This past weekend I had the opportunity to just hang out and catch up on homework. Well, that was the plan anyway. Given a free weekend, I thought I would have no problem just taking it easy and getting a lot of rest. But the shenanigans started on Friday night when we decided to go out dancing. We arrived at la discoteca around 9:30 and the dance floor was completely empty (we got there a little early, oops!). Luckily this didn’t phase a single one of us (we’ve gotten very accustomed to frequent stares and strange looks). Once about 11 o’clock hit, gringo hour came to a halt as the place filled up with tons of people. As the Salvadorans approached the dance floor, we felt a little less than adequate and retreated to our booth. But after a brief rest, we mustered the courage to get back out there and proudly display our awkwardness. After about another hour of dancing, we packed up and joined the crowd for karaoke!
The rest of the weekend was filled with many attempts to write papers and read for my classes, but somehow I always found myself doing something else. For some reason, trips to the botanical gardens and cooking lessons from the Becarios intrigued me more than the thought of writing a paper on the Existential Imperative ;). But my time in the sun quickly ended on Sunday night when I realized just how much I had to do for the coming week. I had a little more than a few late nights and early mornings this week…bummer. It’s hard to figure out time to get homework done down here because I’m either completely exhausted after Praxis or busy with other activities. We’re all trying to figure out a balance between course work and the other parts of the program. Here’s what a typical week looks like for me:
Monday:
7:30a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Praxis site
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Weekly program meeting
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Praxis Class
Tuesday:
10:00 a.m. – 12:30 a.m. Spanish Conversation Class (at the UCA)
1:00 p.m. Lunch back at Casa Ita
2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Sociology of Public Communication in El Salvador (UCA)
6:00 p.m. Dinner!!
7:00 p.m. House cleaning
8:00 p.m. Spirituality night (optional)
Wednesday
7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Praxis site
6:30 p.m. Dinner!!!
Thursday
10:00 a.m. – 1:10 Philosophy of Suffering and Solidarity (UCA)
1:30 p.m. lunch at casa Ita
6:30 p.m Pupusa night with the Romero Program
8:00 p.m. - Community night
Friday
8 a.m. – 11 a.m. Liberation Theology (UCA)
12:30 p.m. Lunch!!!
(I love Fridays)
So my week is pretty structured, and I often find this to be a bit overwhelming. It’s really important for me to have down time, so I’m trying to figure out a way to make sure I fit in naps and yoga. Some weeks it’s just not feasible for me to do everything, and I’m learning to be okay with this. And although the classes are turning out to be a lot of work, each one is helping me process all of my other experiences. Every course relates closely with an important aspect of the Salvadoran culture, which is helping me connect theory with application in a real-world setting. And this is really helpful when I’m trying to integrate and process everything.
Tomorrow we leave at 7 a.m. for a weekend trip to El Mozote, the site of the 1981 massacre. We will be there all weekend and return on Sunday night. I hope to have a lot to write about when I return.
Wishing everyone the best!
Chanita
P.S. I promise to get a slideshow of pictures up soon!!!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Praxis Weekend
Last Friday (Sept. 13) I left San Salvador for a weekend at my praxis site, Canton El Cedro. I packed the essentials but also made sure I had sheets, about 2 gallons purified water and a full role of tissue paper. I had no idea who I would be staying with, where I would be sleeping and whether there would be running water. I was slightly nervous…okay, extremely nervous. But when I arrived in El Cedro on Friday afternoon, my host family for the night was waiting for me at the entrance of the center. They immediately bombarded me with hugs and kisses, grabbed all of my belongings and led me to their house. Jaquelin (3 yrs) led the way down the narrow forest path, gracefully dodging rocks, deep holes and trash.
When we arrived, I was greeted by the other six children (Veronica, Blanca, Rosita, Selena, Omar and Juan). Needless to say, I was a little overwhelmed! They led me into their three-room home and showed me to my bed. After getting situated, I walked outside and spent the next few hours playing lots of games, one of which involved yelling out the names of fruits and then running about in circles. Haha! I then went into the kitchen to help prepare dinner. Marie Magdalena (mother) showed me how to prepare the fire, and then let me help her make tortillas. I don’t think I’ve had one meal here without tortillas! Shortly after Jose (father) returned from work around 7, we sat down for a dinner of chicken, rice and tortillas. Like a lot of the men in El Cedro, Jose works 14-hour days in construction, 6 days a week. We ate a delicious dinner of chicken, rice and tortillas. And although there were more than a handful of awkward silences and misunderstood conversations, I really enjoyed sharing a meal with the entire family. By 8 o’clock, it was pitch dark and time for bed.
At 4 a.m. I woke up to the father leaving for work. Shortly after he left I was then startled by piercing squeals in the distance. I later found out that those sounds were coming from the pig that would feed the community that afternoon at the Independence Day celebration. The pig roast lost all appeal very, very fast. It was especially difficult to join the women who were making the pork tamales. But sometimes you have to put things aside and just go with the flow. That happens a lot here…haha. Anyway, the rest of the day was filled with a community parade, traditional dances, music and poetry as presented by the children at the center. Beyond cute!
That evening I made my way to another part of the community where I would meet my next host family. Just like my previous family, this family of five was waiting for me with open arms. There was a little time before bed for picture sharing and a few rounds of what appeared to be a form of bocce ball. In the morning I woke up to the sounds of the mother killing a chicken. I will never complain about the incessant beeping of my alarm clock ever again! Ah, haha. After helping the mother make a huge batch of platanos (fired plantains), we all sat down for breakfast where I managed to have a 30 minute conversation with the dad about sports! I can’t talk about sports in English, so who knows what I was saying. After breakfast we all got ready to go down to the river to wash clothes and cool off. On our long walk down, we were joined by about 10 more kids. We spent the next 2 hours splashing around and washing clothes. This was probably the highlight of my weekend.
When I returned to San Salvador on Sunday evening, I was filled with so many conflicting emotions and reactions to my weekend. I haven’t quite processed all of the experience, and probably won’t be able to articulate what exactly I am feeling for quite some time. Although my weekend was filled with so much joy and laughter, I can’t romanticize the lives that these people lead. They live amongst trash and diseased animals, have no plumbing or running water, and have no access to proper healthcare or adequate schooling. I can’t say that I have a true sense of the hardships the people of this community experience, and no matter how many visits I make I don’t know if I ever will. At the end of the day, weekend, or week I can always return to my privileged life. These people don’t have that option.
Wishing everyone the best,
Chancita
When we arrived, I was greeted by the other six children (Veronica, Blanca, Rosita, Selena, Omar and Juan). Needless to say, I was a little overwhelmed! They led me into their three-room home and showed me to my bed. After getting situated, I walked outside and spent the next few hours playing lots of games, one of which involved yelling out the names of fruits and then running about in circles. Haha! I then went into the kitchen to help prepare dinner. Marie Magdalena (mother) showed me how to prepare the fire, and then let me help her make tortillas. I don’t think I’ve had one meal here without tortillas! Shortly after Jose (father) returned from work around 7, we sat down for a dinner of chicken, rice and tortillas. Like a lot of the men in El Cedro, Jose works 14-hour days in construction, 6 days a week. We ate a delicious dinner of chicken, rice and tortillas. And although there were more than a handful of awkward silences and misunderstood conversations, I really enjoyed sharing a meal with the entire family. By 8 o’clock, it was pitch dark and time for bed.
At 4 a.m. I woke up to the father leaving for work. Shortly after he left I was then startled by piercing squeals in the distance. I later found out that those sounds were coming from the pig that would feed the community that afternoon at the Independence Day celebration. The pig roast lost all appeal very, very fast. It was especially difficult to join the women who were making the pork tamales. But sometimes you have to put things aside and just go with the flow. That happens a lot here…haha. Anyway, the rest of the day was filled with a community parade, traditional dances, music and poetry as presented by the children at the center. Beyond cute!
That evening I made my way to another part of the community where I would meet my next host family. Just like my previous family, this family of five was waiting for me with open arms. There was a little time before bed for picture sharing and a few rounds of what appeared to be a form of bocce ball. In the morning I woke up to the sounds of the mother killing a chicken. I will never complain about the incessant beeping of my alarm clock ever again! Ah, haha. After helping the mother make a huge batch of platanos (fired plantains), we all sat down for breakfast where I managed to have a 30 minute conversation with the dad about sports! I can’t talk about sports in English, so who knows what I was saying. After breakfast we all got ready to go down to the river to wash clothes and cool off. On our long walk down, we were joined by about 10 more kids. We spent the next 2 hours splashing around and washing clothes. This was probably the highlight of my weekend.
When I returned to San Salvador on Sunday evening, I was filled with so many conflicting emotions and reactions to my weekend. I haven’t quite processed all of the experience, and probably won’t be able to articulate what exactly I am feeling for quite some time. Although my weekend was filled with so much joy and laughter, I can’t romanticize the lives that these people lead. They live amongst trash and diseased animals, have no plumbing or running water, and have no access to proper healthcare or adequate schooling. I can’t say that I have a true sense of the hardships the people of this community experience, and no matter how many visits I make I don’t know if I ever will. At the end of the day, weekend, or week I can always return to my privileged life. These people don’t have that option.
Wishing everyone the best,
Chancita
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Week 4
So things are busy. Really busy. Between classes, full days at my praxis site, evening activities and weekend outings life here in El Salvador keeps me plenty occupied. And although I feel as if I’m running from one thing to the next on some days, I’m slowly learning to approach my life here with a little less of a preoccupation with time and obligation. One aspect of the culture that I have completely fallen in love with is the way in which Salvadorans share themselves with each other on a daily basis. Whether you are an old friend or a stranger, every greeting comes with a hug and a kiss. Short home visits turn into hours of food and conversation, and when someone asks “what’s up/how are you?” in passing, they are actually interested in an answer that differs from my usual “fine.” Here, every interaction seems to be somewhat of a little celebration. The Salvadoran culture understands that life is extremely short, and that every moment we share with each other is a gift.
I have probably been the most aware of this attitude during my days at my praxis site, El Cedro. On Mondays and Wednesdays I meet Sharon (the other casa student) and Hector (driver/entertainer/sage) at the navy blue pick-up truck at the corner of our block. We pile in and roll down the windows as Hector reaches for the radio dial and turns it up full blast. Sometimes the mornings are full of lively conversation and laughter, and other mornings we are content with the fast-paced morning radio shows. It takes about 30 min. until we reach a town outside of San Salvador where we pick up Sor Lidia and Sor Rosa. We then head for the mountains. It takes us about another hour of extremely uneven, rocky road to reach El Cedro. On most days, the cab and the truck bed are completely full of people by the time we reach the final destination.
On Monday morning’s Sharon and I accompany the women who work to sustain El Cedro’s garden. We water, pick weeds, clear bushy areas and do any other maintenance work. All of the women who work in the garden are El Cedro community members and work as volunteers. Most have households of around 8 kids, and depend on the soup kitchen everyday to feed their children. After getting plenty dirty in the garden, we walk up to the kitchen and clean up. Sharon and I then have about 1 hour to help the cooks with whatever needs to be done before all the kids come for lunch. So far I’ve learned how to make tortillas and peel fruit with a knife the size of my forearm. After preparing the food, Sharon and I either help serve or visit with the children and the mothers who are there to eat lunch. In the afternoons, we’re given the task of entertaining a group of kids who range from ages 5-13. Sharon and I are learning fast that lesson plans are a must!!
Our Wednesdays are spent out in the community doing home visits. On our first visit, Sharon and I went to the home of a family grieving the 1 year death of their son. After a round of hugs and kisses, they sat us down in front of a meal of tamales and café. Sharon and I had just come from a huge breakfast of eggs and pancakes and were stuffed, but knew we had to somehow figure out a way to eat a plate of tamales. It would have been very disrespectful to not eat everything that was served. At that point, all we could do was laugh and start unpeeling the first of the chicken Tamales.
After tomorrow’s classes, I leave for an entire weekend at El Cedro. I will stay with families in the community and help celebrate Independence day (Sept. 15). I’m a little nervous, but am also excited for such a new experience. I’m especially looking forward to the pig roast!!! I will let you know how everything goes in the next post. I am also planning on setting up a slideshow of pictures sometime here in the near future.
Hasta Luego!
Chan-Chan, Chanita, Chancita (I've acquired some new nicknames)
I have probably been the most aware of this attitude during my days at my praxis site, El Cedro. On Mondays and Wednesdays I meet Sharon (the other casa student) and Hector (driver/entertainer/sage) at the navy blue pick-up truck at the corner of our block. We pile in and roll down the windows as Hector reaches for the radio dial and turns it up full blast. Sometimes the mornings are full of lively conversation and laughter, and other mornings we are content with the fast-paced morning radio shows. It takes about 30 min. until we reach a town outside of San Salvador where we pick up Sor Lidia and Sor Rosa. We then head for the mountains. It takes us about another hour of extremely uneven, rocky road to reach El Cedro. On most days, the cab and the truck bed are completely full of people by the time we reach the final destination.
On Monday morning’s Sharon and I accompany the women who work to sustain El Cedro’s garden. We water, pick weeds, clear bushy areas and do any other maintenance work. All of the women who work in the garden are El Cedro community members and work as volunteers. Most have households of around 8 kids, and depend on the soup kitchen everyday to feed their children. After getting plenty dirty in the garden, we walk up to the kitchen and clean up. Sharon and I then have about 1 hour to help the cooks with whatever needs to be done before all the kids come for lunch. So far I’ve learned how to make tortillas and peel fruit with a knife the size of my forearm. After preparing the food, Sharon and I either help serve or visit with the children and the mothers who are there to eat lunch. In the afternoons, we’re given the task of entertaining a group of kids who range from ages 5-13. Sharon and I are learning fast that lesson plans are a must!!
Our Wednesdays are spent out in the community doing home visits. On our first visit, Sharon and I went to the home of a family grieving the 1 year death of their son. After a round of hugs and kisses, they sat us down in front of a meal of tamales and café. Sharon and I had just come from a huge breakfast of eggs and pancakes and were stuffed, but knew we had to somehow figure out a way to eat a plate of tamales. It would have been very disrespectful to not eat everything that was served. At that point, all we could do was laugh and start unpeeling the first of the chicken Tamales.
After tomorrow’s classes, I leave for an entire weekend at El Cedro. I will stay with families in the community and help celebrate Independence day (Sept. 15). I’m a little nervous, but am also excited for such a new experience. I’m especially looking forward to the pig roast!!! I will let you know how everything goes in the next post. I am also planning on setting up a slideshow of pictures sometime here in the near future.
Hasta Luego!
Chan-Chan, Chanita, Chancita (I've acquired some new nicknames)
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
In the Swing of Things
Here I am in San Salvador! Que Chivo! Sorry it has taken me awhile to upload this blog. These first 13 days have been a whirlwind of activities, emotions, delicious food and amazing new friends. I arrived about 2 weeks ago and was one of the last four to fly in. I actually had a chance to get to know two students on the flight on the way down from Houston, which made going through immigration and customs a much more enjoyable process. The two students, Steven and Ali (both from Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles), actually yelled out my name in the middle of the waiting area just as we were about to board the flight. At the time, I was talking to a student from Chapman College who would eventually make her way to Nicaragua for an internship. And because I’m not accustomed to hearing my name thrown around in public places, I knew immediately they were talking to me. After introductions and an exchange of mutual feelings of nervousness, we boarded the plane and discovered that all of our seats were in the same isle. Needless to say, we got a head start on the whole four months of bonding.
Upon our arrival to the Casa, we received warm welcomes from the other 18 students and then split up to unpack and go to bed. Casa students live in one of three houses, which are situated within about a block of one another. I’m living in Casa Ita, which is the smallest of the three houses. Along with roommates from Santa Clara University and Depaul University, two Salvadoran scholarship students, Lupita and Edith, also reside in the house. They are from the department of Chalatenango, but reside in San Salvador during the school year. We’ve had a great time laughing through misunderstood conversations, and exchanging our favorite music, jokes, stories and recipes. I have also already become very close to the other students in the program. We spent the first 8 days in orientation discussing our semester in further detail, and becoming better oriented with the Salvadoran culture, and all of the different praxis sites. We’ve also spent a lot of time hanging out with the other 20 Salvadoran becario students who live in a separate house. Every gathering is accompanied by a delicious spread of traditional food, and there are always at least two people who know how to play the guitar. This makes for a lot of singing and dancing…excellent!!!
Along with getting adjusted to consistently hot weather, simple/community living, cold showers, and washing laundry by hand, my American belly has also had quite the time trying to accommodate the foreign food. Over the weekend ¾ of the students were bed-ridden (yes, this includes me) from some food or drink we have yet to figure out. And although extremely unpleasant, we were all in it together and have fully recovered. Just in time too! Tonight is our first Pupusa night with all of the Salvadoran scholarship students in the program. Pupusas are the traditional dish of El Salvador and loved by all! There are TONS of little restaurants called pupuserias that specialize in making these stuffed tortillas. Every Thursday we get together at a neighborhood pupuseria for what I can only imagine will be great food and wonderful conversation.
And although so much of my time here has been full of wonderful and exciting moments, there have also been a number of times when I have been completely overwhelmed and unsure of how to deal with the extreme poverty that surrounds me. Even in the short amount of time I have been here, I have come to glimpse the many paradoxes that characterize life here in El Salvador. In the midst of a great deal of poverty and violence, the Salvadoran people embrace life and each other. Despite their great suffering, they retain an unimaginable amount of hope and determination for the future, leaving me more humbled and perplexed with each passing day. While I cannot wait to continue on with the semester, I am also afraid to think of what I might witness at my praxis site, and the emotions that might surface. One constant comfort is that there is a community of students and staff here who will be there to help me through the rough days.
I will give you all the juicy details on my classes and praxis site in my next entry!
Wishing you all the best!
Hasta Luego,
Chandler
Upon our arrival to the Casa, we received warm welcomes from the other 18 students and then split up to unpack and go to bed. Casa students live in one of three houses, which are situated within about a block of one another. I’m living in Casa Ita, which is the smallest of the three houses. Along with roommates from Santa Clara University and Depaul University, two Salvadoran scholarship students, Lupita and Edith, also reside in the house. They are from the department of Chalatenango, but reside in San Salvador during the school year. We’ve had a great time laughing through misunderstood conversations, and exchanging our favorite music, jokes, stories and recipes. I have also already become very close to the other students in the program. We spent the first 8 days in orientation discussing our semester in further detail, and becoming better oriented with the Salvadoran culture, and all of the different praxis sites. We’ve also spent a lot of time hanging out with the other 20 Salvadoran becario students who live in a separate house. Every gathering is accompanied by a delicious spread of traditional food, and there are always at least two people who know how to play the guitar. This makes for a lot of singing and dancing…excellent!!!
Along with getting adjusted to consistently hot weather, simple/community living, cold showers, and washing laundry by hand, my American belly has also had quite the time trying to accommodate the foreign food. Over the weekend ¾ of the students were bed-ridden (yes, this includes me) from some food or drink we have yet to figure out. And although extremely unpleasant, we were all in it together and have fully recovered. Just in time too! Tonight is our first Pupusa night with all of the Salvadoran scholarship students in the program. Pupusas are the traditional dish of El Salvador and loved by all! There are TONS of little restaurants called pupuserias that specialize in making these stuffed tortillas. Every Thursday we get together at a neighborhood pupuseria for what I can only imagine will be great food and wonderful conversation.
And although so much of my time here has been full of wonderful and exciting moments, there have also been a number of times when I have been completely overwhelmed and unsure of how to deal with the extreme poverty that surrounds me. Even in the short amount of time I have been here, I have come to glimpse the many paradoxes that characterize life here in El Salvador. In the midst of a great deal of poverty and violence, the Salvadoran people embrace life and each other. Despite their great suffering, they retain an unimaginable amount of hope and determination for the future, leaving me more humbled and perplexed with each passing day. While I cannot wait to continue on with the semester, I am also afraid to think of what I might witness at my praxis site, and the emotions that might surface. One constant comfort is that there is a community of students and staff here who will be there to help me through the rough days.
I will give you all the juicy details on my classes and praxis site in my next entry!
Wishing you all the best!
Hasta Luego,
Chandler
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
