Joy and Suffering

I am only in El Salvador for a few more days. I know I have been slow on blog posts, but I can assure you that I will share many reflections and thoughts about my experience here.

I must admit that I do find it bit challenging to write these posts. Firstly, I did not bring my laptop. Writing on my phone makes it a bit more challenging. Secondly, it is hard to know what message of El Salvador I want to share. The obvious message I want to share is the real El Salvador. However, that is a difficult task because of all the contrasting elements of society present here.

It would be easy to simply write about the joy I have experienced. Of course I want my family and friends to know about how nice people have been to me, the funny and short Spanish conversations I have had, and the natural beauty of El Salvador. However, In just sharing that I miss a key aspect of life here--suffering.

It is difficult to grasp the amount of suffering present in our world.

But i do not want to just fill my writing with negative examples of poverty, violence, and corruption. That sends a message of El Salvador being some far away and pain filled nation. It leaves out the beauty that El Salvador offers.

I have a story that I hope brings a balance to both joy and suffering.

On Sunday, Brian and I traveled with a group of adults who were children in the same orphanage that Brian used to work at. These children were displaced because of the civil war. The purpose of the day was to reconnect with other children from the orphanage, but also remember the war.

The first stop was at an environmental retreat center/ farm. It was a target of the government, and it then became a base for the FMLN  (the army that fought the military). It was emotionally straining to see where bombs had landed, to walk on trails where combat and civilian slaughter  had taken place, as well to see this adult group from the orphanage reliving their childhood experience of war.

A sociologist was also on the tour, so Brian and I later discussed the societal aspects of El Salvador that cause violence. A key component is economic inequality. It is what happened in the civil war and it resembles present gang conflict in El Salvador. That made it abundantly more sad while we toured the area. The fact that so many people died, and that the society did not drastically change is hard to bare. 

Through this whole tour, I did not understand much of what was said (thankfully Brian translated a bit and discussed with me after). There was also a seven year old boy on the tour who, justifiably so, did not care too much for war history. Therefore the two boys that were not listening to the tour became friends.

His imagination went to work with toys that he would build out of sticks. I told him that I could not understand Spanish (one of the few things I can say), but that did not stop him from consistently talking to me the whole walk. We played with a few marbles that he had and spent a while flipping a coin.  It did not take much for him, or me, to have fun.

I quite enjoyed making a new friend and also observing friends reconnect. The next part of the day consisted of traveling to homes where people were associated with the orphanage. Much coffee was consumed, and much lively conversation took place.

Through all the difficulties that life threw at these orphans and displaced people, they are still able to find joy through friendship.

The civil war caused many tragedies in their lives, and has negatively impacted society in El Salvador today. With that being said-- El Salvador is still an incredibly beautiful nation filled with wonderful people.

That Time I Crashed a Fifteen Year Old's Birthday Party

The first party to come to mind when you think of "crashing" is probably a wedding. Well interestingly enough my Saturday evening experience in Santa Ana, El Salvador,  was not so far off.

In El Salvador, and many other cultures as well, it is significant when a female becomes fifteen. It marks a time of growing and maturing. Therefore, the celebrations for a fifteenth birthday are a bit bigger. And the party I crashed seemed to be of a wealthy family-- so the party was BIG.

The way I got connected to this event was by a youth group in San Salvador that I have been hanging out with. Some people of the youth are friends with the birthday girl, so they were able to invite more of the youth to tag along for the fun.

And fun it was! The whole event reminded me much about a wedding. It started with a Catholic mass in a beautiful church filled with decorations.  It could probably even be considered a cathedral. The birthday girl had a chair in the front of the sanctuary facing the priest. She wore a big blue, almost like a grad, dress. The front row was filled with family. The younger family members wore matching green dresses or suits with green ties. There was also a guy who seemed to be a date who wore a matching blue shirt. Then behind the family sat a group of friends that seemed very similar to a wedding party. ( I kind of want to call them the birthday party party, but that will probably get confusing). There were fifteen girls wearing light orange dresses and fifteen guys wearing matching light orange dress shirts. There was a wide range of ages in this group from people that seemed a few years younger to people who looked at least eight years older than her.

The service seemed like a typical mass. (my lack of Spanish leads me to make a few assumptions). There was communion, offering and a homily, but what was different was a symbolic shoe change. The birthday girl's shoes were changed to more glamorous ones to signify the transition of becoming an adult. Then the service concluded with her walking, in her new shoes, through a human arch way of her matching friends holding up their arms.

After the service, it was time for the reception. It was a beautiful facility with pools and a bar. Yes, it was definitely the first birthday party of a fifteen year old where I have seen an open bar. It was also the first time at a birthday party of a fifteen year old where I have seen a grown man drunk... I guess there is a first for everything.

Anyway the reception was incredible. It started with a dance routine from the birthday party party and the birthday girl with her date. I do not know if the birthday girl happened to be friends with internationally recognized dancers, or if she held auditions, or if they practiced for a year, but it was outstanding! 

After the dance routine, there was a nice supper. When supper concluded, it was time for everyone to come dance. If being white, blonde, and blue eyed did not prove I was a foreigner, then my dancing definitely did. My knowledge of jive and swing simply did not cut it for for Latino styled dancing. Males are supposed to be leaders on the dance floor, but I am afraid that I had lack of leadership qualities in this circumstance. However, people were kind and patient to teach me some moves. I was then later rewarded when an Elvis song played and I could actually swing!

After a bit of dancing, there was a cake cutting ceremony by the birthday girl. This sounds quite similar to a wedding, except that she did not smudge the cake in anyone's face.

Then there was a another dance routine. This time it was only guys. And for someone who has been decently athletic for his life, I was completely mind blown by the athletic capabilities of these people.

The floor was then open to everyone again, and it continued to be fun. There is something about Central America that makes a Congo line/ train so much more special.

As the night continued,  the dance floor became a bit less populated. People, including the birthday girl, began to head home. Then the athletic dancers began preforming stunts to jump into the pool.

All in all, it was an amazing experience. I am not sure if I will be successful in making big fifteenth parties in Canada a trend, but it may be worth a try.

It was a great experience because of how people went out of their way to include me. Many of the youth there knew very little English, and I know very little Spanish, but we would still find a way to communicate. Dancing does not involve a lot of talking. And again it is still funny a week later to talk about how a Canadian striker missed a wide open net against El Salvador.

So, even if glamorous fifteenth birthday parties do not begin to trend in Canada, I think making sure visitors feel included and welcomed is a trend that we should make a priority.

Thanks for reading.

First Week Completed

It has now been a week that I have been in El Salvador, and I have three more yet to come. I have already had opportunities to experience many aspects of the culture and history here.

This travel experience has been different for me, as it is the first time I have flown (and dealt with customs and all that other fun airport stuff) by myself. It is also the first time that I have traveled anywhere that does not have a large global tourism industry.

Therefore, it is quite safe to say that I "stick out" here. That also means that there is much for me to learn here.

Brian Rude, my host/tour guide/taxi service/language interpeter/everything else I need help with, has already taught me much about the politics in El Salvador, and the foreign relations between El Salvador and other States.

It is simply sad to see a place so impacted by civil war.

It is also sad to see the negative impacts that other States, and my home State-- Canada, can have in El Salvador.

With only being hear a week, I do not feel comfortable making too many claims about political situations. However, I will continue to openly learn.

Another thing I am trying to learn is Spanish. I want to be able to have better communication.

Even with my minimal Spanish, I have been able to have some conversation. The combination of many people studying English for school and the power of Google translate has made many conversations possible.

There are also a few things that are universal regardless of language. For example, it is incredibly funny to watch a Canadian striker miss a wide open net against El Salvador. My Spanish-English dictionary does not need to show the translation of laughter.

Music is also a language that I think I can understand a bit better than Spanish. Playing and enjoying guitar is understandable in both Spanish and English. As well, sharing YouTube videos of favorite songs is a fun way to communicate. I take pride in introducing some citizens of El Salvador to Mumford and Sons. I have also loved being introduced to local music, and sometimes even attempting to translate it.

With one incredible week down, all I can say is that I look forward to what the next three weeks have in store.

Caleb.