PeaceJam at Florida State University Has Successful Trip to El Salvador and Guatemala!
Here is their blog that recounts their first-hand accounts from their PeaceJam international service trip volunteers, teachers in the schools, conference mentors, and interns/student staff. PeaceJam Southeast is a program of the FSU Center for Leadership and Civic Education. The views expressed in this blog are those of individual students, and do not necessarily reflect those of PeaceJam, the Center for Leadership and Civic Education, or Florida State University.
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jueves 26 de mayo de 2011
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.
- Etiquetas: Maria Naranjo
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
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
viernes 20 de mayo de 2011
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.
jueves 19 de mayo de 2011
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 |
If you or your PeaceJam Group is interested in participating in an international PeaceJam service trip -- please write a comment below! |