08.07.08
Today was my first day of work here. I feel different, having worked here. I feel useful; of benefit to society; a part of things; less “alien.” I felt good going to work this morning, in my work clothes. The bus driver asked me if I was going to work and about the kind of work that I do. It felt good that he recognized that I was going to work, and not just a tourist, or a student, as I have been for the past week and a half. I like to feel beneficial to society, useful.
The English class went well, although unfortunately I arrived late because I wasn’t sure about the bus route. Yet the students were very forgiving, as many people are here, of my: Spanish which lacks much yet, lack of knowledge about how to get around, etc. The students already knew some basic phrases, such as, “Good morning,” How are you?” “My name is _________, etc.” Yet they didn’t know much more than that, and some other vocabulary words. So I think that the basic curriculum that I have designed will be good for the class. They were, as are most Salvadoreans, very bright and hard-working. The class is from 7-8 am, so I suppose one would expect them to be!
Afterwards, the man who seems to be the head of the Cooperative Credit Union run by people disabled in the war (where I am giving class) explained to me a bit more about their work (how the process of giving loans works). He mentioned the trip that we are planning to Suchitoto on Saturday, and said that there’s a beautiful lake for swimming, and also a community of ex-guerrillas who have made an area where people can come and learn more about the history of the region, the war, etc. He said it is also a beautiful place for tourists. (Best of both worlds, I guess - history and relaxation together!) I feel so lucky here ... bueno, I am so lucky, in life, in general ... because I was born in the USA, in such financial circumstances as my family has. That is an eternal truth of my life. And that is part of why I want to work to make a better life for the exploited and poor of the world. Because I know that life is unfair; that the world is unfair; and that nations with colonialist/imperialist pasts owe a great debt to those nations and peoples whom they colonized and decimated, and now continue to exploit. “Post-colonial” nations (on both sides) could benefit greatly from an examination of the psychological forces at play, the damage done by the colonial period, and the true effects of “free market” policies on poor countries.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
First Day of Work With COMADRES
08.07.08
Today was also my first day of work with the Comadres. It was so amazing! Alicia de Garcia came to pick me up at the Cooperative, and they had someone drive us to the Comadres office. When we got there, Alicia introduced me to “Patti” (who turns out to be one of her daughters). Alicia seems to me to be a person with much humility, because each time she has referred to her children before my meeting them, she has said, “There will be “un muchacho” (a young man) or “una muchacha” (a young woman) at the office,” and no more than this. But when I meet them, I learn that they are her children! This behavior strikes me as very humble. In any case, I met Patti, and she asked if I would like to eat something, because she was fixing breakfast for herself. I was a little hungry, so I agreed, and she fixed me an egg and tortilla, which were really delicious! At this time, Alicia went to pick up an old friend from the airport, which is not far away. After Patti finished cooking, we sat down together, and talked over breakfast. It was very relaxed and friendly. I mentioned the book of the history of the Comadres, which is currently in process, and we talked about that. Patti also told me about the current projects the Comadres are doing. They all wear many hats, I have discovered (as do many people here, in this small country full of strong people). Patti teaches basic literacy (reading and writing) classes at the Comadres office on Sundays, and every two months Patti (who is a nurse) and 3 others teach basic first-aid classes at the office. She, along with others, also visit schools to give talks (charlas) about the role of women in Salvadorean society before, during and after the war. And, of course, they still continue to receive delegations (visiting groups) at their office, to whom they recount their experiences (testimonios).
Patti also told me about a trauma-healing project that they are doing with women whose family members where disappeared or killed during the war. A female psychologist from Spain initiated the project. She had visited El Salvador (and the Comadres) before the war, and was very impressed. After the war she called up the Comadres and said that she was now a licensed psychologist and wanted to help women with their healing process after the war. The work is that of slowly talking about and processing what happened during the war. There are three groups. The first consists of 76 women, the second of 65 women, and the third of 46 women. They have determined that it is best to do this work in large groups, because it is a collective memory that so many share, and it is best to process it together. Patti said that the psychologist is working with the first group and that Patti works with the second and third groups, because they cannot afford to pay the psychologist more than they are already paying for the first group. The cost is $150 a month. She said they need to raise more money for this work. I would love to know more about the process of what they are doing. Patti said that the women participating in the group don’t want any foreigners or men involved at all. I guess if I want to know more, I’ll just have to ask Patti to tell me more. In any case, it is extremely important work, and I am glad it is being done.
After telling me about the Comadres’ projects, Patti told me a little of her own story of being detained twice and tortured. She told me that a delegation came from the United States during the time of her detention, including one congressperson. The congressperson left their card with the Comadres. When the card was found, the Comadres called the congressperson and asked for help in Patti’s case. Patti said that she was sure she was about to be killed just minutes before she was released from the hands of her torturers into a regular women’s prison. She said that if it weren’t for the pressure from the congressperson and the people he or she organized, she thinks she would have died. Just minutes before she was released, she was in a room that she perceived as the waiting room to be assassinated, because the floor was covered with blood. She was blindfolded, and heard a sound like a saw start, and then stop, because orders had come to spare her life because of pressure from the congressperson and those he or she had organized.
(I suspect that Patti is the daughter that Alicia told us about - who had her fingernails pulled out, etc.) She is beautiful, maybe forty. She must have been very young when this happened - in her twenties, perhaps. She is very beautiful and calm; well dressed in a lovely, simple black-and white printed shirt. She has a lovely, very calm and competent way about her - again, a very, very strong person. In this family the members refer to their strength very matter-of-factly. And why shouldn’t they? It is simply a part of their survival - a part of the everyday reality here in El Salvador. As one of my teachers here said, the vast majority of people here don’t live; they survive (hand-to-mouth, or, as they say here, “coyol quebrado, coyol comido”).
After that, Alicia arrived with an old friend who is a translator by profession, German by birth, and has lived in Mexico for more than 30 years. Her name is Dorotea. Today was a day of reunions and so we didn’t do any work with the photographs, but that was just as well. I so enjoyed seeing everyone so happy and laughing, remembering old times and enjoying each others’ company after the passage of much time. I helped Alicia prepare lunch (delicious hamburger patties prepared with minced potato, onion and garlic, black pepper, ginger and eggs). Dorotea worked with the Comadres for three or four years during a time when their work was extremely active and the office was crowded with people. She said that she has a photo at home of Alicia and another woman in pajamas, working in the night with stacks of papers on their desks. Alicia smiled (she has a lovely smile) and said that yes, it was always like that back then; with so many (un monton de) papers and the office full of people. It was great for me to be there and to have the chance to hear them reminisce, because it provided me with a window through which to view a bit of the past, of the history of Comadres. My introductory day with the Comadres couldn’t have been better!
One of Alicia’s sons stopped by with a friend (companera) from work (as I understood). He apparently works for an office for the protection of human rights set up by the government after the signing of the Peace Accords in 1992. Yet, the companera explained, the office doesn’t do much to really protect the human rights of people in El Salvador. It is simply a functionary of the government, she explained, like the position of “ombudsman,” the office is like a nod in the direction of human rights by the government, but nothing more. The gathered group lamented the fact that the person selected for the post is selected by the Assembly, and isn’t independent of government selection. Alicia had shown me earlier a flier detailing the assassination only two years ago of an older couple who were the parents of one of the main operators of Radio Vinceremos, the radio station of the resistance movement during the years of the war. When they were living in the mountains, the guerrillas operated a very well-run and consistent radio program to give news of their progress, messages of hope, etc. The flier stated that the investigation of their deaths had been falsified from the beginning. The flier was for a forum regarding the protection of human rights in Central America, and was in the Salvadorean town of Suchitoto. It also carried a description of the cases of people who had been detained in Suchitoto during a protest against water privatization. The protesters had been detained using charges of “terrorism,” using a new law modeled after anti-terrorism law in the United States, post 9-11. From what I understood from the flier, there are still people detained from this protest, which was in 2007. The flier was for a forum that took place on July 2 of this year. There is obviously still a lot of work to be done in El Salvador in the area of securing and maintaining the protection of human rights!
Several times, when I was there in the office of the Comadres, I almost couldn’t believe I was there, in this place which I remembered in my distant memory; which had become like an icon in my mind of a beacon to follow, to be the best person I could be. It was amazing to be there ... to be sitting there in the office discussing torture and disappearances and human rights forums; sitting in the same office I had sat in thirteen years ago; to be sitting in an office that I had longed to return to for thirteen years. Yet these realizations only came and went in quick flashes, and I that I was thankful for, because I was very present. I sat and was present. I was present with all of my being, and present with my poor Spanish. I helped Alicia cook lunch, and I made as much conversation as I could, including plenty of small talk, because I know that once I warm up in Spanish by talking about 5 or 10 minutes, my Spanish starts to flow more easily. All in all, it was a great experience. We were all present and all united in the same concerns and desires and this created a feeling of camaraderie that I expect will grow. After all, this was only my first day. I feel so thankful that there are fifteen or sixteen more days to go!!! Que suerte!
Today was also my first day of work with the Comadres. It was so amazing! Alicia de Garcia came to pick me up at the Cooperative, and they had someone drive us to the Comadres office. When we got there, Alicia introduced me to “Patti” (who turns out to be one of her daughters). Alicia seems to me to be a person with much humility, because each time she has referred to her children before my meeting them, she has said, “There will be “un muchacho” (a young man) or “una muchacha” (a young woman) at the office,” and no more than this. But when I meet them, I learn that they are her children! This behavior strikes me as very humble. In any case, I met Patti, and she asked if I would like to eat something, because she was fixing breakfast for herself. I was a little hungry, so I agreed, and she fixed me an egg and tortilla, which were really delicious! At this time, Alicia went to pick up an old friend from the airport, which is not far away. After Patti finished cooking, we sat down together, and talked over breakfast. It was very relaxed and friendly. I mentioned the book of the history of the Comadres, which is currently in process, and we talked about that. Patti also told me about the current projects the Comadres are doing. They all wear many hats, I have discovered (as do many people here, in this small country full of strong people). Patti teaches basic literacy (reading and writing) classes at the Comadres office on Sundays, and every two months Patti (who is a nurse) and 3 others teach basic first-aid classes at the office. She, along with others, also visit schools to give talks (charlas) about the role of women in Salvadorean society before, during and after the war. And, of course, they still continue to receive delegations (visiting groups) at their office, to whom they recount their experiences (testimonios).
Patti also told me about a trauma-healing project that they are doing with women whose family members where disappeared or killed during the war. A female psychologist from Spain initiated the project. She had visited El Salvador (and the Comadres) before the war, and was very impressed. After the war she called up the Comadres and said that she was now a licensed psychologist and wanted to help women with their healing process after the war. The work is that of slowly talking about and processing what happened during the war. There are three groups. The first consists of 76 women, the second of 65 women, and the third of 46 women. They have determined that it is best to do this work in large groups, because it is a collective memory that so many share, and it is best to process it together. Patti said that the psychologist is working with the first group and that Patti works with the second and third groups, because they cannot afford to pay the psychologist more than they are already paying for the first group. The cost is $150 a month. She said they need to raise more money for this work. I would love to know more about the process of what they are doing. Patti said that the women participating in the group don’t want any foreigners or men involved at all. I guess if I want to know more, I’ll just have to ask Patti to tell me more. In any case, it is extremely important work, and I am glad it is being done.
After telling me about the Comadres’ projects, Patti told me a little of her own story of being detained twice and tortured. She told me that a delegation came from the United States during the time of her detention, including one congressperson. The congressperson left their card with the Comadres. When the card was found, the Comadres called the congressperson and asked for help in Patti’s case. Patti said that she was sure she was about to be killed just minutes before she was released from the hands of her torturers into a regular women’s prison. She said that if it weren’t for the pressure from the congressperson and the people he or she organized, she thinks she would have died. Just minutes before she was released, she was in a room that she perceived as the waiting room to be assassinated, because the floor was covered with blood. She was blindfolded, and heard a sound like a saw start, and then stop, because orders had come to spare her life because of pressure from the congressperson and those he or she had organized.
(I suspect that Patti is the daughter that Alicia told us about - who had her fingernails pulled out, etc.) She is beautiful, maybe forty. She must have been very young when this happened - in her twenties, perhaps. She is very beautiful and calm; well dressed in a lovely, simple black-and white printed shirt. She has a lovely, very calm and competent way about her - again, a very, very strong person. In this family the members refer to their strength very matter-of-factly. And why shouldn’t they? It is simply a part of their survival - a part of the everyday reality here in El Salvador. As one of my teachers here said, the vast majority of people here don’t live; they survive (hand-to-mouth, or, as they say here, “coyol quebrado, coyol comido”).
After that, Alicia arrived with an old friend who is a translator by profession, German by birth, and has lived in Mexico for more than 30 years. Her name is Dorotea. Today was a day of reunions and so we didn’t do any work with the photographs, but that was just as well. I so enjoyed seeing everyone so happy and laughing, remembering old times and enjoying each others’ company after the passage of much time. I helped Alicia prepare lunch (delicious hamburger patties prepared with minced potato, onion and garlic, black pepper, ginger and eggs). Dorotea worked with the Comadres for three or four years during a time when their work was extremely active and the office was crowded with people. She said that she has a photo at home of Alicia and another woman in pajamas, working in the night with stacks of papers on their desks. Alicia smiled (she has a lovely smile) and said that yes, it was always like that back then; with so many (un monton de) papers and the office full of people. It was great for me to be there and to have the chance to hear them reminisce, because it provided me with a window through which to view a bit of the past, of the history of Comadres. My introductory day with the Comadres couldn’t have been better!
One of Alicia’s sons stopped by with a friend (companera) from work (as I understood). He apparently works for an office for the protection of human rights set up by the government after the signing of the Peace Accords in 1992. Yet, the companera explained, the office doesn’t do much to really protect the human rights of people in El Salvador. It is simply a functionary of the government, she explained, like the position of “ombudsman,” the office is like a nod in the direction of human rights by the government, but nothing more. The gathered group lamented the fact that the person selected for the post is selected by the Assembly, and isn’t independent of government selection. Alicia had shown me earlier a flier detailing the assassination only two years ago of an older couple who were the parents of one of the main operators of Radio Vinceremos, the radio station of the resistance movement during the years of the war. When they were living in the mountains, the guerrillas operated a very well-run and consistent radio program to give news of their progress, messages of hope, etc. The flier stated that the investigation of their deaths had been falsified from the beginning. The flier was for a forum regarding the protection of human rights in Central America, and was in the Salvadorean town of Suchitoto. It also carried a description of the cases of people who had been detained in Suchitoto during a protest against water privatization. The protesters had been detained using charges of “terrorism,” using a new law modeled after anti-terrorism law in the United States, post 9-11. From what I understood from the flier, there are still people detained from this protest, which was in 2007. The flier was for a forum that took place on July 2 of this year. There is obviously still a lot of work to be done in El Salvador in the area of securing and maintaining the protection of human rights!
Several times, when I was there in the office of the Comadres, I almost couldn’t believe I was there, in this place which I remembered in my distant memory; which had become like an icon in my mind of a beacon to follow, to be the best person I could be. It was amazing to be there ... to be sitting there in the office discussing torture and disappearances and human rights forums; sitting in the same office I had sat in thirteen years ago; to be sitting in an office that I had longed to return to for thirteen years. Yet these realizations only came and went in quick flashes, and I that I was thankful for, because I was very present. I sat and was present. I was present with all of my being, and present with my poor Spanish. I helped Alicia cook lunch, and I made as much conversation as I could, including plenty of small talk, because I know that once I warm up in Spanish by talking about 5 or 10 minutes, my Spanish starts to flow more easily. All in all, it was a great experience. We were all present and all united in the same concerns and desires and this created a feeling of camaraderie that I expect will grow. After all, this was only my first day. I feel so thankful that there are fifteen or sixteen more days to go!!! Que suerte!
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