Mayan Ruins and History of El Salvador

Yesterday, our amaizing tour guide (Tarzan aka Jaime) drove us to see La Joya de Ceren, the San Andres Ruins and the Museum of Archeology in El Salvador. This was by far one of the coolest experiences I've had in my life. La Joya de Ceren is where the ruins of an everyday Mayan village used to be located approximately 1500 years ago, but was covered in ashes after a nearby volcanoe exploded. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site aka the Pompei of Central America. We got to see a sauna bath from the ancient world which had a thermostat!!!! Saw the teeth of a young adult and the remains of a rat. Although my fellow companions do not believe me (they think I'm crazy), I definatly saw a little gray gecko running on the sidewalk.. like the one on the geico commercial!! We also visited San Andres which is said to be the acropolis of the Mayan city. There, we got to stand on top of a pyramid which is said to have been used as a temple for sacrifices to the gods. What was most facinating was the fact that only about 1-2% of these sites are actually excavated. (omg!! :o) I learned a lot of history from El Salvador at the Museum...everything from the pre-colonial history to present-day. The most impactful fact I learned at the Museum was the fact the Mayans used to make human sacrifices to their gods by skinning the human and covering an idol of the god with the skin for about 20 days. Also, they would take the heart of the person and offer it as well. Women and pregnant women were  usually sacrificed, and it was considered a priviledge to be a sacrifice. Overall, I learned a lot about the culture and history of El Salvador.

Keepin it real

I've never lived with anybody except my family so I was a little worried about coming to El Salvador and living in an apartment with four other girls. But after so many days, we have established a group like no other. We have inside jokes, nicknames for each other, conversations about every topic, both appropriate and inappropriate, and an understanding of what each other likes and dislikes. We work well together and play off each other so that we're always laughing. There's always one person who can't stop talking, one person who says something awkward, and one person who just doesn't want to do what we're doing. From helping each other pick out an outfit for a Mexican Fiesta to building a garden, we are definitely a group full of strength, fun, and friendship. It's just another awesome aspect of this El Salvador service trip.

We are Family...oo! oo!

This Peacejam international service trip has definitely formed longlasting relationships. Going without water for a few days, begging for POPs icecream togther, and making fun of Jaime all encompassed our best bonding moments.
-Shannon Kidd

The Best Massages in El Salvador

In Juayua, the group all got massages by two blind certified massage therapists. Before we arrived, they were reading a braille bible. We found it very interesting and appropriate to see these "disabled" girls working for the benefit of society. They were anything but disabled! I think all of us can agree that these massages were both relaxing and renewing! This experience gave us new insight and motivation to find the best in every individual resident at El Hogar Padre Vito Guardo when we returned for our last week of service.
-Shannon Kidd

Mother's Day at an Orphanage

Unlike the United States, Mother's Day in El Salvador is a day of celebration where students are excused from school and banners are hung throughout the city. Ironically, our first day working at Hogar Padre Vito was Mother's Day for the orphans. When we arrived, they approached us first with many hugs and smiles. At first it was very overwhelming, but they made us feel welcomed and warm when they called us "mami" and "papi."  Instead of showing their appreciation for their birthmothers, they celebrated their mother Virgin Mary.
-Shannon Kidd

Picture Perfect

While there are a few things left for the July group to finish for us (thanks guys!) the garden for the most part is complete! It's colorful and texture-licious! The flowers look good and everyone loves the telephone pipes. I must admit, we're having fun with those too although the messages we're giving to each other goes beyond Hola and Como Estas...The therapists are happy, the administrators are happy, and we're happy. I just hope the plants don't get trampled on. Shout out to Help International for helping us (it makes sense, doesn't it?) with the concrete.

Toward A Common Goal

I must say that I was extremely excited today when we were finally able to put most of the finishing touches on our sensory garden (aside from the objects that will be added by the other group in July).  Up until a couple of days ago, it was actually difficult for me to imagine what our garden would look like...let alone to imagine how we would be able to weld, lay cement, and dig trenches.  Thankfully, we had become acquainted with a couple of very welcoming volunteers from Help International.  With their help (and supplies), as well as the help of several other volunteers who arrived, we were all able to create a wonderful, colorful garden and work toward the common goal of helping in whatever way we could.  When the day was over, we had a delicious meal of tamales, pupusas, platanos y atol, cooked by a woman who works here at the hotel, where the other volunteers joined us, and we shared our collective experiences of the time we've spent in El Salvador.  Honestly, I was overjoyed by the genuine connection we could make with a completely separate group of volunteers- because, sadly enough, one often finds that separate groups do not want to work together, even if they are each working toward the same goal- there is a kind of selfishness that exists, even in the service world, when it comes to accomplishing anything and taking credit.  Therefore, it was definitely inspiring, at least to me, that we wanted nothing of them, and they wanted nothing more of us, than to simply work hard and create something wonderful and useful for the orphanage.

- Erin Welch

Musica Para Todos!

At the orphanage some of the kids have a difficult time communicating. A boy named Alonso who can't speak points to a book that has small pictures and descriptions  in order to show what different activities he wants to do, how he is feeling, etc. Today, Alonso pointer to "cantar" while he was playing with Shannon.

Shannon decided to sing and Maria and Kany soon  joined in. Some of the nurses joined and a guitar was brought out. Songs were played and Alonso had the brightest smile on his face and clapped his hands. I thought it was pretty cool that we were brought together by music with no language and communication barrier. Each of us communicated in a different way spanish, english, and communicating through a book but for that moment that barrier didn't exist.
-Kate Boyle

Hope through stretching

I've seen physical therapy before at Tallahassee Memorial Rehabilitation Center and as before, it is a painful experience. While the patients at TMRC were elderly and kept their physical reaction to a facial expression, the residents at Hogar Padre Vito had no censorship on their reactions. At this particular time, I was watching the children residents of the orphanage and they cried and yelled out in protest. I wondered how aware the children were and whether or not they understood why they were in pain. Did they know the pain was actually a positive thing and the therapy was helping them? I didn't think so. Not only were they disabled both mentally and physically, they were also children. Most children don't understand what's going on--their comprehension focuses on emotion. Yet, as I watched them cry and the physical therapist try to soothe them while stretching their stiff limbs, I felt comforted and at peace with what was going on in front of me. Because it was an occasion of hope and progression.
These children were being forced to do something that was good for them. I wondered how many of us "normal" people would do something that was good for us even though it hurts that badly. In a way, the children were fortunate that they couldn't run away or argue their way out of physical therapy.
Perhaps the most inspiring part of the physical therapy was they way the therapists consoled the patients. Before they began the therapy, they played with the children and kissed them and tickled them and made them feel loved and comforted. Then they slowly began the stretching.
I left with this question in mind: is it better to be forced to do something good for yourself or to choose to do something bad for yourself?

Smiles all around :)

So yesterday afternoon, our Peacejamily and another group from Help International worked side by side in our garden. We were able to get the painted pvc pipe cemented into the ground to make a xylophone-type instrument and also a telephone. This telephone went under ground. One can whisper into one pvc opening and hear loud and clear from the other side. By far, my favorite moment on this trip was when one of our favorite orphanage residents, Giovanni, saw this contraption and scurried with his walker to see it. Once he got up to it he pressed his ear to one side of the telephone while Jaime whispered from the other side. I have never in my life seen such excitement in one person. His smile reached from cheek to cheek, stretching in enormous amounts. Besides that, there seemed to be such a glow and light on his face that I will never in my life forget. I am pumped to finish this garden and bring joy to other people's lives.
-Shannon Kidd

Ziplining and Propelling!

We all went ziplining at the mountain, whose name in translation meant "The Devil's Door." All of us were nervous. Yet, once we launched off the mountain, we were both breathtaken by the beauty around us and thrilled with the excitement of flying in the air. The guys who set us up for the zipling and propelling train the army and other rescue operation teams in El Salvador. We felt safe because Jaime and his dad hooked us up with the best of the best!

Painting blue skies for las ninas!

Our first activity at the orphanage was to paint a mural in one of the girls' bedrooms. We had a great time and definitely bonded as a team. Despite the smell of the room, our positive energy was contagious. We motivated and encouraged each other the entire time, while Maria entertained us with four legged grasshoppers and lead us in singing songs.

Welcome to our blog!

Hola amigos!

Thank you for visiting our blog! Seven PeaceJam Southeast students from Florida State University are volunteering in El Salvador this summer. We are volunteering at Hogar Padre Vito, and orphanage for children with special needs. We'll also meet Salvadoran college students and learn about Central American culture. Five of us will volunteer in May, and two of us in July. PeaceJam GA and El Salvador native Jaime Bayo is our host this summer. Please follow our blog to stay in the loop about all of our adventures, and as we reflect on our service experiences at Hogar Padre Vito.