Chris Wemp
Aidan Kelly
JoAnna Kyle
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Oops!
My apologies that this entry is so late! I do have an excuse…and that excuse is that desde Friday hasta Tuesday I did not have internet access, or access to any form of technology for that matter. This past weekend was my best so far. Going into it I felt pretty confident that living in the campo of Cedro wouldn’t be any more rustic than my winter term trip in January, but I was wrong. Delma’s family was made up of seven people—herself, her husband, Anher(13), Gisela(10), Renee(9), Xochil(7) and Avilena(5). She and her family graciously accepted me into their home, which was not bigger than a one-car garage. They had no electricity, running water or a trash/recycling system. They had a grill where Delma made tortillas and warmed beans every morning, and a barrel where rainwater gathered for drinking and washing dishes. Despite their situation, Delma’s family received me into their home with open arms. For two nights I shared a double bed with two of the daughters, covered in sweat and bugs. And I put off bathing until Sunday morning at 6am, where I just couldn’t bear my smell anymore--I “showered” with all the women in my family in the river that ran between the mountains. They could not get over how white my body was…
On top of spending lots of time playing mica(tag) with all of the neighborhood kids, I got in some quality time with my praxis partners who lived close by. Quentin stayed just 100yrds away at Delma’s cousins, and Chris stayed with the center’s gardener just down the mountain by the soccer cancha. We showed the children how to play cards and banagrams and Quentin tried to teach me how to play some songs on the guitar. We also played a lot of soccer…I did not as much as the boys because I did not feel completely comfortable since I was the only female within sight.
Classes have been going well—both my UCA classes and the computer/English classes at Cedro. I’m loving being both a student and a teacher…I really feel I could this for the majority of my life. It is such a blessing to have the opportunity. Some of my students are so bright and eager to learn. This week our theme is body parts…which has been so much fun! Classes have consisted of drawing the body, singing ‘head, shoulders, knees and toes’, side walk chalk, and a new game I learned here called ‘back to back’. I think I get a bigger kick out of all the games than even some of the kids!
In many ways, El Salvador is creating its own little space in my heart…from the people I’m meeting here and quickly loving, to the food, colors, language, simply way of life, and so much more. Combining what I’m learning and teaching here with Liberation Theology and my faith has also been so rewarding and life giving. I see God in everything…good and bad.
Sister Peggy quotes from my last Theology class…
“We have an infinite capacity to love, and to be loved. So when you’re in love, make love!”
“God’s love is ludicrous…it is beautifully impossible to understand.”
“Forgiveness is love. And who isn’t in need of healing?”
“The person who has the why to live, overcomes the how.”
On top of spending lots of time playing mica(tag) with all of the neighborhood kids, I got in some quality time with my praxis partners who lived close by. Quentin stayed just 100yrds away at Delma’s cousins, and Chris stayed with the center’s gardener just down the mountain by the soccer cancha. We showed the children how to play cards and banagrams and Quentin tried to teach me how to play some songs on the guitar. We also played a lot of soccer…I did not as much as the boys because I did not feel completely comfortable since I was the only female within sight.
Classes have been going well—both my UCA classes and the computer/English classes at Cedro. I’m loving being both a student and a teacher…I really feel I could this for the majority of my life. It is such a blessing to have the opportunity. Some of my students are so bright and eager to learn. This week our theme is body parts…which has been so much fun! Classes have consisted of drawing the body, singing ‘head, shoulders, knees and toes’, side walk chalk, and a new game I learned here called ‘back to back’. I think I get a bigger kick out of all the games than even some of the kids!
In many ways, El Salvador is creating its own little space in my heart…from the people I’m meeting here and quickly loving, to the food, colors, language, simply way of life, and so much more. Combining what I’m learning and teaching here with Liberation Theology and my faith has also been so rewarding and life giving. I see God in everything…good and bad.
Sister Peggy quotes from my last Theology class…
“We have an infinite capacity to love, and to be loved. So when you’re in love, make love!”
“God’s love is ludicrous…it is beautifully impossible to understand.”
“Forgiveness is love. And who isn’t in need of healing?”
“The person who has the why to live, overcomes the how.”
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Quick update...
Praxis has been going great…The tally for haircutting is now up to 16 after two days!!! SO MUCH HAIR. My two praxis partners and I can now dance typical Salvadoran folk dances…Quentin and I are especially good at the “baile de los novios” (boyfriend/girlfriend dance). This upcoming weekend we are going to be staying with a family in El Cedro. I am staying with a woman named Delma.
Something interesting that has been happening in El Salvador lately (not sure if it’s made the USA papers or not), is the gang problem. These past two days have been especially hectic and dangerous to drive (I have been worried at times), because the gangs have been issuing threats to the bus system. Last week the Salvadoran government made it illegal to belong to any gang (M13, or 18Salvatruchas), meaning that if they suspect you are simply in a gang, not doing anything illegal such as killing, stealing, etc, you can be put in jail. In reaction to this law, the gangs have “shut down” the bus system, paying off bus drivers, and burning buses. This hasn’t affected us directly in any way, it simply makes driving more difficult, and there is a huge increase in people walking around the city trying to make it to work. It has also canceled classes for children and adults of all ages. Most of our becarios have not had class for the past three days because their professors and classmates cannot make it to school. There is also increased police force and government officials on patrol…makes it interesting walking to get a chocobanana. Again, we are not at risk as long as we stay away from the buses. According to the newspapers and Trena and Kevin, all of the hype will hopefully die down in a few days.
Something interesting that has been happening in El Salvador lately (not sure if it’s made the USA papers or not), is the gang problem. These past two days have been especially hectic and dangerous to drive (I have been worried at times), because the gangs have been issuing threats to the bus system. Last week the Salvadoran government made it illegal to belong to any gang (M13, or 18Salvatruchas), meaning that if they suspect you are simply in a gang, not doing anything illegal such as killing, stealing, etc, you can be put in jail. In reaction to this law, the gangs have “shut down” the bus system, paying off bus drivers, and burning buses. This hasn’t affected us directly in any way, it simply makes driving more difficult, and there is a huge increase in people walking around the city trying to make it to work. It has also canceled classes for children and adults of all ages. Most of our becarios have not had class for the past three days because their professors and classmates cannot make it to school. There is also increased police force and government officials on patrol…makes it interesting walking to get a chocobanana. Again, we are not at risk as long as we stay away from the buses. According to the newspapers and Trena and Kevin, all of the hype will hopefully die down in a few days.
Puchica!
This past weekend was our first real free weekend(though really our third), after what still feels like two weeks of orientation. A few days ago it really hit me that I’m here for four months, and the honeymoon stage of orientation and first week butterflies is almost over. My roommate Michelle said to me Sunday evening, “Wow, this place is starting to feel like home.” I agree with her. But, back to our fun weekend! Friday morning started off as usual with my 8am Theology class with Sister Peggy (what we talked about in those three hours alone could be an entire blog entry in itself). After class we had our weekly community lunch at the Romero House, and then some headed off to History class in the afternoon. I, on the other hand, took advantage of not having class and spent the afternoon watching movies in our room with Michelle, who was running a fever because of a 24hr bug…not good. Everyone in our program but myself has been sick with either stomach issues or some sort of virus. I did have a strange reaction to something in Cedro last week, leaving me with hives for about 5 days, but I’d take that over bacteria and amoebas in my intestines any day!
That night was our first official meeting with all of the becario students (Salvadoran scholarship students). Up until that point I really only knew the two girls who live with us( Suzanna y Reina) and some of the other who live in the two other houses. Before sitting down to a delicious dinner of chicken tamales and fresh fruit, we played some “dinamica” games to get to know each other. I was paired with a boy named Salvador who also spoke a little French and is studying Education…what a small world was all I kept thinking. Following dinamica and dinner, one of the becarios picked up his guitar and began to play typical Salvadoran folk music. The female becarios then each grabbed a partner (me, being one of them) and began dancing. Ten songs later, the party died down and people started to leave. Though I was having a lot of fun, I was tired, sweaty, and wanting to get back to Michelle, who, after dinner wasn’t’ feeling well again. The goodbyes were quick, because all of us knew we’d see each other just hours later, the next morning.
I had no problem waking up early Saturday morning. Michelle thankfully was feeling better, so we both put on our bathing suits and layered ourselves with sunscreen, knowing that the sun here is so much stronger than at home. Outside of Silvia, there were two buses. One bus was quickly filling up with mostly Casa students, and initially I started for its door, but then I decided to sit on the other bus with the becarios. I knew I had made the right decicios when the bus driver BLASTED regaetone the entire way there, and all of the becarios sang and danced along.
Costa del Sol was even more beautiful than I remembered (I was there in January with DePauw). The black sand and hammocks were peacefully familiar and calling my name. The first two hours I spent in the water, though not very deep because the waves were the biggest I had ever seen. I also played three games of volleyball and two games of futbol with the becarios. Both of these left me extra sandy and exhausted. For lunch we all enjoyed grilled chicken, fresh vegetables, and of course rice and beans. Surprisingly we also were given dessert, vanilla icecream, which I haven’t had since I’ve been here. Following lunch, I took a nice long nap in the sun, which sadly at the end of the day left me with a nice sunburn, since I failed to reapply sunscreen.
We returned home to the casas, and all showered, then attempted to devise a plan for the open night we had ahead of us. Finally, we decided to go to a local bar, La Luna and check out the scene there. When we got there, we quickly figured out it was not going to be a typical bar night out in El Salvador, or at least not one we would expect. Going on at La Luna that night was, “Rock Night”. We saw two bands play different covers of The Rolling Stones, ACDC, Led Zepplin, etc. On top of already standing out as a blondeish haired, blue eyed, gringa, I was the only one wearing a color other than black in the bar that night…bright green and pink to be specific. Needless to say, after one Pilsner, and my watch read 11pm, I decided I needed to go home. It was quite the experience…
That night was our first official meeting with all of the becario students (Salvadoran scholarship students). Up until that point I really only knew the two girls who live with us( Suzanna y Reina) and some of the other who live in the two other houses. Before sitting down to a delicious dinner of chicken tamales and fresh fruit, we played some “dinamica” games to get to know each other. I was paired with a boy named Salvador who also spoke a little French and is studying Education…what a small world was all I kept thinking. Following dinamica and dinner, one of the becarios picked up his guitar and began to play typical Salvadoran folk music. The female becarios then each grabbed a partner (me, being one of them) and began dancing. Ten songs later, the party died down and people started to leave. Though I was having a lot of fun, I was tired, sweaty, and wanting to get back to Michelle, who, after dinner wasn’t’ feeling well again. The goodbyes were quick, because all of us knew we’d see each other just hours later, the next morning.
I had no problem waking up early Saturday morning. Michelle thankfully was feeling better, so we both put on our bathing suits and layered ourselves with sunscreen, knowing that the sun here is so much stronger than at home. Outside of Silvia, there were two buses. One bus was quickly filling up with mostly Casa students, and initially I started for its door, but then I decided to sit on the other bus with the becarios. I knew I had made the right decicios when the bus driver BLASTED regaetone the entire way there, and all of the becarios sang and danced along.
Costa del Sol was even more beautiful than I remembered (I was there in January with DePauw). The black sand and hammocks were peacefully familiar and calling my name. The first two hours I spent in the water, though not very deep because the waves were the biggest I had ever seen. I also played three games of volleyball and two games of futbol with the becarios. Both of these left me extra sandy and exhausted. For lunch we all enjoyed grilled chicken, fresh vegetables, and of course rice and beans. Surprisingly we also were given dessert, vanilla icecream, which I haven’t had since I’ve been here. Following lunch, I took a nice long nap in the sun, which sadly at the end of the day left me with a nice sunburn, since I failed to reapply sunscreen.
We returned home to the casas, and all showered, then attempted to devise a plan for the open night we had ahead of us. Finally, we decided to go to a local bar, La Luna and check out the scene there. When we got there, we quickly figured out it was not going to be a typical bar night out in El Salvador, or at least not one we would expect. Going on at La Luna that night was, “Rock Night”. We saw two bands play different covers of The Rolling Stones, ACDC, Led Zepplin, etc. On top of already standing out as a blondeish haired, blue eyed, gringa, I was the only one wearing a color other than black in the bar that night…bright green and pink to be specific. Needless to say, after one Pilsner, and my watch read 11pm, I decided I needed to go home. It was quite the experience…
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Primer dia de praxis
Primer dia de praxis—
This morning I woke up to the smell of chocolate chip pancakes. As I rolled out of bed, Michelle, my roommate, was just returning from the bathroom. “Get up silly! The CCs (community coordinators) made us breakfast!” she practically sings. Like every morning I slip on my flip-flops and head for the kitchen for my (first) cup of coffee of the day. As I enter the dining room, I am greeted by all of the students in the Casa! I feel like everyone has been up for hours, even though it’s only quarter to seven. “Can’t you tell Katy is a morning person,” Drew, one of my housemates, chuckles as he says this. “Haha,” I mumble in return and head straight for the kitchen, el café aromatico calling my name.
After a very enthusiastic breakfast in which the Backstreet Boys were included, we were finally on our way by seven thirty. Because our praxis site is not only the furthest away, but also in the opposite direction of the others, Quentin, Chris and I took a taxi. Salvador, our driver, chatted about his experiences in the war, the role of the United States, and even mentioned Russia. “Have you taken classes about the war?” he asked. “Yes, I am a Latin American History minor,” I respond. “We are all also taking the class here,” Quentin adds. “Que chivo,” says Salvador.
Our taxi ride was short-lived, and we arrived just fifteen minutes later to the convent in San Jacinto where Soeur Rosa, the Cedro director, greeted us with hugs and kisses. “Que maravilloso that you are finally here,” she says. She continued to give us a brief tour of the convent, adding specifically to me, that they can always use knew girls to practice. She continued to hint at this throughout the day.
The trip up the volcano towards Cedro was nothing short of interesting. Crammed into the back of a pickup while it is raining always makes a typically one hour ride feel like three. Not only did the rain make it difficult for our driver Joaquin to see, but also there were lots of mudslides, boulders, people, livestock and other vehicles to avoid on the narrow road.
We finally arrived to El Cedro where a crowd of a little over thirty children greeted us enthusiastically. “Bienvenidos!” they all sang, just as they had on Saturday. Soeur Rosa wasted no time in dismissing the kids to their classes, and taking us to the ‘sala de reuniones’, where the women of the community discuss the use of the center. There, she explained the different opportunities for how we were to spend our time in Cedro. Computer and English classes stood out to me, along with helping in the ‘comedor’. Following of brief meeting with Soeur, she hurried off to work in the kitchen and sent us in the general direction of the computer lab. We found the computer lab with little difficulty because it was the only classroom that had a lock on it. The room was also cooler than the others, with three fans blowing and the air conditioning on low. I went straight to the first desktop and removed the cover, and crushed off the thin layer of dust from the keyboard. I wondered to myself whether the machines had been touched since the last Casa students were there.
I familiarized myself with the dated pc and windows program, and just as I was finishing, a group of five children came in. Sergio was obviously the oldest, leading the timid pack into the room. “Quieren tomar clases de computadora,” I ask. “Si,” they respond simply, showing no obvious excitement. “Bueno, empezamos,” I said as I motioned toward the four working machines.
Computer classes went fairly smoothly. Chris took on a more advanced boy who wanted to learn more about Microsoft Word. Quentin helped two young boys who were just learning to type. I worked with two girls who also needed some typing tips.
By noon, I was starting to get very hungry, but before we could eat, Soeur told us, the children had to eat first. Every spoonful of rice and beans that I served to over one hundred children was painful because it smelled so good. I had to keep reminding myself that for some of these kids this would be their only meal of the day. I could wait another thirty minutes for my meal, which would not simply consist of rice and beans, but also fresh vegetables, coffee and a hard-boiled egg. Lunch was chaotic, but lots of fun. On more than one occasion, one of the little boys and girls came and gave me hugs and gracias for their meal. One girl in particular wanted to know if I could stay in Cedro with her forever.
After lunch most of the children cleared out of the center, many heading home to work, and the most fortunate back to school until quarter to five. Some children however stayed around. As I wrapped up my conversation over dishes with Soeur, I wandered out to the cement slab where I heard lots of laughing. Chris and Quentin had started a game of futbol with some of the local boys. All of them barefoot and having the time of their lives being pushed on the ground and dancing in circles when a teammate scored a goal. I decided to sit down next to Juana, the only girl watching the futbol match and show her pictures of my family. “Que bonita,” she kept saying in reference to my younger sister who is close to her age. As we sat there enjoying each other’s company, three other young girls approached us with as many flowers as they could each carry. One by one they proceeded as timidly to give me their bouquets. I had never seen so many different colors and textures. “Gracias!” I said and gave them all hugs.
Our day ended around three because we have such a long ride home. Not only did it take about an hour to get down the mountain, but also Soeur informed us that we would have some other passengers to stop and drop off on more than one occasion on the way. Two men with swinging machetes, a young male student, and a woman with her son sat in the bed of the truck as we fought the mud and rain once more.
Katy
Best meal I’ve had so far:
Pupusas de chorizo
Sliced avocado and onion
Pilsner
Chocobanana for dessert!!!!!!
“To be human, is to live out our deepest truth.”
This morning I woke up to the smell of chocolate chip pancakes. As I rolled out of bed, Michelle, my roommate, was just returning from the bathroom. “Get up silly! The CCs (community coordinators) made us breakfast!” she practically sings. Like every morning I slip on my flip-flops and head for the kitchen for my (first) cup of coffee of the day. As I enter the dining room, I am greeted by all of the students in the Casa! I feel like everyone has been up for hours, even though it’s only quarter to seven. “Can’t you tell Katy is a morning person,” Drew, one of my housemates, chuckles as he says this. “Haha,” I mumble in return and head straight for the kitchen, el café aromatico calling my name.
After a very enthusiastic breakfast in which the Backstreet Boys were included, we were finally on our way by seven thirty. Because our praxis site is not only the furthest away, but also in the opposite direction of the others, Quentin, Chris and I took a taxi. Salvador, our driver, chatted about his experiences in the war, the role of the United States, and even mentioned Russia. “Have you taken classes about the war?” he asked. “Yes, I am a Latin American History minor,” I respond. “We are all also taking the class here,” Quentin adds. “Que chivo,” says Salvador.
Our taxi ride was short-lived, and we arrived just fifteen minutes later to the convent in San Jacinto where Soeur Rosa, the Cedro director, greeted us with hugs and kisses. “Que maravilloso that you are finally here,” she says. She continued to give us a brief tour of the convent, adding specifically to me, that they can always use knew girls to practice. She continued to hint at this throughout the day.
The trip up the volcano towards Cedro was nothing short of interesting. Crammed into the back of a pickup while it is raining always makes a typically one hour ride feel like three. Not only did the rain make it difficult for our driver Joaquin to see, but also there were lots of mudslides, boulders, people, livestock and other vehicles to avoid on the narrow road.
We finally arrived to El Cedro where a crowd of a little over thirty children greeted us enthusiastically. “Bienvenidos!” they all sang, just as they had on Saturday. Soeur Rosa wasted no time in dismissing the kids to their classes, and taking us to the ‘sala de reuniones’, where the women of the community discuss the use of the center. There, she explained the different opportunities for how we were to spend our time in Cedro. Computer and English classes stood out to me, along with helping in the ‘comedor’. Following of brief meeting with Soeur, she hurried off to work in the kitchen and sent us in the general direction of the computer lab. We found the computer lab with little difficulty because it was the only classroom that had a lock on it. The room was also cooler than the others, with three fans blowing and the air conditioning on low. I went straight to the first desktop and removed the cover, and crushed off the thin layer of dust from the keyboard. I wondered to myself whether the machines had been touched since the last Casa students were there.
I familiarized myself with the dated pc and windows program, and just as I was finishing, a group of five children came in. Sergio was obviously the oldest, leading the timid pack into the room. “Quieren tomar clases de computadora,” I ask. “Si,” they respond simply, showing no obvious excitement. “Bueno, empezamos,” I said as I motioned toward the four working machines.
Computer classes went fairly smoothly. Chris took on a more advanced boy who wanted to learn more about Microsoft Word. Quentin helped two young boys who were just learning to type. I worked with two girls who also needed some typing tips.
By noon, I was starting to get very hungry, but before we could eat, Soeur told us, the children had to eat first. Every spoonful of rice and beans that I served to over one hundred children was painful because it smelled so good. I had to keep reminding myself that for some of these kids this would be their only meal of the day. I could wait another thirty minutes for my meal, which would not simply consist of rice and beans, but also fresh vegetables, coffee and a hard-boiled egg. Lunch was chaotic, but lots of fun. On more than one occasion, one of the little boys and girls came and gave me hugs and gracias for their meal. One girl in particular wanted to know if I could stay in Cedro with her forever.
After lunch most of the children cleared out of the center, many heading home to work, and the most fortunate back to school until quarter to five. Some children however stayed around. As I wrapped up my conversation over dishes with Soeur, I wandered out to the cement slab where I heard lots of laughing. Chris and Quentin had started a game of futbol with some of the local boys. All of them barefoot and having the time of their lives being pushed on the ground and dancing in circles when a teammate scored a goal. I decided to sit down next to Juana, the only girl watching the futbol match and show her pictures of my family. “Que bonita,” she kept saying in reference to my younger sister who is close to her age. As we sat there enjoying each other’s company, three other young girls approached us with as many flowers as they could each carry. One by one they proceeded as timidly to give me their bouquets. I had never seen so many different colors and textures. “Gracias!” I said and gave them all hugs.
Our day ended around three because we have such a long ride home. Not only did it take about an hour to get down the mountain, but also Soeur informed us that we would have some other passengers to stop and drop off on more than one occasion on the way. Two men with swinging machetes, a young male student, and a woman with her son sat in the bed of the truck as we fought the mud and rain once more.
Katy
Best meal I’ve had so far:
Pupusas de chorizo
Sliced avocado and onion
Pilsner
Chocobanana for dessert!!!!!!
“To be human, is to live out our deepest truth.”
Friday, August 27, 2010
Que chivo.
Buenas! Que emocionado comunicar con vos por la primera vez con el miraculo mundo de la red!
Hello everyone back home en los Estados Unidos! I’m sorry it has taken me so long to update my blog. It is amazing to think that I have been here for just over a week! I have seen so much, met so many people, tried lots of new things, and already experienced an abundance of growth. All that to say, I have had limited access to internet, as my parents can attest to (I’ve skyped with them twice now!), and my ‘binge’ facebook and email activity probably implies. However, that has changed in the last two days. I will now have consistent wifi access on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, because those are the days I have class at the Universidad CentroAmericana Jose Simeon Canas, which is about a 15 minute walk from Casa Silvia, where I live.
Well…where to start?
The Casa de la Solidaridad (solidarity) program has been wonderful so far. Kevin and Trena, the codirectors have really taken the time to allow us as a group to slowly get accustomed to El Salvador. Our first week we had an orientation of sorts…we played typical get-to-know-you games, shared meals together, and most importantly we traveled all over the country to the different praxis sites where each of us will be working two days per week. But, of course we have yet to see mine, which is actually happening tomorrow! I’m very excited about this because of all the amazing people we have met at the other sites. All of the sites are very different, some rural and others urban. Many of them have opportunities for working with children, and one specifically is for Salvadorans with special needs. I, along with two boys, both from Santa Clara, will be working in Canton El Cedro! I’ll know more about what we’re doing after tomorrow.
Besides the praxis site visits, we have just been spending time as a community. Already I feel very close to my roommate Michelle (Loyola Maryland), my 6 other housemates, and 18 other students in the Casa program. We’ve had lots of reflection as to why we are each here, and discussion of our hopes and dreams for the program. We’ve eaten lots of pupusas (corn tortilla stuffed with beans and cheese), journaled, prayed, hiked and many other things together. We are definitely becoming a close-knit and intimate community very quickly.
Some of the things I have learned in El Salvador thus far:
1. Cold showers are now something I look forward to every night.
2. Less is more in El Salvador…I have yet to wear makeup or fix my hair.
3. There are so many varieties of pupusas(cheese, bean, chicarron, revuelta, loroco)…I hope to never get sick of them.
4. Pedestrians DO NOT have the right of way here…though my blonde-ish hair helps stop traffic.
5. “Bicho” is not a curseword, but actually means “dude” in Salvadoran slang. I still feel weird saying it.
6. There are so many fruits that I never knew existed...jocotes are my new favorite.
7. The range in income here is ridiculous…some people live off of less than $1 per day, others have what feels like infinite amounts and don’t share.
8. Although the Catholic Church definitely still has a strong presence here, Jehova’s Witnesses, Pentacostals, and Evangelist communities are growing. Very few “simply Christian” communities exist.
9. When it rains here…people worry for their lives and the lives of their children. I have already witnessed a mudslide and flood that destroyed three houses!
10. Salvadorans are so welcoming. They use their best ingredients to make the best meals for us when we visit. They also think I don’t eat enough. I need to be “more round for when you want to have babies someday” many of the women have said to me!
11. Bowel movements and “toilet talk” is typical for Casa students. Thankfully no one has yet to be sick!
12. Machismo is something Salvador men struggle with on a daily basis
13. The bus system does not have any sort of route or map…it runs on word of mouth.
14. Comfortable walking/hiking shoes are a must for Gringos, but Salvadorans seem to get by with flipflops.
15. Solidarity is an extremely common word here. I wonder why…?
Love and miss you all!!! More updates soon.
Katy
My schedule:
Monday 730am-5pm Praxis Site- Canton El Cedro
Tuesday 7am-10am Political Science, 2pm-5pm Sociology, 7pm Cleaning Party, 8pm Spirituality Night
Wednesday 730am-5pm Praxis Site- Canton El Cedro
Thursday 10am Avisos, 11am Seminar, 230pm-530pm Salvadoran Literature, 630pm Community dinner, 8pm Community night
Friday 8am-11am Theology, 1230pm Community lunch
“If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time…but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”
Lilla Watson
Hello everyone back home en los Estados Unidos! I’m sorry it has taken me so long to update my blog. It is amazing to think that I have been here for just over a week! I have seen so much, met so many people, tried lots of new things, and already experienced an abundance of growth. All that to say, I have had limited access to internet, as my parents can attest to (I’ve skyped with them twice now!), and my ‘binge’ facebook and email activity probably implies. However, that has changed in the last two days. I will now have consistent wifi access on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, because those are the days I have class at the Universidad CentroAmericana Jose Simeon Canas, which is about a 15 minute walk from Casa Silvia, where I live.
Well…where to start?
The Casa de la Solidaridad (solidarity) program has been wonderful so far. Kevin and Trena, the codirectors have really taken the time to allow us as a group to slowly get accustomed to El Salvador. Our first week we had an orientation of sorts…we played typical get-to-know-you games, shared meals together, and most importantly we traveled all over the country to the different praxis sites where each of us will be working two days per week. But, of course we have yet to see mine, which is actually happening tomorrow! I’m very excited about this because of all the amazing people we have met at the other sites. All of the sites are very different, some rural and others urban. Many of them have opportunities for working with children, and one specifically is for Salvadorans with special needs. I, along with two boys, both from Santa Clara, will be working in Canton El Cedro! I’ll know more about what we’re doing after tomorrow.
Besides the praxis site visits, we have just been spending time as a community. Already I feel very close to my roommate Michelle (Loyola Maryland), my 6 other housemates, and 18 other students in the Casa program. We’ve had lots of reflection as to why we are each here, and discussion of our hopes and dreams for the program. We’ve eaten lots of pupusas (corn tortilla stuffed with beans and cheese), journaled, prayed, hiked and many other things together. We are definitely becoming a close-knit and intimate community very quickly.
Some of the things I have learned in El Salvador thus far:
1. Cold showers are now something I look forward to every night.
2. Less is more in El Salvador…I have yet to wear makeup or fix my hair.
3. There are so many varieties of pupusas(cheese, bean, chicarron, revuelta, loroco)…I hope to never get sick of them.
4. Pedestrians DO NOT have the right of way here…though my blonde-ish hair helps stop traffic.
5. “Bicho” is not a curseword, but actually means “dude” in Salvadoran slang. I still feel weird saying it.
6. There are so many fruits that I never knew existed...jocotes are my new favorite.
7. The range in income here is ridiculous…some people live off of less than $1 per day, others have what feels like infinite amounts and don’t share.
8. Although the Catholic Church definitely still has a strong presence here, Jehova’s Witnesses, Pentacostals, and Evangelist communities are growing. Very few “simply Christian” communities exist.
9. When it rains here…people worry for their lives and the lives of their children. I have already witnessed a mudslide and flood that destroyed three houses!
10. Salvadorans are so welcoming. They use their best ingredients to make the best meals for us when we visit. They also think I don’t eat enough. I need to be “more round for when you want to have babies someday” many of the women have said to me!
11. Bowel movements and “toilet talk” is typical for Casa students. Thankfully no one has yet to be sick!
12. Machismo is something Salvador men struggle with on a daily basis
13. The bus system does not have any sort of route or map…it runs on word of mouth.
14. Comfortable walking/hiking shoes are a must for Gringos, but Salvadorans seem to get by with flipflops.
15. Solidarity is an extremely common word here. I wonder why…?
Love and miss you all!!! More updates soon.
Katy
My schedule:
Monday 730am-5pm Praxis Site- Canton El Cedro
Tuesday 7am-10am Political Science, 2pm-5pm Sociology, 7pm Cleaning Party, 8pm Spirituality Night
Wednesday 730am-5pm Praxis Site- Canton El Cedro
Thursday 10am Avisos, 11am Seminar, 230pm-530pm Salvadoran Literature, 630pm Community dinner, 8pm Community night
Friday 8am-11am Theology, 1230pm Community lunch
“If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time…but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”
Lilla Watson
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