Brebeuf El Salvador Trip Blog

Welcome To Our 2024 Trip Blog

Welcome to the 2024 El Salvador Spring Break Immersion Trip Site! This will be a hub for us to share updates via and post pictures of our experiences.
Our trip is s cultural immersion trip in which we will learn about the culture and history of El Salvador. A special emphasis will be placed on the role the Jesuits have played in effecting social change over the last four decades. Students and chaperones have a full itinerary planned for the week.
We will spend much of the time in and around San Salvador taking day trips to various cultural, historical, and recreational locations. We will also participate in a home stay with Salvadoran families in El Papaturro (a small rural community just under two hours outside of San Salvador).
We hope you enjoy reading about the trip from back home in Indiana!

Day 1

When we arrived to El Salvador, we were not only greeted with smiles on our guides’ faces, but also the blistering heat and humidity walking out of the airport. We then traveled to a site where 4 church women were martyred because of their faith in 1980. We further pondered this with prayer and silent reflection in the church that was made in memorial to them. After that, we traveled to our temporary home, Hotel Oasis, and were greeted with warm smiles of the staff working to provide us food and the proper necessities.

After dinner, in a closing reflection today, we were asked two questions: what stuck out to us today and what our expectations are for the rest of this week. Some of the group reflected that spending valuable time together really showed how a community can be any where you make it. Many have their expectations for this week to learn more about Salvadorian history and culture, while others haven’t set any expectations for this trip and want to keep an open mind

Day 2

Today for breakfast, we had some delicious pupusa’s made with beans and cheese. After breakfast, we went to a meeting place where we got the opportunity to speak with the director of CRISPAZ, Francisco Mena. Francisco told us about the lasting affects of El Salvador’s civil war that ended 1992. He put into perspective that we still feel the consequences of our civil war in the United States through the systemic racism people of color continue to experience. If the United Stated is still feeling the effects of our civil war 160 years ago, imagine how prevalent the effects of the civil war in El Salvador are only more than 30 years later. After learning from Francisco we got to hear from two women from COFAMIDE. COFAMIDE is an organization that works with countries in Central America to find people that have disappeared while trying to immigrate to the United States through Mexico. We were given a testimony from a woman that lost her husband in 2020 during Covid-19. While he was on the way to the United States, she was in contact with him until a few days had passed. She received a call from the Mexican coyote of the immigrating group her husband was traveling with, that he started fainting and was left in a safe location where he can get medical help. He then mentioned that Border Patrol would be able to find her husband and bring him safely back to El Salvador. More time passed and she started looking for him through DNA matches. After that we had lunch. Then we went to visit a church community. We learned about how this community serves people on a mountain that do not have running water to drink. What stuck out to me from this knowledge was how the religious community was so willing to serve the community in the mountains even though they differ in religious values. This really exemplifies how pure and good religion can be in a challenged society. Then we went to Walmart for snacks and supplies! After that we had dinner.

Today was a pretty intense second day in terms of the things we talked about. But it was also very eye-opening in a way that is necessary for this trip. The first part of the day we got to speak with the director of CRISPAZ and he gave us an introduction to the trip and the history of El Salvador. Reflecting on this later on in the day, I was able to see just how powerful of a foundation this would lay for the rest of the trip. The history of El Salvador is important to know, as we are taking a trip to El Salvador, but it is really important when we reflect on the context of what war has done to a country. The Civil War of El Salvador has been rather recent in the scope of history. This recency has left a much more powerful effect on the people. The aftermath of the war left violence in these communities and has affected the political culture to this day. It is important to learn about this, especially since the US is privileged to not have been involved in our civil war in over 150 years. Seeing this effect in a country so close to ours, though, is shocking, just because of how different the circumstances are when violence prevails. Afterward, we were able to speak with two women whose husbands had disappeared as they were trying to illegally immigrate to the US court. And while yes, this does sound extreme, both women explained to us that they felt that they had no other choice but to send their husbands into such unsafe circumstances. Hearing that made me realize just how fortunate I am to be seeing this on a trip, rather than having this be my daily life. I live in a house and in a community that is fortunate enough to provide my necessities and rights every single day, but that’s not accessible for everyone in El Salvador. The women also went on to explain that the organization they work for helps find other disappeared persons, and most of these people just wanna know where their relatives are. They just want to find their loved ones whether they are alive or dead. I know for all the girls in our group, just hearing that line was shocking since we would all assume that they want to find their relatives alive. But the woman explained that not knowing was ultimately worse than knowing if they were dead, because not knowing instills more fear within themselves. Afterward, we had lunch, and the mood was much lighter. We were able to laugh and talk about our lives with a heavy weight still hanging over us of our past two conversations. As we ate, we were beyond grateful for just being able to hear the stories, rather than having to experience them firsthand. In the afternoon, we went to a religious Catholic community, that practices the church at the most basic levels. They also aim to help countless women who experience hardships within their own homes. A way that they do this is by having a store that sells souvenirs that the women have hand-created. everyone in our group was beyond happy to purchase something from the store and support this wonderful cause. All of the money used to purchase any of the items in the store was directly sent to the women so they would have another source of income in their homes. Being able to buy something homemade and knowing that it’s supported a good cause made us feel like we were supporting a positive change within the El Salvadorian Community. Overall, I think this day helped us grow and see what is happening in El Salvador. I think it laid the foundation for what injustices have been happening within this country, but also inspired hope for what some people are doing to try to make it better. at the end of the second day, all I am looking forward to now is seeing the other local communities and trying to decide what change I can bring home with me.

Day 3

After breakfast today, we drove to the center of San Salvador and visited the Church of El Rosario. From the outside, the church is large and imposing, and it was built in the brutalist architecture style. In the doors of the main entrance, which is now closed, you can see bullet holes from soldiers shooting at the civilians who were taking refuge in the church during an attack. When we went inside, the entire space was lit by colorful stained glass windows, and I was amazed by the beauty that could exist within a place that had seen so much violence.

We went out into the main square and saw what used to be the National Palace, as well as the Metropolitan Cathedral. The square was where thousands of Salvadorans gathered during the 5-day funeral for Oscar Romero, the former archbishop of San Salvador. During the funeral, more blood was spilled as soldiers detonated bombs nearby and shot at the civilians.

We entered the cathedral, which has two floors. The top floor is where official church services are held. Beneath that is the crypt where Romero is buried, and an organization of the people holds its own services there.

We returned to the guesthouse for lunch, and then drove to Parque Cuscatlan, the park that is home to the Monument of Truth and Memory. The monument contains the names of around 60,000 civilians who were murdered as “collateral damage” in the war. We were unable to see it up close because it has been closed for construction for the last three months. The monument has two parts. The first has around 30,000 names, and the second was built to include more names after people started to become less afraid to talk about the war. There are still names of people who died during the war whose families have not been willing to speak out. The structure is a reminder of the atrocities committed not very long ago; yet, there are some who have already begun to deny the Peace Accords and the war itself.

After the park, we went to the Chapel of the Divine Providence Hospice, which is the place where Saint Romero was preaching when he was shot and killed. We had mass there, and listened to Romero’s final words. He was speaking about giving body and blood for the causes of justice and peace. We reflected on what we were being called to give for these causes. We toured Romero’s small house and saw some of his belongings, including the clothes he was wearing when he was murdered. We could see the small hole from the bullet in his shirt. Romero touched so many lives as archbishop, and still does as a saint. He was the embodiment of prayer in action, and faith that does justice.

For me, a takeaway today was that just praying or believing is not enough. Our faith should drive us to action. Also, hate and violence are only one side of the story. Like in the church, if we look deeper into the people of El Salvador, we find beauty, faith, resilience, and hope.

Day 4

Qué tal from El Salvador! After our breakfast, where we finally got to try some fresh mangos, we headed to Medina Dolores. It’s a small community outside of San Salvador, and we later learned it was founded by nuns as a consequence of the war. We started with some fun icebreaker games with leaders of the community’s support groups, and then took a tour of the town. The streets were narrow and houses were small but vibrant. Most of them had shared walls, tin roofs, and little porches. We talked with the leaders of the different support groups for kids, young adults, and women. Before the groups were founded, there was a lot of gang violence between the communities. The state of exception has brought an end to gang related violence in the community, but it has also lead to a lot of suffering and challenges. For example, there are kids in the community who have one or both parents in jail for gang related crimes. Because of this, a lot of those kids have been routinely interrogated and mistreated by police officers. Additionally, many members of the community are scared to support these children, because being friends with someone in a gang is a crime. However, the youth groups have significantly reduced gang activity; in the Medina Dolores community, only one youth member joined a gang. In other communities without support groups, most of the youth had joined gangs. We then got the opportunity to go into members of the community’s homes and talk with elders.

After our visit in the Medina Dolores community, we got lunch at a local restaurant. After that we headed to the University of Central America, or UCA. We spend our afternoon in the museum for all the people who were killed at UCA during the war, and Monseñor Romero. We first looked at a series of photos comparing the circumstances during the civil war, and the circumstances now. We noticed there were a lot of parallels between the two, and not much has changed since the war. It’s just become a cycle of violence and oppression. Then we took a tour of the museum, which had a lot of relics and pictures of Monseñor Romero, the Four American Martyrs including a fifth Salvadorian nurse, and the six Jesuit martyrs including a mother and her daughter. We were then taken to the places where the Jesuits were killed, and there was a rose garden in their memory and in the memory of all the civilians killed in the war. Then we went into a small room where the mother and her teenage daughter were killed. We learned they were looking for a place to stay the night because their house was bombed. They were trying to go out the other door of the room they were staying in, but it was jammed. We were then shown photos of the bodies of the victims. Through the photos were very gory and disturbing, they demonstrated the true level of the atrocities that took place the night of November 16th. We then went into the chapel to reflect on what we saw and view the art representing Monseñor Romero’s life and the war.

After a quick stop at the guest house, we went to a restaurant for a pupusa dinner. Though it was definitely the Texas Roadhouse of El Salvador, it was delicious! We got back and had our homestay orientation, and packed our bags for El Papaturro. We are all super tired after a long day, but I’m we are super excited for tomorrow!!

Day 7 (Return from Homestay)

We started our home stay with polarized emotions. We were thrilled, but also on edge at the thought of the language barriers and unfamiliar environment. When we arrived, the first thing we noticed was the heat, the stray dogs, and the lush vegetation. Shortly after, we were introduced to our families and we were graciously invited into their homes with hospitality. Next, we all met as a group in the community’s group center to meet the children and discuss the values in our lives. We introduced ourselves and asked the children about their families, school, and interests. Afterwards, we played with the children in their recreational area. We enjoyed pupusa’s and cold sodas as we had our first dinner as a group with members of community and spent our first night in El Papaturro. We woke the next morning to the cacophony of roosters, cicadas, and howling dogs. We hiked along the rocky village road and the fields of cows to reach the waterhole. A winding path of water fell into the green pool of the waterhole. We waded into the cool water that quickly refreshed us after our scorching hike. After leaving the waterhole, we headed back and we had our discussion with our families, which was one of the most moving parts about our trip so far. We learned about the hardships involving the separation of families, especially the husbands and children. One of the woman I was staying with had a son, who is only 13, who had to come to the United States with his aunt. Next, while half of our group was playing soccer with the local people, we discussed immigration and El Salvador’s current political situation with members of the community. After spending our last night in El Papaturro, we visited the communities irrigation system and learned about their different water resources. We helped pick up litter and excess trash in the surrounding area as a way to give back to the community that had been so gracious and welcoming to us. Once we got back to the house, we had a bittersweet goodbye to our host family and to El Papaturro, and we began our journey to the city of Sushitoto. We met with the other group of all boys, and had lunch together before the discussion with sister Peggy. After our discussion, we then went to the art museum and looked around at the displays. To end our day we had pupusa’s for dinner and a group reflection and prayer to process and share the invaluable emotions, opportunities, and knowledge we’ve gained on the El Salvador trip.

Closing Reflection

Every time I got to see my cousin, Jenna, she always had us speak in Spanish in hopes that one day my brothers and I would make it down to El Salvador. Ever since she went on the same trip that I am on now 20 years ago, she has devoted her life to helping the people of El Salvador. For 12 years she has called El Salvador home living in Medina Dolores, so when I came to Brebeuf, she strongly encouraged me to go on this trip. I couldn’t make it the first time it was offered during my time at Brebeuf, but I am forever grateful that I was able to go this time.

The night we got here in El Salvador, we had a reflection after dinner. Our guide, Daniela, had us explain what our expectations were for this trip. I answered that I wanted to see what made El Salvador so special and unique that Jenna decided to stay and that Brebeuf keeps sending groups back. I’m thankful to say that I did find this, and while we experienced so many things on this trip that I can’t write them all, I will write about a few experiences that stuck out to me.

On our third day, we went to the Dominican Church of El Rosario. Outside it looked industrial with a lot of concrete and steel, but when you walk in, there are beautiful stained glass windows built into the concrete. The glass was stunning in the sun and lit up the church in colorful rainbow. The other stunning piece of artwork in the church was the Stations of the Cross. I sat there reflecting on the beauty of this church and wrote about how the church reflects the hardships of the Salvadorian people. To me, the concrete is the heavy things that they carry in their lives, their burdens. In the stations of the cross, Jesus’ cross was made out of concrete, just like the church is made out of concrete. But within the concrete there is light and color. Anything can be made beautiful among the hardships just as the people of El Salvador have done.

Our fourth day we were able to visit Jenna in her community. We learned from her about how the State Of Exception impacted her community. Just this month, one student from her community who attends the public university has been beaten by the police every time he returns home. If something doesn’t change soon, he will most likely be killed or sent to prison where he will most likely die too. She says that this is the reality of many Salvadorians and that her community has created a children’s group, youth group, and a women’s group to help the people of her community talk out their emotions about these conditions. We also went to the UCA and saw the pictures of the murdered Jesuits and two Salvadorian women. They were graphic and gruesome and hard to look at, but they were the reality of all the murders during the war. Hearing Jenna’s stories and seeing these pictures made us reflect on how easy it is to see the citizens of El Salvador during the war, and now, as collateral damage. We hear all the terrible things that has happened to them but it is so hard to imagine and fathom the atrocities committed. By coming here, we have been able to put faces to these horrors and it has made them so much more meaningful. The citizens are collateral damage and it’s a terrible thing, but they shouldn’t be dismissed or overlooked.

On our fifth day, we went to El Papaturro. After we got settled, we went to the community center where the children meet every Monday and Friday for different activities. This time they were drawing pictures of the different values that are close to them. Each kid, ages 5-12, both girls and boys, drew a picture of a value. We did too, and at the end we shared our values to the group. Seeing these kids think about values made me realize how invested their community was in them. They were making sure that their kids were cultivating values that would later help them in life. It impressed me and made me glad that they had a community that cared about their well-being.

As I reflect on these three experiences, I see how resilient the people of El Salvador are. I compare it to the fences that I see here in El Salvador. The fences are built from cut down branches that are stuck in the ground, and around the branches are three strands of barbed wire. These branches are wrapped in barbed wire and have been cut down and yet they still grow. Some of the branches have even grown into small trees. I see the people of El Salvador in these branches. They have been cut down, displaced, and ruined from the recent civil war they had; they have also been suffocated by the State of Exception put in place by the government. But despite all of this, they still grow and thrive. This is represented by the stain glass windows in the church and seen in the programs that Jenna runs and the programs that El Papaturro runs for their children. Even seeing the life of the city here in San Salvador and in the different communities is proof that the people of El Salvador are growing and thriving.

Now I see why El Salvador is so special. I know why Jenna has decided to stay and why Brebeuf still sends groups. The culture of El Salvador is beautiful, but they also need help untangling they barbed wire. This is why trips like these are so important. Not just to us, but also the people of El Salvador. I’m so grateful for being able to come to El Salvador and I hope one day I will come back.