El Salvador July 15

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Well, here is round two of Schwartzie´s Travelblog! Except now I am in El Salvador! And this is a much different trip than my Peru trip last summer. I am officially on a Mission Trip this year, and everything we do is service work and volunteer. Unlike my month in Peru last summer, all expenses paid, this time I had to purchase my own plane ticket and also pay a "donation fee" to the volunteer house in which I am staying. But it is all for a good cause, and I know I will benefit immensely from this opportunity. The focus of the trip is to spend time working with children in a nearby village called Las Delicias, which in English means "the delicates." El Salvador is a country in extreme poverty, and the living conditions are very poor. The average wages are $6 per day. The currency here is US dollars so it makes things easy. And just for perspective purposes, gas prices are 4.75 on average for regular... kinda makes you think a little, no?

So, Day 1 was mostly a travel day. I took a 6am flight from Philly to Atlanta, GA, and then 3 hours to San Salvador. There are volunteers from all over. We have a group of 9 from Philly, about 6 from Atlanta, 6 from Miami, 1 from Kansas, 1 from Ohio, and a few from Maryland. The age range is 15 to 60. It is interesting to hear the reasons behind why people have chosen to be a part of this trip. Most of the teenagers are here with church groups. But everyone is here for the same reason- service work and helping others by giving unselfishly of ourselves. And not everyone speaks Spanish, so it is difficult for some people to communicate. Therefore I am, on occasion, official translator!

So our first day was mainly introductions and orientation. The house we are staying in is amazing. It was a donation by a wealthy El Salvadoranian woman, who was very appreciate of all the work the Sisters were doing for the community. There are 5 rooms with 8 beds in each, bunk beds (I am on top!) and the men and women are separated. Makes it a little tough on the couples who are here with their spouses, but sometimes we have to sacrifice things! All of our meals are eaten in the volunteer house, and the cooks are very well aware and considerate of our need for filtered water. The food is great!! Had chicken soup for lunch, rice and beans for dinner, and there is always fresh watermelon and other fruit available.

After settling in a bit, we took a bus out to Puerta del Diablo, which is a very popular historic area. We hiked up the mountain to get a good look at the beautiful scenery, mountains and trees, everything so fresh and green. For some more info, check out Puerta del Diablo

Exhausting but very nice hike, and I could not WAIT to get back to the house and shower before dinner. After dinner we discussed the options for Wednesday activities, and I decided I would like to go to the church in the village and work with the children. My plan was to spend the afternoon on the soccer field!! I was in bed by 9:30pm... had a little trouble falling asleep but hey, I never went to bed on Monday night!! Ready for my first day of work, with a 7am wake-up call.... ay!

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Photos

Here I am!!
Aqui estoy, or Here I am, is the slogan that TIGO, the main phone company uses here in El Salvador

Comments

[Ben]

El Salvador
Hola Muchacha. El Salvador has lots of things to see hopefully you find time to do some traveling in the country. If you do go to Tazumal, it is not like Machupichu but it is El Salvador best conserved native temple. Also try Ruta de las Flores that is a pathway that link several little towns with a natural route it is very relaxing, La Palma, Suchitoto, and Illobasco are also towns known for their hand made stuff. Please be safe and write more about your experience ahh yeah pictures would be nice, Salu :).