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
1 comment:
Oh my God Chandler. We just watched Voces Inocentes in my spanish film class. Have you seen it? I can't believe I never knew about all of that. I just had to tell you since you're down there right now. I'm literally crying.
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