Chills

I just got the chills.

The flights have been booked. 

Two round-trip tickets from Wisconsin to New York, the week before Christmas, for $924.52--Thanks to all of you who have donated. The other funds raised will be going towards transportation, food, activities and daily expenses. I want you all to know where your money is going and what you have become a part of.

I was going to continue writing, in my own words, more about Saul and Fidel. Instead, I am just going to copy and paste a bit from the email I received from Saul:

“I really like photography but right now it's just a hobby  that I really enjoy, I am wondering when I go back to El Salvador how is going to be. My plan is this. When I go back I will try to get a job about business, mostly the business in El Salvador the people work just during the weekdays. The weekend I can work for a newspaper taking pictures about sports. After that I would like to start my own business about photography, a studio or starting to print my work and sell it. I know that in El Salvador the people prefer to buy something more helpful for the house rather to buy a picture. But some people that visit our country will appreciated it. Another thing is that pictures business in El Salvador is not that big, for example I don't have any picture to remind my childhood and I hate that because I would like to know how I was when I was a child. The first picture that I have is when I was 16 what about the rest. 

What happen to me I will not like to happen to another people to my community. 

If I open a studio my prices and not going to be highers. Sometime the ideas are big but the resources are not enough”.

Saul is going to be a famous photographer one day. He is going to give his friends’ children photos of their childhood. He is going to create a name for La Montana, El Salvador- put them on the map. He is going to continue forming peaceful ties between the US and Central America.

Thank you for giving him the opportunity to photograph the Statue of Liberty.

Checkout these photos Saul took in Wisconsin. Do you think he's got an eye for capturing beauty or what? You do know that before he came here to study, the only time he ever used a camera was on his flip phone...

Did I mention that Saul pitched the idea of creating the first yearbook ever for his class and school? 

He is now leading that project...

I also received this email from Fidel:

"I want to say thanks to all these people that are making my dreams to visit NY reality. I am so excited to be there.

I want to share that here in the US, I am having an amazing experience, I feel lovely, since I have a host mother that love me, friends that became my family, since with them I have been having my best experiences here in Wisconsin, I have been building an excellent relationship with a couple of host families and they have been taking me to different beautiful places here in WI over the weekends. Thanks to God, Host families and Friends for make of my life happiness."

Fidel and his friend in Wisconsin

Saul and Fidel when selected to participate in the
scholarship Leadership Conference.