Day 14: Final Day with New Acropolis and Return to San Salvador

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Journal Entry by Kyle Jorgensen

The plan for today is to hike up to a village at the peak of the caldera and visit the school and community there.

We walked down to the main road and caught a local taxi to the base of the trail we are climbing. The taxi was the back of a pickup truck, outfitted with rails and a tarp for a roof, and for twenty-five cents we were given the ride of our lives! The hike up to the village was long and hard—we were being passed by women carrying buckets of water on their heads! Once we arrived at the top, we were glad we had made the trek. We put down our bags full of school supplies, toys and other donations and got ready to play. The kids at the school we visited today were so much fun! We played Salvadoran and Canadian games and, of course, soccer. When the kids’ moms and sisters showed up at lunch time to pick them up, we got everyone involved in “Banana’s Unite!” Finally, we gave out donations of toys and clothing to the kids and adults, and left school supplies with the president of the community to be used at the school. We left the school and hiked for further up (I didn’t know if we could go much higher) to a spectacular viewpoint. From up here, the entire caldera could be seen. Jose Roberto, our guide for the past few days, pointed out the areas we had been working in. We covered a lot of ground! Finally, it was time to go back to San Salvador. Eva from New Acropolis gave us all Salvadoran necklaces as a parting gift. Then we all piled into a bus bound for the Alamo, our home away from home. During the ride, we reflected on the people we had seen and the places that they lived. Despite the hardships they face, every person we met had welcomed us with a smile and incredible hospitality. We arrived back in San Salvador a little earlier than planned, so we returned to Orfanto Jehova-Jireh to see how the shelter was shaping up. The floor was dry and it looks great! All that has to be done now is add the roof. We had only meant to stay for a few minutes at the orphanage, but we ended up staying for two hours playing games with the kids! It was hard to tear ourselves away. After one final dinner at “Pollo Campero” with our Salvadoran hosts, we headed back to the Alamo and packed up our bags for the flight home tomorrow.