Volcano/Volcanic Rock
The cows kept getting in our way!
Trip up the mountain
When we got to the Nuevo Amanecer Project ("New Dawn") I was blow away. The whole ride up we barely saw any people or homes (maybe one or two) so I was thinking to myself, "who would want to live in such a secluded place so far away from the town, in a place that is so hard to get to!" but my question was answered right away. This was by far the most beautiful place I've ever been too. The air was the cleanest air I've ever breathed, and I immediately felt invigorated when we walked around. Nuevo Amanecer is an agricultural project that has a few families who live there and farm Balsam, Coffee, and lots of vegetables. They also have animals (chickens, rabbits, geese, cows), and have an Eco-tourism project (they have multiple themed cabins where tourists can come and stay---only $20 a night which includes the cabin and every meal of the day!). At first I thought it was just a farm, but then our host at the project told us that they started the project in order to raise money that they could send to orphans and children whose families were displaced or involved in the civil war. These individuals work extremely hard farming everyday and give 40% of the food and profits right to the children, and the other 60% is used to sustain the farm. I was so impressed that there are still people like that in the world who will give up their time and all of their energy, secluding themselves from a 'normal, city life' in order to save children.
Aside from telling us the history of their project and what they were all about, they took us around and showed us exactly how they extract Balsam from the trees by taking out part of the bark..inserting a rag...and heating it with a torch. They leave it there for a few weeks while it soaks up the balsam, then they boil the rags to extract it, and squeeze it out. It sells for about $6/lb. They also took us to where they roast and grind their coffee beans...it smelled so good! After walking around and learning a TON about farming, they made an amazing lunch of meat, potatoes and tomatoes for us. It was a nice break from tortillas and beans I must say...it felt like home! And it made me crave swiss steak and potatoes (hint hint mom).
At the top at Nuevo Amanecer!
Me and Brittani at the lookout
Me and Jen
One of the many dogs running around at Nuveo Amanecer..i just wanted to play with them all! They are very different than our dogs in the US, they are super calm and timid...nothing like Rosie.
They had these awesome end tables made out of tree trunks in all of the cabins...I thought my mom and dad would LOVE them. They were all so unique!
The guys showing us how they extract Balsam and make it into a liquid
Alex getting Balsam out of the tree
Around 1pm we left Nuevo Amanecer and made the ever-bumpy trip down the mountain (granted this time we all had full stomachs, so that didn't mix well), but we made it! Then we made our way over to a very poor community that is sort of in a valley, and we went to Maria Madre de Los Pobres to spend time with the Priest of the Parish in that community. I found out that the sister parish to this church is in Kalamazoo! And they are one of the parishes that supports this community! How cool! It was extremely different going from a very desolate, green, luscious place in the mountains to an EXTREMELY dense, impoverished area. The roads were extremely narrow, and there were houses made out of tin and aluminum packed in beside one another. When we got to the church we met Daniel, who is originally from Ohio but working in El Sal, and we met the priest. We were able to go and sit in a circle and talk to the priest about their church and the programs they carry out to try and reach the extremely poor in their area. They have mass every morning before people go to work, they have an open school for children, day care for younger kids, a gang/violence preventative program, and a program for the elderly in the afternoons (they do things like weaving, cooking and gymnastics for the elderly!). They also use some of the money from their sister parishes to establish scholarships for youth who do well in school, and it helps them go to college and get a degree so that they can better themselves.
Typical housing near Maria Madre de Los Pobres
Playing games
When we talked with their Pastor it was so inspiring to hear how he felt about the community, and how his faith in God drove him to help. Even though he is a smart man, and is aware of the dangers, he is so confident in God and trusting in Him that he is not afraid. One thing I noticed while we were all talking was that he said good afternoon to every single person that walked by and each person said it to him as well. He seems so connected with his community and it is easy to see that people really respect him and everything that he is doing for them. I have so much respect for the Pastor and other workers like Daniel because there are so many needs in that community, and they do a really good job of trying to address them through their various programs. That is a lot to take on as a church, but they are happy to do it.
Leaving Maria Madre de Los Pobres (after running through the pouring rain), I felt awakened and re-energized. It was great to hear someone talk about the presence and work of God in such a dangerous and poor community, and it was refreshing to be soaking wet and cold for a change =). Seeing the kids at Nuevo Amanecer and at Maria Madre made me very excited for our placements next week because I really want to work with kids or teens here in El Salvador; the kids are so innocent and kind, and always willing to talk. I can’t wait to use my Spanish and my new social work skills with these kids to see what I can learn from them, and hopefully use in my internship next year!
Overall today was a really eye-opening day and I know that tomorrow will be even MORE intriguing because we are going to work with prisoners and gang members! Woohoo!
Day 3: Beautiful and eye-opening.
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