Although there are lots of things I could write about my work here in San Salvador, I thought I would just write a few thoughts of what I have been experiencing so far, as well as a brief summary as to what I do every day (which I'm sure many of you have been wondering!).
January began the new school year in El Salvador, and since I am helping out
in the youngest class in Centro Hogar (the pre-school/day care at ANADES), it meant that I was with the class of about 20-25 new
"students" (2 and 3 year olds, as well as a few who are as young
as 18 months), crying, screaming for their moms, and trying (sometimes
successfully!) to escape the classrooms, since for most of them, it was the
first time being away from their families. The kids are now finally getting
accustomed to this new routine, and are crying much less. But as crazy as the
first weeks were in January, it was also very rewarding and a lot of fun! For
me at least, it's so interesting to see the kids starting to get accustomed to
a new routine, and warming up to all the teachers as well as the other kids, and
even starting to build friendships! There are a few kids who I can tell do not
receive much love and affection at home, including one little girl especially,
who seems like she has some kind of attachment disorder (according to my
limited psychology knowledge). She barely interacts with others, neither the kids nor the
teachers, and mostly just stands there, always looking like she's on the verge
of tears, except for when I urge her to play with me (but unfortunately there
are 20+ other kids that need attention, so I can't give her individual
attention all day). But I am really hopeful that given
a couple more weeks or months time, she will begin to open up more.
In my blog post in January, I talked about all the sadness and pain I have
seen and experienced here in
Central America.
Some days can be more overwhelming than others. But I was very glad when the
kids came back to school, because they are something that gives me joy
every day. Even though these little kids have been born into a context of
severe poverty and violence, when I see them running and playing and laughing
and smiling with their friends or another one of the teachers, it gives me
hope. The cards (and statistics) are stacked up against them, but when I see
their beautiful smiles and the spark in their eyes, I see hope: they are still
innocent, loving babies, and it
could be their generation that changes the
culture of violence and machismo, that has plagued El Salvador for far too
long. Or at least I choose to hope and believe this, because if I didn't, there would be no point of me being here, volunteering with MCC and ANADES, 2 NGO's (non-governmental organizations) that are working for peace and justice and a better future here in El Salvador.
By coming to the day care/pre-school, and receiving nutritious
breakfast and lunches daily, as well as lots of love and affection and a good
education, the children are getting a better start to their life. I am constantly
so impressed by the work my co-workers do, despite the limited staff and resources
we have here. We just have to hope that, although we can't be with these kids
as they grow up into teenagers and then adults, that we are doing the best that
we can with them now. And the parents as well, although some of them associated
with the gangs, are also doing the best they can for their kids, despite the
very difficult context they grew up in, and continue to live in.
I think the most important part of Centro Hogar is not what we are “giving”
the families, but what the families and kids are experiencing here: a sense of
community. This is often hard to find in a big city, especially when it’s
filled with gangs and violence, it’s often hard (rightly or wrongly so) to
trust your neighbours and the people around you. So I think having a safe
space where kids grow up in, and families come to know each other and the
teachers, is really important. Kids as young as 12 or 14 years old, join the
gangs because they lack a sense of family or community or belonging, but this is something they can find in the gangs. So I think building community is
an important part of bringing peace to
El Salvador (although of course it
is only one part of the solution needed to end this complex problem).
This is a normal day for me at ANADES:
I arrive at around 7 in the morning, and the kids begin arriving anytime
between 7 and 8ish. Once most of the kids have arrived, they start serving
breakfast in the classroom. Then they play a bit, and when everyone is done
eating (sometimes that’s a bit of a task!) we gather around in a circle, take
attendance (it’s really cute how some of the kids have learned to say “present”
or “presente” in Spanish, when their names are called) and then sing some
songs, which they absolutely love doing. A few times a week, the teacher also
reads stories to them. After that, they usually get split up into 2 groups, to do
2 different activities – one is more directed learning, and the other is more
free time, where they are encouraged to use their creativity. The next day, the
kids switch and do the activity they didn’t do the previous day. After the
activities, the kids eat their morning snack, which their parents have sent for
them from home. Some kids don’t always have a snack (likely because their
parents couldn’t afford to send one) and so the teachers either share their own
snacks, or they give the kids the leftovers from breakfast. After snack, we go
for “recreo” – recreation time outside, where there are swings, slides and a
mini jungle gym for them to play in and run around. Then they come inside to
wash their hands (also a huge task, trying to get 20 kids clean, when all they
want to do is run around) and then we head to the dining room for lunch, which
is also provided by Centro Hogar. After lunch, a few kids head home for the
day, but the majority stay for the afternoon. They have a nap, anywhere between
30 minutes to 2 hours. Once they wake up again, they eat an afternoon snack,
provided by the Centro Hogar, play a little bit more, and then we start the
task of changing all the diapers, and changing all the kids into their clean
clothes, to send them home. I usually only work until 2, but the kids and the
rest of my co-workers stay until around 4 or 5.
So, that in a nutshell, is a day in the life of my “Maternal” class at
Centro Hogar, the pre-school/day care. I am kind of like an “assistant” to the
2 teachers in my class, which involves doing anything from leading songs,
changing diapers, comforting crying kids, and pushing kids on the swings.
Although sometimes I feel a bit discouraged because I have a university degree,
but am doing the work a high school student could do, I wouldn’t change my job
for the world. It wasn’t exactly the job I had expected, but I know I have been
put where I am most needed. It is impossible for 2 teachers alone, to look
after 20+ babies (often times 3 of us isn’t enough either!). On
top of this, I have come to appreciate the community of ANADES so much, and
have grown close with many of my co-workers, and am learning so much from them
about
El Salvador, and
specifically about what it’s like to live and work in a marginalized community
in
San Salvador. Also, in the coming months, I am hoping to take more leadership in regards to the workshops that are led once a month for the parents, as well as doing home visits to get to know some of the families better. But most of all, I am looking forward to continue learning from my co-workers, and the kids and their families.
Lastly, I want to share 2 poems/quotes that have really helped me to
appreciate the “serving and learning” I have been doing here since I arrived in
El Salvador
in October.
The first is a poem/prayer, written by Bishop Ken Untener, of the United States, who wrote it to be read at a funeral to commemorate Catholic priests who had passed away. For some reason, it has become known as the "Romero Prayer" and is often (wrongly) thought to be written by Oscar Romero, the Archbishop of El Salvador, who was killed in 1980 at the start of the civil war.
I put this poem on my blog back in August, but I would like to put up part of it again, because it has meant a lot to me, while living in this context which is often not very hopeful.
A Future Not Our Own
It helps now and then to step back and take a long view.
The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
it is beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a fraction
of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.
Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of
saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us…
We plant the seeds that one
day will grow. We water the seeds already planted
knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects
far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a
sense of
liberation in realizing this.
This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
Over the Christmas holidays, an MCC worker
emailed us SALTers a quote from Vaclav Havel, former president of Czechoslovakia.
I have read these words he wrote about hope, over and over again, as I find
they very much relate to my life and work here in San Salvador.
Either we have hope within us or we don’t.
Hope is a dimension of the soul,
And it is not particularly dependent on some observation of the world.
Hope is an orientation of the spirit,
An orientation of the heart.
It transcends the world that is immediately experienced
And is anchored somewhere beyond the horizons.
Hope
In this deep and powerful sense
Is not the same as joy that things are going well
Or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously headed for early success,
But rather
An ability to work for something
Because it is good,
Not just because it stands a chance to succeed.
Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism.
It is not the conviction that something will turn out well,
But the certainty that something makes sense
Regardless of how it turns out.
It is hope above all, which gives us the strength to love and continually try new things.
 |
| Bringing down the kids to their classroom |
 |
| Some of my "Maternal" kids |
 |
| Pinata! A must-have for every kids party. |
 |
| Recess! |
 |
| Lunch time in the cafeteria |
 |
| Nap time! |
Lastly, here's a video of a dance that my class performed at they year-end closing program for the parents in December.
