There are many lessons that I have learned because of this opportunity to travel to El Salvador. Some of the lessons include becoming more politically aware, so that I can become a more socially competent citizen of the United States, as well as fully rounded professional social worker.

Traveling to El Salvador illustrated to me that history plays a great role in the future of most of the world. Researching and becoming an active participant in the historical process can bring you closer to understanding people - any maybe in the process YOURSELF!

An additional lesson that I was profoundly impacted by was that we all must learn to honor ourselves as an individual. By doing so we can fully internalize that "Being human is not just our body, it is our spirit". If we think with our spirit we can continue to learn to think and act compassionately.

The most important lesson that I learned from my trip to El Salvador is the idea that with every area of life when there is difficulty there is a "gift".  Throughout the presentations and stories of struggle, massacres, loss, and devastation - I continued to hear and witness an immeasurable level of survival and hope!