August 16th, 2011
Hello to all!! It has been a quick and not-so-quick trip so far! My group, Team Granada, spent a week intended for “A Dialogue With Islam” mostly working with the elderly, staying at the convent of the Little Sisters of the Poor in Granada. We spent one morning speaking with practicing Muslims in the streets of old Granada, which was very interesting considering the fact that they are performing their dawn-to-dusk Ramadan fast in a city of great heat where the sun doesn’t set until almost ten p.m. Everyone was overwhelmingly welcoming and open! We also had a Muslim member of our experience group from France who was only able to stay with us for the first half of the week, and a Jewish member who was only able to join us for the second part of the week, but both of whom were able to also help our experience be one of inter-faith dialogue. As a whole, however, our experience was a slower one and mostly just involved working with the elderly at the convent – the sisters devote their lives to tending for those whom they have admitted to their facilities, for which the criteria are poverty and age. In Granada, however, the sisters have been very fortunate with the financial support they have been offered, and all their beneficiaries live like kings and queens, even having a fully functional theatre with which to put on – and/or watch – shows and musicals.
It was a challenge for us to have the stated goal of our week not remain our primary activity – especially because a large part of this was due to miscommunications and failed organization – but whatever challenges we expected to find in dialoguing and growing together with our Muslim brothers and sisters we found in dialoguing and growing together with our own group! 8 Americans of differing levels of proficiency in foreign languages – Father Paul, Rebecca, John, Christina, Kristin, Rose, Andrew/Bev, and myself – were with a group of Spanish speakers from Spain and French speakers from France (the latter of whom were actually an interfaith community comprised of several Catholics but also a couple spiritual seekers and our Muslim and Jew). While most of the group knew English, the site’s three MAGIS coordinators, as well as the Sisters at the convent, did not, and therefore the official languages of the week were Spanish and French – confusing translations going on all day long but only rarely for English. This was a constant source of both struggle and accomplishment for us, as was the social tensions both between different groups and within groups as plans continued to change without notice, different communications were misunderstood, and people got tired.
Upon traveling to Madrid yesterday and meeting up with the rest of the Fordham groups, we found out that one group – while doing service – visited the beach everyday, and that a couple groups persevered through great physical duress and trauma on tough, long pilgrimages. Reflecting on how all had meaningful experiences in their own way, but in terms of luxury, placing ourselves somewhere in the middle, we realized just how grateful we were for our week: not a single one of us had gone without seeing God in – and being profoundly touched by (and hugged by, and kissed by, and hugged by, and kissed by, and kissed by, and kissed by, and kissed by – I’m sorry Amanda; I had no idea what I was signing up for!! ;P The Spanish people are so adorable and physical!) the elderly. We were also blessed to be able to visit the Alhambra – a wonder of the world, a palace and city on a mountain above Granada built by a gradual combination, over different times, of ancient empires, the Muslim empire, the Catholic Kings of Spain, and even at one point some Jewish Spaniards. On three quarters of the walls of this mini city were minute carvings covering each square centimeter of room after room, which was unbelievable to fathom even before we got to the colorful, heavenly gardens and fountains which went up, down, around, through, inside, outside, above and below all the paths, hills, cliffs, and courtyards of the area.
We had various personal quiet spiritual experiences throughout the week – mine came mostly in the form of extreme gratitude for those in my life who have loved me the most forgivingly and patiently and tenderly, like these seniors love each other and like we are told God loves us – but for most of us, the biggest benefits of our week was getting closer to our new Spanish and French friends and meeting God in them. Dear readers, I wish I could share EACH of them with you, in person and for many days! We return with many new friendships, many offers of homes in which to stay around Spain, and several promises to receive visitors in New York. Even when we returned to Madrid yesterday afternoon, we were offered our most relaxing experience so far in Spain – an opportunity to visit the serene, beautiful, clean, and quiet pool at the apartment complex of our new Spanish friend Lolo, who went to high school at the place we are staying and lives one minute outside its gates!
Another benefit of our week was a wonderful theatrical presentation on Sunday, where various SUPER-ENERGETIC seniors sang and danced for us, and we all danced two songs from Magis for them, and each country presented several skits and songs they had prepared (we sang “This Land as Your Land” as a patriotic culture song, mimed some Baseball, mimed some American Football, and sang “Empire State of Mind” (Clean) as hip hop artists from NY, USA. Everyone loved it and the sisters and elderly surprised us all with small but thoughtful gifts! Today many went their separate ways in Madrid, but I and 4 others from Team Granada wandered around the city, missing the times for most workshops (which I plan on attending tomorrow) and discovering where things are. The Mass and festival last night at this high school were all the Magis Jesuit groups are staying, for the closing of Magis, was great, and now we are headed to the huge Inaugaration Mass for the start of World Youth Day (week) proper!!
I’m excited to see what else this week has in store for us, and I am grateful for this past week, but most of all I cannot wait to bring home the experiences I have already had and share them with those I love. I miss everyone like crazy and everyday think of people from home and pray for them. We are ALLL so grateful for your prayers. Internet and electronics are rare here, so most do not have time to blog or twitter (which reminds me, check magis2011.org, videos, interreligious dialogue, for a short film about the Granada group! And other media with many of us in it as well!!). But all of us are so grateful for the love and support of those back stateside and we will see you soon!! All my love to Amanda and my family! We are all (myself included) sorry we are not really checking our emails, but rest assured we are all safe and your prayers for us are gradually being answered!!
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