El Salvador

The past two weeks have been a total whirlwind. I want to tell you first about our year end retreat and then about my week in El Salvador. At the end of every year we have a retreat called reorientation—disorientation. The idea is to reorient first years as we become second years and to prepare the second years for the disorientation of returning to the US after two years abroad. We again went to La Garnacha up in the mountains of Estelí. The beauty of this place has never gotten old, even after three trips this past year. The retreat was a great time to reflect on the past year looking back on all that we’ve been through and at all the ways in which we have grown. I think more importantly it helped us look ahead to the coming year. There are lots of changes coming with our move to Ciudad Sandino and I needed a chance to regroup and prepare myself, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I am really excited for the changes coming ahead. Our new volunteers are coming already on December 2^nd!

About a week ago I caught a bus to El Salvador. I went for the 10^th anniversary Casa de la Solidaridad reunion and also for the 20^th anniversary of the UCA martyrs. I got in a couple days early so I stayed with my friend Chris is working on a Fullbright in El Salvador. It was really great to see him and hear about the great work he is doing. I am so lucky to be surrounded by friends who are doing awesome and inspiring things. I am consistently amazed to hear about the things my friends are doing: living and working abroad, living in intentional communities, getting advanced degrees, medical school, teaching, government work, lobbying, volunteering, community organizing, and pretty much changing the world all over the place. Seeing so many old friends (and new ones) at the reunion was so great and much needed after almost a year without seeing so many of the people I know and love. It was almost like a dream having so many of them so close to me. When I left early yesterday morning I felt empty and so sad to leave them again.

A highlight of the week in El Salvador was returning to Tepecoyo where I spent a lot of time as a student, getting to know the community and also teaching English. After two and a half years without visiting I figured people would’ve forgotten me, but I was pleasantly surprised when kids not only remember me but my name as well. It floored me. I felt so grateful all day for everyone at my praxis site. If it hadn’t been for them I probably would never have done JVI and if it wasn’t for my year in Nicaragua I couldn’t have spoken Spanish with them as well as I did. Throughout the day with friends in Tepecoyo I realized I was able to share more and understand better anything I did my semester in El Salvador. Learning Spanish has continually opened my world to people, to better understand and really begin to know them.

Yesterday I arrived back in Managua, exhausted after 11 hours on a bus and about thirty minutes of sleep the night before. When I woke up at 5am this morning to go to work I thought I would go through the day just missing my friends who had also just left Salvador headed all over the world. However, on the bus I ran into my friend Yamil and we got to catch up and debrief a lot from the last week. Once at school I was attacked with hugs from kids wondering where I had been and they all told me they had missed me. Once again I was just filled with a sense of gratitude for all the people that love me and keep me going here: friends in El Salvador, Nicaragua, and the US. That’s an amazing support network. Les agradezco a todos y todas.

Finally I am left with something Trena, co-director of the Casa, told us at the reunion, “You only pass by this place once.” It’s something that she found important as a JV in Belize years ago and I think it’s true for everyone and especially for me right now. Now matter where you are in life it is unique and will never happen again in the exact same way. Over the past two weeks I had a chance to take stock of how far I’ve come over the past couple years and I am just so grateful. I hope over the next year I can really aprovechar like I have this past one.

Photos from the week:

Amilcar, Jose Luis, and I rocked out to some Salvadoran folk tunes in Tepecoyo.

Rodrigo and some other former students in Tepecoyo

Casa and Romero Program students creating an alfombra or "rug" at the UCA. These "rugs" are made out of dyed salt and are washed away at night by people walking through them during the vigil.


The finished alfombra


Belize and Nica JVs together at the UCA martyrs Vigil! Emily and Matt from PG, Belize, and Megan, Jenna, and me from Mangua.


Me, Allison, and Colin. Amig@s por siempre, pues sí.