By Danny Wilson
May 30, 2009
Tuesday night I found myself sitting in my new "bedroom," one of three rooms in a small adobe house owned by a couple in the community of La Hacienda. As I tried to get comfortable on the hand-woven hammock that would be my bed for the next two nights, the owner of the home, Santos, and his ¨life-partner¨ Marta came in and sat down on small stools next to my roommate and me. His face lit solely by candlelight, Santos began to talk to me about how hopeful he was for change in El Salvador. Since the end of the Civil War that ravaged the country for most of the Eighties, the nation has been led by the ARENA party. On Monday, President-Elect Mauricio Funes of the FMLN party will take the oath of office, and for the first time in its history the country will experience a change in political leadership.
What startled me
about this conversation was not the passion and political awareness Santo had
for El Salvador but what he knew about the United States. Just minutes into the
conversation, he began to talk about Barack Obama, and how fervently he hoped
that with new governments in the United States and El Salvador there would be a
better relationship between the two nations. He spoke for over an hour about economic
and political issues not just in El Salvador but around the world -
privatization, environmental destruction, corruption. His thoughts were in
depth and specific, he could cite the names of banks in San Salvador that
refused to loan money to poor campesinos
(peasant farmers), the mining companies that organized projects that would lead
to environmental exploitation in rural, poor areas of the country, and
politicians who he thought had a negative effect on the well-being of his
fellow Salvadorans.
I came to Morazán
expecting to see abject poverty, devastating sickness, and neglect. What
surprised me was how intently knowledgeable almost everyone I spoke with was.
Despite the fact that in Morazán few spots north of the Torola River have
electric power, the people of La Hacienda and El Junquillo talked about their
desire for education, healthcare, and political influence, while never
mentioning a want for electricity to provide for the modern amenities we enjoy
in the United States. The people of these two communities are organized and
willing to stand up for the goals they have. They want nothing more than to see
that their children have better lives than they do.
I was awed by how
structured each community is. When we arrived in both La Hacienda and El
Junquillo, the leaders of the towns stood at the front of their humble capillas (chapels) and present committee
after committee. The people of both towns are ready to stand up for what they
want, and they don´t want much. They have family, community, and awareness.
What they do want is deceptively simple, and seeing just how little it would
take to give them that breaks my heart. Both towns have schools, but they
receive just too little funding. They have a community medical center, but
visits from trained medical professionals are too few.
The people in these
two communities don´t need to be told how to live. They don´t need to be told
how to organize, and they certainly don´t need to be told how to love. They
simply need to see that future generations just have a chance - the chance to
own a business, to go to school, to play a role in society. I was shocked by
how organized these two communities were when I arrived, and I left shocked at
how little they need to thrive, and how dead-on the goals they fight for are.
Looking good Anthony! I heard you sounded great in your message. I'm looking forward to hearing the many stories you will share from this wonderful adventure. Be safe and well. Love, Aunt ML
Dear Danny, A.J., Scott, and Bryan,
How fitting that your words come to us on the Solemnity of Pentecost. Continue to be inspired by the Spirit found in the people of El Salvador. I look forward to hearing about your transformations when you return to us.
Much Love,
Mr. Tricco
Ps. Make sure Mr. Broyles, Mr. Halpin and Mr. Fisko offer you plenty of time to journal...
Dear Danny, A.J., Scott, Bryan, and all of you guys.
I wish I could be there with you to experience this profound. I was browsing through my copy of La Teologia Historica De Ignacio Ellacuria by Kevin Burke SJ, and its discussion of the "crufied people" should remind us that through this experience, you guys are not only meeting the Salvadoreños, but you are meeting Christ himself.
I wish you all the best for the rest of your trip,
Nicholas Shore
P.S. ... dale Salvadoreño
Que no hay un pájaro pequeño
Que después de alzar al vuelo
Se detenga en su volar.
Danny,
The myth has always been that those who live in lesser conditions do so because they lack certain abilities that people in the first world have. Obviously, that's not true. You put into words much of what I thought - that they're determined, organized, efficient, and ready to go. They have all the abilities that we have and more, just not the resources. I'm sure you realize now why we raise money at school - because if you give resources to people that determined, magic will ensue.
You have hit the nail on the head, Danny. Poverty is not due to lack of money, ability, or intelligence. It is due to lack of opportunity. Blessings as you continue to grapple with what life is like for the majority of those on this earth.
Mr. G
Hi, Danny and Scott--
When I inherited Fr. Renna's Humanities class this spring, Danny, I immediately observed and appreciated your intelligence,your depth of spirit, and undeniable capacity to reflect on life's most dangerous conundrums. Scott, you know I have always appreciated those character traits in you! Here, I see you both continue to grow and reflect on those dangers...as well as the potential for "opportunities." Here are some of my favorite lines from Shakespeare's The Tempest: Be Merry/You have cause/ So have we all/ Of joy." From the photos, it looks like words you are living right now! Danny and Scott, you represent the BCP class of 2010, The Men of '10, with grace and passion...
Carpe Diem,
Ms Kauffman
Hi Danny,
Reading everyone's blogs brought me to tears and filled me with a mixture of happiness and sadness. Thank you to all who have and will blog for sharing how this experience is opening up your minds and hearts. I can't wait to hear more. Ozzie says woof. Love you. TTYL Mom
Hi Danny,
I'm enjoying reading this blog and "following" you and your classmates on this journey. I hope you continue to have fulfilling experiences while you're there. I look forward to the next update! We missed you in Maine over the weekend.
Love,
Jennifer
Danny,
Experiences from this life-changing trip will be forever incised in your memory and change textbook perceptions about the world of the dispossessed with the enlightening jolt of reality.
Each of you might consider filling a jar with a clump of earth to take back home as a reminder of what you’ve seen, heard and felt, a memento whose value is sure to trump that of any refrigerator magnet or T-shirt.
On a more mundane note, You-Know-Who showed up at the bar mitzvah
in Maine two hours late, failing to amuse the rabbi reading the Torah when her cell phone went off and treated the assembled to a rousing version of “When the Saints Go Marching In.”
Some things, as the prophet noted, never change.
Your father.
Danny...Nice comments. Some similarities between our trips:
In Canada, we experienced living in a "room," rather than a house with many rooms. No boundaries like we are used to in the States.
Also, like your comment about Santo and President Obama, many in Canada were hopeful of different relations too. This is interesting because Canada and El Salvador are in completely different economic situations.
I enjoyed reading what you wrote and your pictures.
-Mr. Kolb