It's been almost three months since I've posted anything on this blog but I've had a good excuse. I've been in El Salvador teaching English for social justice through an organisation called the Centro de Intercambio y Solidaridad (CIS). I've been teaching adults who are involved in the social justice movement in El Salvador, are keen to learn English, but are unable to afford the astronomically high costs of English schools in the country. The experience was eye-opening to say the least and I learned far more from my students about the Salvadorean reality than I could ever teach them about English grammar.
The country is an interesting one: highly linked to the USA, it uses the US dollar as its currency and 20% of its economy is based on remittances from the Salvadorean diaspora - largely in the US. The country is the destination for most migrants - some legal, many illegal - and held up as a dream destination for those struggling to keep up a way of life in a country with a low minimum wage and ongoing political disillusionment.
The two main political parties in El Salvador - the right-wing ARENA and left-wing FMLN - are the same two sides who fought a bloody civil war in the country during the 1980s. Those who committed atrocities have been granted amnesty and no justice has been sought for those innocent people who were slaughtered or 'disappeared' during that time. In order for the country to move on politically these things must be addressed just as they must be in all other countries with recent civil wars.
I learned a lot with this experience: I now speak functional Spanish for one thing. But mostly I learned what a broad range of views and insights there are out there waiting to be heard if only someone would listen.
The country is an interesting one: highly linked to the USA, it uses the US dollar as its currency and 20% of its economy is based on remittances from the Salvadorean diaspora - largely in the US. The country is the destination for most migrants - some legal, many illegal - and held up as a dream destination for those struggling to keep up a way of life in a country with a low minimum wage and ongoing political disillusionment.
The two main political parties in El Salvador - the right-wing ARENA and left-wing FMLN - are the same two sides who fought a bloody civil war in the country during the 1980s. Those who committed atrocities have been granted amnesty and no justice has been sought for those innocent people who were slaughtered or 'disappeared' during that time. In order for the country to move on politically these things must be addressed just as they must be in all other countries with recent civil wars.
I learned a lot with this experience: I now speak functional Spanish for one thing. But mostly I learned what a broad range of views and insights there are out there waiting to be heard if only someone would listen.
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