Monday's Experience

Memorial to Martyrs

While it is only the beginning of the trip, the group has a very dynamic and positive outlook. We had the opportunity to meet with Carlos Dada, who had the Knight Journalism Fellowship at Stanford. It was impacting to listen to Carlos discuss his experience interviewing Col. Saravia, the man who led Archbishop Romero´s assassination. You can find the English translation here

http://elfaro.net/es/201003/noticias/1416/

Our discussion with Carlos ranged from drug trafficking, local and national politics in El Salvador, violence, corruption, the role and influence of the United States in ES. I walked away from that discussion with a greater appreciation for journalism and th and the diligent work he invested in his online-only newspaper El Faro.

Later on in the day, we had the privilege of visiting UCA the, University of Central America and listening to Julia Evelyn Martinez, Professor of Economics to hear her perspective on violations against women´s rights occurring in El Salvador. She described a cycle of Triple Discrimination By Gender in Reproductive Rights, Political Discrimination and Economic Discrimination. This lecture was informative with statistics and personal stories, and I feel safe to say that we all walked away with deeper interest in women’s rights - at home and abroad.

My favorite part of the evening was when we had a discussion of the state of mental health of El Salvador, followed by reflection and meditation exercise with Oti Guardado. This quiet time of deep thought and relaxation could not have come at a more perfect time. The group had more time for reflection later that evening.

Earlier in the day, the group had the pleasure of visiting the San Ramon barrio and purchase hand-made crafts to support the local Christian-based community.

I feel blessed to be among my peers on this great journey to not only know more about the history and struggles of El Salvador; our personal growth and development has shown through in our conversations, but we still have a long way to go. I look forward to the rest of the week and sharing this sacred experience.

God bless all and the people of El Salvador!

- Sarah