Salvadoran Life
Salvadoran Shoes
Shoes. Something so basic we don’t even think much about them other than which pair of the many in our closet we will wear at the moment. On any given day we may actually wear several different pairs of shoes depending on the function we require: Sneakers – Do I wear the good ones for the machines at the gym or the old ones for gardening? Hiking boots- I rarely.....
Popularity Of Food Trucks
Formerly associated with blue collar workers where they were parked outside of factories in working class areas, food trucks have gained acceptance and become popular among even “foodie snobs” world-wide. According to Google, “As of 2021, research firm IBIS World estimated there are more than 24,000 food trucks in the U.S. doing about $1 billion worth of business annually.” Beginning in Rhode Island in 1872, a truck parked outside a.....
Scattered and Shattered
[NOTE: Due to the serious nature of this story, it seemed unwise to include any photos.] The pigs, chickens, and growling dogs baring their teeth are following us down the dusty road. Normally I would be on high alert watching their every move, hiding behind my partner, and trying to recall the date of my last tetanus shot. Today is different. I ignore the critters altogether. My partner and I.....
A Salvadoran Baptism
Food, Worship, Pinatas, Cake - all part of a Salvadorian Baptism This smiley, adorable little girl, Hannah, being presented for baptism today is unaware of the difficulties she has already faced in her short year of life. Her mother, Laura, is left to raise her without the support of her biological father. Both she and her mother had serious complications as a result of her birth leaving both of them.....
Smashed Cars
I was sitting in the back seat playing detective. “Was this vehicle safe to be riding in?” I asked myself while lifting the car mats trying to disguise examining the interior for damage and sniffing for gas leaks. It was no use. I could detect nothing amiss. This vehicle rode more smoothly than any brand-new car off the car lot in the States I ever test drove. It was as.....
The Papaturro Community
“I felt I had a commitment to the community.” Esta historia se escribe en Español = This story is also written in Spanish here Editor’s Note: The term community as it is used in El Salvador goes far beyond any casual English definition. We Americans tend to be fluid in terms of moving from one community to another without really establishing roots or forming lasting relationships. In El Salvador a.....
Protection, Protection, Protection
Rows of corrugated metal roofs. Forbidding cinder-block walls painted in assorted colors. Thick, locked double garage doors. All houses are camouflaged; hidden from view. This is the scene from the guesthouse window here in San Salvador. The street in front of me is now fortified by a heavy metal gate opened to its residents by armed guard No. 189 wearing a blue hat and uniform. A long, menacing shotgun is.....
Voice of the Voiceless
As told by his daughter There is a temporary lull in our conversation when I sneak in a question to our friend, “Was your dad in the war?” Little did I know that this simple question, a typical one we ask nearly everyone we interview because there is virtually no family in El Salvador who is exempt from having a family member involved in their recent civil war, would begin.....
The Broken Radiator
Yesterday, Oct. 14, beloved priest of the Salvadoran people, martyred Archbishop Oscar Romero, was canonized in Rome. The people have waited 38 years for this honor. We celebrate with them. He is considered the "saint of the Americas." THE BROKEN RADIATOR (and more!) POP! SZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ Clouds of steam begin seeping from under the hood of the car we are riding in. Don calmly observes, “This can’t be good.” Four of.....
Salvadoran Weddings
SALVADORAN WEDDINGS Weddings and wedding traditions in El Salvador vary widely based on the socio-economic level and desire of the couple. El Salvador recognizes marriage in three ways: informal, civil, and religious. Many of the country’s poor cannot afford a formal wedding at all and simply live in the informal, common-law relationship. The couple must be eighteen years old to marry unless the woman has had a child or.....
Fun Prevails
Fun Prevails! Salvadorans find creative ways to be festive and have fun. They decorate homes, churches, and villages with colorful scraps of paper they fashion into streamers. The occasion may be a simple worship service, birthday party, anniversary of a village’s founding, or its saint day. Basically, they find ways to make something out of nothing. The room for the baby shower we attended was a bare room when we.....
Zacamil Market
I ask our guest house owner if she would take me to the nearby market to experience something new and truly local. Outdoor markets are scattered throughout the city. This one is open daily. I’d like to stop and take pictures and ask our friend to identify some of the unfamiliar items for me, but there is no stopping or lingering for that purpose. We simply get pushed.....
Under the Bridges
Under the Bridges Darkness had already moved in during the three -hour meal preparation at Kiki’s house where we had been cutting onions, green peppers, herbs and spices to add to his main dish. This was taking much longer than I expected. As the main dish simmered, we waited for Nelson and Monica to return from the store with the paper products. The neighbor lady was still preparing the 100.....
Crime at Sea
Watching the local fishermen along El Salvador’s Pacific coast, one soon realizes the many uncertainties they live with on a daily basis. They must be attentive to tides, weather conditions, boat/motor/net repairs, marketing their catch, as well as sustaining their families during periods when the fish don’t bite. Recently a new concern joins the frightening list of fishermen’s worries – threat to their physical safety at sea and.....
Salvadoran Name and Birthdays
SALVADORAN NAMES AND BIRTHDAYS We TRY to remember before interviewing a candidate for our story project two questions: Can you spell your full name for us; and what is your date of birth? Can you spell your full name for us? This may seem silly but understand that in El Salvador as in other Hispanic countries, the extended family plays a significant role. Therefore the names of those.....
Where are the houses?
WHERE ARE THE HOUSES? It is getting tougher and tougher to get a photo of a single family dwelling in the neighborhoods we visit in downtown San Salvador. The city seems to be composed of massive amounts of metal gates, keys, and armed guards. Houses are located somewhere behind all of this. Safety, security, and protection are the reasons we see all of the above. It should not be any.....
The Price of Security
Concertina wire surrounds her house like all the other houses in her area. A series of locked gates envelops the property. One cannot see outside the metal wall of gates because the fortification is intended to keep outsiders from seeing inside the premises. From the inside the owner checks ringing doorbells through a tiny slat. A small car can be parked inside a carport area at night only.....
Beyond Caring
BEYOND CARING “The generosity of the campesinos who gave a banana, some beans or a tortilla, a couple of mangos or a slice of melon, was something that impressed them.” (p. 19 Paying the Price, Teresa Whitfield.) This was written about the early Jesuits’ experience who first came to the country in 1949 and remains true today. Anyone who is familiar with the warmth of the Salvadorans knows.....
Daily Choices
DAILY CHOICES My partner and I spend a considerable amount of time each year in El Salvador establishing relationships and renewing friendships. As with any friendships, the more time we spend with our friends, the more comfortable we are in sharing with one another, and the more we learn about each other. This takes place during several conversations often over meals. It is during the relaxed follow-up to the follow-up.....
Tower of Tortillas
TOWERS OF TORTILLAS As we drive along the highway, we notice piles of corn lying along the roadsides. Once the sun dries them, the workers shovel the white kernels into buckets and take them to be processed. Who would think these piles would turn into Salvadorans’ sustenance of life? I watch the abuela (grandma) make towers of tortillas. Each tortilla is absolutely flawlessly and perfectly round; each is.....
Baby Shower
SALVADORAN BABY SHOWER It is looking as if we might totally miss the event altogether. The plane de-icing in Harrisburg makes our departure very late; by the time we arrive in Atlanta, our plane for San Salvador is already boarding, and we still need to RUN, RUN, RUN, to catch the train to another terminal to get to our gate. We barely make it when they are still calling group.....
Plastic Chairs
THE EVER-PRESENT PLASTIC CHAIR We are barely off the plane until our first stop at our sister community to check in with our scholarship recipients. After the smiles and warm embraces, what is the first thing their moms and abuelas do for us? Bring the plastic chairs from their very humble homes to the outdoors for us to visit with them. We go visit our fisherman friend and his family.....
Venturing Into a New Project
VENTURING INTO A NEW PROJECT [caption id="attachment_3545" align="aligncenter" width="640"] San Salvador & Mechanicsburg Rotary with Engineer & Interpreter[/caption] The seven-mile hairpin-twisted road climbing uphill and deep off the main road into the isolated community seems to take forever to reach. Dirt road quickly turns to gravel; gravel turns to small stones; small stones turn to large rocks; large rocks turn to large chunks missing from the road as.....
Items Vendors Sell
From a purely tourist standpoint it is fascinating to try to identify what some of the street vendors in the cities are selling as we whip past them in traffic. Many hold long cardboard sheets of stacked sunglasses, which I have yet to see a Salvadoran wear, mobile phone cases, car parts, CDs, toiletries, and pirated movies. Each market stall along the streets sells a specific item in.....
Day Of The Dead
This month instead of beginning with a personal bio, we will begin with a Wandering and Pondering instead. This is to celebrate what we North Americans refer to as “All Saints Day. Innocence abruptly halted. The little girl wore a blue frilly dress in her photo, one that should have been hanging on the wall of her family’s living room, not on her grave marker. Her large, young,.....
Handle with Care
Move over, mangroves. You have mosquitoes. Get outta the way, little flapping sea turtles. Jet skis will mow you down. Here come the tourists. We knew it was only a matter of time, didn’t we? Any place with a coastline is prime property for development. If it’s located in a tropical climate, so much the better. People are constantly searching for new places to explore, new frontiers, new adventures. The.....
How do they stay so clean?
CLEANLINESS AMONG THE IMPOVERISHED HOW DO THEY MANAGE IT? Here I am, the American with a suitcase filled with a variety of clothes for any occasion. I have my capris and short sleeved and 3/4 sleeved tops for casual travel; my sundresses for formal interviews or dinners; my raincoat, etc. I’m at a loss if I have no hairdryer or curling iron. It doesn’t matter what I choose to wear;.....
The Coin
Hmmm, I’m puzzled and intrigued at the same time. A number 4 in the center and words around the edge of this large antique coin piques my interest. It is one of those distinct pieces of jewelry that certainly has a story. I know it must be of sentimental value because she wears it each day we see her. The other clue is the thickness of the chain holding this.....
Why do They Stay?
David Blanchard: There is a mystique here that keeps people like Gene Palumbo, Dean Brackley, other Americans like myself here, and keeps people like you coming back. It’s just hard to put your finger on what IT is, but there is something different and special that you don’t detect in other Central Americans --between a Salvadoran and a Honduran. Guatemala has wonderful traditions, but that is not IT. Being an.....