The Chicken Was Almost Alive

All the women and little girls were sitting, while the few men watching the ceremony were standing on the side. Some elderly women in the back rows couldn’t even see what was going on in front of them, but remained still for hours, listening silently and attentively. There were kids running everywhere; probably children or grandchildren of the adults. And us Gringos - tall, fair skinned, loud, blue eyed hidden with sunglasses - were observing this event with a different perspective.

This “semi-improvised” ceremony, sponsored by Circulo Solidario, consisted of presentations, speeches, and indigenous dances and songs. It was noticeable that the town had endured many repressions, because the traditions seemed to be deeply rooted in their past culture. Everything was presented in a pleasant, informal way, which reflected on the town’s simplicity. It was cute to see the band playing instruments, while the singer was holding the lyrics and a little kid was holding a microphone for the guitar! But, as the town’s leader delivered his speech, the tone of the ceremony became serious. He spoke with a confident, distinguished, stern voice, which was similar to The Untied States’ next president. He probably saw the election on TV – and inspired by Obama’s talk of change. In fact, the man thought that change was important to be made for the community. But, other than that, everything was presented in a simple, laid back, modest and humble way.

After the ceremony, I walked around for a while and realized I was hungry. The lunch food, sponsored by Circulo Solidario, consisted of a plain piece of chicken and two pupusas As I was eating with my friend and my only other male companion on this trip, Chris, we thought: “Wow, the girls wouldn’t be able to eat this!” In fact, the chicken was almost alive. It still had hair on it and a thick piece of skin with it. But we ate it all and it was tasty! But because Salvadorans eat so little, and as Americans, we eat so much, their version of lunch was our version of a snack! So, our next stop was at an ice cream tienda. We enjoyed a nice dessert before joining the rest of the travelers (the ladies) who were… shopping.