During the thunder storm which hit Suchitoto this afternoon the training venue was hit by a stray piece of lightening, no one was hurt, but the sound of the lightbulb blowing was enough to send us all jumping out of our seats! These first few days in El Salvador have challenged and surprised us all and we are just at the beginning of this amazing experience.
The 10 days of training are delivered by the Global Platform programme in Succhitoto and involves comprehensive sessions on all elements of development work from the Millienium Development Goals to country specific information about El Salvaodor's past. We are also attending Spanish lessons every morning in the local Spanish School, the teachers may speak no English but it is the best language course I have ever been on!
Salvadorians have been very open to sharing with us their painful and still raw experiences during the Civil War (1980 to 1992) and this has confirmed my resolve to improve my Spanish in order to find out more. Hearing first hand accounts of the atrocities which took place here is shocking and upsetting, but you then begin to understand how far this country has come and the challenges it still faces. The Salvadorians who have shared their reality have been very proud and keen to welcome visitors to their country who want to learn about their history.
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