La Pura Vida

Project Excitement!

Today is a magical day! I am in love with my project. Alone here in CEDES, about to get organized.

The magic began with a clase de kick-boxing. Ha! I LOVE Latin American gym classes. This one was taught by a super energetic (as usual) young woman who jumped around demonstrating the kicks and punches and constantly made those high pitched whistles with her fingers when it was time for a new move (every few seconds seemingly). She also provided inspiration by getting on the ground to be a target when we were doing kick-low moves. I didn’t know what to expect – instead of starting out more slowly like the other gym classes I’ve been to this one dove right in – pumped up the music and she started with some serious Charlies Angels style punches (fuerte, fuerte!). We soon got into 5 step coordinated moves where we sort of hopped to one side, punching with each step and then ending with a crazy leg and arm parallel to the floor whole body kick. I laughed at myself in the mirror! She said to think of people we didn’t like – I imagined myself beating to a pulp any negative energy from my life til now. :) We also did fun things like getting in a circle and all doing the kick moves towards an elderly male member of the group (?). Ha! Sometimes my body hurt but yay for that pain.

Brilliant sunshine again as usual (I’m becoming marróncita my family says!), home to pack for interview, and then took subte to a new smashing vegetarian restaurant. Tarta of carrot and acelga (something spinach like) and a great salad, lots of flavor.

Soon went to the cafe where my advisor Graciela (a social sciences professor) and I had arranged to meet. She is fabulous! Really liked her style from the first moment – comfortable with herself, seems well-versed in the ways of the world... dyed red hair and sort of gypsy like clothes. She treated me to a cafe con leche and we talked about my interests and background a bit before getting into the project. “Muy amplio” (very wide) she said – but luckily she had wonderful ideas/specific steps for me to take with it. I am lucky she's working with me - at first declined because she already has too many projects and likes to give all she has to the projects she takes on (as I can see), but she was swayed by e-mails from Brenda and my proposal, which deals with themes of her own heart. (That reminds me that she always called me "mi corazon.")

First I am going to read documents – general ones from Vatican 2, “Populorum Progressio (a mandate from the Pope),” and documents from an important ’68 conference of bishops in Medellin, Columbia. She gave me a book of letters written by a give-his-all fiery, passionate for social justice bishop Miguel E. Hesayne, and a video that’s not marketed, from the underground circuit she said (can’t lose it), published by Hijos (organization of children of desparecidos) called Padre Nuestros.

Mostly translated synopsis from back:
In the decade of the 60s there was a process of renovation inside the Catholic Church. Vatican 2 with Pope John XXIII, la Enciclica Papal Populorum Progressio with Pope Pablo VI, the experience with Europe of the working priests and the declaration in 1967 of the Priests of the Third World marked a before and after in the realm of the Church. This manifestation of change led in Argentina to the birth of el Movimiento de Sacerdotes para el Tercer Mundo (MSTM) – Movement of Priests for the Third World.

The MTSM looks to build a Church engaged with the poor and the popular fights for liberation from the decades of the 60s and 70s. In these years ‘el pueblo argentino’ looked, by distinctive routes, to transform itself into a society more just and full of solidarity.

Wow. Also incredibly exciting – she already has an interview arranged with me tomorrow at 10:30 with “Pichi” – a German friend of hers/priest who was one of the founding members of the Movement! He now works with a local NGO, where I’ll meet him tomorrow. He has been a part of every generation of her family, baptisms, marriages, funerals. He at first said he didn’t have time to talk/doesn’t remember any of the stories, but he then agreed to give me 2 hours of story telling and question answering time! Ahh.

Graciela also gave me a prayer card from another priest – P. Carlos Mugica, a friend of Pichi’s and another founding member of the movement, who was assassinated 30 years ago. The back reads:

Translated Prayer of P. Mugica
Meditation of the villa (very poor neighborhood)

God, pardon me for having become accustomed to seeing the children that seem to have 8 years but really have thirteen:
God, pardon me for having become accustomed to the mud of the ground: I can go, others can’t:
God, pardon me for having learned to tolerate the smell of the water, of which I can leave and others can’t:
God, pardon me for turning on the light and forgetting that others can’t do so:
God, I can make a strike for hunger and others can’t: because no one strikes with their hunger:
God, pardon me for saying “not only with bread man lives” and not fighting with everything to rescue the bread:
God, I want to love them for who they are and not for me. Help me.
God, I dream of dying for them: help me to live for them.
God, I want to be with them at the hour of the light. Help me.

Ok, time to finalize my proposal and research for the chat with Pichi!

:)

Glad you are following this journey. The inspiration I am taking from all of this is just sprouting...

posted by Colleen @ 3:10 PM