The Salt Shaker

The car is packed!

Jim, Maria, Matthew, Katherine… and the dogs

Mia and Matthew

Jim

The picture where I have a bug on my face, well thats actually a
scorpion, but dont worry we ripped the stinger out so its harmless.

The things that we are building in one of those pictures is a chicken
coop which I also took a finished picture of.

The river that we were at was the center of fun and enjoyment for us
as it was one of the only places that we could keep cool. I built a
rope swing there with the kids but unfortunetly I dont have any
pictures of it.

The picture with the girls and the waterbottle is at the table where
we ate, and I just thought it was a cool picture.

The whole trip was really amazing and I am so glad that I went. I now
realize just how useful Spanish can be and I am taking it in college.
I hope to be able to take the trip many more times to see my friends
(family really) of Rancho Grande.

Since I have been back I have been going around to churches and youth groups with the trip organizer, talking about it and trying to get support for some of the projects we would like to accomplish there in the future.

One such project which we accomplished already and was the reason for the trip back in June was clean drinking water. When we got back I got in touch with a well drilling company and we arranged to meet them down there in june. We are now currently going around raising money (about $10,000) to get them drilled. I’m pretty sure we got a large donation from a couple of Holy Cross church members that more than covers it so things are looking good for the well drilling project. All in all it has been a  very good experience and I plan on staying involved.

Feb.2007

We left in a snow storm- or was it lake effect? Yes, it was lake effect. 4am to Holy Cross. Bus pulls out at 5am. We made it out just before the highway is closed.

Flights out of LaGuardia and Houston are uneventful. Our 100# bags made it too. Each of us brought 100# of school and medical supplies that had been donated to the people of Rancho Grande (Beja Lempa). We later learn from the teacher that they are almost out of supplies and some of the older students have been dropping out of school as there is not much for them to do without supplies. Normally, the school applies for a grant from the El Salvadoran government to give the community supplies, but this year they have been denied. The teacher is thrilled with all that we brought, more than the government would have given them, and she thinks that this will bring the older kids back to the one room school. She is also pleased because as it was not a government grant, “pirates” won’t know about it. Therefore, they are less likely to be raided.

We slept on the concrete of the school. A few of the villagers have given up their hammocks so that we can take turns sleeping off the floor. It is warm when we go to bed, and everyone is making fun of Carlos, who is wearing a hat and sweatshirt. He says, just wait (Carlos grew up in El Salvador). Well, Carlos was right. We were fine until about 2a.m. and then, I was as cold as I have ever been. One group of girls is sleeping in a shelter a little ways away from the rest of the group. The “Mayor” sleeps on the ground in front of their shelter every night to ensure their safety.

We made many chicken coups for the villagers. Digging is much easier than in Syracuse, but I still managed to get some nasty blisters. After each coup is completed, we run after the chickens and roosters to catch them and “imprison” them. The villagers will not have to worry so much about the mountain lions eating their poultry. There are also wild turkeys wandering all over.

The dogs here are very different than what we are used to back home. They are strictly for work. They do not live in the homes. There job is to protect the livestock. If they come around begging for food or are making a pest of themselves, the villagers beat them and throw rocks at them.

We also cleaned and painted the school. One villager gave us “berry good soap” to clean the floors with. Turns out it was liquid laundry detergent. We never did get it all off the floor. Others spent time setting up computers and teaching the kids and teacher how to use them.

Flooding is a real problem here. The government occasionally un-dams the river and doesn’t bother to let anyone know. The water devastates the village and they lose almost everything. The families all gather to live and sleep in the “clinic” which is far too small to accommodate all of them, but it is all that is inhabitable when the flood waters come. One project in progress is to create a wall to divert the water away from the village. The clinic, by the way, is no more than a cement room with an old decrepit exam table and a sink.

During our work breaks, we played with the children. They are so cute and friendly. Usually, it was a pick up game of soccer. The kids are so tough. They would fall and get banged up, but never cry. They just shrugged it off. One little boy stepped on a machete, slicing his foot open, but he never cried or complained. He just went on with what he was doing. They run around barefoot over the rocky, spiky ground like it is soft sand. One of the older kids who has been having a really tough time with life really bonded with my friend, John. His mother is so pleased and thanks John, before we are leave, for spending time and taking an interest in her son. The family ends up scrapping some $ together to buy their son a calling card so that he can call John here in the US. This is very significant as these people are VERY poor.

The last night there, the leaders killed a cow. Got up in the middle of the night, slit the cow’s neck and let it bleed to death. We had a feast with the village that day. The teacher canceled school and we all went to swim in the river and play games.

I had the opportunity to spend some time with the leader- El Presidente. We worked together on the coops, hung out (literally- in a hammock) at his place. He has a pet bird that he is incubating- I think it was a parrot. We went crabbing one day and had a nice meal of fresh crabs.

Arrangements were made to bring in cooks, a husband and wife team, to cook for our group. Supplied with $ from us, they bought and prepared our meals- much more American style. So, we decided one day that we wanted to have authentic village food. Later, we realized that the villagers had given up some of their own food in order to honor their guests’ wishes. We felt terrible. It isn’t like these people can afford to give away their food. They have so little and are so small and undernourished. We also learned that these people do not take food waste lightly as the cooks expressed their displeasure with unfinished food on the plates. My friend, Schwab and I took to cleaning up everyone’s plates in order to keep the cooks happy. Schwab received special treatment due to his size. Apparently, being well fed is a sign of wealth and privilege. He was treated with great respect. In the food line, he received large portions. I decided, as my stomach rumbled, that I would pat his stomach, then my own to see if I could garner more food. It worked! The cooks face lit up with understanding, he laughed and gave me “Schwab” portions from then on.

We spent the last day at a resort on the coast. To be honest, it was a let down. I think our leaders wanted to be sure to finish on a good note so we would come home happy, but I would have preferred to spend more time in the village. The trip was too short, and I can’t wait to go back.

Return Trip to El Salvador, June 2007:

After we got back from our first trip, we talked a lot about how best to help the people of Rancho Grande. Dr. Joe (local Syracuse MD who went on the first trip) felt that the single most important thing that could be done to improve the health of the community was to get them access to clean water. Our leadership decided to make a return trip in June with a smaller number of the most committed students and adults. Our goals were to bring much needed medical supplies, show some potential donors the village and have them meet the people, and start the process of addressing the water supply. I was asked to be part of the returning group and I accepted. I was tasked with contacting Living Water, an international organization that works to create clean water sources for poor communities around the world. I contacted Living Water representatives in El Salvador and helped set up a meeting in Rancho Grande to review the situation. Our return trip was going to be even shorter than the first trip, and it was all business. The trip started off on the wrong foot. We got hung up in New York City traffic and missed our flight. Unfortunately, there is only one flight out of NYC to El Salvador per day. The airline was able to reroute us through Houston so we could catch an earlier flight out the next day. We flew in to El Salvador just in time to make the meeting with Living Water. The meeting was successful and plans were made to dig several new wells in the village, which will be sealed so that they don’t get contaminated during the flood season.

It was great to see the people of Rancho Grande again. We delivered the medical supplies and Dr. Joe saw patients in the clinic for 14 hours a day. Many of these people had never seen a doctor before and were very grateful for the help. Despite the long hours and hard work, Dr. Joe said that this was the most satisfying work he has ever done.

These trips were a real eye opener and a life changing experience. I now realize that life in American suburbs like DeWitt is a sheltered existence. Most of the people of the world are poor and lack most of the things that we take for granted like clean water, adequate food, and medical care. I want to do what I can to help improve their living standards. I now plan on learning Spanish in college, and majoring in international business or something else I can use to help communities like Rancho Grande.