War

The American Civil War ended 142 years ago. Americans read about it in history books because everyone who experienced it is dead. The Salvadoran Civil War ended only 15 years ago. Everyone old enough to have lived through it has war memories. It is like a living history lesson. Not every Peace Corps volunteer gets to serve in a country scarred by war. It's interesting because I see and feel the remnants of the war.

Though people don't always talk about the war, the memories and scars cannot be ignored. Salvadorans raped and tortured each other. Family and friends were killed. Some of the survivors lost limbs. A member of our Peace Corps training staff said that during the war, there were bumper stickers that read (in Spanish): "Be a patriot; kill a priest."

Recent history has been difficult for El Salvador. The civil war lasted over a decade, and two earthquakes in 2001 destroyed some of the country, including the town I currently live in. A young Salvadoran woman told me that she asked her mother, "Why did I have to be born in El Salvador?"

Sadly, history is repeating itself. Current conditions are similar to conditions that led to the civil war, and some Salvadorans believe another civil war might start soon. Perhaps I will have some war memories of my own.