St Ignatius College Prepatory - Ignatian Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

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Immersions While Mountain Apache 2 by Val Ibarra For two weeks, none strangers, which included: Giarrusso. Fetidyo. mysclf(Vbl). Tcrika Tischcr. Jen Broughton. Whitney Baugh, Fiona Dunbar. Chris Byrd and Dan David, discovered each other amidst light- ning storms and Arizona sunsets. We lived in Alehesay High School in Whiteriver. Arizona, on the reservation. Despite some grunt work that involved fish. sandpaper, and rubber gloves, we had a great time. Fdgar Perry, a cultural representative of the White Mountain Apaches, had us help him build Wiki-ups as a honorable gesture for his 83-year-old mother. I le taught us a lot about the Apache ways and their emphasis on the health of body and spirit. The Apache term, respectively, is CH-UNC-I.IN. In retro- spect. vve realized that although we perhaps missed out on some involvement in tltc culture, vve came away with so much more than any of us had anticipated. Due to days of riding in the van. our close living quarters, a serendipitous awakening in Gcronimo's cave, and an awesome 4th of July, we came away with such an appreciation lor each other that we knew would follow us into our senior year. We were right Immersion is more than learning about a specific culture and doing service in those communities: it's about seven random people, plucked from their own groups of friends, shoved into a van. who learn to love each other.. from that, everyone who had this tremendous oppor- tunity. was able to enter our last year of high school with an openness towards all strang- ers we've spent three years without, (long live Pete!) GL'AYMAS »2 by Vtnit» lie (iu min Kf I wo nxmorabk wrek». I had Iht tnmtimg cxp nctKC of lowig with CmoIiik AmJcrvoa. Kate Cody. Jenny DeVlMO. La Unxoll. Lauren Duo. Ckri Holbrook. Me$ SoKircig. Mr Baltic. «■! Mr. Loyd m (iimrruv Moira. Om group .rrmoSuKly formed the fnrodihp and commuwy needed lo face the «iff Kulnc and uvkv avtailing us in Me KO. L'foo arming m (iuaymu ard xemg our Inmg ijuanere. «« «we eomplelely eultire ducked Bui. »« worked through rt Kyeiher We learned lo dure eserylhing w iih each eehee (eseepr when Roger rued lo pul the law inio hit own Kindt concerning ihe thanfig of fiatorade ) TOgelhee. we helped rear to » garde at the Aulo dc l at Ancunat (Old Women» Home), and prepare il for lanltcaping and eontlruclion lltard woak in 115 degree»! Wc ter ted food IO Ihe pcoe al Ihe Meton Scup Kitchen ard delivered he foed lo pcoe neighhothoodt on Ihe mouUain The beti pin of eur duty routine « at viuisig the btile kidt M Ihe top of Ihe mountain They laughl ut. »i«h iheir pure»! tiaiet of eomenlmem. that life need not be In cd like a omllKeuirc to fed happmc»» Their uanlird of lit ing «at tu bekr that of cur own liset. yel ihete Ult were happy and grateful for Ihe little ih»g» they had Thete kidt. tome wiih tenout chcmKal imbalance» (I'raneiteo. in pariKuIarl made the trip norlhuhile They made mh an impxt on our lite» franeiteo» pertcoalny even teemed to mb off on tome of ut Iccugh. cough Ll I Wc alto learned in degeh abo.t each cehet. Chrivcan really get hit grootc on and ting guly tongv. Li can vpcal Spamth (Yo v ivu in Ihe houtel. and lhai we all dnhke il «he people (lie iTa) do not care about pervorul hygiene The experience» »e thaeed together and the hit Ikiu. I rincoo. ihe kids and to many other people «ho touched our heart», m (iuaymit «ill fee ever hold a tpce m our hearlt Central California by Megan Wong For two weeks in June, Carolyn Link, Kristcl Nazal, Angela Pucy. Roselyn Siino. Victor Santore. Michael Yip. Megan Wong, and myself, served Central California w ith leaders. John Ottcrsl crg and Teresa Vallcz. During our first week, vve lived at Dorothy's Place of the Franciscan Workers, a soup kitchen anil a halfway house, located on Skid Row in Salinas. Ca. Wc also lived with interns and students from Ohio. The first night, the girls witnessed a drug bust outside of their w indow. During the day. we prepared meals, serv ed guests, baby-sat kills, cleaned bath facilities, gave out food on Skid Row. and remodeled a playroom. In our free time, we Hiked and played basketball with the guests, went lo a Narcotics Anonymous meeting, and grocery shopping for the soup kitchen. We farmed at the Urban development center, and played with kids at the mi- grant labor camp. Our work brought us to Soledail Gon oales. Capitola. Monterey. Carmel. Seaside. Pebble Beach, and Santa Cruz. Our second week, vve camped out in tents as counselors at Camp St. Francis for kids of migrant farm workers. After long days of work, humbly observed Skill Row from a balcony at Dorothy's Place. Now. we bring our service back home with Up 'Til 3' CLC. Tucson by Jaclyn Verducci This past July and August. Allison Cola. Sierra Fish. Gina Pclleriti, Francesca Rivera. Jaclyn Verducci. Kevin Wong. Julie Yap. Karen Cota, and Liz Swarthout immersed ourselves in the culture of Tucson, Ari- zona. While we were in Tucson, wc worked at the battered women's shelter, taking care of the children and cleaning up the center's garden. We also worked with the Yaqui Indian tribe children. Our group trav- eled to Nogales. Mexico, where wc had the opportunity to live with families and experience their daily way of life. We are grateful for our experience and will treasure what wc learned for the rest of our lives. 12 immersions

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W E E K ‘98 spirit 11

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Whitt Mountain Apache -1 I aura Ronuin. Dennis Mak, Agne» Dziailur I -isl summer. seven disgruntled teenagers. Mare OG Borclla. Chris “Stinky Teddy Hear ' Uskert. Hrenden Telle Haven. Demis Psycho Prankster” Mak. I.aura “Muscle Woman” Ronvtin. Agnes “Don't Step olTills- Ledge Dziadur, Gina Ghetto Superstar Christopher, and our leaders. Kathy (Xsps. I Hit Hilly” Hanley. Linda The Sleeper” Ncilan. and Anne Mane Butcher Paper” hngcl. embarked upon their journey of self-discosery to the White Mountain Apache Reservation in Whitenvcr. Arizona. All seven emerged, though slightly scathed (Laura was impaled by a cactus, which can be proved by the bloody trail she left in Cicrommos Cave. Agnes was rapcllcd off a clilTlthanks Brendcn’i. busted her head, and was kept conscious by frozen orange juice; and Gina was infected with the highly contagious, avoid-al •all-costs, strep throat), with a better understanding of Apache culture, as well as realizing their duty to mankind as “the Regulators ” In our time on the reservation, we spent a lot of our time with the Apache children, we lead groups of children through (icroiumo's cave, narrowly dodging the bats that inspired our group leaders to quote expletives from the movie I leathers W'c also spent time working with lish and game, including, building a dam lfrom VERY heavy rocks) to save the Apache tiout. Edgar Perry, our guide, was the coolest Apache leader, even though we narrow ly escaped death in hts crazy, off- roading van ride» in the S I. van; he referred to us fondly a» the Rainbow People. After the many cookouls (slaved over by IX-nnis) at Edgar's mother's house, we felt completely accepted by all of the Apache people, and felt included in the numerous generations of Ldgars family. W'c went to the reserva- tion with the purpose of giving to the Apache community; however, in this incredible, once-in-a-liletime experience, we ended up receiving more from the Apaches than we could have ever imagined Guatemala by Caiilin Callaghan Cockroaches, soupy frijolcs. and two intensely lovesick directors were not enough to deter Scan Chuck” Cleary. Chrystinc “Titi Snortic Lawson. Alena C'hinila“ Reyes. Luke Lulu Stanton. Sara Sarita Suntan. Karen Snowdog Tso. and I. Caiilin Catita Callaghan from boarding a plane in June '98 and flying to the coun- try of Guatemala for an amazing two week immersion. Between meeting and speak- ing with organizations including UNSITRAGUA, Guatemala's National Union, and CONAVIGUA. the association of widows and mothers of the dis.ippearcd. as well as students' rights, lands' rights, and peasants' rights groups, we established ourselves in solidarity with the people of Guatemala and were embraced by their potent spirit. The spectrum of individuals we encountered also touched us: from the workers on slrikc at the Chiquita Banana plantations, to the student activists at La Univcrsidad San Carlos, to our friend Samantha la ladron. and by a fortuitous stroke of fate. Rigobcria Mcnchu Turn- who told us to always, wherever (we) are in the world, work directly w ith the people in dire need. Combating a taxi incident, sickness, and a few bus ndes directly from hell, we created a community of nine individuals dedi- cated to participating in the struggle of the Guatemalans. Through the guidance of the wonderful workers at the Posada Ixchal and our families in Villalobos II. we were immersed in the different and distinet reality that is the nation of Guatemala. Guaymas «I by Jim Bonner Ticks, cockroaches, simplistic meals. 115 degree heat, digestion set-backs, and a broken toilet, fridge, oven, stov e, sink, shower, and air conditioner are all what Laura Forrest. Jim Bonner. Katie Waller. Danielle Lanam. Erin Lapping. Angela Bauman. Alex Miller, and Jasmine Wong conquered upon our two weeks of a memorable immersion in Guaymas. Mexico. Upon arriving on a one-way airport, we were first introduced to our contact, Sister Fontana. who got our van stuck in the mud. T hen came live culture shock as we caught our first glimpses of a culture entirely different from our own. Every morning we w oke w ith the sun and took a bus to a nursing home w here we alone dug a 70 yard trench to put in a high-pressure water system. At noon, we'd travel back to the Casa Franciscans anil then serve free meals at the soup kitchen called Meson dc Jesus (Inn of Jesus). In (he afternoons, we hiked up (he hill to live outdoor Chapel to lead activities with the children of the area, Nights would be spent cooking dinner for each other and playing OK. Would you rather... Overall, Guaymas touched us all in different ways. But most importantly, it showed us a new way of living simply and happily w ith the values centered on family and community. As much as we tried to help and change Guaymas with our presence, in the end. it was actually Guaymas that changed us. ROCK ON! El Salvador 1 by Christina PavlolT El Salvador «1 group (Lorena Marquez. Jake Hale. Christina PavlolT. Gaby Giuliani, I larold Chan-Rosalcs. Susanna Farbcr. Tripp Jones, and Anna BclonogofT. along with leaders Caroline Pieters and Mary Sw itzer) had an amazing experi- ence. The journey began in San Salvador, where vve played basketball with a youth group, met with community leaders and government officials, visited the Univer- sity of Central America, where the Jesuits were murdered during the war. and gave a presentation on composting to a ninth grade class, as well as other things that arc too numerous to mention. After San Salvador, we made the treacherous v oyage to the town of Las Vucltas. where we were immediately befriended by all of the children in the town. In Las Vucltas. we drove to Guarjila. Our first project in Guarjila was planting trees. We worked for two days transporting and planting saplings to aid in the reforestation of the Salvadorian countryside. ThcTamarindo youth group put on a play for us and took us to visit the high school in Chalate City. We made a lasting impression on the town by painting a mural on the wall in front of the Tamarindos' meeting house. Wc learned about life in El Salvador from the families that welcomed us into their homes and from all of the new friends we made. The group built a strong sense of solidarity each other and with the people of El Salvador. immersions 13