Que le vaya bien

I already love being here. San Salvador seems such a lively place, with solemn history and collective memory, as well as hilarious quirks--some of these analogous to things I´ve encountered before, but always aspects unique and special to this place. Something most unexpected, however, is an added layer of development beyond what I expected for a country only recently recovering from a most brutal war. For instance, my host parents are both retired and actually receive social security money, from the government. Fast food chains and relatively upscale stores line the city boulevards. The "consuma" fair was full of people making middle-class purchases, home electronics and appliances and such.

Of course, I only so far see the decorative icing. I realize this is city life, where the relatively small middle-class has opportunities for advancing livelihood (with tongue-in-cheek consideration of electronics purchases as "advancement" a la USA). The pueblo, the campo are different and live the same structural violence faced by rural poor everywhere. Even in the city, I´ve not yet found the disparities and oppressions I know exist.

Still, this is not Haiti.
No security, social or otherwise, exists there.

Over the last couple days, I´ve had moments of subconsciously trying to place my mind´s image of crumbled Port au Prince side-by-side with San Salvador. But I can´t, for Haiti seems so distant now, like a toddler who keeps tugging at my skirt and then running away before I can turn to look. News of the field hospital closing hit painfully 10 days ago, as I Skyped with Roosevelt only minutes before departing for the airport. Everyone did everything they could. My Haitian friend--he´s the one suffering, not I--told me to "kenbe la," hang in there. I hope they can.

I need to accept the tugging, for there´s so much I want to learn here: the lived history, base ecclesial community, local work for change... I learned my first local phrase the other day, which people say on the street as I pass, after buenos dias, "que le vaya bien" meaning "(hope) that it goes well (for you)." So far, it certainly is.