Celebremos

A diversion from the usual course of events at Maryknoll. On a Thursday, students take a field trip to some place of cultural and historical interest. I’ve written before about La Casona Santivañez and the mission churches in the center of the city. Today, Joshua and I were to go to a museum of natural history in the city—not a grand museum, measured by the scale of museums in the United States. Profesora Julia said we can tour this museum in its entirety in 45 minutes.

But we did not go to the museum today. Four of the language students are finishing their course of study this week. So we took advantage of a day when all of us go off campus anyway to send them off to the next chapter of their lives. Two of them are Maryknoll lay missioners who will stay in Cochabamba. One is a lay volunteer from Ireland who will work in La Paz, and another is considering an extended stay to volunteer in Bolivia.

Where did we go to celebrate? We went to a district northeast of the city center, called La Recoleta, and entered one of the oldest heladerías in the city. We did not come for the helado, which are fruit-flavored ices—you might think of Italian ices at your pizzeria, only more exquisite in flavor and variety. We came for the pasteles and for the hot beverages made from maize. I ordered api, made from purple corn and combined with ground yellow corn; it looks like a parfait when you receive it. It is flavored with sugar and cinnamon and clove. It is a thick drink and very satisfying. Thicker than api is tojorí, which half of our party ordered. The word at the table is that it tastes like a sweet oatmeal. Take your api or tojorí with cheese-flavored, sugar-sprinkled pasteles, and your day is guaranteed to be good. And so everyone did … but for one friar who thought outside the box, bypassed the pasteles, and ordered helado con canela. I’ve got my cinnamon fix for the next month.

Students come and go frequently at Maryknoll. Two priests from Korea joined us last week in the middle of the term. These four will be leaving us in a few days. We will be at seven students in all at the beginning of next week unless there are new students arriving at the start of the next term. In the coming and going of life, it is appropriate and necessary—and joyful—to mark the transitions, no matter how big or small the milestone. ¡Celebremos!

Hoping to post a brief entry here tomorrow. I will be at Maryknoll most of the day and staying over at the priests’ house tomorrow evening out of convenience. Our expedition to Tunari Peak will leave from the Maryknoll Mission Center at 7 a.m. on Saturday.