Ayagualo, San Salvador

I am a man of few travels, and speaking of helping, this has also aided me to extend my bounded borders. That is why it is difficult for me to assimilate the fact that this tiny country called El Salvador could be the epicenter of so many stories of which I had up to recently only read about in books. At times I was paralyzed when visiting those places where lives were taken from those who could have remained longer surrounded by such beauty.

Soy de pocos viajes, por eso aún me es difícil asimilar que este pedacito de tierra llamada El Salvador, haya sido el epicentro de tantas historias que solo había leído y, por momentos, quede atónito de visitar la plenitud de los lugares donde los que pudieron estar un tiempo mas no estuvieron, en verdad, ¡muy agradecido de extender un poco más mis cortas fronteras!!


Fue allí
en Ayagualo que desperté al cadencioso canto de los gallos
anunciando los más lindos amaneceres
y a un sol
de coloridas fuentes que iluminaron de gala
la razón de aquellos días
así,
rodeado de naturaleza
y melancólicos sonidos
me alistaban los minutos…
el bien sentir
la paz, la amistad, lo simple
y la mesa
donde expertas manos
reunieran las energías de esta historia.

Todo en aquel recinto
era un revuelto de suspiros
y emociones
de exilados pensamientos.

It was in Ayagualo
that I woke to the melancholic song of the roosters,
announcing the most beautiful dawns,
to the sun of colorful fountains
that shone as if celebrating
the reason for those days.


Like this,
surrounded by nature
and rich sounds,
minutes prepared me,
the good feeling of peace,
friendship, simplicity,
and the table,
where expert hands
gathered the energies for this story.



Everything in that enclosure
was a whirlwind of sighs
and emotions…
thoughts in exile.​

Fidel G.

 

Fidel,

I have enjoyed sooo much this beautiful piece of art that you have brought to us. Thanks for sharing, really. I truly believe that the simplicity that some places bring to us to enrich our experiences is just as enduring as the recuerdo. Oh my God your description of the canto de los gallos, I can really hear it, I can!


I am so glad that someone is writing about a beautiful country such as El Salvador, "El Pulgarcito de América" as some call it. Please tell me which other places you visited. I will tell you which ones I visited as well, oh yes, I did! I visited La Laguna de Olomega, such an amazing, amazing place, I also visited Intipuca (El Mirador, I had some pupusas de loroco and horchata, yummy, yummy), I also visited La Playa del Sol, and of course, el volcán de San Miguel. But you know what I enjoyed the most, Fidel, a paseo en el campo with my children. We rented some horses and went around the beach at sundown…Just amazing. We also visited local farmers and had tortillas with queso seco and frijoles fritos, ummmm, and of course, we ate mangos and anonas. Oh by the way, a big cerdo chased my son around, jajaja, it was just hilarious. Of course, I took a picture para la foto del recuerdo. My son always put this big smile on his face every time he retells the experience.

And no, I did not feel threatened. Could it be because yo nunca pienso en enemigos or that la gente has bad hearts? Nunca.

Thank you for sharing, Fidel, thank you.

Saludos

 

Hola Sofia,

well, I work for a hospital, in the shipping and receiving area and through our “paz y salud efforts” PeaceHealth visits El Salvador each year. I was one of the translators that helped the new patients interpret their illnesses or sufferings to our doctors. And although It was heartbreaking at times, it was one the most unforgettable and spiritually experiences in my life. I truly believe now that the joy of volunteering gives room for great emotions, makes the heart bigger and he hearth more peaceful.

De verdad Sofia, I find it very nice or kind of you to shoot me such a beautiful message.

I will not forget the days in San José Villanueva, the familiarity of its daily routines, the sensation of walking through its streets while capturing its customs and folklore. I observed the deep impressions of their hard labor and in the surroundings, like oil and water, the social classes. I was witness to and learned from the dignity of its people, in their expressions, that there are other non-material, simple ways to live and find happiness. Over there in an improvised consultation post I received more warmth and humanity than anywhere for the mere fact of being present with them, sharing in the moments.

How can I forget the lively reunions or events that inspired my own few words? I never thought putting memories on paper could be so complicated. I spent days and nights trying to compile them onto one page, but there were so many, and they would mix and multiply in ways that made it difficult to give each its own story… I will not forget the days in San José Villanueva, Suchitoto, la gente, La UCA, las pupusas, los paseos por la sierra, los cementerios y tantas cosas más.


Saludos y gratos momentos cada día y claro, gracias por incluir tan lindo poema al final de tu mensaje.

Fidel.

 

OmG Fidel, lo que me cuentas simply touched my heart. I did not know that, and I am glad you tell me. Only kind-hearted people can see through the eyes of the humble. It is funny to see that there are people who simply cannot get over the fact that some people really are kind hearted and loving, and they can't understand that because for them, the world is a cruel place, and to not get swept up in all that you have to be cruel yourself. I tell you this because I have heard so many stories about tourists trying to avoid El Salvador just because lo tachan de malo, yet, those who truly see beyond the “danger” discover the most out of it… The world would be a much worse place to live if all would just look at the peligro and nothing else beyond that. But I think I can state with some degree of confidence that people are generally good, like you Fidel. Te congratulo por tan bella misión, de verdad que si y por ayudar a la comunicación (crucial) entre estas personas y los médicos, and like you said, the reward is beyond description.

Saludos y sigue la labor.

 

Sofia,
gracias por tan sentido mensaje, la sinceridad que dejas y que lo hace mas bello.

The thing is, I cannot list all the names but, a sister, a nun, a friend of mine, stands among many others because she represents the caring, love and social justice that our hospital stands for and, of course, much, much more...she’s kind, loves giving hugs and is tremendously funny and many people from El Salvador love her like a true mother.

I want to go again...