Monday January 5, 2009
This morning we went on a tour of downtown San Salvador. We began the day with a breakfast of scrambled eggs and refried beans. We then piled into two vans and began our tour. The first stop was a city market. I have never seen such a place before; it was very large and had most anything that one would or could need. There were fresh flowers, plastic flowers, craft making supplies, as well as massive amounts of fresh fruits, and vegetables. One thing that was quite fascinating was the amount of fresh meat that was simply lying out with no refrigeration, I understand that there is a high percentage of gastrointestinal ailments in El Salvador, and along with the bad water, this could be a factor.
At one booth we were given a sample of a fresh picked tangerine which was incredibly sweet. I am not much of a fruit expert, but it really was quite exceptional and I had to wonder if the sweetness was the difference between fresh picked fruit and fruit that I usually eat that has been picked and then shipped halfway across the country or even from around the world. Perhaps it is like our home gardens, it just tastes better when it is locally grown. One other observation was that our trip through the city market was a whirlwind fast moving trip. Was this because we weren’t really welcome? Was it because there was a fear for our safety? Was Cesar concerned about our getting in the way of people who really were there to shop? Or perhaps we were just on a tight time schedule? There are questions that I will ask and some that I won’t, this one I will probably just leave alone.
We then traveled to the National Cathedral. This is a very large Cathedral right in the heart of downtown and directly across from the old Legislative Palace. The Cathedral is the site of the funeral and tomb of Monsignor Romero. Archbishop Romero took office in 1977 and after witnessing ongoing violations of the basic human rights of the poor of El Salvador became an outspoken critic of the El Salvadorian Government, and a hero to the people of El Salvador. While celebrating Mass in 1980, he was assassinated as he held the consecrated host. The fallout which ensued spread across the world, and the El Salvadorian people lost all hope that a peaceful resolution could be attained. The ultimate result was the beginning of a long and bitter civil war which ultimately claimed 79,000 lives. The Cathedral was a beautiful and incredibly moving place.
We wanted to go downstairs to visit the tomb of Romero, but it wasn’t open yet, so we then walked across the street to visit a park that was the site of a massacre where 200 people were killed or wounded during a civil war protest against the El Salvadorian government. The government troops opened fire on the demonstrators as they were attempting to remove them from the park. Twenty-one people were shot and killed as they attempted to flea across the street to a church for sanctuary. They were buried in a tomb just inside the door where they fell. This cathedral was very dark and stark, but yet quite beautiful. It was built in the shape of a large arch or dome and all across the arch were the colors of the rainbow in stained glass. Another interesting aspect was the Stations of the Cross made from wrought iron and concrete. These were very haunting, especially one where it appeared that two hands were reaching out to touch each other but couldn’t quite reach as if they were imprisoned.
We walked back through the park and then visited the Tomb of Romero. Our guide described that the people of El Salvador felt that Romero was sent by God to walk among them and to lead them. It is interesting the way that Romero is perceived and revered in El Salvador. He was Archbishop for only three years from 1977 to his assassination in 1980 and then to contrast that to someone else that was sent by God to walk among the people whose ministry lasted only three years as well (Jesus). Trust me, if you were to see how Romero is thought of in El Salvador, this comparison is not too much of a stretch.
We then left the downtown area and went to visit an upper scale part of town and it was remarkable to see the difference. One of our stops was at a high end mall. Cesar asked us to go in and check the prices and see what we thought. I wasn’t all that interested in shopping, but I went to a Nautica store which is one of Karen’s and my favorites, so I would have some idea of what the prices were back home. I found that a shirt that I would probably pay $15 for back home (on sale, I don’t buy them unless they are on sale) cost between $55-60 which was high even if they weren’t on sale. These prices and this atmosphere were much different than the City Market that we saw earlier this morning. We then concluded the morning by driving by the US Embassy which was quite an impressive compound. We will visit there tomorrow. Before I move on, however, I must mention something about both the high end mall and the US Embassy. From both of these places, you could throw a rock and hit one of those “shanty villages” that I first noticed yesterday. The difference between the haves and the have not’s is quite profound.
For the afternoon we met with Leslie Schuld from the Center for Exchange and Solidarity with El Salvador for a presentation on the current situation in El Salvador. Her presentation was quite informative and we were also briefed on their role in ensuring a fair and impartial election in the upcoming Parliamentary and presidential voting.
We then met with Carlos Garcia who gave us a very informative presentation on the history of El Salvador. Although his presentation was extremely good, I couldn’t help but think that we were getting only one side of the history of this country. A comparative example would be that our history classes in the United States would be quite different if the were taught by a Native American as opposed to what we might tend to learn in our normal history classes, and his presentation seemed to come from the perspective of one who had a distinct feeling about the armed conflict that the nation had been though. It was good, but I perceived it as perhaps biased. I also understood from his presentation that the people of El Salvador had been oppressed for 500 years. It is truly sad to think of the slavery and oppression which these people endured, and it is good to see that perhaps they are beginning to overcome this oppression for the first time in 500 years.
In the evening, we gathered as a group to watch the movie “Innocent Voices” which was an excellent movie and very powerful. It was about a young boy who was caught up in the war and his efforts to come to grips with the suffering. I understood that the movie was a true story and although true, I could see that it was also told from only one perspective. I have to admit that my entire thought process is being challenged. I refuse to form any preconceived notions or be swayed by an emotional movie or the unanimous views of my fellow travelers. I am here to experience these things for myself, and to ask the questions that I need to ask, and although I seem to be the only one that is even remotely interested in considering what the issues on the other side of this conflict might be, I am very much looking forward to meeting with the representatives from the US Embassy and getting a feel for what our nations official position is and was as well as hearing from the representatives of the Arena party who basically were the government at the time of the armed conflict. I feel pretty alone right now, but I am also determined to seek the truth and not simply be swayed by what my fellow travelers think and the views of the few people that we have met without hearing the other side.
This morning we went on a tour of downtown San Salvador. We began the day with a breakfast of scrambled eggs and refried beans. We then piled into two vans and began our tour. The first stop was a city market. I have never seen such a place before; it was very large and had most anything that one would or could need. There were fresh flowers, plastic flowers, craft making supplies, as well as massive amounts of fresh fruits, and vegetables. One thing that was quite fascinating was the amount of fresh meat that was simply lying out with no refrigeration, I understand that there is a high percentage of gastrointestinal ailments in El Salvador, and along with the bad water, this could be a factor.
At one booth we were given a sample of a fresh picked tangerine which was incredibly sweet. I am not much of a fruit expert, but it really was quite exceptional and I had to wonder if the sweetness was the difference between fresh picked fruit and fruit that I usually eat that has been picked and then shipped halfway across the country or even from around the world. Perhaps it is like our home gardens, it just tastes better when it is locally grown. One other observation was that our trip through the city market was a whirlwind fast moving trip. Was this because we weren’t really welcome? Was it because there was a fear for our safety? Was Cesar concerned about our getting in the way of people who really were there to shop? Or perhaps we were just on a tight time schedule? There are questions that I will ask and some that I won’t, this one I will probably just leave alone.
We then traveled to the National Cathedral. This is a very large Cathedral right in the heart of downtown and directly across from the old Legislative Palace. The Cathedral is the site of the funeral and tomb of Monsignor Romero. Archbishop Romero took office in 1977 and after witnessing ongoing violations of the basic human rights of the poor of El Salvador became an outspoken critic of the El Salvadorian Government, and a hero to the people of El Salvador. While celebrating Mass in 1980, he was assassinated as he held the consecrated host. The fallout which ensued spread across the world, and the El Salvadorian people lost all hope that a peaceful resolution could be attained. The ultimate result was the beginning of a long and bitter civil war which ultimately claimed 79,000 lives. The Cathedral was a beautiful and incredibly moving place.
We wanted to go downstairs to visit the tomb of Romero, but it wasn’t open yet, so we then walked across the street to visit a park that was the site of a massacre where 200 people were killed or wounded during a civil war protest against the El Salvadorian government. The government troops opened fire on the demonstrators as they were attempting to remove them from the park. Twenty-one people were shot and killed as they attempted to flea across the street to a church for sanctuary. They were buried in a tomb just inside the door where they fell. This cathedral was very dark and stark, but yet quite beautiful. It was built in the shape of a large arch or dome and all across the arch were the colors of the rainbow in stained glass. Another interesting aspect was the Stations of the Cross made from wrought iron and concrete. These were very haunting, especially one where it appeared that two hands were reaching out to touch each other but couldn’t quite reach as if they were imprisoned.
We walked back through the park and then visited the Tomb of Romero. Our guide described that the people of El Salvador felt that Romero was sent by God to walk among them and to lead them. It is interesting the way that Romero is perceived and revered in El Salvador. He was Archbishop for only three years from 1977 to his assassination in 1980 and then to contrast that to someone else that was sent by God to walk among the people whose ministry lasted only three years as well (Jesus). Trust me, if you were to see how Romero is thought of in El Salvador, this comparison is not too much of a stretch.
We then left the downtown area and went to visit an upper scale part of town and it was remarkable to see the difference. One of our stops was at a high end mall. Cesar asked us to go in and check the prices and see what we thought. I wasn’t all that interested in shopping, but I went to a Nautica store which is one of Karen’s and my favorites, so I would have some idea of what the prices were back home. I found that a shirt that I would probably pay $15 for back home (on sale, I don’t buy them unless they are on sale) cost between $55-60 which was high even if they weren’t on sale. These prices and this atmosphere were much different than the City Market that we saw earlier this morning. We then concluded the morning by driving by the US Embassy which was quite an impressive compound. We will visit there tomorrow. Before I move on, however, I must mention something about both the high end mall and the US Embassy. From both of these places, you could throw a rock and hit one of those “shanty villages” that I first noticed yesterday. The difference between the haves and the have not’s is quite profound.
For the afternoon we met with Leslie Schuld from the Center for Exchange and Solidarity with El Salvador for a presentation on the current situation in El Salvador. Her presentation was quite informative and we were also briefed on their role in ensuring a fair and impartial election in the upcoming Parliamentary and presidential voting.
We then met with Carlos Garcia who gave us a very informative presentation on the history of El Salvador. Although his presentation was extremely good, I couldn’t help but think that we were getting only one side of the history of this country. A comparative example would be that our history classes in the United States would be quite different if the were taught by a Native American as opposed to what we might tend to learn in our normal history classes, and his presentation seemed to come from the perspective of one who had a distinct feeling about the armed conflict that the nation had been though. It was good, but I perceived it as perhaps biased. I also understood from his presentation that the people of El Salvador had been oppressed for 500 years. It is truly sad to think of the slavery and oppression which these people endured, and it is good to see that perhaps they are beginning to overcome this oppression for the first time in 500 years.
In the evening, we gathered as a group to watch the movie “Innocent Voices” which was an excellent movie and very powerful. It was about a young boy who was caught up in the war and his efforts to come to grips with the suffering. I understood that the movie was a true story and although true, I could see that it was also told from only one perspective. I have to admit that my entire thought process is being challenged. I refuse to form any preconceived notions or be swayed by an emotional movie or the unanimous views of my fellow travelers. I am here to experience these things for myself, and to ask the questions that I need to ask, and although I seem to be the only one that is even remotely interested in considering what the issues on the other side of this conflict might be, I am very much looking forward to meeting with the representatives from the US Embassy and getting a feel for what our nations official position is and was as well as hearing from the representatives of the Arena party who basically were the government at the time of the armed conflict. I feel pretty alone right now, but I am also determined to seek the truth and not simply be swayed by what my fellow travelers think and the views of the few people that we have met without hearing the other side.
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