Two More Stamps in My Passport

I have just returned from our 2 week excursion to El Salvador and Honduras. It was amazing to see two different Central American countries and to be able to compare them to Nicaragua and with a Nicaraguan lens. Suffice it to say, all 3 countries are completely different and not just in geography but their histories, politics, people, food, everything.

El Salvador

We went to El Salvador first, one of the smaller C.A. countries but also one of the ones with the most recent violent history. We stayed in a hotel in San Salvador one of the most dangerous cities. We were not allowed to really go exploring because of that which did not become a problem considering our time was very structured with meetings and activities. We met with officials from the National Assembly in San Salvador--one man from the more conservative, USA friendly party which is in power right now and one man from the FMLN, or the Sandinista party of El Salvador. They were separate meetings and really interesting to see the contrasting views of the parties. We also went to see the wall dedicated to the people who disappeared and were massacreduring the "civil" war that happened in the late 1980´s and into the 1990´s. We then went to the campo of El Salvador, Santa Marta, where there is a popular radio station run by the youth living in the area. We lived in the houses of the kids for 2 nights and worked at the radio station during the day. One of the days I went around with one of the girls doing interviews for an article on nutrition in the schools in Victoria (the town right above Santa Marta) and the second day I helped build a fence. We left Santa Marta and headed back to San Salvador where we visited the university where 6 Jesuit priests and 2 women were murdered during the civil war by the side that was funded by the united states. It was really intense to go see the rooms in which they had stayed, the bullet holes that are still in the building and there were pictures from the morning after that were incredibly graphic. We also watched a movie "Voces Inocentes" about the war and based on a true story about the recruitment of young boys for both the national army and the guerillas. It´s an amazing movie to watch if you are interested in understanding more about the El Salvadorian war.

Honduras

Then we went to Honduras which was basically our spring break. We went to the Atlantic/Caribbean Coast and were guided around by a group of young women who are part of a women´s youth organization that promotes HIV/AIDS awareness as well as equal rights for women. We spent the first 2 nights in Omoa right on the beach swimming in the ocean and pool and lying in the sun. During the day we had meetings with some local women who talked about their experiences being HIV positive and the issues involved both socially and culturally. The morning we left Omoa for Tela, another beachside town, the storm that had hit the northeast with snow hit the coast of honduras with tons and tons of rain. We made it to our hotel safely but then had to basically cancel all of our plans because of the rain flooding the streets. Our hotel did have kitchens in the rooms so we were able to make food, have pot lucks, catch up on television, and just in general relax after the intensity of El Salvador. The day before we left it began to clear up and we went to a Garifuna community (they are descendents of the slaves that came over with the conquistadors) and met with a man who has written 8 books on his community. We ate a marvelous meal and hung out on the beach after our meeting with him.

I have so much more to say about both of the trips but this is already ridiculously long! I loved them both and am excited now for my project on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua which we are visiting in 2 weeks for our last excursion. Hope all is well!