Day Eleven

I was a little apprehensive about today because it was the first day of our service sites, and I didn’t really know what to expect. All I knew was that I was with Tiffany, one of my roomies, and we were going with a man named Rolando up to Los Planes, a poor community on the volcano that I can see from the Casa Oasis.  My professors described Rolando as an ‘ant’, someone who is always moving and very energetic; boy were they right!

Today was hands down the most fun I’ve had yet. Even though our group always has TONS of fun together no matter what we were doing, today was a blast with just Tiffany and Rolando.  Rolando picked us up at 9:30am (an hour later than everyone else had to leave) and we got in his truck and went to La Red—his organization that works with disabled and handicapped people in El Salvador to help find them jobs! He showed us around the office and explained to us that they have had over 1,000 clients in their database since they started three years ago, and so far they have gotten 300 people jobs. Even thought it doesn’t sound like a lot, there really aren’t that many resources like this for handicapped people, so they are doing tremendous work. They help with resumes, job training, and much more.

Even though it was a very minor part of the day, I must mention (because of my love of dogs) that on our way up the volcano we stopped a little bodega owned by friends of Rolando, and they had two little puppies running around that were only 4 weeks old! Most of the dogs in El Salvador are very timid and shy because they run around by themselves and have probably been abused, but these little puppies were so sweet and I immediately fell in love. I almost put one of them, named Osa (bear), in my bag, but I refrained.

Osa the puppy 

When we left, he told us we were heading up the volcano to visit three different schools. Rolando said that he wanted to specifically show us these schools because they were so different but yet they were only a few minutes away from each other! The first school we went to was called Nuestra Señora de las Gracias. This is a catholic school that has about 423 students. It is a very large, beautiful school that has a huge indoor gym, a big soccer field, and fairly new buildings that were funded by the United States and Spain. Everyone was extremely friendly, and easy to talk to. One of the 3^rd grade teachers came up and introduced herself and welcomed us, and when she left Rolando told us that her husband is a very wealthy business man, so when she gets paid every month she gives her entire salary to help the school and the children. There are also about 14 students who are currently receiving scholarships through Rolando’s other organization (Interchange Institute) that helps pay for transportation and food. When we realized that this was clearly the best school around, I asked Rolando why all of the kids on the volcano don’t come there, and Rolando said that traveling is extremely expensive because they live in isolated places on the volcano and it costs about $2 a day to ride the bus to school (which is EXTREMELY expensive for impoverished families). Therefore, students who work hard and are in need can apply for these scholarships, and in other cases they give money to the school to decide how to use it and who to help. It was really great to walk around and see kids playing soccer, cheering on their team, and just being kids.

Me and Tiffany with some students who are receiving scholarships

The second school that we went to was completely different. This school is a two-room, aluminum building that teaches about 70 students. There are only two teachers and one principal. There were no kids at the school when we arrived because they were home for lunch, but we were able to talk to the principal. The attitude at this school was 180 degrees different than the first school. When Rolando was asking the principal questions about making the school better, she seemed completely indifferent and she never even smiled once. Rolando brought up the fact that if one person buys a big enough plot of land then the government will pay to build a brand new school, and the principal knew about it, but she didn’t even know how much money they would need to do it and she showed no interest. Rolando talked to us about how the level of commitment from the teachers and principal was so different from the first school to the second school, and it was obvious that it affected the students’ experience and education.

2 room school

Then we made our way to the third school, San Jeronimo, which was definitely not as nice as the first school but it was much nicer than the second. This school educates around 300 students, and they use a new method of teaching called “Escuela Plena” or “Complete School” in which they try to teach alternative programs to students that pertain to their specific skills. Therefore they have computer classes, a small ‘store’ to teach business, a maintenance group that maintains and cleans the school, a garden group that grows vegetables that they use to cook meals for the kids, etc. It was very apparent at this school that even though they don’t get a lot of funding (only $7,000 a year total) they are being VERY creative in order to give the kids the best education possible. The principal told us that he has created a network of friends and organizations, like Rolando, because he hardly has any money for the school. It is because of these connections that he gets things like donated computers for the kids. It was at this school that the principal gave us 21 bags that had school supplies in them and he asked us to donate them to the very poor school that we had previously visited. So here was this man, who just told us how LITTLE money he has for his school and he wants to donate these items because he knows that someone else is worse off than him.

Me and Tiffany at the rooftop garden grown by the kids

Rolando and the principal of San Jeronimo

So we took the items and drove down to the other school, expecting the principal to be thrilled because they hardly had enough pencils or markers for the students, but when we gave them to her she didn’t even smile, she was only concerned with getting back to what she was doing. I asked Rolando what he thought about that, and he said that she should not be working there because her heart is not in it and she does not have a real commitment to the school or the kids, or else she would constantly be working to make it better. It was really sad to see this, because I know that the kids are being punished for her actions, but Rolando is hopeful that overtime he can change her mind.

Giving the donations to the principal (far left) and one of the teachers (far right) at the very small school

By this time it was midafternoon and me and Tiffany had still not eaten lunch, so Rolando and Noemi (his partner from the Interchange Institute) decided to take us out to eat. He offered to find somewhere that served traditional El Salvadorian food, but we told him that we were actually getting a little sick of it, and all we really wanted was greasy, American food. He was VERY kind and took us to the BIGGEST---which is a burger joint in El Salvador. It was great to finally get my burgers and fries fix, and on our way back to the Oasis Rolando realized that he was really tired and he needed some coffee, so we stopped at The Coffee Cup where we got coffee, hot chocolate and pie/cheesecake.

It was so great today to just be with Rolando and Tiffany because it was a lot slower paced, and we had more one-on-one interaction. Well I guess I shouldn’t say it was slower paced because Rolando is one quick little bugger. Everywhere we went he was walking fast, talking fast, eating fast, etc. He would also just randomly slam on the breaks, throw the truck into park, and say “Let’s go! I want to show you something!” We stopped at random bodegas, an art studio, a lookout on the volcano, his house (so he could show off his cool VW Beetle), etc.  He was very spontaneous and willing to just go with the flow. We even stopped three times on our way down the mountain to help some boys get to school faster.

The Palacio Municipal (it had art galleries, theater, etc.) One of our many random stops along the side of the road

Me and Rolando with his 'baby' (his car) 

It was really awesome talking to Rolando and learning from him because he had a lot of really great ideas about social work and that people often think that organizations are there to just give, give, give, but really we should focus on connecting people with resources to help them help themselves. Tiffany and I had a BLAST today, and I am really excited about learning more from Rolando tomorrow!

Day Twelve

Today was another awesome day. It was a little more relaxing just because we felt like we knew Rolando and Noemy a lot better, and we sort of knew what to expect with Rolando (but really you never know what to expect).

He told us a little bit about the women’s group that teaches sewing yesterday, but today we actually got to go to San Juan los Planes (an impoverished community on the volcano) and meet the people in the community and some of the women in the group. We stopped and talked to two different women in the group; Vanessa and Ofelia.  Vanessa let us in her house and she told us all about learning how to sew, and how much it has impacted her life.  Aside from the incredibly horrifying, 3ft tall rooster we encountered, it was amazing to see that the government is helping out women like Vanessa, because normally the only money she could make would be harvesting coffee beans a few months out of the year.

Vanessa and the shirts she made!

Tiffany's "Get that rooster away from me" face

After talking to Vanessa, we got back in the truck to head further up the Volcano to Ofelia’s house. This was quite the adventure. To get to her house you had to drive up a ‘road’ (more like a skinny path) that was extremely bumpy and treacherous, not meant for Rolando’s little truck. But after lots of bumping up and down and laughing really hard, we made it to her house and were able to hear how the women’s group has influenced her. She told us that it didn’t just help her individually, but it really helped San Juan Los Planes create a better sense of community, and it also gave her a lot more friends and connections. Because they all live so spread out, it is difficult for them to have ‘friends’ or ‘girl time’ because normally they are working or caring for their familes all day; but this sewing class gives them a time to get together in the community center, talk, learn and make friends! It was so great to see that one little project that was focused on just sewing at first had SO many effects that they didn’t even plan on (lots of money for the women, sense of community, friendship, new connections).

It was so impressive to hear how much work Ofelia has put into this women’s group. She has POLIO and she used to walk a mile down the volcano five times a week to teach these women! Now it is down to 2 or 3 times a week, but still! It was hard for her to even walk around her house, I can’t imagine how painful it is for her. It really shows her commitment to the group, and commitment to LEARNING. She loves being able to teach these women a skill because then they can be successful and teach more women, and the cycle will continue.

Ofelia and her diplomas!

Ofelia showing us how she sews the skirts

Ofelia's Nephew

Of course we picked up lots of people on the way down the volcano!

Before we left the volcano Rolando took us to El Boqueron; the mouth of the volcano where it previously erupted. I didn’t want to brag to any of the other girls on the trip because I knew that everyone wanted to go…..but Tiffany and I were pretty excited!  Rolando, Noemy, Tiffany and I parked the truck and started our hike up the volcano. It was SO foggy today that you could barely even see in front of you! Walking through the trees on the way up the volcano was amazing; it was a little eerie but it was beautiful.

When we got to the top it was so foggy that we couldn’t see any part of the crater; we were literally in the clouds. Rolando, being his easy going self, just sits down on the bench and says, “Oh, just wait 10 minutes,” and Tiffany and I just rolled our eyes. But sure enough, 10 minutes later it was clear and we could see the whole thing. It was great just to take an hour out of our day to sit and wonder at the beauty, and have sometime to just think!

For the end of our day we got to sit down and chat with Pati, Manuel and Richard who are three students from the volcano who are currently attending the University of Central America. It was so awesome to hear their individual stories about how bad the schools were on the volcano, and how unprepared they were; but they all worked really  hard to get the scholarships, and now they are all the first ones in their individual families to go to college! They are so excited and proud to be at the university and it makes me think about how much I take for granted. I hate that in the United States it is assumed that high school students will go to college because we don’t treasure it at all; we forget how lucky we are to be accepted or to get a degree. In the US, you now need to get a masters or PhD to impress people. I also think about how accessible it is for us in the U.S., and almost anyone can go with the right grades, but these kids who go to the UCA feel like they had their dreams come true by going there.

Rolando, Richard, Manuel, Pati, Tiffany, Myself

Over the last two days I learned a lot by working and talking with Rolando. He was so kind to everyone we met, and was always willing to lend a helping hand. I was really impressed with how natural it was for him to help someone, and how he didn’t care if it made us late our not. It really showed me that if I don’t stop to look for great opportunities then I’m never going to find them! I plan out so much of my day that I don’t even ALLOW for spontaneous or unexpected things to happen, because I always have control of my time. I am so glad I was placed with Rolando and I’m sure that it was God’s doing, because he was exactly what I needed to get me excited about helping, and able to loosen up a little bit before I head home! =) 

Day Ten

Even though we only went to one place today, I think I learned more about myself today than most days.

Today we went to the Jabali Coffee Cooperation which was very different than the other organizations we have visited. It was a long bus ride up the VERY bumpy mountain, but our lovely driver Enrique (kique) got us there safely! Like I’ve mentioned many times before, people in El Salvador are SO creative and it surprises me every time! Even though they only created this co-op because of a governmental decree, they were one of the only co-ops that actually survived and is thriving. In a last ditch effort to prevent a civil war in the late 70s, the El Salvadorian government decided to create 'co-ops' on farms instead of only owned by one boss, but they had to pay for it. In 1978 the Patron (boss) of the Jabali farm told the workers that if they didn't start running the farm, then the government would, so it became their responsibility to run and operate it, even though they had no experience doing that. This farm, unlike many, made enough money that they could pay off the farm and stop all government intervention, so they could run it how they wanted to, and it was successful. There are 146 'associates' that are members of the co-op, and they all work together equally for the farm. I thought this was interesting because there are not very many places in the United States where people work together for a common goal, but rather people just work to benefit themselves.

They made coffee for everyone EXACTLY how they wanted it!

It was clear that this coffee co-op is pretty important and influential because even though there are only 146 members, they each have spouses and children, so overall the co-op influences and supports around 2,000 people! When the president spoke, it was obvious to me that he, and the other workers, really cared about the co-op and saw it as much more than a job too, since it was so influential. He even said that in the years where prices were really low, he had to go without a salary in order to keep the farm afloat, but it was worth it because it supports so many people! It is rare that you find people who are so generous like that, most people just want what is ‘rightfully theirs’ because he worked just as hard that year, but had to give up the money for the sake of the farm. A lot of the people, like the men today, have impressed me greatly in El Salvador. So many of the people I’ve met are kind (even though I’m a stranger), compassionate, giving and selfless. It seems to me that the poorer the area, the more helpful and supportive people are because they have had to learn how to deal with certain issues, and learn not to take things for granted like wealthier people do. For instance, even though we had just arrived at the Jabali, the men said to us, “Feel free to stay all day today, tomorrow, or come whenever you like! This is your home now and you are always welcome!” Who says that to strangers?? I have never seen anything like this before in my entire life! People are so REAL and GENUINE here, it really makes me step back and look at how I treat strangers or new friends.

Packaging our own coffee after lunch!

On a tour of the coffee plants

The bugs were REALLY bad today--> Jen was prepared to fight

The other MAJOR thing I learned today was patience, and being flexible. At home I am notorious for scheduling my daily activities down to the minute, and I rarely stray from my plans. So I was very happy when we got to El Salvador and we had an itinerary that had each hour of the day planned out! So today the itinerary said we were going to leave at 2pm, but eventually 2pm rolled around and we had still not taken a tour. Then it was 3pm…then 4pm…..and even though we were scheduled to be home early at 4:30 pm, we were still sitting in the middle of a thunderstorm waiting for our coffee to roast up in the mountains somewhere. I quickly found myself getting annoyed, because when I make plans I need to stick to them, and the unknown makes me uncomfortable. But then I started to realize that this was good for me, because people at home always tell me to loosen up, and be more spontaneous, so I realized that maybe I just need to sit back and think that maybe something good will come out of it! So when I got home I decided to read my devotional, because I knew that I needed to think about this problem more, and of course it applied perfectly. This is what it said, 

“These problems are not random mistakes; they are hand-tailored blessings designed for your benefit and growth. Embrace all the circumstances that I allow in your life, trusting me to bring good out of them. View problems as opportunities to rely more fully on Me. When you start to feel stressed, let those feelings alert you to your need for Me. Thus, your needs become doorways to deep dependence on Me and increasing intimacy between us. Although self-sufficiency is acclaimed in the world, reliance on Me produces abundant living in My kingdom. Thank Me for the difficulties in your life, since they provide protection from the idolatry of self-reliance” 

 Oh baby did that make me think. I've never thought of my planning and to-do lists as idolatry before, but when I think about it, I am SO obsessed with having control over my life and my actions that I forget to stop and think about what I'm actually doing! I definitely need to remember this more, and El Salvador has helped me realize this. I am always so worried about doing things the right way, at the right time, but maybe I don’t know the right time or the right way to do something; sometimes I need to just sit back and let God decide.

Day 10: Unexpected, frustrating, eye opening. Successful 

Day Nine

I can't believe it is day 9 already! I only have 4 1/2 days left here, and one of those is a beach day, so it is going to go FAST!
Because this weekend was very full and busy, we took it a little slower today and only visited one organization. Today we went to El Espino, which is a juvenile detention center in El Salvador that holds around 100 boys ranging from 14-21 years old. All of them are members of the '18' gang, but they had to be divided because the 18 gang split this past year, and it was dangerous to let them all be in together. These boys are in for various reasons like theft, murder, arson, assault and kidnapping.

I was quite nervous before we went in because even though I really like working with children and youth, it was a little intimidating knowing that they were all members of a gang, and had grown up around such violence. I knew that our professors wouldn't take us somewhere if we weren't safe, but it was still a little nerve wracking  Once we got into the detention center we made our way through the three separate sectors, and we had a little more than 15 minutes in each one to talk to the boys about their lives, the center, and what they want to do afterwards.

Since I am a 'spanish speaker' in the group, I was off on my own trying to translate what the boys were saying, and communicating our questions to them. It was a little difficult at first because I have learned 'perfect, textbook spanish' not child, slang spanish, so it was sometimes hard to understand them. But after awhile it got easier and easier, and it was really interesting to hear what they had to say.

In the first sector, Jane and I spoke with a boy named Rene. At first he seemed a little reluctant, but once we started asking questions, he would go on and on and barely even give me time to translate to Jane! Even though it was frustrating at first, I stopped to listen to what he was saying and it was amazing. Here was this boy, tattoos and all, who was very soft spoken, kind, and when he smiled you could see it in his eyes. He talked about how he knows that he made mistakes before, but he is paying the price for them, and now that he has had time (only 2 months so far) to reflect on his life and future, he has decided that when he gets out he wants to change for the better, get a job and leave the gang life. He talked about the dangers out on the street, and he said that he actually felt safer inside the detention center because it is so easy to get into trouble or get hurt when you are on the streets. It was very apparent when he spoke that he was being very honest with us, and that he was excited about starting a new life. While he was talking, even though Jane doesn't understand Spanish, she started to cry because she said she could just TELL that he had a beautiful soul, and a kind heart, and it was radiating when he spoke to us. I felt the same way; and it made me think about how easily we judge people because of their past, their looks, or who they associate with. I realized how important it is to just stop, and get to know someone before jumping to any conclusions, or making any judgements about their character.

Each sector at the detention center was a little different than the other. In the second sector, there were a LOT more boys, and they were much more interested and talkative. They came right towards us and formed circles around us talking and asking lots of questions. I ended up being by myself and eventually just talking one on one with a boy named Juan, who was excited that we came because he said they almost never get visitors, and he was really interested in learning more about me, the United States, and even asked me in Spanish, "so what have you learned so far on your trip to El Salvador, what have you learned about yourself?" I was a little taken back, and wasn't sure quite what to say to him, but that got us talking about how there are unique, different cultures even within El Salvador from the city to the countryside, and I talked about the importance of being competent and understanding different cultures because there are so many people in the United States who view "hispanics" as one culture, when they are really all so unique and have unique histories and tragedies as well.

After the detention center we were able to go to the artisan market and go shopping for awhile, as well as visit a famous Salvadorian artist's collection. It was nice to have the afternoon off and be able to do a little shopping =)

Beautiful, bright market

Comparing everything we  bought!

Lookout over the city

San Salvador

I am getting to the point now where I feel very comfortable here; the heat is less bothersome, and I'm eating food that I would normally REFUSE to eat at home (my mom can vouch for that). Even though I am missing my friends and family, it is going to be hard to adjust BACK to life in Michigan, because I have grown to know and love many of the aspects of El Salvador. I'm definitely going to miss walking by complete strangers who say, "Hola! Buenos dias!" with a smile....whereas in Grand Rapids you are lucky if people even make eye contact with you when you walk by because they are so busy texting, talking on the phone, or just plain uncomfortable. I am also loving getting to know the girls on this trip, and learning more and more about each one because we all have such unique backgrounds and goals, but yet we all get along so well.

Day 9: Scary, surprising, pulling at the heartstrings. Success.

Days 6-8

Ooooh baby does it feel GOOD to be back at the Casa Oasis! It truly feels like home. We spent this weekend up in the mountains of Santa Marta which is in Cabañas, El Salvador, and it was quite the stretch for most of us.

Before we left for Santa Marta on Friday morning we all went downstairs in the Oasis to hear Damian (the owner of the Oasis) give us his testimony about his life and experience during the war. Damian is an extremely soft spoken, kind man, and you would never believe that he has experienced some of these things. It was so inspiring to hear how passionate he was about the cause of standing up for peoples’ rights and how creative he had to be. Before the civil war started, the Military had been running the country for about 50 years and Damian said, “If it was bad when the Military was running things, it was even worse when the resistance/war started.” Soldiers would take human bodies and put them through a cow meat processor, then throw the pieces into the street to scare people. They would also do things like cut open a pregnant woman’s belly, take the baby out, then cut off the woman’s head and put it inside her open stomach to ‘prove their point.’ Damian decided to participate in various strikes and join the guerillas in various activities against the government like radio broadcasts, anti-government graffiti, etc. He was captured and put in jail multiple times, but was always very lucky and was released.  It really made me think about how dangerous it was during the war and how easily he could have been killed, but like many people have said so far, they are willing to die for the cause. At the end of the war, the FMLN (the people’s party) wanted to prove that they didn’t want violence, so they destroyed all of their weapons (instead of keeping them or even giving them away). They even made a memorial with the pieces of various weapons called “Cries of Peace” in El Salvador.

After talking with Damian about his experiences, we loaded up the bus and drove a couple hours out to the countryside to Santa Marta. When we got to Victoria, the nearby town that has Radio Victoria, (the radio station run by Cristina that is speaking out against gold mining in their town), we were given the choice to either ride the bus to Santa Marta or to hike over the mountain; many of us decided to hike. We were told it was about an hour, but I’m pretty sure it was closer to two hours. It wasn’t a strenuous or exhausting hike, but you definitely had to watch your step the whole way because the hills were very steep and lined with loose rock. But any chance we got we had to stop and look up because we were surrounded by beauty. The hills were so green, the trees were so full, and the sky was so clear. It was a beautiful, hot, sunny day, and by the time we made it to Santa Marta we were very hot and tired.

So pretty!

Brittani, Reba, Alisha, Me

After resting up and eating a wonderful dinner at Aida’s house, we were put into pairs and ‘picked up’ by our new host families who took us back to their homes for the night. I was with Laina and we were picked up by Julia, our new mom for the weekend. Julia is probably in her early 70s, but she also had her daughter, Antolina, and her granddaughter, Kati, there when we arrived. Since Laina does not speak any Spanish it was pretty much up to me to translate and communicate for the weekend. Julia was pretty hard for me to understand because she was older and talked really fast, but her granddaughter was MUCH easier to understand, so we stayed up for a few hours talking to Kati about school, hobbies and her life in Santa Marta. When I asked Julia about how she liked Santa Marta, she told me that they were actually forced to live there because of certain events, but she said “You get used to anything.”  At this point we were VERY tired from a long bus ride and long hike, so we made our way to our very large room that Julia prepared for us and we went to bed. Unfortunately my mind was still running at full speed and I was a little worried about bugs (being in the countryside) so I did not get a very good night’s sleep, and we had to get up at 7am on Saturday.

I was very thankful, though, when we all met back at Aida’s house in the morning and swapped stories about our host families and found out that we were the only ones with a real toilet that flushed, a ‘shower’ that actually had four walls of concrete, and a very private, large room (that had MINIMAL insect activity). 

Me and Laina's Bedroom

Our beautiful, LARGE house

Pantera----Julia's dog

After breakfast we walked up the road with Walter, who took an hour or so to explain the history of Santa Marta and talk about how they were directly affected by the war. He told some pretty gruesome stories, and how so many people’s homes were invaded, how people were held at gunpoint, and many had to flee to Honduras (which is actually fairly close to Santa Marta). It was really impressive, though, to hear stories about how this little town came together and organized to do the best they could to fight off the military and save their people. Walter was part of the guerrillas who fought off the soldiers and stood guard while families crossed the river to flee. He  also showed us a place in the dirt where there was previously a cave cut into the side of a hill that was made into a secret hospital for the guerrillas, and they covered it up by building a house in front of it with a secret door to the hospital (sort of reminds me of Anne Frank!).  Even though they had a lot of success for such a small community, they saw a lot of death, and many of their houses were burned down to the ground in the military’s “Scorched Earth” operation. It was crazy to hear that all of this destruction and death happened less than 20 years ago, and now the community has rebuilt itself and organized itself to be very independent.

Secret door into the hospital that is now filled in

The people of Santa Marta don’t have paid jobs, but they all have roles in the community. Some are teachers, some are builders, some are bakers, etc. They have a very slow paced life in the country, but they all work very hard. It was so different than where we have been in the city. For example, when we were sitting at Aida’s house near the road, we saw a large bus full of people approach and there was a woman hanging out the window trying to talk to someone on the side of the road, so the bus driver stopped the bus for a minute so they could talk and say what they needed to say; that would NEVER happen in the United States because everything is about time and money so the faster the better! It was really awesome to get to experience a slower pace where we hardly ever even knew what time it was! (As opposed to me checking my cell phone every 5 minutes to check the time and to see if I have any texts or missed calls).

Saturday afternoon we also went down to the river for an hour or so with gloves and trash bags to help clean up the river. Even though the river is very dirty and full of trash, this is the water that people use to wash clothes, bathe, etc. It is very important to them, so we spent some time trying to clean it up. This was definitely not my favorite thing in the world, and my shoes and my body were very dirty and smelly by the end, but it didn’t matter because I knew that it would ultimately help the people in Santa Marta, and they were all very grateful.

Laina took this lovely picture of me dying of heat after the river clean up

Our last stop of the day was in the women’s bakery in Santa Marta. This is a bakery that is entirely run and operated by women who are part of an organization that is working to improve the treatment of women and women’s rights in El Salvador. Even though most attempts to set up bakeries like this in other places have failed, this particular one in Santa Marta has been very successful, mostly in part to Regina—a very organized and determined woman. It was really great to see such strong and independent women because a lot of what I have seen in El Salvador is “machisimo” and male dominance, so it was good to see women doing something to improve their situation and being successful! At first it was hard for the men in their community because they thought women’s rights would lead to divorce and women leaving their families, but with its success they have realized that the women are happier and stronger because of it!

For the rest of the time at Santa Marta we all shared lots of funny and sometimes scary experiences. For instance, most of the bathrooms in Santa Marta are outhouses that have plastic bowls as toilets, and many are filled with bugs crawling around them. Most of the houses don’t have showers, they just have buckets of water and the people stand right out in the front yards and bathe. There were lots of girls from the group who came back with horror stories of HUGE spiders, geckos and cockroaches in/on the toilets. I guess I was pretty lucky because I didn’t have any bug problems at my house, and the second night I slept much better!

The countryside was definitely out of everyone’s comfort zone, but I feel like even though I didn’t love it, I could get used to anything. Even though their lives are a lot harder than ours there are a lot of plus sides to living like they do. It is very communal so everyone supports each other and you know that you have someone to help you in a time of need. Plus, most families live very close to each other, so in the afternoons and evening it is common to see three or four generations of families hanging out and/or laying in hammocks and talking together! It is a much slower way a life, but it works.

We were able to end the weekend by heading into Victoria and we all got to sit and talk on the radio about our experience in Santa Marta and thank our families for letting us stay in their homes. It was pretty cool to be on live radio, and to be able to tell people that we stand behind them and the radio, and we denounced all of the threats that are coming in. We all promised that when we get back to the US we will make people aware of the problems that they are experiencing, and we already have names and emails of people to contact in order to make sure that Radio Victoria is safe and can continue broadcasting their news. They are really a means of communication for the town because hardly anyone has a phone or a way to contact people from neighboring cities, so the people at Radio Victoria let people make announcements or just simply speak their mind. It was awesome to see a bunch of young guys studying and working so hard at the Radio; you could tell that they were really excited about what they were doing and they were happy that we can now go and spread the word!

Talking on the radio!

Now that we are back at the Oasis we are ALL very thankful for things like soft beds, clean sheets, no bugs, good food, and wireless internet. My roommate Jen and I keep finding ourselves complaining, and then we correct ourselves because we know that it could be worse! So tonight at one point we were rolling on our beds laughing and crying because it kept happening! Here are some of the things that were said….

Jen: UGH it was so awful!

Leah: At least you have a leg!  (we saw a man with no leg crutching around Santa Marta)

Leah: Why do they always unplug the alarm clock? I have to reset it EVERYDAY!

Jen: At least you have an alarm clock

Jen: Man! we have these thick embroidered blankets instead of cool sheets?

Leah: really, Jen?

Jen: Man it’s hot in here I wish there was a breeze...

Leah gives Jen a look…..

Jen: NEVERMIND!! Please don’t send me back! (as she curls up in her bed like a baby) 

Days 6,7,8: hard, dirty, caring, kind. Successful.

Day Five

Well today definitely had a different vibe than all of the other days. It was extremely informational, but very emotional as well.

We started off the day by going to the compound and place where Monseñor Romero died. As I talked about a little before, Monseñor Romero was an Archbishop in El Salvador who stood up for the poor, refused to live in wealth, and did whatever he could to help, even though it may be unpopular. He was assassinated on March 24, 1980 while giving a sermon at his church. We were able to visit this church and see exactly where he was standing when he was shot, the house he lived in, and the clothes he was wearing. Before I came on this trip I knew very little about Monseñor Romero, and had only heard about him because of my preparation for this trip, but I was completely unaware of the significance he holds in El Salvador. Romero’s pictures are literally everywhere. Before his death, he was aware of the dangers of speaking out against injustice, and was preparing for violence, and he announced that if he were to be killed that he would one day be resurrected in the people of El Salvador; and that is definitely true. Even though he is not a canonized saint, the people of El Salvador recognize him as a saint, pray to him, and he is the face hope and change for the people here. It made me feel sad, that in the United States we didn’t know anything about this man who was SO influential in El Salvador, that almost every house and every organization has at least one picture of him hung up. It was very sad and emotional to be able to stand in the exact same spot that he was standingin when he was killed, but it was also important to learn about what he stood for so that we can better understand the spirit of the people here.

Church where Monsenor Romero was assassinated 

Romero's view when he was killed

Beautiful mural that shows the struggles of the El Salvadorian people, their hope with Romero, and their fight against the oppressors (government, rich and the church who pretend that their problems do not exist)

Monsenor Romero

These are plaques that people have made in gratefulness to Monsenor Romero because they believe he is a saint, even though he hasn't been canonized by the pope, and they pray to him for miracles, so each one of these tablets is an answered miracle.

Next, we got in the bus and headed over to a beautiful park to see the memorial that is called the Wall of Memory and Truth. This is a memorial that has all of the names of the people who disappeared, died or were murdered during the civil war era in El Salvador. The memorial was huge; which  made me realize just how many people were affected by the violence, and how many more peoples' names aren't even on the wall because they were never discovered. It was very sobering to read the names and think of the families who had to deal with their losses. 

After this, we headed over to Cristina’s house to discuss our economic exercise in the market from Monday, and address some other El Salvadorian issues that are extremely important right now. When we talked about our exercise at the market, Dr. G told us that the average minimum wage here (it depends what type of job you have) is $1, whereas ours is $7.40, so you can basically multiple the prices of everything here by 7.4 to see how expensive things are here for the people of El Salvador.  For instance, gas here is $4.80/gallon, which I thought was expensive for us, but when you realize that they make 7 times less than Americans who make minimum wage, it is like if we had to pay $35.5/gallon! Another example; eggs here cost $1 for a dozen, but since they only make $1 an hour, that is as if eggs cost us $7.40 for a dozen! It was extremely eye-opening to think about how little they make in contrast to how surprisingly expensive things are down here.

After we discussed the economic exercise, we had to sit down and talk with Cristina about the radio station she runs called Radio Victoria. Cristina has been our guide for this trip, but she also does a lot of work with different organizations, mostly organizations (like the radio) that focus on change and getting the message out. Recently, the radio station has been speaking out against the gold mining controversy in Santa Marta (where we are traveling to this weekend); where a Canadian gold mining company is trying to exploit the land for gold, which would ultimately ruin their water systems and all of their land. Because the radio is speaking out against this, multiple employees have received death threats, and someone even made a threat against the three year old daughter of one of the women. At first we were a little worried about traveling there this weekend, but our professors told us that it is good for us to go because we are showing that there is support behind the radio, and if Americans go and visit the radio then it is less likely anyone will be hurt. Tomorrow we will be driving a few hours to the Radio, then hiking over a mountain to the town of Santa Marta where we will stay with our host families! I am excited!

Talking at Cristina's house

Next, we got to go just down the street from Cristina and eat lunch at her friend Beatrice’s house. Beatrice is a very poor woman, who is trying to put her daughter through school, and makes money by selling embroidered bags and shirts. She made us an amazing bean soup (with lots of vegetables I didn’t know), and we were able to buy a few things from her to support her. It was good for us to be able to see an average home in El Salvador, and see what people live like every day. 

Bean Soup

 Our final stop for the day was at UCA—the University of Central America. When we arrived, we were aware that we would be speaking with a Jesuit priest/Theology professor at the University, but we were unaware of the intense experience we were about to have.  He sat down and talked to our group for about an hour about El Salvador's current condition, the United State's relationship with El Sal., and he also talked about a few very significant events in El Salvador's history that pertain to the church. One very specific event was when six Jesuit Priests were murdered in 1989 because of their work, service to the poor and acts of social change. Clearly the government did not like their focus on liberation theology; so on November 16, 1989, a group from the El Salvador army was ordered to come to the UCA campus and kill these men, and kill any witnesses. In all, they killed the six Jesuit priests, along with Elba and Celia Ramos (a mother and daughter who were staying on the campus because they thought it would be safer than the city). They were taken out to a grassy area behind the main building, and shot in the head with explosive bullets that literally blew their brains out. They then continued to go inside the building and destroy what they could to make it look like the guerillas did it. After Father Dean told us about this event, we were able to walk around the museum of artifacts, including very gruesome pictures that the university has, and it was extremely hard to take in. These men, like Monsenor Romero, were doing good works, fighting on behalf of the poor and the forgotten, and working towards change; but they were killed for it. It took awhile for the story to really sink in until we finished our tour and I was able to go sit in the chapel alone. I realized that this is only ONE story of MANY people who were tortured and killed throughout the horrors of the civil war in El Salvador, and many people are still living with the sadness. It also made me think how sheltered I am from this type of pain and how easy my life has been up until this point. It also made me really think about what Father Dean said in his presentation to us. When talking about the stories and the people of El Salvador he said, "Let them break your heart, love them, and return home ruined." Even though the word 'ruined' has such a bad connotation, in this context it really means that I SHOULD be heartbroken, I SHOULD be sad, because there were and are terrible things happening in El Salvador that no one seems to recognize or ever talk about. Even though it was terribly depressing today, it made me realize just how important this trip is for me, my future work, and for those who I can share my story with. I now know that I needed to go on this trip in order to learn about things like this, for those who are at home and were not able to have this experience. 

Classroom at the UCA (note: pictures of Monsenor Romero all over)

This is a rose planted in the rose garden in the exact spot where the six Jesuit priests were murdered

Day 5: Humbling, disgusting, awakening. Success.

Day Four

Time is going too fast! My trip is 1/3 of the way done! But I have nothing to complain about because every day has been awesome...and each is better than the next. 

Today was simply fantastic, it was warm, beautiful, funny, thought-provoking and inspiring. I was a little mixed up on what we were doing today; instead of going to the detention center to talk with gang members we actually went to an organization that works with gangs, but we are going to the detention center on Monday. The organization we went to is called Equipo Nahual (Team Nahual--Nahual comes from the mayan tradition of believing that every person is made up of the physical person and the spiritual person which is represented as an animal and that is the persons 'nahual').  The director, Wilson, talked to us about the two main gangs in El Salvador, MS-13 and 18. He gave us a very detailed history of how the gangs actually started in Los Angeles when El Salvadorians moved to the US after the civil war, and came into conflict with people there who were latinos that were born in the US. The El Salvadorians started MS-13 and the Mexican/Latinos started 18. They are now all over the United States, Central America and even now in Europe. I've actually done a decent amount of research and projects on different gangs and all we hear is negative news or we hear about really strict laws that try to separate gangs and put members in jail; but for some reason they never work. Wilson has built trust with different gangs and their members, and after working with the individuals he realized that the problem is not the gang itself, but rather the violence that stems from the gangs. So his idea is to be able to keep people in gangs, but increase their focus on themselves so that they are not dependent on the gang and therefore they will not resort to violence. I have only been here for four days but I have already seen and heard such innovative and creative ways to deal with common issues like this. This is something that I never thought about before, but when I heard Wilson say it, it made so much sense! We don't need to take people out of the gangs, we need to take violence out of the gangs!

After our talk with Wilson, we got back in the bus and headed to Suchitoto, a cute little town deep in a valley where it is very hot. We went to the Centro Arte para la Paz (Art Center for Peace). After we ate lunch there, we met up with Sister Peggy, and local nun who is originally from New Jersey and is 72 years young. She is the most vibrant, enthusiastic, passionate woman I have ever met! She told us a little bit about Suchitoto and its violent history during the Civil War. The town was really hurt by the violence and struggled to recover when the war was over. In 1986, Sister Peggy bought an abandonded building and, along with other nuns, she turned it into a beautiful place of peace for the people of Suchitoto. It now functions as an art display, a museum (created by high school children), a school, a hostel for visitors, and a place to pray. They have created an oasis away from all of the craziness where people can forget their worries and concentrate on what matters. She has a bachelors, masters and PhD., and she is currently a professor for students who study abroad, and she teaches Liberation Theology. When she was explaining liberation theology to us she talked about how with many things, like the Bible, we shouldn’t always take things literally, but we should take them seriously. Sometimes people get so wrapped up in being ‘correct’ or ‘right’ all the time because our worlds are so  black and white, but she reminded us that sometimes our truth will be different than someone else’s truth because we have had different lives and experiences than everyone else.

She was very interesting to listen to because I expected her, as a nun, to be quiet and quote scripture, but instead she swore multiple times during her presentation, and had quite radical ideals for a Catholic. There are a few quotes that I wrote down because they were either inspiring…or just funny that a nun said them.

“When you mess up in a dance you don’t say “Oh Shit” and run off the stage, you keep going…nothing is perfect.”

“Hope isn’t being optimistic; it’s living through the darkness and knowing there will be light.”

“Your trip to El Salvador is like a low grade herpes virus….it’s going to last forever.”

After we left Sister Peggy we had a few hours to walk around the town of Suchitoto, do some shopping, and get some ice cream! The town was VERY different than the other places we have been in El Salvador. It was very quiet, there was little traffic, and very clean (no garbage on the side of the road). It was such a cute little town, and it had spectacular views of a volcano and volcanic lake. About a half-hour before we had to leave my friend Shannon and I were standing in the town square and a few school girls came up and asked us for our picture and started talking to us. Luckily both of us speak Spanish so we were able to talk for quite awhile. They were very interested in where we were from, what Michigan is like, and why we were in El Salvador. Not much later, we saw more and more students and eventually we, along with our other group members, were surrounded by about 50 students who were snapping pictures, yelling questions, and just overall really excited to see some white girls =)  We found out that they were on a school ‘tourism field trip’ and right before they left they all got up on the fountain and sang their school song for us! It was SO much fun to be able to communicate with the different teens and it reminded me why I am studying Social Work and Spanish. It is so rewarding to be able to communicate with them because they have such a different outlook on life than many adults in El Salvador. They are so optimistic about everything and they have so many questions for us (plus they think that Brittani is a moviestar because she is blonde). It makes me really excited to work with the refugees next year at Bethany!!

Women's Co-op in Suchitoto

Schoolyard boys in Suchitoto--they really wanted their picture taken!

beautiful city

Church in Suchitoto

School kids that sang for us

Drive home to the San Salvador

Today was so awesome, it was a little more relaxing than the first couple days, and it was nice to get a refresher in my body and in my faith. We had a lot of good talks about God today and what it means to really be a Christian. It is not how many times you go to church, or how much you tithe, but rather your actions and your relationship with God are what He really cares about. Sister Peggy really got me thinking about how so many of us think that God is just an ‘absent ruler’ like we are puppets and He is running things from Heaven, but really He is in and around everything, we just need to look for Him. I am glad that the girls in my group are open to talking about God and our relationships and I can tell that this is really going to push me to challenge my faith and help strengthen it as well.

Day 4: Refreshing, Inspiring. A success.