Participant Reflections
Just as Molly Hetz probably felt last year after bringing this incredible opportunity to LC students, I’m extremely happy to see all of my peers grow from this experience together. After my second time at the Tamarindo it has become clear to me that the Tamaindo youth group has something to offer everyone, no matter their age or place in life. For me, I could not have asked for a better way to get to know a community and its people than to listen to their stories, play, swim, cook and eat together. I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity because of how much I’ved learned and grown.
The members of the Tamarindo have taught me how to love, how to have an open mind and to live life to its fullest, regardless of the past. I feel like I’ve become part of a family in Guarjila- a family that faces as many problems and difficult moments as triumphs and beautiful ones. Nonetheless, this family keeps persevering. I know that I will never forget the men and women I have grown to know in Guarjila, and someday I will make it back to visit them.
I embarked on this trip afraid I would not be able to emotionally connect to the content of the lessons or the people I was with. After all, how much can really be learned in eight days? The answer: a lot. Beyond the history lessons, I was given an opportunity to hear the human side of the story from those who were and are there. Not only did I get firsthand accounts of what the civil war was like, but I saw first hand some of the effects of current problems with drug abuse on the community.
That is not to say that all of my emotional experiences on this trip were of the depressing variety. Rather, I experienced a wonderful balance between positive and negative emotions. I had many incredible new experiences and profound discussions, both with members of the Lewis & Clark group and with many of the Tamarindos. I can honestly say that, in eight days, I established relationships deep enough to change my life. It was very difficult saying goodbye, and it has been even harder to transition back to a lifestyle in which I cannot directly see any immediate positive effects of my day to day work on the lives of others.
The message I have taken away from this trip is that, though hardship will be present in the world, with enough communication and empathy at least some sorts of suffering can be confined to museums, and just as flowers bloom after a forest fire, stolen happiness can return to a people in time.
My intention is to facilitate a similar group trip next year, in order to help others have as incredible an experience as I did. I hope to bring students from the law school and the graduate school of education and counseling, in order to both broaden and deepen the group's experience and contribution to the Guarjila community. I feel firmly that anyone who takes the time to try to understand the lives of those in Guarjila will find motivation for meaningful humanitarian work above and beyond that of most charity organizations, the kind of motivation that inspires people to spend their lives working to help others. After this trip, my motivation to apply my studies to helping others, especially the disadvantaged, has been significantly bolstered. I believe this has been a common experience among our group and I hope many others are lucky enough to experience it in their lifetimes.
Irene Zoller Huete
In this trip to El Salvador I have tried to absorb all the knowledge I have received through testimonies and experiences. It hasn’t been easy to hear stories about the war, or to see John's eyes watering and his voice trembling while bringing back to life the friends that he lost and the crimes and injustices that he presented. However, I have learned that this is necessary and that it is of immense value for us and for our community that we travel down to EL Salvador and know about its war. It is of value for us because we need to be aware and to analyze what happened and how, as well as what keeps happening nowadays. We need to know of injustice in order to denounce it and to achieve that it is a must that we go there and see it with our eyes and hear it with our ears, with no chance for lies. It is of value for the people in El Salvador because they need the international community to know what happened and not to ignore it. By going to Guarjila or El Mozote we honored the people who died as well as the people who still remain from the war. Particularly in Guarjila, I learned about the importance of a foundation such as the Tamarindo. I was impressed by the impact of it in the youth of the town. It is incredible to see how necessary the Tammarindo is for young people to escape from drugs and violence and how tolerant and welcoming its policies are. Furthermore, I’ve learned a lot from my host family and the people in Guarjila. Everyone was open to talk about the war and happy to be heard. People in this town have beautiful hearts that contrast with their past. There is a lot to know from them on how to forgive and how to survive. These peoples are fighters, but they need help for justice and understanding. We have to accompany them in their everyday fight.
McKay Campbell
I can say, without hesitation, that El Salvador was one of the most influential weeks of my life. Not only did it alter the direction of my career, but it changed me as a person. While in Guarjila and in other Salvadoran communities, I heard many stories of the violent civil war and its lasting social consequences of game violence and alcoholism. Yet despite these problems, the people of the Tamarindo community live each day with such enthusiasm and joy and an incredible sense of community loyalty and forgiveness. It was powerful to be a part of something so beautiful, even if just for a week.
Molly Sobel
Thank you so much for helping make the ASB trip to El Salvador possible. This has truly been one of the most amazing and impactful trips I have ever been a part of, and I can’t wait to be involved with this community in the future. Some of the many trip highlights for me including swimming in rivers, surfing, riding horses, learning to play in-line hockey, picking mangoes and spending time with the incredible youth that this organization supports. During our stay we got to live with host families and work with the community through teaching classes in the school, hosting dinners for the elderly and putting on game nights and banquets for all the kids. Truly a life changing trip, Thank you!
Jack Andreoni
When I began this trip I had a rough idea of what I would encounter in Guarjila, El Salvador. I wanted to learn about the war, and I wanted to let the people and experiences I have influence me, change me, change my future. The experience was going to be about myself and my own personal development. During the trip we visited El Mozote , the place of a massacre where an entire town was killed (over 1000 people). At this site, there is now a garden next to a church. On the church wall there is a mosaic mural of children playing. They seemed to represent happiness, but at the same time the white figures of the children were almost ghostly. I laid myself down in the grass where the bodies of hundreds of children had been burned. I read their names carved into the stone wall. I lay there wanting to truly mourn for those who had died. I couldn’t, and I thought to myself maybe the fact that I couldn’t meant I was a terrible person. I laid there for a long time listening to the sound of the children playing nearby in the plaza. It was in this moment that I realized something. I realized that being at this place, and being on this trip, was never about me. It was never about some selfish cliché realizations about my own destiny. I realized that there is so much beyond me out there in this world. El Mozotes happen. People die but life goes on, and that I realize is the beauty of it. The people I have met from Guarjila have seen so much horror, but they moved on and live in peace with what they have. It is because they love, and this is something I can do too. I realized it is my duty to spread love, it is my duty to face all that is terrible and counter it with love. That’s all it takes to make the world a better place, and live my life to the fullest. Please continue to support this trip so that more students can wake up!
I am extremely grateful for this alternative Spring Break trip to El Salvador and Lewis & Clark’s relationship with the Tamarindo Foundation. Not only has this opportunity opened my personal awareness of El Salvador’s history, relation with the U.S, and current challenges post civil war, but it is also a truly impactful connection between the community of Guarjila and the students of L&C.
As a student leader on campus, I feel that meeting the founder of the Tamarindo and the many leaders of the Guarjila community have taught me the beauty of responsibility, respect, risk-taking and relations. The youth of Guarjila overcome astonishing challenges and support one another daily.
Through the ten days in El Salvador, the relationships between the Tamarindo and L&C students strengthened as we learned about one another’s backgrounds, struggles and triumphs. Our connection with the community strengthened each day as we learned abou the country’s history and current issues. We became an integral part of the community as we cooked food for the people, listened to life histories about the war, competed in mango-picking contests, soccer and hockey matches, put on game and craft nights and slept with our home-stay families.
From the moment the Tamarindos welcomed us at the airport with open arms, to the moment the Tamarindos embraced us with strong goodbye hugs, tears swelling up in all of our eyes, we all experienced our common shared sense of humanity despite our diverse backgrounds. As a witness to all of the injustices in El Salvador I will take John's three questions with me forever:
1) What have I done to better the world?
2) What am I doing to better the world?
3) What will I do to better the world?
Melia Manter
In many situations, a mere eight days would do little to even break the surface of a story that is decades long. However, the raw unapologetic emotion and honesty that was shared with me created an illusion of endless time that allowed for normal social boundaries to be broken and intense and open communication to persist.
My hesitation about the trip largely stemmed from the unnerving idea of visiting a town and receiving more of a benefit as well-off college students than we would give to a broken community. As important as my education is, building a new house or doing some sort of tangible service seemed more important.
But if I can leave El Salvador having learned one thing, it is that the war torn country and people with few material goods or infrastructure in their town can much better serve as a testament to healing than I ever could by sloppily dolling out some “gringo” customs and ideas to the town. For giving to me even when it seems like they have so little, I still forever appreciate El Salvador and the trip I was able to take there.
Our trip to El Salvador bridged the connection between past and present by focusing on historical context regarding the Civic War, highlighting historical atrocities that challenged my understanding and conception of humanity. This experience left questions but also posed solutions. The Tamarindo Foundation and individuals who work there are active participants who organize to relieve the complex social repercussions of civil war. The Tamarindo have inspired me, both personally and professionally, to focus on human connection and "community" as constructive and positive agents of change.
Rachel Wolf
Going back to the Tamarindo for a second time, I was excited to see the familiar faces but worried that the trip would not have the same impact as last year's. We arrived past bedtime, and the morning brought sunshine, heat and so many excited faces, both American and Salvadoran. Guarijla feels like home. I don’t know how to describe it, but I love the Tamarindo community, and I feel safe in their welcoming embrace. I needn’t have been worried about the impact of the trip- the town is constantly changing and evolving, just as people in it are growing. Knowing the Tamarindos from last year made it easier to get into conversation and go deeper into their perspectives on life. Although the history remains the same, it is still powerful, and this year I could reflect and ask all the questions left unanswered from before. This year was less about the history and more about the story. As Luis pointed out, the entire country was at war, and every single town and every single person has a story. I heard so many stories this time around, and I am constantly amazed at the strength and generosity of the people who told me about their lives. History is not only in the past though. The past affects the present, and from the children, the teens, and the adults I learned about the problems that plague the country and community today, from violence and gangs to drug trafficking and abuse, to alcoholism and mass emigration. Guarjila, for all of its flaws, is home for the Tamarindo and John is working to create a better life for everyone. The Tamarindo is a place of hope, and this trip has taught me that even one person can make all the difference in the world, and every person needs to try to make that difference.
Jasmine Graze
I’m not really sure what I was expecting. I didn’t sign up for this trip expecting an epiphany or three. I’ve never felt the world turn on its axis, never felt something shift within me—and I never expected it to happen anytime soon. If at all.
To a lesser degree of drama, that’s exactly what happened. And the beauty of what I’ve learned lays in its sheer applicable nature—that is, I can apply my new knowledge anywhere in the world. The people of El Salvador (I’m looking at you, wonderful people of the Tamarindo community) showed me by example, by being themselves, but I can apply their teachings anywhere my heart leads me.
Let us begin where it first started for me.
Hockey night is serious business in Guarjila. I remember watching as a team of Tamarindo boys skated circles around our hard-working LC team, and recording it on camera. An older woman in a pink shirt came up to me and proceeded to converse with me in rapid Spanish. At one point, she bent over to give me a hug and pressed her hands into my shoulders. I looked over at Carlos, my host brother, for some much-needed translation.
“She said she’s tired and wanted to say ‘good-night’ to you before she left,” explained Carlos.
I’m confused, because I have never spoken with this woman before and why on earth would she bother walking over to me just to bid me adieu if she doesn’t know me, but mostly touched. I stand up to return her hug, and she latches on.
This year going to El Salvador invoked different emotions than when I went last year. This year I was a leader rather than a participant and simply it was my second time going so it was no longer a completely new experience. I was excited to go show my peers what I found to be so amazing last year and was even more excited to go see all the familiar faces once again. Opon arriving in El Salvador I felt a strike of excitment go through my body. It was like being a little kid again when you hear you get to go to Disneyland. I felt so happy to be in this place and all the stress I had been feeling from school and planning this trip had vanished. We walked out of the airport to find Luis standing, waiting for us with a huge smile on his face. It was great to see him and know that we were back. Upon arriving at the Tamarindo, I was positive it was going to be an amazing week. Being back once again was wonderful. While the history that we covered all remained the same, it continued to make an impact. The difference this year was that it especially came though numerous conversations I was able to have with various community members. I had a long conversation while trying to wash my clothes with a brush (which I thought looked easy enough, it's not...) with my host grandma and it really made me realize how strong these people truly are. She had lost two children in the war and while it was sad, she was able to tell us her story and tell us willingly. It was not a bragging thing but more that she trusted us and wanted to create a close connection, so she told Jessica and me her very personal life story. In addition to hearing terrible although in some odd way wonderful stories, I really made a huge effort to use my choppy Spanish this year, which proved to be successful when the last night I actually sat out on the beach at night with Fito (a Tamarindo member) and spoke in Spanish and we heard about each other's lives for a good hour. It was an incredible experience and I will never forget how thrilled I was to be able to be having that conversation. All in all, I feel that going to the Tamarindo for the second time simply proved to me what I already felt. The Tamarindo is like a second home, it is a place I am always invited to revisit and a place where no matter how long you are able to stay, the people will always be there to have meaningful conversations with you and welcome you into their homes better than you could imagine. Guarjila, while it has had its share of sadness, is more a place of vibrant life and hope. Everyone is so happy, knows how to have fun, and lives life to the fullest and it is amazing to go to a place like this where people actually genuinely care about each other and are not just so involved in their own lives like we see here in the States to care.
Mia McLaughlin
Kirsten Fix
Jessica Clarke
Dale Forrister
Jeff Rhoades
I should note that these people give the best hugs. They squeeze you tight and sway a little and clasp your hands firmly when the Best Hug in the World has finally ceased. These people? They’re a tad more touchy-feely than I’m used to, but it’s like they’re pressing their love and warmth for you into these hugs. This woman did just that, and then pressed a piece of candy into my hand, smiled at me, and disappeared into the night. I never saw her again, but this memory has stuck with me.
Keep this in mind as I take you to the University of Central America, the massacre site of the Jesuit priests during the civil war. John is speaking of the priests, who he knew personally.
“St. Ignatius would ask three questions,” John told us. “He would ask, ‘What have you done?’ ‘What are you doing?’ And ‘What will you do?’”
Well, I thought to myself. I haven’t done much. I’m not doing much. And…I probably won’t do much. I sat in that pew and frowned. Wow—does this make me a lazy bitch or what? I stewed in my guilt. To be frank, I’ve had this dialogue and subsequent struggle with myself for years. I’m not the type to lead revolutions, to lead causes. And as I struggled, I was paralyzed into inaction—until now.
It is the words of John’s deceased mother who finally granted me peace of mind. According to John, as a hostess she would say that everyone is invited to the party—it just would be nice if everyone could bring a little something to the table. A piece of pie, perhaps, or a bottle of wine. Just bring something. At this, everything clicked into place. I do not have to be the hostess. I can just be one of the many guests, and bring a plate of my badass scones to the potluck. (Of course it is the food analogy that does the trick.) So what should I bring to the table? Some flowers? Dessert wine? Ah, but the Tamarindos have taught me well.
Love.
Love is such a positive, powerful force. I will love where I am, and where I am able. When I met the Tamarindo and was startled at how warm these people truly were, I (temporarily!) grew sad. For what kind of sterile society do I come from where I am surprised by such expression of love, of hospitality? I don’t want to forget such love, and I don’t want to ever again be so surprised by the intensity and range of love.
Spread the love, man.
Leave behind the greed and hate and darkness. Leave behind the bullets and suppression.
Spread the love.