Jefe, Logan, Sarah, Rachel Molly and I started our day with a run in San Salvador. We had previously been told that San Salvador was an extremely dangerous city and it was best to not run, but we asked Cristy and she said as long as we stayed in a big group (that included guys) we would be okay. In reality, the city is dangerous, and we took certain precautions while there, such as never traveling alone, always using private transportation (because on average one bus driver gets killed per day), etc.
We planned to run for 30 minutes, but ended up running for 50 because we got completely lost. Every street looked the same, and we started arguing about which way we needed to go, and then Jefe starting ignoring us and going his own way… it was a lot of squabbling. But, we eventually made it back to Happy House with enough time to shower and eat breakfast and be ready to leave at 8am for our first activity.
As I explained before, CIS organized our entire trip. Our first activity of the day was a conference with Leslie, the executive director of CIS. She spoke to us about El Salvador, its history, current crisis, politics, its future, economy, etc. It was a lot of information! Here is a little summation:
From the moment El Salvador declared independence in 1821, 14 families owned and controlled El Salvador. They did this through military and political control, economic dominance and electoral fraud. 60% of the land was owned by 2% of the people. The other 40% of land was left over for 98% of the population.
Uprisings to challenge the elite rule were common and continued to grow as time continued. In the 1970s leftist organizations emerged, which led to the formation of FMLN: Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front. Violence and repression escalated, throughout this time, and fighting between the military and anti-government guerilla escalated. Archbishop Oscar Romero, known for his efforts in urging an end to the military violence, was assassinated in 1980. This event is known as the catalyst that began the 12 year civil war in El Salvador. The United States had a large part in this war, and sent a shocking 1.5 million dollars per day (for 12 years) to support the military efforts of el Salvador.
The civil war in El Salvador lasted from 1980 to 1992, and ended with the signing of the Peace Accords (which, more or less, haven’t really solved any of the problems). We learned a lot of the details about the war, and I’ll continue to comment on them as I narrate the entire trip.
We talked about the transfer from the colon to USD that occurred in 2001. The government said that with the US dollar, loans and remittances would become easier. The idea was presented at the end of December, and the USD was implemented January (A destructive earthquake in the country during this time kept people from being able to protest the change). There were/are many problems. First of all, prices immediately increased (it was said that people were earning money in colon and paying in USD). In addition, the people who owned tiendas (stores) were not educated and could not figure out the conversions. As a result, they began losing money, getting robbed, and closing down. Also, for the future, whenever the US has problems with USD, El Salvador will have problems.
In 2009, FMLN finally won the election and since then, things are starting to improve for the people of El Salvador, but the country is still in crisis. It is an economy dependent upon remittances from the United States, no jobs are available, its crime rates are one of the highest in the world, poverty covers the country. When presented with all the facts, finding a solution becomes overwhelming.
After our conference, we went to lunch at a place called SOYA. This is a program that was developed by a missionary worker who spent some time in El Salvador and then fell in love with the country and decided to live there. She was very interested in nutrition and child development. She did some research, and discovered the nutritional benefits of soy. After experimenting with flavors and taste, she finally found a formula that El Salvadorans would like and use. Right now, she works with a program she created to sell bottles of soy milk to community members at a low price. They also make and sell other soy products such as breads and cookies.
She is currently organizing a study with a local school in order to track the positive effects of nutrition on child development, which will begin in 2012 when students return to school from break. Right now, the program functions because of her leadership, but she is working to train people and create self-sustainability within the program.
There is also a lunch program that is a part of SOYA, which helps it earn more money. Local women from the community come and cook meals, and sell them for whoever comes. We ate here three times throughout the trip. The best part was that we could choose what we wanted to eat and ask for more of one this and less of another. The food was delicious.
After lunch, we went to San Salvador cathedral where a large mass was held to honor Oscar Romero after his death. During the mass, a huge massacre occurred killing and injuring hundreds. Below the church rests Oscar Romero’s Tomb.
We then went to a third level hospital in San Salvador and met with a physician there. A third level hospital takes care of major emergencies, surgeries and illnesses such as neurosurgery, cancer, heart surgery, etc. She showed up around the hospital and spoke with us in her office. The hospital itself serves the entire country and only has 500 beds and 16 operation rooms. All of the services are free for everyone.
That evening we had a reflection, and then went out to a pizza parlor for dinner. Coming home, Logan didn’t look so good… he was freezing cold and shaking like crazy. His condition only worsened, and that night he went to the hospital. It turns out he had 3 parasites that caused a systemic bacterial infection which traveled to his liver and nervous system. He is fine now, but did spend 3 days in the hospital on intravenous antibiotics. The culprit: he ate ceviche on the street for lunch Tuesday, essentially breaking the three “rules” we have been told about eating food in Latin America… 1) don’t eat things raw, 2) don’t eat street food, 3) be careful with the seafood you eat.
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