a poem.

Here is a poem that I chose to write as my personal reflection for my time spent in El Salvador. Birthed from growing frustration and confusion over the actions and philosophies of my country, this "manifesto" is something that I wish I could read to every United States citizen; just some food for thought:


The Mad American's Manifesto

Embrace slow.

Realize that not everything

should be pre-packaged and ready

in 90 seconds.

If all moves so fast, memories

and feelings will fail to

catch the train at the station.

Redlights only seem like

their taunting time if you think

the world stops for you.

Accept being average.

Our buildings do not need

to exceed the clouds,

our defense department does not

need to bully all the weak kids

in this global classroom.

Didn’t you see the movies?

The jock always peaks in

high school.

Seek the necessary.

Neighborhoods do not need to sprawl

like cancer cells.

Three cars ARE too many, and

your dog doesn’t care to watch

the Weather Channel at all hours.

Cross-breeze makes for a great A/C unit.

A balanced diet goes beyond

your belly.

Question everything.

There’s no need to raise your

hand anymore, the world will

show you its answer. When what

you witness and what you’re told

don’t equalize, you’re

solving to find the Truth. Living

in a daze of treated information

will only clog the arteries of

knowledge.

Challenge your default settings.

If you’ve sworn allegiance to

your own flag, your thoughts will

live in a dictatorship. Fear the

weight of reality, but be surprised by

your soul’s strength.

Let judgments be followed by curiosity

and child-like optimism. This earth’s

people are not one-size-fits-all.

Welcome responsibility.

Knowledge enjoys permanent residence here; let it.

Do not ignore your own Truths; do not quarantine the past.

Plant trees, sit with suffering’s citizens,

avoid those who enforce the status quo.

Care for water. (I cannot emphasize this enough). 

Practice consciousness, practice humanity.

tragedy in Central America

I'm not sure how televised or talked about it is in the U.S., but there have been devastating rains and storms throughout all of central america for the past week. we woke up last monday morning, grateful for a cooling from the rain, but unfortunately it never stopped, and really only grew in power. the group hasn't experienced the flooding firsthand, but the majority of the lower region of el salvador and guatemala is devastated by flooding that is greater than when hurricane mitch hit in 2008.

there is a community we visited two weekends ago called nueva esperanza, which has an incredible history: during the war this community of about 600 were driven out by the army, forced to live in the basement of a church for upwards of 6 years, displaced to refugee camps in nicaragua, and then finally returned to land that, for the first time, is legally entitled to them in the bajo lempa region. we caught wind of news today that the entire community is now under water, and most everyone was able to evacuate except for a few who are now awaiting either boats or helicopters to come. however even more sad, is that the agricultural co-op they've developed over the last 15 years or so, which yields coconuts, sugar cane, mangos, corn, and cows, is now completely ruined. a good majority of this community relies upon the small profits from these farms for their sustenance.

being in central america as a traveling student from the united states feels so crippling. we are so close to the victims, having even made friendships with many, and yet we are leaving the country on saturday to go on a vacation to the beach for our fall break. our directors told us that if we get the opportunity to volunteer this week they'll let us know, however, the reality is that we are able to pick up our things and leave these countries that have given us so much, when they are in their greatest need. of course I will carry their story and my experiences with me forever, but it is a perfect example how far removed our privileged lives are from the poor and oppressed, who are continually the worst off in such disasters, and are the last to be attended to.

so, long story short, if you could keep these people in your thoughts, prayers, energies, or whatever works for ya, please do so, as they'll need all they can get.

A mural in Nueva Esperanza. Translation: "We build a free town."

just some pics.

A typical rural road in El Salvador. The country, plus palm trees!

Ronald, our little guitarrista in Tierra Blanca.

The team plays sports on the beach.

And of course some chicken fighting,

The group at the top of Volcano Santa Ana

The top of Santa Ana... with a sulfur lake!

a brief hiatus

Hey there! I have to apologize for how long it has taken me to write a recent post... time in El Salvador flies and with the absence of my laptop, I was lacking some accessibility.

However, my laptop is returned, and fixed! I think. We picked it up from the computer place because it was going to take too long to fix and we would be no longer in El Salvador (the technician said it just needed a new keyboard?) but when I got home and attempted to turn it on, it arose from the dead! It was the same day that Steve Jobs passed away, so I'm convinced his spirit was reincarnated in my computer. Everything works just about fine.. I've had a small problem or two but when I shut it off for a couple hours it works perfectly later.

On other notes, El Salvador has been a whirlwind. I can't believe that we only have 10 days left here!! It really seems as if we just arrived. Due to safety and educational reasons, we leave the capital on the weekends to visit rural communities, and then we have Monday and Tuesday off as our weekends. So for example today feels like a Monday, but it's already Wednesday and halfway through the week! Our time goes so quickly and we don't even realize it.

The time we spend here is so much different then in Guatemala. It feels much more like the United States, with the Americanization of most of the consumer stores and products (including the dollarization of the currency). We also don't have much free time, and if we do, it's usually spent just hanging out in our house, which can be really relaxing but can ignite some feelings of cabin fever. Our directors try to get us out of the house as often as they can, so we'll go out to restaurants for lunch or dinner. However our rural stays have been really incredible. Since our course is based on liberation theology, we often visit "Christian-based communities," in which theology and religion play in integral role in the workings of the community, such as social programs, sports, support groups, agricultural cooperatives, and education. Often times, the church serves as a means for funding programs that the citizens then implement. These communities have a really interesting tie to liberation theology, but I won't bore you with the theoretical details.

As most of our days are about the same, I haven't had much interesting to write about so I haven't felt the need to. Our lives have become very routine, and I guess life in Central America seems more or less normal, which isn't a bad thing by any means! We are planning our fall break in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, and we've also visited some beaches and volcanoes. I'll post pictures soon enough!

Nos vemos,
Becca