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Uno de los puentes que conecta a la cordillera central con la oriental sobre el rio magdalena. #magdalena #puertotriunfo #mochileroscongel (en Puente rio Magdalena Doradal Antioquia) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cj8S61grNAW/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
Navidad en #puertotriunfo 2019. https://www.instagram.com/p/B50dhcHg-GM/?igshid=tm468dku6qm
@emmazernalez #puertotriunfo (en Antioquia, Colombia)
20150202-2015-02-02 20.09.01.jpg on Flickr.
In construction - my parents' A-frame in Puerto Triunfo, Paraguay. 1982.
20150202-2015-02-02 20.08.22.jpg on Flickr.
In construction - my parents' A-frame in Puerto Triunfo, Paraguay. 1982.
Humans of El Salvador
Posing with the head masons at the build-site. Their work ethic was balanced by their love for a good joke.
Her smile lights up the whole slum. When we walked by her home, I was struck by her beauty. I have no idea how old she was- the sun, hard life, children, the war had added their wrinkles but her smile was timeless.
We had the opportunity to visit the town's school during our second week. Some children wanted to be teachers, other police officers... but the one thing they all agreed on: one day they would come to the United States. Talk about moving...
On our last day in El Salvador, we had a dedication ceremony for the family at the local affiliate. Besides stuuffing ourselves with tradition food of "pupusas", salsa, sweets, and cooked vegetables, we also danced, hugged, and yes, cried. It was an emotional day for everyone. In just two weeks we had formed these connections. There's just something about working, physically and mentally laboring, over a common project, and a shared goal. They thanked us for coming to their town and helping them. But we had more to be grateful for. They taught us the virtue of living with little, and loving in abundance.
Dimas, our completely charming friend who also happened to drive our van to the worksite every day, and Jorge Jr. (I nicknamed him "el tigre"), the grandson of Marena, the grandmother who we were building the house for... they were both rascals, in the best sense of the word.
We felt like trespassers as we walked through this slum situated next to an abandoned coffee bean factory. With impressive panoramic views of cool gray and blue volcanos- the harsh brown and rusty corrugated metal shacks pose a harsh contrast. Despite our uneasiness, the people, especially the children were ecstatic to see us. Real life "gringos" walking by their houses. Their joy was infectious, and their energy was uncontainable.
Ronald was an absolute Godsend. He served as our guide and translator for the total two weeks in El Salvador. He has spent most of his youth in Maryland, his family was still there. Unfortunately he was deported a few years back and had not seen his young son since then. To hear his story was heartbreaking- but he didn't skip a beat. He was always, always, always positive and grateful to be with us. His patience was superhuman and his passion for working with others was admirable.
On one of our days off, we visited a restaurant on top of a mountain, literally eye-level with the clouds. Surrounding the restaurant was a zoo filled with tropical birds, sheep, and even pacing raccoons! We opted to sit outside, and thank goodness for that! We were serenaded by a jolly trio of musicians. Who knows if they were making up songs or singing the classics- we enjoyed every minute of it. And the matching yellow shirts were a nice touch.
Jorge Sr. was a fisherman, devout Christian, and provider of the family. One day he brought home his day's catch and taught us how to scale the fish and de-claw the crustaceans. Stainless steel sinks and state of the art knives are for wimps. We used our hands and buckets of water in the concrete sink.
On one of our last evenings in Puerto Triunfo, we drove to the port to take a boat ride to a small island. As we walked through the port we saw a young man wearing a Randolph-Macon Chemistry shirt. This was ASTOUNDING for several reasons: 1. Randolph-Macon is in the little town of Ashland, Virginia, USA, 2. Our school has less than 1500 students, 3. The chemistry department only has about 5-10 majors in the program each year, 4. What are the chances we would be walking by him on this particular day when he just so happened to decide to wear this shirt?! Exactly. While he was definitely overwhelmed by a flock of girls stampeding him and asking him 345982 questions in broken Spanish, he was a good sport and let us take a photo with him.
Time and time again, a brief encounter in El Salvador gently forced me to look at my personal biography in relation to that of the worlds'. How do I affect others? How can my actions facilitate change? This trip taught me that no kind gesture goes unnoticed, so why not choose compassion in place of apathy? There are so many questions I ask myself every day- and for once I don't need an immediate answer. Simply conveying my wonder with the world is enough to tide me over for now.
