International Student Spotlight
By Elaine Lau

"Sorry about the mess," she said as she opened the door. "I haven't had time to tidy up as I had just stepped into my room."

What mess? Yolanda Martinez's room was hardly what one might categorize as being "messy"-no stray laundry on the floor or debris of any kind anywhere. Even after reassuring her that her room was fine, she went about straightening things up anyway.

Salvadorans-as the people of El Salvador are called-are known for being hardworking folks, and Martinez is exactly that. She is a sophomore majoring in International Business, with a minor in French. Martinez is the Vice President of the International Student Organization. She is also one of the five officers in the French Club, is a member of Gamma Beta Phi and holds the position of Assistant Coordinator of Freshman Council. As if her plate isn't full enough, she is the chaplain on Virtue, which is located on Claudius 3 East. She is also in the Honors Program and is currently taking 17 credit hours.

Where, pray tell, does one find time to fill so many roles?

"It is all because of the grace God. I do not do it by my own might or power, but by the Holy Spirit," Martinez said. "I have also learned to prioritize and use my time wisely. Having my quiet time with the Lord gives me the rest that I need."

In the years ahead, Martinez sees herself enrolling in graduate school for a master's and then a doctoral degree in business. But her true passion is to reach the nations. This summer, Martinez will be able to get a taste of that in Russia on a missions trip with other ORU students.

"I want to make a difference, to create a chain reaction," she said. "I don't know how I am to do that, but the Lord is taking me a step at a time."

Martinez's home country, El Salvador, is dubbed the "Valley of Hammocks" by native Indians because of frequent earthquakes. It is the smallest country in Central America and is dotted with towering peaks of extinct and active volcanoes. El Salvador has a beautiful coastline complete with black-sandy beaches bordering the North Pacific Ocean.

"The sand is black because it is volcanic," Martinez said. "We have a beach house and I love it there. I miss the beach as well as the mountains and good climate."

Salvadoran food consists mainly of plantains, black beans and corn-preparing many of these dishes involves frying. Corn is used in different ways in a wide variety of dishes, and pupusas are one of Martinez's favorite corn creations. Pupusas are made of ground cornmeal shaped like a pancake with cheese filling. After they are formed, they are either grilled or deep-fried. Another of Martinez's favorite food is tamales-corn-flour cakes with a filling of meat, vegetables and rice, wrapped either in a corn husk or a banana leaf.

The people of El Salvador are full of warmth and friendliness, as those who know or have met Martinez attest. Salvadorans are a family-oriented and open-minded lot.

"We kiss people on one side of the cheek as a greeting-even people that we have just met," said Martinez. "Kids kiss their parents even if they are 50 years old as a sign of affection."

Two younger sisters, a father who is a businessman and a mother who runs a mountain biking business make up the Martinez family. The births of her two younger sisters, Rebecca and then Andrea, were the highlight of Martinez's childhood. One of the scariest experiences the Martinez family went through was the day they thought Andrea had disappeared.

"Andrea was about two years old at the time, and she loved to hide. We thought at first that she was hiding from us," Martinez said. "We called her name and searched everywhere, and for the longest time we couldn't find her. When we finally found her, she was sound asleep under the bunk bed."

Having lived in two countries with vastly distinct cultures and values, Martinez told of the differences between life in El Salvador and life in the U. S.

"You get more of a reality check in El Salvador than you do here. You are more grateful for what you have. You don't see such abundance as you see here. Over here we are not reminded often enough, of how blessed we are."

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