Monday

Todays activities were different then our past days in San Salvador. We did not spend time mingling with the people or experiencing the culture. We spent the day as tourists taking pictures of a church in the main square with stain glass windows that painted the tile floors with reds and yellows. We bought souvenirs outside the cathedral where Monsenor Oscar Romero was buried. We roamed the national university in a large white mob and we ended the day reflecting on how we could relate to the struggles of the Salvadorian people. The truth is that we can never really relate to the suffering that happens here on a daily basis and will never know the pain of living in a society were justice is rarely served to those who are unjust. However, even though we cannot relate there are things we've done to help us better understand the circumstances in El Salvador. After our morning of tourism we met with Mirna Pearla, the first woman justice in the Supreme Court, and were able to ask questions about Romero, the Salvadorian justice system, and the issues with Pacific Rim mining in Cabanas. It was through this meeting and a documentary that we saw at the Presidential Theater about the journey of Romero that I feel we learn the most and can someway connect with the struggles of El Salvador though it is very clear we will never fully understand them as people who live and grew up in the U.S.

Emily