Day 6

Brittany and I at the Women's Center

Today, we started the day going to a women's center in San Salvador.  We learned that to be a feminist in El Salvador is quite dangerous and very subversive.  The culture in El Salvador (like most of the world) is a patriarchal culture.  Specifically, their culture values machismo and has very strict gender norms for both men and women.  Most women either stay home, do domestic work, work in factories, or immigrate to the US to work to send money home to their family.  Like the speaker said, most ten year old girls do not dream about working in a factory when they grow up.  Yet, there are not the variety of positions available for women in this society.  Many of them are not encouraged by families to learn how to read and write because they are told they will not need that when they are older.  However, there have been some recent policy changes with the newer government, yet if these policies are not enforced, they really do not do much good.  I began to feel such a gratefulness for my ability to learn, work and choose to some degree my destiny.  At the same time, my heart burns for all the women around the world who do not have that freedom.  One of the most devastating facts we learned about gender violence within the country is that last year, 647 women were murdered because of their gender.  This country is not that big, and yet the numbers are staggering.  The inspiring thing is that there are women within the country who are working to empower one another.  If you are interested to hear more about empowering women globally, make sure to read Half the Sky.

Soup at Beatrice's house

We ate lunch at a local woman's house.  We had bean soup when it was 85 degrees!  We were all sweating pretty badly, but enjoyed the local cuisine.  Beatrice (our hostess) works for our translator and guide, Cristina.  She cannot read, but both of her daughters are high school graduates who are going onto school at the university.  Her mother, who was over 90 was helping to prepare the food as well.

Then, we went to learn about human trafficking in El Salvador.  Our speaker was very dynamic and passionate about the work his agency is doing in the country. When asked what we in the States can do or not do to better this problem in El Salvador, he listed three major things.  1) Promote and support the human rights that all people are supposed to have.  He stated that if we did that, so many of these problems would be addressed and improved.   2)  Support community building projects in El Salvador.  He stated it is important to dissuade people from making the migration to the States because it is so dangerous.  If they felt that their needs were being met here, they may not be so apt to leave.  3)  Stop demonizing migration to the States.  It is a basic human right (in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights) that people be able to migrate from one country to another.  When hearing this, I began to wonder how my daily life contributes to other's rights not being upheld.  It is something for me to think about.  It will take some very intentional changes.

Beatrice's home and family

I will not be posting any blog entries for the next two maybe three evenings.  We are staying with host families in Santa Marta, a rural community in the hills.  This will truly be an experience that I haven't had before.  We will stay in their homes and use their out houses.  I am hoping my digestive system stays strong! However, the point was made that many people all over the world live in these conditions.  So, it will be a positive stretch and will give me understanding of the plethora of comforts that surround my life.  I will be back to blogging when we return.  Buenos noches mi familia y amigas y amigos!

Day 5

Mural outside the church

Today was really about calling--the calling of others in history and the calling of us in the present.  We had the privilege to visit Divinia Providencia which is the church where Monsenor Romero was assassinated.  We heard about his personal history of becoming an archbishop.  The church chose him because they felt he would be a very passive puppet for the interests of the wealthy in El Salvador during the late 1970s.  And at first, he did well conforming to their wishes.  During an army massacre of the Salvadorian people in 1977, one of his congregants phoned him to come and help--many were dying.  Monsenor Romero shared that he would "pray for them."  It was only days later that he decided to change his allegiances from the church hierarchy to those of his people.  This choice changed everything for him and for his people.  He choose to listen to them, visit them, help them and be a voice for their freedom.  All the while, he received death threats, but that did not stop him anymore.  His last sermon is considered prophetic as he spoke directly to the army of El Salvador, pleading with them and commanding them to stop the killing.  The next day, he was murdered during the final moments of his homily.  They shot him--the bullets went straight down the aisle and into his aorta as he stood behind the altar.  Romero died quickly with his body slumping directly underneath the crucifix.

Where Monsenor Romero died

We were able to engage in a ritual to bring history alive in our present moment today.  We heard Monsenor Romero preaching his final sermon on an audio recording.  We heard the gun shots and the people uproar.  At that point, we offered up a prayer and brought our words to the pictures of his death below the altar.  The word I picked for him was "faithful."  I later learned that this word was to be a gift to me.  It was to be the word that I live with and for as I leave this place.

So, I spent time today, living in further awakening of the calling I am and have been coming into throughout my life.  I am so grateful to be able to be in a space where I can clear my head and heart of distractions and listen.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.  And let us run the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith."  Hebrews 12: 1-2

It is overwhelming for me to think about blogging about the last few days in a short amount of time.  Our days are packed, not just with events but with rich, meaningful and challenging content.  My mind is literally feasting on the experiences and material presented to us, and my emotions are having a hard time catching up.  With all this newness and intensity, I want to make it so clear that we are in wonderful, trustworthy hands.  Our professors-Dr. Guevara and Professor List--are excellent leaders.  They continue to help us feel comfortable exploring in these new spaces and give us grace and acceptance as we learn and ask questions.  Our group is starting to bond, and it is so fun to learn the stories of others as we travel.

Yesterday, we spent time learning about the popular history of El Salvador.  We learned about the indigenous people and how they were conquered by the Spaniards during the 1500s.  The indigenous people did not go down without a fight.  They actually fought fifteen years before the Spanish had total control.  I am finding out that "the fight" in Salvadorians has only gotten stronger over time.  They truly are a courageous people.  The agency that was teaching us was called Equipo Maiz (Team Corn--still not sure the meaning there), and they attribute their aspirations and educational work to the spirit of Monsenor Romero.  His image and story is everywhere here.  If you get a chance, look him up because I will be talking about him a lot upon my return.:)

Our group at the Masculinity workshop

We then spent time at a workshop on Masculinity.  The men that worked with us have worked in the San Salvadorian community for over ten years.  Their passion is to educate men and women on the gender stereotypes present in their current culture.  After the community members share the stereotypes, they have workshops that deconstruct these images and messages from larger society.  They reassure men and women (but specifically men) that no one lives up the to pressures of this male stereotype and that it is an illusion.  The reason they work with these populations is to try and diminish the violence that arises from male's insecurities and lack of knowledge about true masculinity.  One statistic they gave us about the current gender violence against women is that there are 647 gender related murders a year.  Their work asks the question, "Why is there so much violence? and What are the beliefs and cultural bases that support this behavior?"  At the Center, we were able to engage in our own exploration and deconstruction of gender stereotypes and realized they are quite similar to those of the Salvadorians.

Debiana, Kristin, Eric and I sharing our drawings

Today, the theme or topic was about solidarity or "solidaridad."  To reinforce this concept further, we attended the May Day Worker's March and spent time with Sister Peggy in Suchitoto.  At the Worker's Day March, everyone was in their red to support the power of the people and that of the worker.  The presidential party at this time is the FLMN--the left wing party.  For years, the Salvadorian people were oppressed by the right wing army who was funded and supported by our US government.  Millions of Salvadorians were killed in the civil war that broke out between the ARENA (right wing army) and the guerrilla fighters of the FMLN.  The energy of the March was electric as the workers in the unions held their banners with pride, chanting excitedly as they ran at times in groups through the streets.  By the way, the May Day marches began in Chicago and now continue in most of the other countries in the world--accept the US.  Yes, we have Labor Day, but I normally lay out in the sun instead of march proudly through the streets to support the middle/working class.  It is being continually reinforced here through our experiences that we in the States are quite insulated, almost too comfortable to act consistently with discipline on behalf of the worker here.  We talk so much in our country about freedom, yet do not partake in activities that promote freedom for all.  It is something I have wrestled with for the last few years and continue to more on this trip.

Worker's Day March

Sister Peggy and me

The highlight of the day for me was visiting the Peace Center in Suchitoto and meeting Sister Peggy.  She is a Sister of Charity and has worked in El Salvador for the past 25 years.  She lived through the Civil War here and has made the place her home.  I wish I would have recorded her talk because literally everything she was saying was one powerful quote after another.  She described the idea of "solidaridad" with others as "living as unequals sharing."  She was clear to say that it is not giving each other our extras or overflow, but giving from our own substance.  She shared that she is in El Salvador because she is richer among and with the people here.  They have helped her find her voice as she helps them with different needs.  This perspective really challenged me--do I give of my substance or from my extras and left overs?  Many times I think giving my extras will benefit me because I am not having to share what I really want.  But that is the question she continued to ask us--What do we really want?  If we are pursuing deeper meaning in life, we must question "Who really is our neighbor?"  For Sister Peggy, she believes that everyone and everything in creation is our neighbor.  We must love them all.  She did share a bit about her study of Liberation Theology and how it is moved her to work and live how she has.  There are movements in the church--as there always has been--that focus on people and not church services or buildings.  That is where I want to be--with God with his people, sharing relationships, stories and providing for needs.

The Garden at the Center for Peace

I want to leave you with a few quotes from her that will speak for themselves.
      "We must be mystics and midwives.  We must see the inner meaning present in each person's story.  We must be a part of birthing something new through creativity.  And creativity is like love--it's a renewable resource."
      "My veins don't end in me."--S. Peggy quoting a Salvadorian poet.
      "If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough."
     "What has happened to us that we don't have a perception of scandal?"
I will leave tonight with that quote because it is a question I am asking myself as we spend time here.  How do we sensitize to the truth and tune out all the political rhetoric?  How do we be followers of God as we are called?  It is great here because I am able to be present without distractions.  I am hoping that you all are having time away free from distraction to have eyes to see and ears to hear as well.

Oh, one last thing for today.  Throughout all these activities, we have been having wonderful meals--breakfast, lunch and dinner are all so yummy!

El Salvador: Day One and Two

So, I graduated, and we celebrated at The Chop House.  My amazing husband planned the whole party.  We then woke up abruptly the following morning and raced to the airport.  Despite my brief sickness on the plane, the first two days of the trip have gone very well.  I don't want this blog to be a "play by play" of the events of this trip because that just seems quite overwhelming because we are packing so much into a small space.  So, I am hoping that here I can share some of my thoughts and feelings about the daily events.  Please bear with the first draft writing and the choppy display of pictures.  I am tired and am just getting the hang of this blog thing!  I am sure my efforts will improve with each blog.

Our hotel

 I know many of you are wondering what our accommodations are like.  Our hotel is beautiful.  I included a picture of the gardens outside and our dinner table.  We eat home cooked Salvadorian authentic cuisine each night.  Don't worry, I will be posting food pictures periodically for the foodies in my audience!

Garden at the Oasis

Tortillas, beans, tamales and fried plantains

Our dinner table

From today, there are two words that stick out to me.  Courage and hospitality.  We heard stories from a guerrilla who fought in the Salvadorian Civil War.  Many of our perceptions of a "guerrilla fighter" were challenged when we met Damian.  He spoke quietly and with an inviting gentleness.  He and his wife our hosting us at the Oasis, and have amazing life stories to tell.  Damian became involved in challenging the government's oppression of the poor.  This led him into many dangerous situations--time in jail, days of torture, fighting in the mountains.  All through that, he remained centered on his cause of liberation.  His anger did not over take him.  Instead, he stayed loyal and did not let the fear of death hinder his fight.  Now, he is an economist in the country and part of the legislature.  He is very optimistic about the Salvadorian future.

Picture of Mons. Romero

We also learned about Monsenor Romero who was the Archbishop of El Salvador.  He was martyred because he pleaded with his congregation as well as the Catholic church to serve and bring justice to the poor of his country.  It is not known if he subscribed publically to Liberation Theology, but many of his practices mirrored those of other Central American priests who practice liberation theology.  His conviction and opposition of the hierarchical church cost him his life.  Yet, his movement continues to inspire and call for social action within the church and his country.

 I find myself wrestling with my own lack of courage.  The stories we heard today showcased people who weren't driven by money, comfort or social status, but instead by a purpose to fight the injustices around them.  After reflecting, I have found that I want to live a life of courage and bravery.  Until then, the stories of these men and women are now inside of me, walking around, shaking up the dusty stale corners in my life.

Professor Guevara and List and
Debiana with Maria's
family

Now onto hospitality.  We had the amazing privilege to attend Professor List and Professor Guevara's goddaughter's confirmation.  After the ceremony, our large group was invited to their home to celebrate with a meal.  They made pupusas, and actually let us try our hand in making a few!  We also had beans, rice and avocado.  Their family was so warm and welcoming.  With chickens running around our feet, we tried the new cuisine and enjoyed each other's company
Needless to say, my free spirited, inquisitive self is finally getting some space to come out, breathe deeply and roam around.

Emma and I making pupusas

Before Picture.

As my eyes begin to tire, I check my packing list once again, hoping that I haven't missed something before the trip.  Not only am I prepping for the El Salvador trip, I am trying to tie up loose ends before I leave the country.  El Salvador bags are packed except for the few items that are still drying.  The extra donations are spilling out into my hallway, waiting to find a place to travel in.  I start to check through my to do list to double check that everything I need for tomorrow and the next two weeks is ready to go.  Suit for tomorrow's morning interview--check.  Graduation gown, hood, chords--check.  Tassel--MIA.  Will have to search one out for tomorrow.  Questions for doctor's appointment--in my bag.  The dress for my graduation party is gathered along with all the appropriate accessories.  I just hope I can have enough energy to stay up past 10:30 pm and don't fall asleep on my wonderful family and friends who are coming out to celebrate and support my graduation.

As I scurry around the house, I wonder if this initial email will be a constant reminder of the busyness that fills my current life.  Before people make big changes in their living spaces, they tend to take a "before picture."  Well, this is my attempt of a before picture.  I am trying to capture where I started on this trip and where I ended up.

I am looking forward to the closure that graduation will bring.  At the same time, I am eager to begin my El Salvador adventure.

Here is a picture of my friend Lou, wishing he was coming.  However, I don't have enough sedatives for him.