La Gente

There is something comforting about a morning routine, and familiar faces.

We said buenos dias to Elba, gave a pet to Nova, and we began our 10 minute walk to the arts center. We passed the little boy with the toy car, who drives across the walls of adobe as he walks. We passed the woman who owns the tienda, getting ready for the day. We passed the elderly woman who is always standing in her doorway, and she finally said buenos dias in return!

I take this as a good sign. People are becoming familiar to us, we are becoming familiar to them. The beginnings of community.

Monday through Friday, we have breakfast at the Arts Center. This is the part of volunteering where I feel guilty, because we are so spoiled! This morning we were served pancakes, papaya, bananas and peanut butter. We are very lucky to have this kind of deal.

We are beginning to make friends with Terry, Elizabeth and Dina, the ladies in the kitchen. Terry enjoys acting out her stories so that we understand. Laughter is understood in every language, and for that I am grateful.

We had dinner with a man named Frank Cummings last night, who is from Atlanta, Georgia. He retired in Suchitoto 10 years ago, and has since taught English, tutored in science and math, created and managed a university scholarship program, and helped in the creation of Centro Arte para la Paz. He is a fascinating guy. At his house we enjoyed delicious things like spaghetti, mango sorbet and pinot noir, which was a treat.

Other than that I have spent a little time with a french woman named Charlotte who works for RAIS - Instutito para el Rescate Ancestral Indigena Salvadoreno. She helps with various projects where children learn to weave, cook, dance, etc. in traditional ways. She lives in San Salvador much of the time, so we don't see each other too often.

San Salvador, I am told, is not the safest of places. It is about a 2 hour bus ride from here. In time we will go on our own, with caution and little in our pockets. Another BVS-er, Sarah Hall, has been working with Iglesia Bautista Emmanuel for almost 2 years. She has been a great source of support in our preparation to come to El Salvador.

The wonderful thing is, my home church Watts Street Baptist has a partnership with Emmanuel, and so does Brethren Volunteer Service! The world keeps getting smaller and smaller...

Building community takes patience, and courage. Trust the process. Be open to opportunity.

Hogar

Finally, we have moved in to a new home. It is not perfect, but it is good.

We are living with another couple, named Noel and Elba. They have both finished university and are working for a non-profit called International Partners. We spent some time together last night over pizza and they told us about their important work.

We are not seeing much poverty here in Suchitoto proper, although I am sure it is here. The kitchen workers at Centro Arte make $8.00 per day, but that is nothing compared to what the people are experiencing in the countryside outside of the city. 

Their projects include supporting a school, community development, and primarily working on agricultural projects so that the people in the pueblo have a means of making a living. Right now their focus is milk from cows - training the people, bottling the milk, selling it, getting the money back to those who have worked so hard to put food on the table.

I am feeling very moved at the moment, since I just read the story of Noel and Elba's childhood and struggle. Please take the time to read it, you will learn about two people who, with determination, opportunity and education, were able to change the lives of many.

Needless to say we are very lucky to have these two in our lives. I am excited to learn more from them and to have more Spanish to communicate with them!

Here are a few photos from our new apartment, with the beautiful view and the sweet dog named Nova.



Gracias a dios por salud, dinero y amor.

Suchitoto

We have been in Suchitoto, El Salvador for 4 days now. It is a beautiful little town, with cobblestone streets and a certain charm to it.

When you pass someone on the street, it is important to make eye contact with them and say "buenos dias" or "buenos tardes". Every time it makes me smile - this greeting is a true acknowledgement of our presence here.

Todd, our coordinator left on Thursday morning. It was difficult to say goodbye to him - there was a certain permenance in it. We are here for 2 years, no turning back now.

It is easy to feel lonely, in a new place where we do not know the language very well. I am grateful for Chris, and I think he is grateful for me. One of our challenges will be that it is easy to cling to each other and speak English - when we need to speak Spanish.

Today we went to a meeting at Centro Arte para la Paz, our organization for the next 2 years. It is amazingly progressive. We sat in the meeting for 3 hours and listened to incredibly bright El Salvadorans share their ideas and hopes for the center. They want to have more advanced classes in the arts, and perhaps scholarships for young people who want to continue their education in art or music.

It is very hard to believe that there was ever a war here. It is such a peaceful place, full of life. Here are a few of the things we have seen so far in Suchi.

"Our first task in approaching

another people

another culture

another religion

is to take off our shoes

for the place we are approaching is holy

Else we may find ourselves

treading on another's dream.

More serious still

we may forget that God was there

before our arrival"

-Max Warren

Festival de Maiz

We left Ixtahuacan in the back of Don Diego's truck. With the wind and sun at our backs, we gazed at the Guatemala mountains. Each person we passed had a story, a struggle, hopes and dreams.

We spent the night in Guatemala City, took a bus to San Salvador, took a van to Suchitoto, and here we are! Our coordinator Todd accompanied us through this journey, for which we are grateful.

We are staying at the hostel in Centro Arte para la Paz, which is a really nice place. Semi-cold showers, but believe me - you want a cold shower after a hot day in El Salvador!

The center itself is pretty amazing. They have a room full of instruments - violins, guitars, drums, keyboards. We are in a place that promotes creativity - and finds the funding to create.

All the staff (at the hostel/conference center and arts center) are very kind and excited to have us here for 2 years. We have a meeting this afternoon to decide which classes we will teach (in Spanish, si podemos...)

More about that later! Our first full day in Suchitoto, Peggy drove us to El Bario's corn festival. This was at a small school out in the country.

We met some of the kids at the school, and were sitting in the shade waiting for the event to begin (an hour late, typical Latin American time). The principal came up to us and said they needed another judge. Judge for what?

They needed a person to judge the outfits made of corn. Thankfully Peggy, the director of the arts center was also a judge so she could help me with some of the words I didn't understand. It was a beautiful celebration of one of the most important foods in El Salvador.

There was dancing, singing, the contest, corn, and a cowboy who could make his horse dance. It was all a great introduction to this area's sense of culture and belonging.

"The smallest countries have the longest national anthems."

-Sister Peggy

Ultimo

Today was our last full day in Ixtahuacan, Guatemala with our coordinator Todd and his family. It has been a time of rest and relaxation, of getting to know the culture. The pace is so much slower here! I am thankful for the practice both in Spanish and in slowing down.

I will admit I have been frustrated at times, because I was so ready to be in Suchi, and it has been such a long journey. (Note: we left Minnesota June 10, therefore we have not worked or had a home in 2 and half months!)

Thanks be to God for time and patience.

Here are some photos of our adventures in the mercado today (we sold herbs/medicinas, it was quite the adventure) and new friends we have made here in Guatemala.

Quien

There is one

Who has nothing,

Yet they are full

Arriving in the late afternoon,

They invite you in for tortillas and amistad

There is one

Who works with their hands

All day in the rain

So that their family can have barely enough

There is one

Who dances upon injustice

Whose smile brings hope

Who is a child

Las Cosas

I wanted to share some of the everyday things that people use and do here in Ixtahuacan, Guatemala

The Pila

This handy sink has 2 sides. The left side is used for washing clothes and hands, and the right side is used for washing dishes. When we wash clothes, we leave them to soak for 2 hours in soapy water, then rub each on the washboard and rinse them. Then we leave them out to dry on lines like this:

El Bano

We have the luxury of using an outhouse here at Todd and Katy's house. They have a different section for #1 and #2, and they use both on their small farm for water and fertilizer.

Many people do not have an easy way to use the bathroom. There is a place in town (not sure where it is, don't need to go there) where people go to poop.

We used one bathroom that just has a hole in it. I hadn't thought of toilets as a luxury before, but really - they are.

El Pollo

Yes, pollo does mean chicken, but it's also the word for an outdoor stove. Just make a fire, and it is amazing how quickly things cook! It is also the place we "tortilar" (yes, making tortillas is a verb). I am still very bad at tortilla making, it is indeed an art.

La Comida

The food here is all fresh. There is no refigerator, so if there are leftovers they are covered up and left out. I ate 2 day old hot dogs, and they were just fine. We had pasta with chicken from the day before, also delicious.

People eat tortillas with every meal, partly because they're delicious, and partly for hunger. Sometimes the portions are small, and then you eat more tortillas to fill you up.

Bathing

We warm water up on the pollo. When it is hot enough, we put it in a bucket and go into the outdoor shower area. We pour water on ourselves and shampoo, soap up, then pour a little more water.

Many Guatemalans here do not have the luxury of hot water or an outdoor stove. Most people use a sauna twice a week. They believe that it is cleansing (and I agree). The sauna we used has a very low celing, so you have to be careful. We warm up water by the hot fire, and then pour it over ourselves.

It is important to have the windows closed, so that the cold does not come in after the sauna. "Hot" things are believed to be good for you, and you don't want to mix hot and cold.

Los Perros

Dogs here are treated very differently. There are two classes of dogs, the lower class being "chuchos". The dogs here, Canela and Puppy, are not pets. The family kicks or hits them if they come too close to the front door, or if they steal a tortilla. "Echase!" Lie down! They say.

Admittedly, I have also had to push them away at times. They jump up and scratch you legs. We are not supposed to pet them. It is kind of strange.

There are wild dogs throughout the town that find their own food in the trash dump. No one pets them, and they belong to no one.

Trash

Trash here is everywhere, especially in the river. Don't worry -we don't drink the water.

In the states, we never see the trash dumps. Here in Ixta, it is visible from the road. People with little money sift through the trash, looking for things to eat or sell.

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We are learning a lot about different ways of life. Admittedly, it makes me miss Minnesota and our home there. Things take much more time, there are less conveniences. Everything is new to us, everyone is new to us!

I vow to live each moment fully

and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion

-Thich Naht Hahn