Suffering and sadness

          “Suffering and sadness do not have to be synonymous.” ~Hermana Peggy.  These last few days have been full of new experiences, adventures, and surprises. Waking up a little sticky and damp definitely isn’t something that I am used to, but I had no idea El Salvador would feel so much like home. Of course the sky isn’t quite as blue, the mountains not quite as high, nor are the stars as numerous or as vibrant, but it still has that sense of being just in the right place at the right time. It’s hard to put into words the true sense of belonging that I feel here; despite my blonde hair and untanned skin. The feelings of community and solidarity are just filling the air.

           The Salvadorians walk with smiles on their faces and wave at us just to say hola. If you smile at someone, you are almost certain to receive at least a smile and most likely a wave in return. Throughout all of the struggles and hardships that these people have gone through, they still maintain their strength, pride, and somehow their happiness. They walk down their cobblestone streets holding their heads high because the experiences they have been through have shaped who they are and made them stronger as opposed to weakening them. They see us, a bunch of kids from America (a country who gave 1.5 million a day to support the civil war only 20 years ago) and can easily separate us from our country.

I have already mentioned the sense of community here but I’m just not sure that I can reiterate it enough. Sister Peggy told us a story about when she was hiding from the soldiers with two other women, one of them having a child. After several hours of solitude, the woman with the baby pulled out some tortillas. Peggy was so hungry but realized that the woman had a child to feed and so she must first feed herself. The woman turned to Peggy and said, “Today we share our food, tomorrow we share our hunger.” When I first arrived, it seemed pretty obvious to me as to why Peggy came but I just wasn’t sure why she stayed, and I found myself wanting to ask. But my question has quickly been answered, why would you want to leave such a place, a place that feels more like home than home. Back in the United States, what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is yours, while here the saying what’s mine is yours rings with more truth than I ever thought it could. I never thought a country could teach me so much in just a few days.

Hasta Luego!

Kati Mitchell