UCA Vigil

Last weekend we celebrated the lives of the Jesuits who were brutally murdered during the civil war. There were festivities starting at 8 in the morning on Saturday and finished on Sunday at 2 in the morning. It was quite an incredible experience.

While I was in Las Flores for campo week, I spent quite a bit of time with Chata. She is 21 years old and studying tourism in the town near her home. Part of the vigil includes a soccer tournament and she is a very good soccer player so she came down to play. It was great because she came on Friday and spent the night so I got to spend a lot of time with her.

On Saturday morning the soccer tournament started. We had enough women playing that we formed 2 teams just from our community. Unfortunately there were only 5 women teams in the tournament so we didn’t get to play as much as I would have like to but it was still fun. My team won our first game in penalty kicks (many games ended this way as the games were only 15 minutes long). Since there were only 5 teams, our team had a bye that put us into the championship game. It was great because our second team also made it into the championship! It was one of the most fun games of soccer I have played. Luckily my team won and took home the first place trophy.

While we were playing soccer, other people in our community were making alfombras (rugs). They are essentially pictures made out of salt that were put in the road on the University campus. There were about 20 different ones from many groups of people. The idea is you spend all day making this beautiful creation that represents something more, such as justice or solidarity. Then later in the evening there is a procession of people and you walk over them, running the pictures together.

A big part of the vigil is the procession that takes place in the evening. There are thousands of people who gather to remember the martyrs but the gathering also represents the continuing fight for justice and human rights. Everyone takes a candle and we process throughout the campus and a bit of the surrounding community. The procession ends in a large parking lot where mass is held by the UCA rector. The UCA rector is a Jesuit who has a relationship with our community so he has said mass for just our community before. Because of this the mass felt more powerful as I felt a connection to him.

His homily was anything from a safe typical homily. He named many of the social problems present in Salvadoran society. He was not afraid to call out politicians and the government, as they have not been trying to fix the situation in fact they have been making it worse. It seemed people really took to his words as there were clapping and cheering at points in his homily. Personally I found his homily to be extremely powerful. He began with the problems and did not hold back. It was overwhelming at first to just hear all the things that need work, I just felt helpless and powerless to the problems. As he continued to talk, he pointed to examples of hope and to people who have been instrumental in creating change. It was inspiring to hear about the people who are continuing to create change and to see so many other people dedicated to social change. I remember feeling energized to work that much harder and to dedicate my life to improve our world.

The night continued with music and dancing. The Salvadoran student who lives with me, Tomás, is an incredible musician. He started off the night and then also preformed with one of his groups, Trova. I will try and post a video but I am not sure that it will work.

Unfortunately as the dancing got started I had to say good-bye again to Chata and her sisters, Leidi and Chicki (who had come down later in the day). It turned out to be a lot more difficult than I was expecting. I felt so close to Chata, especially as I had spent the last day and a half with her, and I just did not want our time together to end. As I was saying good-bye to Leidi, she took her ring off her finger and placed it onto mine. I could feel my heart fill up with love and pain. It was such a beautiful moment with her and I will never forget it. I remember standing on the sidewalk, waving as the bus took my friends back home. A few tears rolled down my cheek knowing I may not see them again but also tears of joy for the time I was able to spend with them.

It is just the beginning of the good-bye process as I only have a month left in El Salvador. I am so scared to say good-bye to the people I have come to love. But I have learned so much from them and I know I need to continue the love they have given me. So for now I will enjoy ever moment I have left.

Our alfombra

Tomás' concert

Tomás

Leidi and I

Chata, Katherine and I before saying good-bye

Last weekend

Finally last weekend was a weekend filled with fun and laughter. It was extremely busy but really great.

On Saturday we had a soccer tournament with the scholarship students from our sister program. We played 20 minute games of 4 v 4. The concrete field was smashed between a giant building and two neighborhoods. My team made it to the championship game after playing two games and boy were we exhausted. The sun was beating down with no relief while we played. But in the championship game no one scored after twenty minutes of play so we ended in a shoot-out. Luckily the other team missed two shots so we won the tournament. We were presented with metals and dubbed champions. It was great to feel my competitive nature come back and play some intense soccer. We have another tournament this weekend but at the University and against other teams.

Saturday evening we had a celebration for a student who graduated last month. I stayed with her family during campo week and they all came to the party for her. It was so wonderful to see them again and catch up. I didn't realize how much I enjoyed my time with their family until I saw them again. The party was fantastic with affirmations for Susi, the graduate, eating and of course dancing.

After the party some scholarship students and I went to the plaza because there was a music festival going on. They had set up three stages and the streets were filled with people. We had a great time dancing and just hanging out. One of the bands played music but also had a dialogue in between songs. The women were dressed in skin tight clothing and many comments were made regarding their bodies. There was also a black man who was constantly made fun of and many racial slurs were said while he was on stage. It seemed quite striking after spending so much time talking about justice and equality. But it was a good time and it was great to let loose after so many weeks of stress.

On Sunday we visited the home of Rigo (a student who lives in my house). He lives in a beautiful, mountainous area of El Salvador. We rode in pickups through the winding roads of the mountains with breathtaking views around ever curve. Rigo has 3 brothers who all look identical but at different stages of their lives. I have never seen a family look so much like one another.

After spending a little more time in his home we all went to a coffee processing plant where Rigo and his brothers have worked. We have learned quite a bit about picking coffee but never about the process after. It was incredible to see how much work goes into processing coffee. There are so many intricate steps that make a cup of coffee so much more valuable than I would have thought. We were able to walk all over the plant and do and see things that would never be permitted in the United States. For example we climbed up and had to step over a moving blade. We were just able to see so much of the process and just understand what happens after the beans get pick. It was truly an amazing experience.

It was great to have a weekend of fun as the last few weeks have been quite stressful. Unfortunately with so much going on, I have become quite exhausted. I am far behind on my homework and my sleep and it is hard to catch up with so much going on. But I know things will slow down again and I will figure out how to get caught up in both.

I wanted to write a post to express and remind myself of the joy and happiness I am experiencing here. It is easy to get caught up in the sad and hard things. But I will give an update on Las Delicias soon. They are doing pretty well but please continue to keep them in your thoughts and prayers as there is still more work to be done.

Thank you for reading! I appreciate all the support everyone has given me during these few months I have spend here.