Lengthy update...

The following are some excerpts from my journal. I have been trying to load all my pictures from my camera but the cable is not working. I will go get a new cable soon.


30-May-09
My day began with my mom waking me up. I had fallen asleep on the couch, my attempt on pulling an all night failed me. It was 4:15am and my plane was taking off at 6:30am. Half asleep I got up and prepared for my long journey. My little brother got up early to help me load up the car. Typically he never wants to get up that early but for me my little brother will make this small sacrifice.

I already had my major break down on Thursday, I can now face the prospect of this adventure with a more serene feeling. When I arrived at the airport I instantly looked for Vivian, my travel buddy. Vivian will be working with me at CIS but she will be working on projects dealing with the craft store and local artists.

We had decided to travel together because we thought it would be safer for us and I thought I would be fun to have someone to talk to for the five hour plane ride. I saw Vivian at the airport with only one bag, I left like I had over packed but I had many things to give away. I had practically cleared out my whole closet. I checked in and it was time to say good bye to my mother and my little brother. Vivian said good bye to her family and her mother was so nervous that she even asked me to hug her. (so adorable!)

The flight that we booked had a stop over in Newark. I had stop over at Newark on a previous flight therefore I am familiar with the small two engine plane that Continental uses. Flying from Toronto to Newark is approximately an hour. Unlike most planes this plane uses stairs instead of the bridge to load on passengers. It almost makes me feel like a celebrity heading out to the apron and going up the stairs to a plane that looks like a private jet. (I should insert picture here but I forgot to take one, I will take one on the way back)

When we got to Newark we had an hour for the next connection. We had arranged to sit together on the emergency exit row. I think I frightened Vivian when I told her the type of responsibility the people who sit in this row have but when she saw the extra leg room she was content. It turns out that our seating plan backfired, initially when we booked the seats in Toronto we requested to have the aisle and the window seat in order to have the middle seat free for more room. It turns out the flight was full and a gentleman had booked the middle seat, because we wanted to sit together we offered him the window seat. He was very nice and he gave us some tips while being in El Salvador. I think however that there came a point when Vivian and I probably annoyed him. We did everything to keep ourselves entertained, from practising our French, singing Spanish lullabies and laughing at practically everything. I never had so much fun on a flight.

When we got to El Salvador we were attacked by an intense heat. We proceeded to immigration and baggage claim. At immigration I wasn't asked many questions as my Canadian passport indicates that I was born in San Salvador. I plainly told the officer that I was there to visit my family and I was never asked how long. When I had to go look for my bag things got complicated. I only remembered what one of my bags looked like. I couldn't remember if my bag was blue or black with a red ribbon or white ribbon. I kept looking and looking until Vivian volunteered to look for it, thankfully she was able to locate it in seconds. After getting all our luggage we proceeded to the exit, I noticed the “traffic” light post but I never pressed the button I just kept walking like I knew where I was going and Vivian did the same. It wasn't until much later did I realize that I was suppose to press a button in order to go (green=no bag check) or to stop (red=for bag check). I just kept walking to toward crowd of people outside. The only thing holding the people back was a fence, as I walked out my aunt instantly recognized me. I gave her a hug and we proceeded to wait for the van she had booked to drive us to the city.

On the drive towards San Salvador, the scenery was just like I experienced while vacationing in Mexico but as soon as I entered the city everything changed.

I was flabbergasted by what I saw. Someone how I had imagined the city to be in a different state, the war has been long over and all these years should have been years of progress but all there was, was remnants.

As we were looking for the address of Vivian's host family I was speechless. I couldn't find words to describe my feelings. Everything is different from what I remember as a child. A child's mind can see beauty in everything.

As we dropped Vivian off I was having separation anxiety. My heart just dropped when I was separated from my travel buddy. I felt like I was losing my only Canadian connection. We only looked at each other like to little kids being separated. The only thing that pacified me in the end is that we were to go shopping the next day.

“overwhelming” everything about today has been overwhelming...I am beginning to see how the other side lives and hard to come to terms that this where I come from. It is difficult for me to find beauty on something that seems so dilapidated.

I sat down this evening to have dinner with my aunt and I began to think to myself, “How am I going to do this for three months?”

31-May-09
Today I woke up with a different perspective. Things are somehow getting easier. I had my first cold shower today I must say that I miss the hot showers. Taking a shower now takes longer and I have to wash a limb at a time. My uncle offered to buy an electric water heater that can be attached to the shower head but somehow the idea of electricity and water all together frightens me.

My aunt and I took the bus today to go pick up Vivian. On my first bus ride I was entertained by a comedy show. After their show was over they asked for a small donation that my aunt was happy to oblige with since she was pleasantly entertained. We picked up Vivian and went to Metro Centro one of the malls in San Salvador. The goal for the day was to find a cheap cell phone. We found that the items at this mall were expensive and so we travelled across the city to Plaza Mundo where we were able to find a cell phone for less than 20 dollars. We bought other things like a change purse and school supplies to donate to CIS.

My aunt has been amazing with Vivian and I. She goes to the extreme of showing us how to dial our cell phones (even though we have cell phones back home).We now know how to tell how much “saldo” we have left on our phones. She has made the best effort to prepare us and warn us against potential dangers.

01-Jun-09
“Humility” is what I believe I am acquiring. It's hard to comprehend how drastically different things are here. I find it difficult to understand how when I was small I never noticed all that was around me. I never felt like I lacked anything and my mother always sheltered me from my surroundings.

Today I heard my aunt and uncle talk about my father and everything my mother had gone through. Is it possible to love so hard?... So hard to potentially cause harm?

02-Jun-09
Today was my first day at CIS. I woke up at 5:30am, took a shower, had breakfast, and took the bus all myself to my internship. The bus ride was approximately an hour and a bit. I managed to get to CIS at 7:45am. I was the first one there and the housekeeping lady opened the door for me. Slowly people kept trickling in. I made sure to text Vivian to make sure she was on her way and that she wasn't lost.

I finally got to meet Rachel (Raquel). She was very welcoming and gave us a lot of information on CIS. Everyone at CIS was still buzzing with the excitement of the night before. The inauguration means a “potential” change in El Salvador and CIS is a supporter of Mauricio Funes. Many of the members made it out to the celebration and many of the CIS members were able to be close to all the international delegates.