuse me.
- Good luck to all my friends that are going to Guatemala this month. I really miss that place and am saddened that I couldn't go this year. I highly recommend going... what an incredible experience.
- More updates coming soon! I love all of you.
-Brian James
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Road trip
Lucia and I took advantage of the long weekend and traveled to Huaraz, Peru. Huaraz is a city high in the Andean Mountains with many different touring activities. We took about $100, some crackers, and a couple bottles of Gatorade on an 8 hour bus ride to our destination - Hostal Alfredo in the heart of Huaraz.
The place was a lot better than the sign leads you to believe. It even had a mascot - a two year old yellow lab named Gringa. Gringa is in a state of crisis right now... she just gave birth to three really cute puppies, and she got run-over by a car a few days ago. Not exactly the kind of thing that should happen to a new mother. She has a broken leg and a huge bowl over her head to prevent her from scratching the stitches on her skull. To her credit, she still wags her tail when she sees potential Hostal Alfredo visitors. Oh, another added benefit... she walks the halls at night and you can hear her banging into things with that huge plastic bowl around her neck.Anyway, while in Huaraz we took a tour to see a few things. We first visited the town of Yungay, which, in 1970 was completely wiped out by a mudslide. 50,000 people were killed in the disaster. They have a few monuments in memory of the victims.
From Yungay we took an hour bus ride up the Huascaran mountain. Our destination - Lake Llanganuco. The lake is at 12,600 feet above sea level, and the peak is about 22,000 feet. The following pictures are of Lucia and I near the lake.
I really can't describe the views of the mountain range and the lake. They were incredible (okay, I guess I can describe them). After taking in the sheer awesomeness of the views around the lake we headed to another town near the mountain, named Caraz. There we had a late lunch, consisting of chicken noodle soup and Cuy. Cuy is a traditional Peruvian dish that many Peruvians eat in the Andean Mountains. Many people have cuy farms and even small cuy cages to keep them fresh (alive until dinner time). In English, Cuy is translated to Guinea Pig. Little, furry, innocent, guinea pigs. It was one of those things that I just had to try once. And I'm happy to say that will be the first and last time I try guinea pig. Especially considering a plate of guinea pig consists of the whole animal... with a few hairs that didn't get singed off during the cooking process. The picture below is looking into the mouth of the beast. Or at least half of the head. I ordered the 1/4 Picante Cuy, served on top of cut potatos. And for all you hamster and guinea pig lovers out there... turn away... now!
Here I am sampling the lovely dish... I won't go into the details of how it tasted. Just imagine eating your pet hamster - those were the feelings I had while eating this meal.
Overall, the views, the lake, the mountain, the rodents, the hostal... it was a great experience and highly recommended for any travelers out there. If you get a chance to go, please give me an update on Gringa the dog. Hopefully her leg heals nicely and she gets that damn plastic bowl off of her head.
- Back to work -
-Brian
Monday, June 22, 2009
Oranges, Flintstones vitamins, and anti-bacterial hand sanitizer... do it.
Well, that's it... officially, Colegio Santa Maria has the swine flu. We have one student, a freshman, that acquired Gripe Porcina (pronounced Greepay Porseena). I hear that the boy is doing okay and hopefully his condition continues to be stable.
Classes were canceled on Friday, then today they decided to cancel classes until next Tuesday. Teachers had to go into school for a few hours this morning and in fact, the mood around school was really really good. No surprise, but teachers are almost as happy as the students when school is canceled; at least this teacher is!
I'm thinking about going to Ecuador, or Colombia... or maybe Argentina - the bus ride won't be too long, right?
I'll be going to Kansas City on July 25th. I have a two week break starting the 24th of July, so I'll be in KC for a couple weeks eating BBQ, mooching off my parents*, and catching up with my favorite TV shows - 30 Rock, The Office, How I Met Your Mother, and Two and a Half Men. You'll notice that eating, watching TV and mooching is more important than seeing my friends and family... if you can't deal with that then I'm sorry. I'm kidding of course! Or am I?
*Side note: I tested my ability to mooch off my parents all the way from Lima, Peru... and just ask my mom, its possible.
*Second side note: the picture in this post has nothing to do with the swine flu. A few months ago I was burnt and I got a few blisters on my arm. Pretty gross, so I thought it was appropriate for this post.
"What a life you lead, Brian."
-Sheila Meagher
Thursday, June 18, 2009
My First Publication... kind of
Last week was English week at Santa Maria. We had many different events and activities - spelling bee, American and British themed food (whatever that means), and some interesting in-class activities. An interesting part about English Week at Santa Maria was that everything was in English. The ceremonies, masses, and even the daily bulletin was in English. Four teachers from the English Department and one student were chosen to write a short article/editorial to be published in the bulletin each day of the week - one per day. Of course, I was forcefully volunteered to write something for the final bulletin going out to all the students and teachers on Friday.
Now, the bulletin is just like morning announcements. It informs the students what is happening that day or week, and has an editorial section to express some kind of lesson for the students. All five of us writing for the bulletin had the same theme for our articles (it was planned that way) - Why Santa Maria? I wasn't quite sure what that really meant, but after I read Monday's article, then again I read Tuesday's article I was starting to get the idea. What does Santa Maria mean to me... why am I here? Honestly, they were the only ones that would hire me! No, not true... I got a few other job offers (if we're counting 'laying around my girlfriend's house all day' a job).
Why SM?
In the early 1800’s, Father Joseph Chaminade and the Society of Mary were building their ministry through the formation of schools in France and Europe. They were met with many political and educational challenges, but with the inspiration of the Virgin Mary they were able to develop the traditions, beliefs, and strategies exhibited today in all Marianist schools throughout the world.
During these first few decades of existence, the Marianist schools were already displaying the charisma and values that Chaminade so deeply believed. On February 7, 1834, Chaminade wrote a letter to Father Jean Joseph Cheveaux S.M., reminding him that schools were “to introduce and to spread everywhere the spirit of faith and religion, and thereby to multiply Christians.” He continued by saying that this can be done by remembering 3 points: “(1) real missionaries never rely solely on themselves but place their confidence in the Blessed Virgin Mary, (2) the salvation of the souls of our students should be the purpose we propose to ourselves in our actions and prayers, and (3) a teacher cannot succeed with a student whose esteem and friendship he has not gained.” (Brother John R. Habjan, S.M. – Society of Mary Marianists).
More clearly, Chaminade’s three points were:
(1) Marianists say that learning does not take place in a vacuum. Knowledge and understanding matures through the interaction that takes place among students and between teachers and students. (2) As Marianist educators, we should live the life in which we preach to our students. And (3) developing a trusting relationship among teachers and students is a crucial part of the educational process. We’re young men and women with a desire to not only develop our minds, but our hearts and spirits as well.
175 years after this letter was written I walked into the front doors of Santa Maria in Lima, Peru for the first time. In the first 3 months here I can see that SM is a school that thrives using the same philosophy and charisma that Chaminade worked so hard to create. If you go to our website you will read Santa Maria’s Mission – Summarized, it says: Educate for the formation of faith; educate in family spirit; provide an integral, quality education; educate for service, justice, and peace; and finally, educate for adaptation and change. These five strategic objectives are at the heart of why we’re here; more specifically, why I’m here.
My own educational experience was not much different than a student from Santa Maria. The high school I attended, Rockhurst, is a Catholic, Jesuit, and all-male school with a mission to educate young men who, at graduation, will possess the following characteristics: Open to Growth, Intellectually Competent, Religious, Loving, and Committed to Doing Justice. Inspired by the founding Jesuit missionary, St. Ignatius of Loyola, Rockhurst’s mission is to develop promising young students into well-rounded young men. “Men for Others”.
Today I teach my students with both Marianist and Jesuit philosophies in mind. Inside my classroom are some of the best young men in Peru. After they graduate they will go on to do great things and be great men. Luckily, I get to teach them after much refinement and years of quality education with the help of some of the best teachers (and people) I’ve encountered. My students can see how much I enjoy my Marianist teaching experience so far. Whether I’m talking about slang in my English club, cheering for the soccer team, singing in the choir at the Confirmation ceremony, or giving out TOEFL practice tests in class (sorry guys, it has to be done) I am happily contributing to Chaminade’s mission, and Santa Maria’s desire to fulfill that mission.
Nearly 200 years after the first Marianist school opened, Santa Maria continues to develop students with the love of the Blessed Mary, the charisma of Chaminade, and the unique skill of each and every teacher. For me, working in a place with such significant values, traditions, and beliefs is a privilege. However, as the manual of Marianist teaching states, “It is the student body that determines the character of an establishment.” therefore, above all, no matter how much of a privilege I think this is, the students are the real spirit of this school. I can only hope they realize this and take full advantage of such a privileged opportunity.
Professor Brian Meagher
Now, the bulletin is just like morning announcements. It informs the students what is happening that day or week, and has an editorial section to express some kind of lesson for the students. All five of us writing for the bulletin had the same theme for our articles (it was planned that way) - Why Santa Maria? I wasn't quite sure what that really meant, but after I read Monday's article, then again I read Tuesday's article I was starting to get the idea. What does Santa Maria mean to me... why am I here? Honestly, they were the only ones that would hire me! No, not true... I got a few other job offers (if we're counting 'laying around my girlfriend's house all day' a job).
Thankfully, I got some good advice from a very wise, grey-haired man we'll call Mike (dad, that's you). So, instead of describing it to you... I'll just let you read it. Warning - this isn't funny or entertaining. It is from the point of view of a teacher, knowing that my 12-17 year old students will be reading it. It was published in the Friday bulletin here at school and I think a few people might have read it. (if you can't see the small picture below, I copied the text under it). Second warning - it's different from the normal things I publish here on the blog.
Why SM?
During these first few decades of existence, the Marianist schools were already displaying the charisma and values that Chaminade so deeply believed. On February 7, 1834, Chaminade wrote a letter to Father Jean Joseph Cheveaux S.M., reminding him that schools were “to introduce and to spread everywhere the spirit of faith and religion, and thereby to multiply Christians.” He continued by saying that this can be done by remembering 3 points: “(1) real missionaries never rely solely on themselves but place their confidence in the Blessed Virgin Mary, (2) the salvation of the souls of our students should be the purpose we propose to ourselves in our actions and prayers, and (3) a teacher cannot succeed with a student whose esteem and friendship he has not gained.” (Brother John R. Habjan, S.M. – Society of Mary Marianists).
More clearly, Chaminade’s three points were:
(1) Marianists say that learning does not take place in a vacuum. Knowledge and understanding matures through the interaction that takes place among students and between teachers and students. (2) As Marianist educators, we should live the life in which we preach to our students. And (3) developing a trusting relationship among teachers and students is a crucial part of the educational process. We’re young men and women with a desire to not only develop our minds, but our hearts and spirits as well.
175 years after this letter was written I walked into the front doors of Santa Maria in Lima, Peru for the first time. In the first 3 months here I can see that SM is a school that thrives using the same philosophy and charisma that Chaminade worked so hard to create. If you go to our website you will read Santa Maria’s Mission – Summarized, it says: Educate for the formation of faith; educate in family spirit; provide an integral, quality education; educate for service, justice, and peace; and finally, educate for adaptation and change. These five strategic objectives are at the heart of why we’re here; more specifically, why I’m here.
My own educational experience was not much different than a student from Santa Maria. The high school I attended, Rockhurst, is a Catholic, Jesuit, and all-male school with a mission to educate young men who, at graduation, will possess the following characteristics: Open to Growth, Intellectually Competent, Religious, Loving, and Committed to Doing Justice. Inspired by the founding Jesuit missionary, St. Ignatius of Loyola, Rockhurst’s mission is to develop promising young students into well-rounded young men. “Men for Others”.
Today I teach my students with both Marianist and Jesuit philosophies in mind. Inside my classroom are some of the best young men in Peru. After they graduate they will go on to do great things and be great men. Luckily, I get to teach them after much refinement and years of quality education with the help of some of the best teachers (and people) I’ve encountered. My students can see how much I enjoy my Marianist teaching experience so far. Whether I’m talking about slang in my English club, cheering for the soccer team, singing in the choir at the Confirmation ceremony, or giving out TOEFL practice tests in class (sorry guys, it has to be done) I am happily contributing to Chaminade’s mission, and Santa Maria’s desire to fulfill that mission.
Nearly 200 years after the first Marianist school opened, Santa Maria continues to develop students with the love of the Blessed Mary, the charisma of Chaminade, and the unique skill of each and every teacher. For me, working in a place with such significant values, traditions, and beliefs is a privilege. However, as the manual of Marianist teaching states, “It is the student body that determines the character of an establishment.” therefore, above all, no matter how much of a privilege I think this is, the students are the real spirit of this school. I can only hope they realize this and take full advantage of such a privileged opportunity.
Professor Brian Meagher
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