I have had the opportunity to live in two completely different countries and find my home in each of them, no matter how far I travel. I lived in El Salvador from birth up to my 17th birthday, when the universe, somehow, someway, brought me here. During my short stay in the United States, I couldn't help but notice how different things are, for better and/or worse.
El Salvador became the world's most deadly country outside war zone in 2016, according to The Telegraph, and it is part of the so-called Triangle of Death along with Guatemala and Honduras. Gangs have completely flooded the beautiful cities and small towns residing in these three culture-filled nations. Of course, this is not news to us. Elfaro.net, most reliable Salvadoran newspaper, has covered the violence caused by gangs in El Salvador for as long as I can remember. We've had "real" wars as well, throughout history, but who hasn't? We've also struggled with serious corruption issues from our dear government, and all secretaries that shape it; from the secretary of health to the secretary of education. Violence is not the only thing haunting the lives of millions of Salvadorans, but also all the limits created by politics that don't let the Salvadoran people succeed.
I wanted to understand why El Salvador has been suffering the same struggles for so long, so I decided to speak with someone who had lived in El Salvador her whole life or at least lived there longer than I did, and this is what she told me:
"Gangs are not the only problem El Salvador faces, and it is sad to see that everything else seems to tie together. It is no secret that we don't have the most loyal government in the world, and I would dare to say that all the violence and gangs are set up by them. Think about it...you live in a bad neighborhood? You pay for security. You work in a very wealthy area? You pay even more for security. When it comes to health, people ask me all the time, 'Healthcare was completely free in El Salvador? What are you even doing here then?' What they don't know is that, say, if you go for a routine checkup and they find something odd in your exams, they give you an appointment for six months later. I know many people who would use their 'contacts' just to get a sooner appointment. Yes, I'm talking about bribery. That doesn't happen here. You actually see an interest in people's well-being. People of lower resources have it a lot worse. To them, what they have to say is not important enough for the government to hear. Some old folks will tell you, 'What is that gonna do? If they cared about us, they would've done something years ago.' And I can't blame them; it is frustrating to live in such bad conditions and not have a helping hand. It's a war of the wealthy vs. the poor, and you can guess who's winning."
I get it, it's hard; however, for some reason, the whole world seems to believe that the United States is a paradise, where you can finally live with no worries, and they will put their lives, and their children's, in danger, just to make it here and realize that this is not what they expected.
"In El Salvador, you could rent a place for $50, and have your whole family living in there. Now, tell me, where will you find a place at that price around here?" — says my source — "Exactly, absolutely nowhere. Plus the language barrier makes it even harder to get any type of job. It's not worth it, in my opinion."
It hurts me from the bottom of my heart to see my beloved home in such a critical situation, and to see my people finding desperate ways to escape this crisis. During the few years I have lived in this country, I've noticed the difference between America and El Salvador, and it all comes down to this: the people.
America is known for being the land of the free, and its people surely take pride in that fame. In two short years, I have already experienced too many protests to count, all with the purpose of letting people be heard, and standing up for what they believe in. For many years we've become the violence we so desperately try to get rid of. We do protests in El Salvador, but are we doing it right? The violence in El Salvador increases by the day, but sadly some of us have become part of it. In 1975, one of these protests was referred to as a Student Massacre due to the number of deaths and the use of violence that took place in order to "be heard"; while on the other side of the coin, we look away from trouble, complain under our breaths, and run away. I pray for the day when we will see a revolutionary man — or woman — that will finally open our eyes and push us into the battle for a better El Salvador.
