Digging Trenches in El Salvador

By ZEKE D.

Last summer I went on the first Camp Tawonga Teen Service learning trip to El Salvador in partnership with AJWS (American Jewish World Service). Camp Tawonga is a resident camp located near Yosemite National Park, which I've been attending for eight years. Last year, a predicament arose: I was too old to attend summer camp but I wanted to stay involved with Tawonga. Luckily, a service trip to El Salvador was in the works. I knew I was game for this trip from the very first mailing I received about it.

The idea of the trip was to travel to El Salvador and help out residents in developing communities. We, a group of 27 teens and 5 staff members, would be working with communities that were part of La coordinadora, an association of 86 small villages in El Salvador that have joined together in the hope of creating self sufficiency as well as other social and economic goals. The projects that we worked on ranged from digging a trench for water piping to planting trees to combat deforestation.

Our living accommodations were amazing in the given situation. We stayed in a rural village called Cuidad Romero, which was a 15 minute drive away from the closest paved road. We slept in bunk beds that were located in a small compound and we had rooms in which we were able to leave our clothing and other items. We had access to adequate toilets and showers: there was only cold water, but in the heat of El Salvador, the last thing on our minds was a hot shower.

Throughout the trip we learned an astonishing amount. The topics were based on Jewish principles from the Torah. More specifically, our lessons revolved around how these principles applied to our specific mission. The discussions were led by our group leaders and we discussed issues such as the situation around us as well as developing world issues and comparing American ideals to Salvadorian ideals

 

A typical day in El Salvador

We would wake up early, around 6:30 a.m.; some people woke by the random animal such as roosters, or noises that came in through the windows and doors. If that didn't get us up, we had two very devoted morning song leaders who came to every room and sang songs that would definitely wake you up. By 7 a.m. we were off with our eating groups to our mamacita's house (host family) for breakfast. After breakfast we would return to our rooms and gear up (bug spray, sunscreen, work clothes, water etc.).

By 9 a.m. we were in the bus and off to our worksite for the day, usually 30 to 45 min away depending on the traffic--and by traffic, I mean cows that were ever present in road. At the work site we learned about the project, which were manual labor jobs that required lots of manpower, something our group size could help with. One project that we participated in was the digging of a trench which would provide clean drinking water to a waterless community. Our group helped dig a quarter-mile long trench which would be filled with piping for water. We aided the local villagers and we accomplished the task in just over one day.

After a couple of hours we would have a break for lunch at the worksite. And then it was back to work for a couple more hours, before we'd pile back into the bus and return to Cuidad Romero. Soon after our return, we went with our eating groups again to our familias and had dinner. This was typically some tasty variation of beans and rice. Or, we might have Papusas, a thick corn tortilla stuffed with beans, cheese, and other yummy items. This dish is cooked by frying them on a griddle... and is simply remarkable. Afterwards, we returned to our housing and talked some more; then it was off for a much needed shower and bed by 11 p.m.

 

A life-changing experience

The trip was a challenging and it tested our mental and physical endurance. We all had times when we missed home; that said, we were usually too busy absorbing everything around us to be homesick for long. The work was physically demanding but we were expected to do only what was comfortable for us. Also, the amount of work done by any given person ranged on that persons ability to function in heat. The number one goal of the trip was to stay healthy, and our group was not willing to sacrifice that for a little extra progress on our project. We all understood that whatever we did was enough.

This was easily the most moving and incredible experience of my life. I learned many lessons about myself as well as the some problems troubling the world. I learned about the poverty people suffer from in these areas. Being immersed in the poverty of a rural village, I saw the difference in their roads, schools, homes, and many other community aspects. I learned just how lucky I am to be living where I do and to have the opportunities that I have.

All in all, the most important lesson that I learned was the power of one. After seeing how effective a mere 30 people are, it made me think more global and say to myself, "you know if we get everyone together, we can really start solving some problems."

 

Zeke D., a junior at Palo Alto High School in Palo Alto, California, is an avid bowler with an average of 203 and a high game of 279. Currently his aspirations are to finish high school and go away to a university with a bowling program. He hopes to one day be a professional bowler and become the best in the world.