The Cathedral Blog

Met with coaching staff in the morning.  We spent part of the morning going over our defense.  Cathedral runs a different version of the 3-3 defense that it was great to see what other coaches from around the US thought about how we do things.  Actually got some great ideas about adjustments for next season.  Coach Cory Moore (Florida), Ken Lucas (Maryland) and Craig Chesser (Texas) are working on the defensive side of the ball.

Spent the rest of the morning going over the roster and watching the highlight films on each player.  It was good to see them in action and really helped with fitting them in the right positions.  The other part that was good – they CAN really play.  All of them are top-notch players.

In the afternoon the players began to arrive and we had our orientation with them in the evening.  Coach Specht (Head Coach St. X Ohio) gave a great talk about what kind of brand we represent.  We all have a brand that we market to the world – it is our actions and our words.  Great talk about character and how to behave.

We wrapped up the evening with the first chance to lay the defense out to the players.  Everyone received handouts by position.  Many had played in All-Star games with restrictions on what you can and cannot run on offense and defense, this game is different.  We can blitz and run whatever we want.  Our players were excited about playing real football!

First practices on Saturday morning – Ready for some football!

Go Irish!

Coach Streiff

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Long day of travel, but finally arrived in Austin. Coaches had dinner together and told lots of great stories. Several of the coaches have coached in this game before so this was very helpful in learning what I needed to know.

We had an orientation meeting on the schedule for the week and updates of players. Many last-minute roster changes but all the new players are all BCS recruits. Watched game film from last year until time for bed. Really excited about working with these coaches and players.

Go Irish!

Coach Streiff

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It’s finally second semester and it’s the start of those new classes, teachers and friends. Second semester feels different for each grade. For freshmen, it’s one step closer to not being a frosh and it’s “OMG I’m in high school officially now!!” For sophomores, it’s just another semester and it’s closer to summer break. Now for juniors and seniors, you’ll get the most response about second semester. For juniors, second semester means we have one more year until we’re head of the school, and a year and a half until we’re in college. Now seniors, if you were to ask them about second semester you might see them walk away because it’s their last semester and they’re just ready to get it over with. Now if you ask seniors the same question around May, you will literally see every senior collectively backflip down the halls. I say this because they know that their days in high school are almost over. Now second semester is more important for juniors and seniors. For juniors it’s the semester where if their first semester grades were bad then they can show a progression from first semester to second semester. As we all know, junior year is the most important year of a high schooler’s life. Now seniors, second semester is what decides whether they have to take finals. If you get As for third and fourth quarter and you’re a senior, then you don’t have to take second semester finals. So let me tell you now that next year, second semester I will be spending more time studying my books rather than the television. So here’s a quick tip on how to make it through second semester no matter what grade you are, books are your friends and not pillows. The Internet is a research tool not a social networking hub. Lastly, iPhones are used for calling and texting, and last time I checked, your girlfriend was not born with every single piece of history and information in the world implanted into her brain, so put the phone down.

Aaron Smith

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In high school, you may be faced with some very tough decisions. These decisions often deal with peer pressure. There may be people who will try to pressure you into doing a lot of things, but it’s up to your own judgement whether you choose yes or no. I just want to say that it is possible to make it through high school without doing drugs, drinking or being a wild child. I am living proof because I am drug free, have never drank any type of alcohol and I have never been known as the wild child. You do not have to be the person that everyone knows will do anything. Being the good girl/boy is not bad it just means you actually have some type of common sense. Seriously people, you obviously have a brain because one, you’re reading this without any problems and two, you are going to one of the most amazing schools academically in the state. Don’t blow it over one party or one bad friend or boy/girlfriend. Also, if you’re ever thinking of going down the road, which I surely hope you’re never thinking that, but if it happens talk to someone first because if you don’t get a good opinion you just may ruin your life. If you are looking for someone to talk to, I suggest not talking to the friend who is pressuring you into doing it, talk to a friend who actually cares about having a good life. Then you’ll know you’re talking to the right person. Lastly, if you are ever pressured by friends, and they’re saying, “If you do this you’ll be cooler,” trust me, drinking or doing drugs and messing up your health and social life is not cool, especially if you have to live with it for the rest of your life.

Think about that.

Aaron Smith

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While half of us stayed in Moshi, the other half ventured away from the city to do what we came here to do:  we made the trek to see Awet Secondary School.

Rising at 5:30 a.m., we took a bus through Arusha and toward Lake Manyara.  The back of the bus was filled with things for the school–books, notepaper and pens collected from the Cathedral students at the end of the day, clothes, soccer and football jerseys (thank you, Mr. Streiff and Mr. Schroeder!), and lots of candy.  Some of the candy, though, had already been consumed. Not by us…we shared it with Tanzanian children along the way.  Anytime the bus slowed down and we saw children, we slid the windows open and tossed some out.  One time we stopped to purchase bananas and the children swarmed us like flies on fly paper. On the journey we saw many Maasai, cows, baboons, coffee fields, corn fields, and beautiful vistas.

The long, windy, rocky road up the mountain end with a sign pointing us toward Awet.  Just as one of the students asked how the school would know we were there, we turned a corner and there they stood:  sixty students dressed in their school uniforms of orange skirts for the girls and black pants for the boys.  Everyone wore white shirts with black ties.  They were lined up…waiting. Someone said, “Look. They’re waiting for us.  They’re praying.”  And of course, someone else looked at me and said, “Mrs. Browning is crying.”  Some things never changed.  They sang their school  song for us and then invited us to “tea,” which turned out to be a lovely lunch.  Highlights were watching Gabriel Gonzalez try to use the duplicating machine, as they have no other way to make copies for tests, watching the girls fall in love with Katie Quigley and Meghan Searight, listening to Nate Moyer, Daniel Flood, and Katie Gordon try to explain kickball to the Tanzanians, and watching Drew Myers fall in the dust as he protected his soccer goal. The 10 hour trip was worth every minute. We’re lucky…all of us.

Liz Browning

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My day began with a hike back to the Msamaria Street Children Orphanage, donations in hand.  This time, we were led by a friendly college-aged guide who wasn’t shy to strike up conversation with my mom and me.  We discussed his life and he asked us where we were from.  After responding with “Indiana” he was intrigued and questioned us on the differences between our home and his.  I had no idea where to begin explaining the differences between my suburban home and the dirt streets we were walking on.  I explained how we had no “street children” and how everyone from my high school goes to college.  He listened intently, but later I found out he thought we were from India. Common misconception I suppose.

Our group split and Connor, Ryan, my dad, Mohan (our permanent guide while we are on the ground here) and I revisited Msamaria.  I’ve learned the best way to make new friends is to carry a bag of Skittles.  We brought four soccer balls, old cleats and a few clothes.  Most children there only have one or two pairs of clothes.  Yesterday, I befriended a tiny 6-year-old named Gilbert and noticed a tear in his backside.  Needless to say we gave him a wardrobe makeover.   The boys of this orphanage were smitten with the new soccer equipment and it warmed my heart to see them wear my old cleats. However, there was only one girl at Msamaria – her name is Bahati.  An orphanage of usually 65 children had around 15 today; some kids go to a boarding school or ‘home’ (not exactly sure what that means to an orphan but I didn’t prod).  Anyway, Bahati and I did what any girls would do… we painted our nails.  Her English wasn’t much better than my Swahili so we usually just communicated through smiles.  She did however say, “Allie Radii (friend to) Bahati”.  So after that we were basically besties.

The women of Moshi, and probably all of Tanzania, are in charge of fetching water.  So after our “beauty shop” Bahati and I walked about a half mile to a water well.  Here, I met two girls about my age named Winifred and Margaret.  Margaret, just like every other teenage girl loves Justin Bieber and even sang a rendition of “Baby.”  I was amazed that on the other side of the world, in a poverty stricken city, pumping diseased water from the ground, I’d be chatting about JB.  But we had work to do, and the next moment I found myself carrying a gigantic bucket of water on my head.  Yes, just like the Africans, and if you judge success by how much water is left in the bucket- I would give myself a D+.

Later that evening, the group visited a sports recreational center for children.  Naively, I had pictured a gymnasium of sorts with different sports and activities.  Instead, we found something much more basic, but much more beautiful than I could imagine.  Sure the field was pure dirt and my soccer skills were equivalent to a 9-year-old boy, but the magnificent backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro is better than any field I have or ever will play on.  We packed Cathedral soccer and football jerseys which we passed out to the children.  “Going Green” at its finest.  The photo-op was a quintessential portrayal of service learning. We strolled through the open air market which I joked as being Tanzania’s Broad Ripple… vintage clothes and all.  Once again, we packed like sardines into a very old minivan.  We were cozy with our group alone, and just as we start to pull off 12 strangers from the market squeeze in with their goods of the day.  We had been outside all day and played soccer in a dirt patch, yet sadly we were the cleanest on the van.  If maximum capacity laws existed here, we definitely broke them, repeatedly.  Our group here is definitely adapting to the Tanzanian way, Cathedral and family would be proud.

Allie Hicks

Today, my small group volunteered at the Upendo orphanage.  Upendo serves as a home for children ranging from a few months old to about five years.  The problem with naming the orphanage after a common Swahili word, however, is that other buildings are bound to have the same name.  As a result, our guide led us to a health center with the same name, not the orphanage we planned.  This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as we were able to see parts of Moshi that otherwise we would have missed.

Once we finally arrived at the correct Upendo, we were greeted at the door by some of the most adorable babies I have ever seen.  I spent most of my time with two specific children, most of which consisted of playing with some stuffed animals we brought to donate to the orphanage.  I’m still not entirely sure if they enjoyed the teddy bears we gave them, but it seemed as if they enjoyed the game of fetch we eventually played.  They threw the bears, and I would retrieve them, and the cycle would continue.

Mrs. Hicks brought some materials for the children to make crafts.  The “kindergarteners” of the orphanage (probably closer to three year olds) taped strips of paper into links to create paper “caterpillars.”  Each of us had a handful of children to guide through the process, and my table was much more entertained by the pieces of tape than the craft itself.  We finally finished the project, and you could clearly see the enjoyment the children got from seeing the finished product.

We headed back to the YMCA for lunch, and the two smaller groups teamed up to visit a soccer field to donate jerseys, equipment, and to interact with the soccer players.  After a hard fought and exhausting match (not so much for the other team, I feel as if they were toying with us for most of the match) in a beautiful setting with Kilimanjaro in plain view they lined up as jerseys were distributed.  After a group picture, we were able to see how overjoyed and grateful the coordinator was with our donations.

We took a quick walk through a nearby market, and once again packed into a van, this time accompanied by a group of locals.  After a quick tally, we were disappointed that we only tied our previous record of 23 people in a van.  We finally returned to the YMCA completely exhausted from a full day experiencing more of life in Moshi, ready to rest up for your trip to Kimbi ya Simba.

Andrew Peebles

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Tanzania: Day 1

The group spent the day getting a feel for some of the work that will be done on Friday, and along the way, they got to experience a bit of life in Moshi.

The first order of business was to secure baby formula for the Upendo Orphanage, owned and operated by the Mission of the Sisters of the Precious Blood. Sister Jacinta, who heads the efforts at Upendo, which means love in Swahili, said the center serves 52 children from newborns to age 5.

Getting to the market to buy the formula meant traversing the city streets which swarm with peddlers eager to sell bracelets, soccer jerseys, hats, illustrated prints, necklaces – anything a tourist might imagine he could need. Though they wouldn’t follow us into the markets, they were eagerly waiting for our return to the street. The numbers of them compared to the numbers of us, coupled with their aggressive sales techniques, quickly created a nuisance. So Mrs. Browning organized teams of three – two boys and a girl – that would negotiate the crowds as one unit, just to make sure we could keep moving. Nate Moyer jumped to the task of protector, immediately whipping out his sunglasses and as he put it, “I’m going all secret agent” in his efforts to guard Grace Waltz.

From the market we walked to a bus stop of sorts – a place where locals negotiate rides on trucks and buses. We hired a large van that took all of us to Upendo, and soon learned that drivers will take on as many passengers as can fit, or mostly fit, inside. That number for today was 23 – our group of 19, plus a guide and ground worker who shuttled with us, and the driver. Everyone decided that the ride in the van qualified as our group “ice breaker” – we’re all VERY familiar with each other now.

The orphanage is a well-tended, mostly self-sustaining campus that also includes a boarding school for 45 young ladies training to be childcare workers. The four nuns who also live on site grow their own vegetables and some fruits including bananas, and have cows for milk, chickens for eggs and six hogs that they breed, sell or slaughter as needed.

Begun in 1934, Sister Jacinta said the children who today call the orphanage home have come because of a mother’s death during childbirth or parental abandonment. The goal, when possible, is to get the children adopted, Sister Jacinta said, but it’s not easy.

“It is a slow process that takes, sometimes, two years,” she said, and is a journey filled with government red tape. Children who aren’t adopted – many of whom have physical disabilities – move on to other orphanages after their fifth birthdays.

After lunch back at the Moshi YMCA, we walked to the Msamaria Children’s Center, home to former street children. Mostly boys, the 60 children who are connected to the center range in age from 5 to 16 and are either schooled and live on the premises, go out to classes during the day returning at night, or are enrolled in a boarding school.

The Msamaria Children’s Center – or Good Samaritan Children’s Center – was started in 2007 by Johnson Sadock. Sadock, who has a degree in wildlife science and conservation from Kenya Utalii College, got the idea for the center after spending years as a private safari guide. Another part of our group will be with Sadock on Friday, working with the children on their English lessons, and also teaching them some basic skills in football and soccer.

“Sport is a universal language,” Sadock said, adding it can be an especially important one for his children to know. “When you are doing sports it is physical so you are working out your aggressions, it’s mental – you have to focus and pay attention, and in the case of the Msamaria children, it keeps them off the streets.”

Bob Hicks, who offered the reflection for the night before dinner, said being with the orphans and watching the Cathedral kids and adults interact with them was a good reminder that we are all children of God. Like many of us, Bob is keeping a daily journal, and was struck by the power of simple acts like playing monkey in the middle or bouncing soccer balls around a dirt courtyard. There can be no question now why we have come 8,600 miles.

Friday’s schedule will divide our large group into three smaller ones. Half will take the trip out to Kimbi ya Simba – the village the students studied in Browning’s In Our Village class. About a quarter of the group will head to Upendo, and the rest will spend their day with Sadock at the Children’s Center.

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The big switch from any grade, like freshman to sophomore year is an amazing feeling for any grade because you feel closer to senior year. I am now a junior and it feels awesome, I feel like I have more power and more responsibility. I thought my sophomore year would never end, I say this not because it was hard, I was just ready to leave some classes. Sophomore year is the year you take one of the classes that most adults can’t even help you with, geometry. I was in the honors geometry class and was making not-so-good grades. I ended up passing the class with a C- and I never felt better. I’m not saying you shouldn’t take it or you should enter with caution, I’m saying pay attention and always ask questions. I went in to see my teacher every morning and took notes in class, but I didn’t pick it up as quick as the other students. So don’t think you’ll be like me because everyone’s different. Also, I was even more excited to get to junior year because I would be moving up in English classes. My counselor and mom both said it was ok for me to move up so I am going to be taking an honors English class. That also means I will have to take debate… (I’m a little nervous,) but I might be ok because (it is) teaching me public speaking techniques. Lastly, before you even head into the school year, you must do something for English class, that is to read the summer reading books. That is your very first big grade for English class and you don’t want to start off with an F in the class. So read your books because my freshman year I skimmed through the first one and Sparknotes(ed) the other and I didn’t do so well, obviously. My sophomore year I read the first and only got through half of the second, I got lucky because there wasn’t a lot on the second so I did ok on the test. Don’t think you’ll get lucky, still read the book,plus the books you read during the summer are still keeping your brain going and not letting it shut down from summertime madness.

Aaron Smith

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Chaclacayo, Perú

13 de mayo, 2011

Hola,

We have had a very good start to the trip.  Yesterday we met everyone at the hogar and afterwards we walked into to town to have some dinner.  It was 7:30 or 8 pm and we were all tired and hungry.  We found a little restaurant open and after quite a bit of discussion and questions we all ordered Peru’s version of grilled chicken and french fries and liter bottles of water to drink.  After at least 20 minutes of waiting the waiter brought us 5 liters of coke, so we drank that and waited patiently for our food.  Over one half hour later, the waiter arrived with our food-well kind of.  He brought 2 of the 13 orders out to the table.  Really none of that matters.  It is part of traveling, especially in a foreign country.  Here is why I am telling you this story.  Not one kid complained  on the 8:00 walk away from our bed and breakfast or during the dinner or the wait, not one time.  And here is the topper… when the food came, they offered it to me and Miss O’Brien first.  At this point, they could only assume that the next 2 orders would take another ½ hour.  We ended up sharing the food as it came out, 2 at a time, and just laughing about it.

Today was our first full day working at the hogar.  We planned on working in two shifts, Miss O’Brien with the kids in the afternoon and Sra. Jamell in the morning.  However, as we were leaving last night, Dr. Tony asked us if anyone wanted to accompany the kids into Lima for hospital visits.  (There are some very kind and loyal employees who make this journey daily with different groups of kids, going to different hospitals for therapy, procedures and check-ups.  They like volunteers to go with them to help entertain and carry the children.  This is one of the most difficult jobs for volunteers at the hogar.  They day begins around 7:15 am with an hour to an hour and a half public bus ride to downtown Lima.   Then they go from clinic to clinic, floor to floor, carrying the kids and trying to keep them happy — the children range in age from babies to teenagers.)  Mrs. Halstead and I explained this job to them and their parents very clearly, explaining how difficult it is.  Well, the minute Dr. Tony asked if three of our students would be willing, five kids raised their hands to say yes.  I walked back to the B and B with Michael, Nick and Emma and they were talking about their day- admitting how tiring it was and talking about some of the ups and downs.  Emma said she was trying to think of ways it could be worse while they were there and she said, “At least the hospital is nice and cool.  At least we have chairs to sit in.  Oh yeah, and at least I have two arms, unlike Victor who was born with none.”

All of the kids worked hard without complaining all day.  There are some longterm volunteers, from Ireland, who have been training us.  I told them to please tell us what to do because these kids are willing, but we just don’t know where to start always.  We want to really help.  So they had us wash a mini ball pit, fold clothes, wash dishes and organize the toy closet.  Our kids did all of these chores thoroughly and without complaining and often while entertaining a kid or two.  But the really touching part was watching them carry the babies around and play with hem, take them for a walk in the park, play with the younger group of kids, help them with their homework, take time to talk to the older kids.

Also, they have all cleaned their plates when they ate at the hogar.

You should be very proud.  They are great kids with very kind and loving hearts, loving these total strangers just like Jesus wants us to.  It is really beautiful.  They say that adversity reveals your true character.  We are all way out of our comfort zone in just about every way-and Miss O’Brien and I can vouch for their character.  If this is what “those teenagers these days” are like, we are in for a brighter and kinder future.

Kim Jamell

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