¡Hola Amigos y Amigas!
And that´s about as much spanish as we know! So a lot has happened since the last blog! We managed to not lose Daniel or anyone else thanks to our new buddy system. The next morning, we had our orientation with Nancy, the MCC connecting peoples coordinator for Guatemala and El Salvador. After orientation we went out for lunch at an authentic Guatemala meal of fried chicken and french fries at Pollo Campero. (Not that we can´t get that at home or anything, but for the record, it´s waaaaay better than KFC.)
After lunch we travelled to El Salvador and arrived at ANADES just in time for supper. As we walked in we were greeted warmly by a group of children jumping and waving, shouting ¨¡Hola! Hola!¨ It was pretty cute we must say, and it instantly made us feel welcome. We didn´t do a whole lot more that night other than sit around and play cards, journal, and braid Ryan´s hair. We spent the next morning getting a tour and learning about ANADES, which is a group that focuses on educating women and children about human rights for themselves and others. Unfortunately we were unable to see the children as they were away on a little field trip. Next we ate lunch before heading to a museum about Oscar Romero, who was assasinated during the El Salvadorian Civil War and is a huge icon to the people of El Salvador and Guatemala. We also learned some information about 6 Jesuit priests who were assasinated by the military.
Our next destination was a former coffee plantation now known as New Canaan. This farm is located near a very poor community called La Linea. This community was displaced from their only original location because of massive mud slides. They have had to scavenge materials to make make-shift houses in areas where most people do not own the land they live on. This community now has many problems with gangs and drugs. The youth are strongly pressured into joining gangs but if they are seen as active members of the Baptist Church youth group they are respected and not pressured. This youth group is run by Pastor Jaime who owns New Canaan. Pastor Jaime now farms the land around New Canaan. We spent the night at the farm and were treated to delicious freshly squeezed orange juice, fried plantane, and other delicious fresh fruits. Before supper we met the youth group and enjoyed a friendly soccer game where we all got beat very badly (especially the girls). We also were able to listen to each other sing some songs and they presented us with a delicious gift of coffee.
The next day we woke up bright and early and went to Perquin to visit CEBES. There we talked to the ladies about what they do. They have a co-operative in which they can sell their hand made products. They also have bible studies where they focus specifically on women in the Bible. After this we went to El Mozote, the site where a massive massacre took place. Here around 1000 civilian poeple were tricked by the army and then killed. Only one person survived the attack and lived to tell what happened there. In the evening we were involved in another concert. This time we enjoyed listening to a local band called Times of Change. The choir from the local Cathlic church also sang for us before we had the opportunity to sing for them. Ryan and Matt were interviewed for local TV at this event and had to talk about what the massacre had meant to them.
Today we spent all day in the van driving back to Guatemala where we typed this blog (it only took us like 8 hours to get back here). We will try our best to keep you updated through out the rest of the trip when we can! In the mean time, ¡adiós!
- Laura, Alyssa, Ryan, Matt
