Alumni Update: Amy ClementeJuly 2005: I graduated from Boston College in December '04 and started working full time with CRISPAZ Christians for Peace in El Salvador, in the Boston office. I happened to be in the right place at the right time and I love my job. I work with the 25 delegations that go to El Salvador with CRISPAZ each year. For me, it was allowing my heart to break when studying at the Casa that changed me, therefore I have faith that coming to El Salvador to listen, see and learn softens and changes others' hearts also. This opportunity, to be with the Salvadorans for a short time, is provided by the CRISPAZ encounter program and I get to work with these individuals who are planning on going to and returning from El Salvador, so it is often very reviving. As I read and hear about the people returning from their encounters with CRISPAZ I find my heart breaking yet again and I often hear the words of Dean Brackley, "We need the Salvadorans more than they need us." These experiences continue to affect the way I choose to act and how I choose to be, half a day at a time. I am so grateful for the Casa, the Casa community, and the Salvadorans. Thanks!!!!
Zibby McCleary Casa Spring '04 and I reunited in El Salvador in March '05 playing leg wars with the Quintanillas.
Again of Zibby and myself, including some of the Quints. ________________________________________________________________________ I have one more semester left at Boston College and am very excited about my three wonderful classes I get to take this semester. The Casa community at Boston College is continuing to grow, which is very comforting. It is so much fun and encouraging to see faces around campus who share similiar amazing Casa experiences. This summer I went to Cuernavaca, Mexico on an immersion trip through campus ministry at Boston College. In the local artesania market I met a Salvadoran named Gloria and her daughter Daisy and son Francisco. It was so heartbreaking and heartwarming to talk about El Salvador in Mexico with a Salvadoran. Gloria shared her struggles with me: why she left El Salvador after losing four of her brothers in the war, and the struggles she still faces today in Mexico. For me it was an incredible trip, which only challenged my fears and strengthened, and revived my faith and hope. I returned from Mexico and I have been volunteering a short amount of time at Crispaz in Boston and am seeing all the options there are to get involved with organizations that do work that I love and support. I hope to continue throughout the semester. I continue to recieve e-mails and phone calls from the Casa alumni of Fall '02, and make pupusa runs with other Casa alumni at Boston College. I still write and keep in touch with the Quintanillas, and these are all the things which keep the spirit of the Casa alive within me. These are the things which constantly challenge me as a person, challenge me to ask questions, and challenge me to change. My life is very far from what it was two years ago when I was taking off for San Salvador and by continuing to ask questions I hope to continue to grow and change. Thanks Casa!!
Amy (right) with Stephanie Valencia and Pablo Kozak, from when they met up in NYC. |
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