Knights in the USA: Day 4 - Found in Translation

Monday, June 13^th we woke up to have breakfast, but by the time 11:45am rolled around we were on our way to have noon Mass at Our Lady’s Center in Ellicott City. Here I was faced with an interesting question, “Mr. are all the priests in Baltimore Africans?” I laughed, but from what they observed in the two days they had been to Mass in the States it did seem to be true. Up until that point they had never thought of the United States as mission territory. After Mass we went for a round of Bowling at Brunswick Zone. For the first few times, one group had the kiddie bumpers up and so they thought bowling was one of the easiest things they had ever done, once I asked the attendant to put them down, they were quickly humbled. Each spent time gaming in the arcade and naively fishing for prizes with a mechanical claw. We left for an appointment that we had at the Franciscan Friary of St. Anthony’s to have an interview with ChristLife for a podcast about my experience as a missionary and their experience with me as a teacher. It was fun to be able to hear them answer questions about their experience thus far and also very humbling to hear how they think of me. After our interview, we spent some time praying and reflecting on the grounds of the beautiful Franciscan Monastery. Reminiscent of the beauty and simplicity of Assisi, the Franciscan Friary was a beautiful place of peace for the boys as they journaled in the chapel. From there we went to a friend of my dad’s who had spent some time as a Jesuit volunteer in Orange Walk in Belize who had married a lady from Mexico. The house was very large and beautiful, complete with a basketball court, tennis court, pool, indoor racketball court, hot tub, and lap pool. The boys loved the house and the facilities, but what they loved even more was being able to speak Spanish with his wife and his wife’s friends. You could see a light in their eyes as they began to speak in Spanish, it was a feeling of home and of being comfortable with their surroundings. I think it was helpful in letting them discover their identity of who they are and where they come from. A lot of times people do not appreciate what they have until it is gone or until they miss it. It is in those moments you discover and find out who you really are. They were finding out who they really were. They are Belizeans. It was great for them to also meet kids around their own age. David and Louis had formed a friendship, while Jose, Emil, and Johann enjoyed teasing Rosie about Justin Bieber. After jumping and splashing in the pool, pegging each other with racketballs, and playing tennis, we enjoyed smores from the fire pit – their first ever taste of this American delectable treat. We ended the night with Liturgy of the Hours.

Knights in the USA: Day 3 - Making Memories of Baltimore

That Sunday June 12th we went to Mass at my parish St. Agnes in Catonsville. I think it was a great opportunity for them to experience the universality of the Catholic Church in that everywhere there is a Catholic Church there is the same Mass with the same readings as in Benque Viejo del Carmen. This helped them feel at home even away from home. We then got ready for the Orioles Major League Baseball game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. My dad and I escorted all seven guys to the Orioles game where they each received a free orange O’s hat. They were excited to be able to experience a professional baseball game. Even though the O’s lost that game, they had a great time in the baseball atmosphere with the huge stadium, with the chants, the cheers, the wave, and even a homerun. In a short amount of time, these Belizeans had become Orioles fans. When the game had finished, we headed down past Ravens stadium where they each made sure to touch the foot of the bronze statue of Johnny Unitas. We then made our way to my sister’s house for dinner. There my sister Alison, her husband Pete, my nephews Michael and Matthew, my Aunt Patricia, my Uncle Mike, and my cousins Amanda and Jayne eagerly awaited meeting the Belizean boys. We had a cookout with games. In the backyard alley, the boys held a relay race for fun, where they each ran barefoot showcasing their amazing speed. They were all beginning to bond with different members of my family, but one particular bond warmed my heart: Rolfy and my two year old nephew Matthew. There was a special connection between the two, perhaps it was that Rolfy could detect the mischievousness in Matthew or perhaps that Matthew could detect the mischievousness in Rolfy, whatever the case, these two hit it off. They chased each other and teased each other. It was something to behold. We played a game of Guesstures or charades, which was a blast, but when it was time to go the boys were not ready to go home to sleep. So I took them to downtown Baltimore to be enchanted by the lights of Baltimore at night reflecting upon the waters of the Inner Harbor. I marched them up Federal Hill urging them not to look back until we had reached the top of the hill. When they finished climbing the steps, they turned right and then they lifted up their heads to be awed by the lights of an American city shimmering in the distance. This was the place that so many of my nights in high school were spent, now I was able to share those moments with my own students in a much more personal way. In my heart I knew that I was creating for myself and for them new memories that would be forever remembered.

Knights in the USA: Day 1 & 2 - Dogs, Drinks, Dolphins, and Dreams Come True

I apologize for having taken so long to update this blog about my many Belizean adventures, but with the Knights’ trip to the United States this past summer, it seemed to be a daunting task to write a reflection on it because no words seemed adequate to express exactly what happened and what has been on my heart. But I will try my best. After months of planning, thousands of dollars raised, and visas being approved, 7 Knights of the Immaculate travelled from Benque Viejo del Carmen to the border of Chetumal, Mexico. Daniel, David, Edvin, Emil, Johann, Jose, and Rolfy. There, some of them had their first experience of the modern world. We stopped at the mall for some food, where they begin to pull out their cameras taking pictures of the shopping centers and department stores. I knew they certainly were in for a culture shock. We then took an overnight bus from Chetumal to Cancun where some of them took their very first flight. You could see the excitement in their faces as the plane began to lift off the ground. They all leaned over to get a look out the window as we ascended higher and higher into the clouds.

When we eventually landed in Baltimore, after exiting the maze of Miami Airport, they were excited to meet my parents. My mom and dad greeted us there and guided us to where the car was parked. When we entered the elevator, Daniel’s eyes began to glow and widen on his first ever elevator ride. That day they came to my house with their eyes gaping open and their mouths ajar at the grandeur of an American home. That night they enjoyed re-living my high school years of playing pool, Guitar Hero, and watching TV on a big screen. My best friends Brendan, Mark, and Steve stopped by to meet them.

The next day, my brother Vern accompanied us as we went to downtown Baltimore for Little Italy’s St. Anthony’s Festival. Although it hadn’t started yet, the boys enjoyed walking through the neighborhood until they entered a few stores. It was funny to see them overly excited about what they could buy at clothing and Baltimore souvenir stores. There in the middle of Fells Point they saw their first ever poodle, which shook hands (Dogs in Benque are ugly, dirty, mangy, and are treated like animals instead of a family member, so needless to say they were very surprised). We ate lunch at the Hard Rock Café, where they had their first experience of free refills. They began to bombard me with questions. “What do you mean free refill?” “What if I get five refills? Is it still free?” “What if I get 100? Is it still free? Is there ever an amount that I will have to pay for it?” After each had 5-8 Cokes, we made our way to the Inner Harbor and to the Baltimore National Aquarium where essentially we saw sea animals that are from their neck of the sea. Here the sea creatures were behind glass that you can literally swim with off the coast of Belize, but yet most of them have not had the same opportunity to do that, so this was a treat for them. They smiled excitedly at the Dolphin Show as dolphins leaped and played with their trainers.

That night we had dinner with the Boffens and the Vidmars, family friends of mine, who had hamburgers and hotdogs authentically welcoming them to America. They played corn-hole or bag toss as well as ladder golf, while conversing with family and friends. After the day of fun, back at the Brokke home base we prayed Evening Prayer and reflected on their favorite part of the trip thus far. I was expecting to hear tales of seeing the city, the Aquarium, stores, airplanes, etc… but what I heard was tales of how much they enjoyed meeting the people I had grown up with and people who had helped them attain their dream of coming to the States. It was the people who had made their experience thus far enjoyable and I was so proud and delighted to hear their words of wisdom, that, and their humorous stories of trying to figure out how to make an automatic toilet flush at the Aquarium.