Going to El Salvador hit me hard. One of my friends was able to capture my feelings by comparing it to an experience he had. He said one time he went to a football game and everyone was cheering and celebrating during the game. He got a call from a friend that his friend’s father died in a car accident. He returned to the game and it was not the same, he could not understand why everyone was celebrating and having fun. In a sense I have returned to Canada and I feel the same way. Maybe something thing is dying inside of me to give life to something new. Wow! How can I live as a privilidge human that follows Christ? I have a passion for justice and seeing God’s kindom come. In the face of injustice how do I live? That is something that I want to discover.
We spent lots of time with people from different levels of life. The sentiment was the same all around: Life is getting harder for people. Salvadorans have said to us, “It is sad when a congressman in the US has more power in our country that we do.” Or “El Salvador no longer belongs to the Salvadorans.” The dollarization of the economy was not supported by the popular vogte, but it passed. It has been something that has not benifited the common person. The salaries are still paid in colones and then converted to dollars. That is not benificial for the people. So what do they do? We talked to some people in the rural villages and a social worker in that area. They said to us that pipianes (a type of squash) used to cost 8 for a $1 US. Now things are getting more expensive and it costs $1 for three. They said before they could feed their family for a days wages, but now that is becoming impossible. One guy that harvested sugar cane was telling us that he gets paid $5 for harvesting three rows of sugar cane by hand. Most of the harvesting is done by hand because the terrain cannot be harvested by machine. Ten years ago, one of his friends used to do the same work. He got paid $12 US for the same job. So what are the people supposed to do?
The Salvadoran people are saying, “We are now exporting the best of our country. We are exporting our children.” So El Salvador’s economy is sustained by people working outside the US and sending money back. What are the solutions?
This is frustrating because I don’t have any answers.
Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan looking to become govener went to El Salvador. Here is an article about his visit:
Duncan Excursion Fit for an Ambassodor by Nancy Trejos and Krissah Williams.
Here is an excerpt:
On the business front, Duncan did not negotiate any concrete trade agreements but made clear to Salvadoran companies that he wants their business in Montgomery. He also plans to continue talking to chamber of commerce leaders he met here. And Duncan said he wants to encourage Salvadorans to start businesses in Montgomery or invest in El Salvador, rather than simply sending back their earnings. He also suggested a partnership between Montgomery College and a Salvadoran university.
“What’s amazing to me is the potential that’s here,” he said. “This is a country that has suffered a civil war. The sense I got is they have turned a corner.”
Salvadorans in Montgomery said Duncan did not get a full picture of their homeland. “It’s really important that he goes to see the tourist areas in El Salvador and the few development projects the government has built, but in reality the living conditions of Salvadorans are deteriorating,” said Freddy Tejada, an Aspen Hill resident who represents the opposition left-wing Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front party. “Why are people constantly coming to this country to look for better opportunities?”
It is interesting to see this guy take such an interest in El Salvador. I wonder how this visit will improve things in El Salvador? I agree with him that the money going back to El Salvador should be invested to make it grow. The question is how will this money be invrested. I like the idea of partnering with Montgomery College and a Salvadoran university. That would be a great project to get some of the kids in the US aliented from their roots back to El Salvador.
Some food for thought for today.
Wandering Thoughts 2 