Saturday morning we arrived at the guest house, got our room assignments, and had our first meeting with our leaders, Rosie and Danny. During the meeting we discussed the week´s schedule, health and safety rules, and what we could expect during our stay in El Salvador. After that we had lunch which was amazing. I have been dreaming of Salvadoran tortillas since our last trip down here!
After a rest period we went, by coaster, to the Salvador del Mundo Plaza. Salvador del Mundo is a monument to the patron saint of El Salvador, who is in fact Jesus. The monument is one of the biggest in San Salvador. Once there we joined the multitudes of pople who had already gathered and began the 3 mile candle light procession to the National Cathedral in honor of the anniversary of the assasination of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero. We participated in this same procession last year and it was, by far, one of my favorite parts of the trip. This year it was no different. The feeling of legitmacy I felt while participating in such an emotionally charged celebration pf this country´s national hero is unlike anything I´ve ever experienced. I feel like in the States there is such a focus on being ¨number 1¨in some fashion, but I felt like my presence had much more worth walking as one of so many. I felt this especially during the chants.
Chanting and shouting and even jumping around are a big part of the celebration, especially for young people. I really enjoyed the chanting. For me, it really solidified the feeling of unity with the crowd. One of the chants was as follows,
caller, Romero Vive! Romero Lives
crowd, La Lucha Sigue! The Struggle Continues
caller, Romero Vive, Vive! Romero lives, he lives
crowd, La Lucha Sigue, Sigue! The Struggles goes on and on.
Lindsay
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