Day 1 Sunday Evening

Sunday January 4, 2009 7:00 PM

Words can not describe this day. I have to admit that I don’t really even know where to begin. Perhaps the beginning would be a good place to start and we can just go forward from there.

Kate and her husband arrived on campus right at the appointed time of 3:15 AM. Within minutes we were loaded and on our way to the airport. Upon arrival, as we were getting out of the van, John, our professor and leader pulled up behind us. So far so good. The check in procedure went very smoothly and while we waited for our flight, we were entertained by a 2 year old deaf girl. It’s amazing how a two year old can keep a room full of adults entertained.

Once we were on the plane, I realized how long it has been since I have flown. The plane was equipped with television screens which magically came down from the ceiling in the area where the oxygen masks would come down (in the event of sudden loss of cabin pressure) I believe that the excitement of this discovery was best summed up by the young child several rows in front of me who exclaimed, “How did they do that?” (my thoughts as well)

The change of planes in Houston went smoothly, we met the last member of our group, Melissa, who came in from Detroit and we were on our way to El Salvador. I would have to say that the Cross Cultural aspect of the experience actually began at the Houston Airport. The terminal we boarded from, as well as our flight, was probably 80% or more El Salvadorian. At that point I knew that we weren’t in Indiana anymore.

Our arrival in El Salvador was also a very smooth transition. We got off the plane, got our baggage and went through customs without any issues whatsoever. We made our way out of the terminal and met our guide Cesar Acevedo. He was a relatively young man who seemed to be very warm and friendly. After a moment or two of waiting, our bus arrived to take us to our lodging. While waiting, however, the questions began to pile up in my mind. First of all, I noticed the razor wire wrapped around the tops of all the fences and the buildings. This was something that we would see everywhere in the city of San Salvador. Whoever sold barbed wire and razor wire in El Salvador must be very rich.

I also noticed that the trees all around the airport were covered in white from the base up about four feet. This was also evident thoughout El Salvador. I learned later that this was done to protect the trees from insects, although this was also done in other parts of the country as decoration and also painted red, white and blue in other parts of the country to show support to the Arena political party.

As we began the drive from the airport to the capital city of San Salvador, our first destination, I saw many unique things such as very large trucks hauling what looked like sticks. Actually, it turned out to be sugar cane. (I must have asked Cesar a hundred questions) There was also a man standing in the middle of the road with a torch, it turned out that he was a fire-eater who was performing in the road for money. The landscape was quite beautiful, perhaps a combination of the Appalachian Mountains and the desert of Arizona. It was very harsh but also beautiful, I especially loved the palm trees, they certainly don’t have those in Indiana.

However, I experienced something on the way to San Salvador that I believe will frame the way that I will perceive this entire trip. I started noticing “shanty villages” made up of concrete block, corrugated tin and wood. I didn’t know what they were until I saw children playing and clothes hanging out on clothes lines, then it dawned on me that there were people living in those villages. Then I saw another and another and another. There must have been thousands of people living in those conditions. I’m definitely not in Indiana anymore.

When we arrived at our residence house/hotel, I first noticed that the entry door was a humongous steel gate with razor wire all around the perimeter of the gate and of the roof of the house. Cesar rang the bell and we went inside. It was truly a beautiful house with an awesome patio and garden. We were shown to our rooms, and I am staying in a room with Soon Won and Dong. It is small but nice, and we do have our own bathroom which was also nice. (no hot water) Some points of interest in the house would be the fact that there is an AK 47 Assault rifle mounted on a board under the stairway, and there is a picture of Fidel Castro hanging in a prominent position on the wall. I’m not in Indiana anymore.

We were then treated to a wonderful lunch prepared by the ladies of the house which consisted of rice, beans, beef, bread, watermelon and a wonderful vanilla rice pudding made with real vanilla beans. I thought that vanilla came out of a bottle. Soon Won took an immediate interest in taking pictures, so I let him have my camera and after that we couldn’t stop him. I know that we will all appreciate the pictures when we get home, and I am so thankful to Ben and Crystal for the memory card for the camera.

After lunch we sat around and talked for about an hour and then Cesar returned to brief us on the adventure that was before us. He gave each of us a slip of paper with different facts about El Salvador, and one that I read was truly astounding to me. “Per Capita, El Salvador is the 3rd most violent country in the world behind Iraq and Columbia.” Wow that was both scary and astounding to me.

We then went for a walk around the neighborhood and saw some of the bustling activity, had some ice cream thanks to Cesar, and ended back at our hotel which is called "Los Pinos," or "The Pines." (I don’t think that there are any pine trees around here) I beleive that the plan is to turn in fairly early, we have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow.

I am looking forward to hearing about this country, the violence as well as the hope for the future. Today has been a good day. But I am definitely feeling troubled by what I have seen.