Dear friends,
It is such a long time since I last wrote to you back in March. For this I apologise. It's actually been 6 weeks and I've just read the last newsletter to remember what happened. We left the unfolding story of Chris' adventure in Armonía at the climax of a busy period working all hours painting irritatingly small windows. What would he do now that there wasn't much to do? Would he all go [more] mad from lack of work? Would he sleep for a week?
Well, if these were your questions, the answers would be 'different work', 'no' and 'no'. We rested, yes, but the concept of time-off seems somewhat foreign to Armonía. And for good reason because, like the police say about crime, poverty doesn't call in sick or take the day off. I'll talk about it a bit later but I have come to a new realisation of just how hard it is to be poor.
So what has been going on since March 12? The important news, Lynn, is that it has got hotter. We now feel the burning burning burning sun and regularly hit 30 degrees. However, the rainy season is now upon us and the daily showers cool the evening air (which I like). Unfortunately, this does have the disagreeable spin-off of huge puddles of oily, mucky water in the streets and the occasional river of sewage when the sewers burst. Mum will be pleased to know I have started to wash once a week instead of once a fortnight as a result! [JOKE] But I won't complain because I don't rust and I like it cool in the evenings. And that's the weather; back to Chris in the studio…
The week after I last wrote saw the visit of the International Board of Directors. They are a group of older Americans and 'British' (as Saul calls them) who act to advise the Cruzes on all matters Armonía. They also bring lots of money. ☺ My job as we visited all the projects was to stick close to them and translate, as well as give insight into what was going on. This was made easier once I knew who they were (which made meeting them at the airport somewhat difficult), but we soon got along. It turns out that the Doc from 'Back to the Future' is a board member going by the name of Simon Webley from Ditton, Kent. It's the hair that gives it away. We had a lot of fun together and having been with Armonía since the beginning, they were able to share with me many stories of Armonia's work in the past. Stories of people who have been helped, amazing ways in which God has acted through Armonía in Mexico City and how a chocolate company once delivered 52 crates of chocolates for the Jalalpa community. There was apparently a chocolate mountain in the centre because one crate contained 32 boxes which each contained over 100 individual sweets. They swopped them for much more useful stuff and even used them to barter for petrol on a journey to Oaxaca. Banter.
We visited Oaxaca where the students continue to study hard. I thought of a new name on the journey: The AIMS Project (Armonía Indigenous Mexican Scholars' Project). Quite pleased with that. Also, I've been frequently writing about the project there in my correspondence with the visitors coming in the summer so I have a much better idea of what they are doing there. In addition to giving educational opportunities for these very poor indigenous students, they are seeking to train them in creating a caring community where you learn to serve your peers in Christ. This is why we have the 'hermano mayor' (older brother) scheme where certain students (that's me here in Alheli and others in Oaxaca) are responsible for running the house, cooking, organising cleaning and helping the others in their homework etc. They are really growing in their love for God and one another through the Bible studies, training and input by Dani. It was great to spend time with them, to do English lessons over the table rather than over Skype and to see the construction of the new dormitory buildings. They've just finished the reinforcements for the foundations (I'll put some pictures up to show you just how much work it is) and have poured the concrete. We should be done by July.
Back here in Casablanca, Nancy (the secretary) left to study pediatrics at university. I can never remember which one is feet and which one children but I think it's the kids she's interested in. We have a new secretary, Yolanda, who is definitely on the ball and has really settled in quickly. By the time the groups start to arrive in mid-May, Saul wants her to be able to converse in English so I'm teaching her 2 hours a day. This has made my English lessons something of a burden as I now teach 26 hours a week. All the rest of the time I spend preparing or doing maintenance and there's not much time for anything else.
It's just as well then that Saul and Pilar are away travelling (some of you may have heard him preach at Eden recently) and so life in the office is much quieter. Two weeks ago, I had a lovely week in the pool teaching swimming and rescuing drowning kids – now one of the thirteen children of the ladies at the centre can swim – and then I took more time off when Gareth and Chrissi visited as part of their grand Mexican tour. :) It was great to see them although it made me realise just how much English I have forgotten.
So lots of good things. But it hasn't been plain sailing. Last week, the ladies reached something of a crisis point and several of them were considering leaving. Eli, Betsy and I were selling clothes at a market to generate money for the centre but the location is far away, and it makes for a very long day without good food or toilets. To be honest, it was too much for Betsy and Eli to be selling out in the heat of the day and too much for the ladies left behind to manage the centre on their own. And as the frustration and anger levels rose, I gained an insight into their lives. Their Armonia 'allowance' isn't enough to live on so they have to work as well. Before you exclaim 'why?', it is deliberate so that only people with a genuine interest to learn and serve come to work. It gets raised later on. Many of them are up at 6am, sorting out their house, getting their kids up and to school. Then they come to Armonía and work to 6pm. They go home, get the dinner on, study and play with their kids and then many of them do another 3-5 hours work. They sell soap, intricate jellies, stone figurines; basically whatever they can get their hands on. And early in the morning they sleep. Until the alarm goes off at 6 and the cycle repeats. Poverty is horrible. Poverty is the culture within which they have to live because of a lack of opportunities. Poverty is hard and relentless. Without contact with Armonía, it is understandable why so many turn to drink or drugs to escape. Thankfully we were able to change the timetable to make it easier. But frankly I don't know how they do it. Except for the grace and strength of God…
I too have had moments of doom and gloom. With the extra burden of more students in Alheli I have found that if I don't get good rest at the weekend then I really lose the plot. Last weekend was a good (bad?) example when things came to a head after I set a new record for a working day (5am to 3.30am) when there were some very urgent things to complete. Obviously this doesn't count as resting and when Monday came I felt off the pace. On Tuesday I took the whole day off after a bout of what can only be described as paranoia. I felt very isolated, totally unmotivated and that I was just going through the motions in my relationships with God and people, and my work here. Thankfully Dani was wise enough to let me stop and following a good day's thinking and reflecting, I hope I have set myself back on track. I do need to be more careful about taking time out to read the Bible, pray and reflect on what I'm doing though and am considering a week away before the summer's madness begins.
Thankfully though, I'm much better now and I guess it was a good warning not to push myself too hard. I do need to look after the old temple afterall. Thank you for your prayers, thoughts, little emails, invites to weddings I can't attend and the like. I hope this informs you a little bit more and I promise it won't be so long until the next email drops into your inbox with a satisfying 'ping' (or whatever sound you use).
Blessings,
Chris
Tuesday, 29 April 2008
Friday, 25 April 2008
Raining for England
So the rainy season has begun. I know this because of the wet patches on my ceiling. Somehow I think I might need to waterproof the roof this weekend before something has a little swim. And none of my things swim particularly strongly (least of all the laptop!).
But the rainy season means that each day at about 5pm, the clouds gather, the skies darken and we experience a Mexican ‘tormenta’. ‘Relámpago’ and ‘turenos’ respectively light the sky and scare the little kids. Tito and Rojo (the Armonía dogs) love the rain but hate the thunder. They scurry quickly into their doghouse; the storm achieving in seconds what we cannot do when we try to persuade them that sleeping on comfy blankets under a plastic roof is better than the flowerbed! Just thinking about it, there's got to be some joke in there about being in the doghouse when they won't go in the doghouse but I wouldn't think of writing it here. Although looking back on that sentence, I basically did do just that... Time to rein in the jokes and get back to the rain...
If I’m at the community centre, it become impossible to hold a conversation as the sound of the heavy rain on the metal roof drowns out all other sounds (think of the last time you were in a conservatory in a downpour). Yesterday the storm was accompanied by hail the size of small marbles that definitely hurt when they hit you. The regular rain (that is to say 'the fact that it rains a lot', rather than that we have 'regular' and 'irregular' rain here) makes me think of our green and pleasant land but the resulting floods on the roads and the fact that it’s dried up by the next morning reminds me that I’m in Mexico.
But hey, I’m not complaining because it cools the air for the night and I don’t rust.
But the rainy season means that each day at about 5pm, the clouds gather, the skies darken and we experience a Mexican ‘tormenta’. ‘Relámpago’ and ‘turenos’ respectively light the sky and scare the little kids. Tito and Rojo (the Armonía dogs) love the rain but hate the thunder. They scurry quickly into their doghouse; the storm achieving in seconds what we cannot do when we try to persuade them that sleeping on comfy blankets under a plastic roof is better than the flowerbed! Just thinking about it, there's got to be some joke in there about being in the doghouse when they won't go in the doghouse but I wouldn't think of writing it here. Although looking back on that sentence, I basically did do just that... Time to rein in the jokes and get back to the rain...
If I’m at the community centre, it become impossible to hold a conversation as the sound of the heavy rain on the metal roof drowns out all other sounds (think of the last time you were in a conservatory in a downpour). Yesterday the storm was accompanied by hail the size of small marbles that definitely hurt when they hit you. The regular rain (that is to say 'the fact that it rains a lot', rather than that we have 'regular' and 'irregular' rain here) makes me think of our green and pleasant land but the resulting floods on the roads and the fact that it’s dried up by the next morning reminds me that I’m in Mexico.
But hey, I’m not complaining because it cools the air for the night and I don’t rust.
Wednesday, 9 April 2008
(Word Alive Admin) * (Word Alive Admin) = Armonía admin
Everyone knows that organising students is a bit of a pain. And arranging things for Christians involves a lot of faff. So, as the event arrives, I wonder about the poor souls desperately trying to bash Christian students into order so that everyone arrives in Wales at the right time. I did it last year and remember it being good fun but hard work. Go get’em ACS Euromaster (as Fran would say).
But now, a new standard has arrived. Organising groups arriving at Armonía. It’s the word alive factor squared – Christians travelling to other countries where they will be hosted by an society not renown for its admin skills in a country that doesn’t have a word for ‘early’. I joke of course and probably bulldoze through some (many?) cultural sensitivity barriers but I feel like I have a new job to replace the word-alive-admin-shaped hole in my life.
It’s good fun being in charge of tracking who’s coming and where and when and how and what and waaahh! (Yes, I did just describe admin as fun). But the spreadsheet is growing as we expect almost 250 visitors here between June and September! And we need to make sure we don’t double-book beds or over book accommodations. Who’s picking whom up when? And did I mention that Saul and Pilar like to say hi and goodbye to every single group that comes – they are going to be doing a lot of travelling between Oaxaca and here this summer! In fact, just pondering what I have left to do, I think I had better go and do some more … :)
(For you Americans out there, Word Alive is a bit like Urbana but just 5000 people)
But now, a new standard has arrived. Organising groups arriving at Armonía. It’s the word alive factor squared – Christians travelling to other countries where they will be hosted by an society not renown for its admin skills in a country that doesn’t have a word for ‘early’. I joke of course and probably bulldoze through some (many?) cultural sensitivity barriers but I feel like I have a new job to replace the word-alive-admin-shaped hole in my life.
It’s good fun being in charge of tracking who’s coming and where and when and how and what and waaahh! (Yes, I did just describe admin as fun). But the spreadsheet is growing as we expect almost 250 visitors here between June and September! And we need to make sure we don’t double-book beds or over book accommodations. Who’s picking whom up when? And did I mention that Saul and Pilar like to say hi and goodbye to every single group that comes – they are going to be doing a lot of travelling between Oaxaca and here this summer! In fact, just pondering what I have left to do, I think I had better go and do some more … :)
(For you Americans out there, Word Alive is a bit like Urbana but just 5000 people)
Thursday, 3 April 2008
Photos from February and March
http://picasaweb.google.com/chrisprimmer/FebruaryAndMarch
Don't forget to keep and eye on www.armonia-uk.org.uk if you want to find out more about Armonia in general.
Don't forget to keep and eye on www.armonia-uk.org.uk if you want to find out more about Armonia in general.
Boiler Watch
Still lacking a boiler so Gareth and Chrissi will have to enjoy the delights of fresh Mexican water :)
Note to Mayland - I was not complaining about the cold, just making a political point about how showering in the morning is clearly superior to the messed-up, twisted thinking of the 'eveningers'.
Having said that, I might start complaining about the heat here - phew it is hot!
Note to Mayland - I was not complaining about the cold, just making a political point about how showering in the morning is clearly superior to the messed-up, twisted thinking of the 'eveningers'.
Having said that, I might start complaining about the heat here - phew it is hot!
"Earth to the Community Centre"!
So yesterday I was busy in the centre when Betsy and Eli (two of the ladies on the transformation course) approached me and asked me if I was busy. I was so in typical British fashion, I said I wasn’t. It seemed that they wanted help moving some earth to fill a hole in a flowerbed. So we left the centre by foot, curiously carrying a spade, pick and towing one of those heavy-lifting trolleys that office paper arrives on. We walked and talked until we exited Ojo de Agua and came to fields, at which point they became twitchy. Betsy asked me jokingly if I was right with God because we were apparently about to commit a crime and might get shot by farmers. Nothing like a soothing word to calm one’s nerves. But, a farmer wandered into sight and Betsy accosted the poor guy to ask if we could ‘borrow’ some of his soil. Now I’ve heard some fairly loose definitions in my time but what we wanted to do was take it – he was never going to get it back…
So with permission, we started filling rubble bags with nutrient-rich soil. You see, it transpired that the plan was thought through right up to the point where we found the soil, but no more. So when it came to tying the bags, I had to find some wire which I then cut with the pick! Where’s a penknife when you need one? And then once we had loaded it onto the trolley, we realised we couldn’t actually drag it back to the centre!
But, help was at hand, abeit bemused, and we were offered a lift back to the centre. And so I ended up spending most of the afternoon touring parts of Ojo de Agua, sat in the back of a flat-bed truck with 6 bags of soil and some vegetation-stuff. I’m glad I don’t have hayfever! We arrived with much pomp and fanfair, and paid them a bottle of coke and some tacos each for their efforts. A generous fee I think. Moral of the story – think your strategy through before going to steal soil.
So with permission, we started filling rubble bags with nutrient-rich soil. You see, it transpired that the plan was thought through right up to the point where we found the soil, but no more. So when it came to tying the bags, I had to find some wire which I then cut with the pick! Where’s a penknife when you need one? And then once we had loaded it onto the trolley, we realised we couldn’t actually drag it back to the centre!
But, help was at hand, abeit bemused, and we were offered a lift back to the centre. And so I ended up spending most of the afternoon touring parts of Ojo de Agua, sat in the back of a flat-bed truck with 6 bags of soil and some vegetation-stuff. I’m glad I don’t have hayfever! We arrived with much pomp and fanfair, and paid them a bottle of coke and some tacos each for their efforts. A generous fee I think. Moral of the story – think your strategy through before going to steal soil.
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