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Jun 20 2025
My host sister and I on the day of the quinceañera.
One major experience I had during my study term of SST was being a part of my host sister’s quinceañera. I was originally asked to be part of her quinceañera the first weekend that I spent with my host family. My host mom, sister and I took a trip to the historical district of Quito and I was not sure what it for at first. It quickly became apparent that we were dress shopping for her While in the historical district my host mom asked me if I wanted to dance in her quinceañera and at first I was pretty hesitant. Dancing is not really my thing and I was afraid that if I was bad it would ruin the experience for my sister. I gave a very unconfident “maybe.” Later when talking to my friends and SST leaders at school, it became clear to me that it was a great honor to be asked to be part of the quinceañera and a once in a lifetime opportunity. When she about it again, I said yes but also relayed that I probably was not the best dancer, but she did not seem to care about that and was happy I said yes.
Host family during mass.
A week or so later, we started having practices with a large group of her friends. At first these practices were somewhat interesting as my Spanish was pretty poor, it being early on in SST, and it was difficult to communicate and understand the dance instructions. But as the weeks and practices went by, I was having more and more fun as I was able to talk with her friends better, understood instructions, and was enjoying learning the different dances. In total, there were three different kinds of dances, the salsa, that bachata, and a ballroom style slow dance.
Later on, on another trip to the historical district with my host family, they gifted me a suit jacket to wear for the quinceañera. I felt very thankful and honored that they were willing to make such a purchase for me.
Exiting the church after the mass.
On the day of the quinceañera, prior to the party, a mass was held for my sister. We entered the sanctuary last as music played and everyone stood up watching us. We took a seat in the center of the sanctuary and the mass began. Not growing up Catholic and Spanish not being my first language made the mass somewhat of a confusing experience. As everyone prayed aloud in unison and made the sign of the cross, I just stood there and smiled not knowing what to say or do. At the end of the mass, pictures were taken with almost everyone in attendance.
One of the dances of the quinceañera.
Then came time for the party. There are few moments in my life where I have been more nervous than I was then. Again we entered the building last with people lining both sides as we walked through the center. The party started off with kind words being said by family members and friends, followed by photos. Then it soon came time for the dancing, first there was the ball dance with each of the host family taking turns to dance with Sisa. And then it was time for the dance with all of her friends. I was very nervous for all the dancing but it went very well with only a few little mistakes. After the dancing was over I felt a lot more relaxed, we had dinner and then the night really took off. There were DJs and dance leaders with dancing going until the party ended at two in the morning. I had a great time talking and dancing with my host family and friends.
Overall the quinceañera was a great experience and something that I’ll never forget. It was an honor to have been asked to be a part of such an important moment. I am glad that I stepped out of my comfort zone and said yes to being a part of my host sister’s quinceañera.
Last week Pope Leo XIV issued his first major writing to the global Catholic church, an Apostolic Exhortation – an urgent word of encouragement – on love for the poor, Dilexi Te. As a Mennonite, this theme caught my attention.
We have experienced another hard week of gun violence in America. For me, it has been a week of intense emotions – heavy emotions as well as joy and hope. How do we escape the doom loop? How do we stop partaking when it is dished up to us from all sides of the media and culture that we swim in?
Goshen College’s “SST for all” makes global education more accessible with flexible study options at home and abroad.