Home from Nueva Esperanza

Nueva Esperanza is a small community around two hours from San Salvador. The group and I spent the weekend there involving ourselves in the communities grassroots movements, becoming acquainted with the leaders and members of the community, and hearing testimonies about the history and present conditions of Nueva Esperanza and its surrounding pueblos.
I was fortunate enough to have my homestay with one of Nueva Esperanza's leaders. She was a woman in her sixties who had lived in Nueva Esperanza since its start, 16 years ago. The name comes from the struggle of the people and their active aspirations for a life of solidarity and dignity; the name means new hope.
Being closer further to the south and therefore closer to the coast, Nueva Esperanza was hot, quite hot. At night we slept with mosquito nets above and around our bodies. They helped a great deal, but unfortunately engulfed the heat around us more. The community struggles with a lot of flooding, especially in the months of September and October; I realized the truth in this last night... As my roommate and I tried to fall asleep it began to rain. We could hear the scratches fall upon the tin roof and the dog outside moving closer and closer to our door. Luckily the roosters were sound asleep, so they only made their music during the early morning hours. But I can truthfully say that until last night, I had never once in my life heard rain pour and literally flood down from the sky like that. Mud is commonplace there, and you get used to it.
This morning it was bittersweet saying goodbye to Grandma. Grandma is 94 and has 19 children. Many generations lived in and around the house where we were at. Humanness was so present, as well as sincere care for the wellbeing of others.
"La organizacion es la solucion." --the motto of Nueva Esperanza and the surrounding pueblos...