Yesterday marked my first full week in Madrid, and today is the end of the work week. Life is best when you have a sense of purpose or belonging. Until the second or third day of work, when people knew my name or face and I had more to do than read orientation material, I felt like I was floating and superfluous. Presently, I am translating a report on the project in Central African Republic from English to Spanish and giving some explanations for why the results of the project are what they are, and then we pass that on to the donor/funding source so that they understand how their resources were used.
That sort of work is going to get boring quickly, but luckily there are other tasks that I will be doing. I'm going to take on a few research projects, dealing with the issues of gender in education, and education in emergency or post-emergency situations. Both are either neglected completely or included as an afterthought in many projects, so I want to do something about it. Another research project will be with the Global Ignatian Advocacy Network (GIAN), which I will know more about next week, but it involves strengthening Jesuit organizations' unity and sharing resources.
I'll be honest. From the day I decided to attend Boston College, I was uncomfortable with its Jesuit identity. Coming from a super-secular California public university and then going to a Jesuit university where there are fewer clocks than crucifixes, I really didn't know how to deal with that change, so I ignored it. Now, it's kind of smacking me in the face. Today all EC employees gathered for a talk with the executive director about the organization's position during a time of financial crisis in Spain. We were in a Jesuit building, in a room with super-high ceilings and Jesus on all four walls in varying degrees of pain. I have read document after document that speaks about the spiritual inspiration behind the organization and its work and some of it is hard for me to swallow. For example, in one document of identity, I read a quote that made my skin crawl: "[Africa is] an ocean of misfortune and the paradigm of all the world's marginalised people." This is followed by a statement about how Africa is a priority for the Jesuit network. I can't help feeling like the religious mandate (or the way it is worded) is patronizing. Maybe I am just sensitive to anything that has even the slightest undertone of colonialism.
I'm going to have to learn more about the Jesuits and get used to the strong presence of religion (that too, one that isn't my own) in my time in Madrid. The outcome of the work is admirable, and the amount of transparency and dedication I have noticed in my short time at EC is impressive. There is also an emphasis on sustainability and empowerment. Maybe I will quickly get over my uneasiness when I see the power that the Jesuit network wields against poverty.
That sort of work is going to get boring quickly, but luckily there are other tasks that I will be doing. I'm going to take on a few research projects, dealing with the issues of gender in education, and education in emergency or post-emergency situations. Both are either neglected completely or included as an afterthought in many projects, so I want to do something about it. Another research project will be with the Global Ignatian Advocacy Network (GIAN), which I will know more about next week, but it involves strengthening Jesuit organizations' unity and sharing resources.
I'll be honest. From the day I decided to attend Boston College, I was uncomfortable with its Jesuit identity. Coming from a super-secular California public university and then going to a Jesuit university where there are fewer clocks than crucifixes, I really didn't know how to deal with that change, so I ignored it. Now, it's kind of smacking me in the face. Today all EC employees gathered for a talk with the executive director about the organization's position during a time of financial crisis in Spain. We were in a Jesuit building, in a room with super-high ceilings and Jesus on all four walls in varying degrees of pain. I have read document after document that speaks about the spiritual inspiration behind the organization and its work and some of it is hard for me to swallow. For example, in one document of identity, I read a quote that made my skin crawl: "[Africa is] an ocean of misfortune and the paradigm of all the world's marginalised people." This is followed by a statement about how Africa is a priority for the Jesuit network. I can't help feeling like the religious mandate (or the way it is worded) is patronizing. Maybe I am just sensitive to anything that has even the slightest undertone of colonialism.
I'm going to have to learn more about the Jesuits and get used to the strong presence of religion (that too, one that isn't my own) in my time in Madrid. The outcome of the work is admirable, and the amount of transparency and dedication I have noticed in my short time at EC is impressive. There is also an emphasis on sustainability and empowerment. Maybe I will quickly get over my uneasiness when I see the power that the Jesuit network wields against poverty.
It's definitely hard to process work through the religious overtones. I have worked for Christian and Jewish agencies. It can be tough! Especially when co-workers/clients use religion to explain certain phenomena.
ReplyDeleteOn Peace Corps, when the staffers would gather for staff prayer, it was suggested that we non-religiousites use the time to meditate/align our personal shakras with the Universe/get into the yoga-zone. It actually helped me step back, take a breath and feel connected to my co-workers, I didn't offend them nor was I being untrue to my own (non)belief system. In the instances where religion was used to explain x,y,z I learned to listen and say nothing, neither validate nor confront. (unless, of course, they were comments made in ignorance, "so and so got HIV as a curse". . .but that's different)
It's a fine balance, but I think as SWers we have to "get used to it" as religions and SW often go hand-in-hand. Either way, yay for Spain, eh?
They don't pray at work, which wouldn't make me uncomfortable anyway. It's just these broad proclamations of the Global South being a big problem to be fixed by the Ignatian network, even though EC emphasizes the use of solutions from the South for the South. I think I need to be open to it, learn from it, and not get caught up in semantics...after all a religious network is still a network! :-) thanks for the thoughtful response, Dani.
Delete. . . .and, on reread, I think my tone was a little uppity! Argh. Not my intention. In fact, I used my comment to process through my own issues (as I still work for a Jewish agency where being a non-Jew is a real issue). You're great, great.
DeleteNot at all, Dani!
DeleteI really loved this post, and your thoughtfulness about all of this. I'm curious to see how your views will shift/be challenged/ anything like that during your time there. One things for sure, I'm sure you'll learn a lot and be a really integral part of the team there.
ReplyDeleteThanks :-) will continue to write about it
Delete