La Primera Semana

¡Hola Amigos!
As of today (Wednesday), I’ve been in El Salvador for a full week. Things that have stood out to me so far are how much esperanza (hope) the people of El Salvador have and how willing they are to share their story. At first I thought the Salvadorians wouldn’t be receptive to us gringos coming into their country thinking we could make a difference. This is not true. Salvadorians I have talked to all express that our presence gives them hope that their story will be spread to others and change will come. Also, the Salvadorians are very optimistic. Though so many bad things have happened in the past, they have great hope for the future. Salvadorian society is also based on respect and generosity. The people are always willing to share their time, food, and homes, no matter how little they have. Also, a little fun fact, Salvadorians do not like spicy food. Good news for my stomach.

So, on this one week anniversary, we continued our praxis site visits. We went to La Chacra to visit Fe y Alegria, a school for children up to the 9th grade, and the parish of Maria Madre de los Pobres, where we talked with Padre Luís. Then we went to Amatepec to meet with Rev. Amy at the Episcopal Church. After lunch we went to Colon, an area affected by the earthquake. Since hundreds of homes were destroyed in the earthquake, most families in Colon live in tin huts.

When we were at Amatepec, Rev. Amy said something that really made me think about why I’m in El Salvador. She said when people come to El Salvador they come to help or make life better for the people. What stood out during her talk was when she said, “We paint a mural and in three years it needs to be painted again.” When we come to El Salvador as students, though, we have accomplished something that lasts a lifetime— we’ve gained knowledge. This knowledge is much more valuable than any mural. A mural only masks the problems for a few years while knowledge can be used to educate others and ultimately bring about real change. I’m here to learn, not to solve problems. I’m here to listen to the Salvadorian people and experience their realidad.

Paz,
Stephanie
PS- Sorry about the photos, it takes a while to upload things here. Hopefully you all can enjoy them soon.