El Salvador

        I am a Bostonian born and raised. The city gleams at night. Officers left and right providing you with protection. Paved roads that feel smooth under your car. This world was all I knew before my trip to El Salvador. My family is Salvadorian so I have been to El Salvador before. But this trip was somehow different. I was finally old enough to notice the changes and be aware of how different two countries can be. It was February so I had my north face wrapped tightly around me and my heaviest sweatpants to protect me from the brisk winds. The snow was horrible that morning on my way to the airport but it was nothing out of the norm. When I was standing in line on my way to the plane I noticed everyone was in shorts and t-shirts. My confusion overwhelmed my common sense. I don’t know why I questioned these people; of course they were dressed more appropriately than me. We were going to El Salvador and leaving cold Boston behind.

The minute I stepped of the plane I was rolling my sweat pants up and taking my north face off. The heat hit you like a punch. The minute the plane door opened to release the passengers the heat had no mercy and swept right in. Looking all around I noticed 3 things at first glance that were different in Boston. My first was the most obvious. Everyone was of the same race. I didn’t take it seriously before but the diversity in Boston is a gift and gives the city beauty. My second was only men were working at the airport. This took me off guard because in Boston women are always working beside men. The last but not least my third was their “airport security” is their soldiers that carried guns the size of me.

 My family took us to a village called La Reina. My father was born and raised in this village. My mouth dropped when I finally took the time to look around. Dirt roads, horses instead of cars, tin houses, clay houses, chickens in the road, a school the size of a small basement, no computers or cell phones, and children as young as 2years being left unattended. At first my heart was filled with grief. I was appalled anyone could live in such an environment. My thoughts were how could you live such a slow paced life, how could you live like this. But slowly I began to become fond of the lifestyle. For a week I bathed in the river, played dominoes all day, danced at night, and helped my grandmother cook. I awe at these memories. Living such a real life instead of living around constant motion and technology taught me something. I learned that I don’t need to be checking my latest notification on facebook every hour, I don’t need to send over 200 texts a day, and I don’t need TV for entertainment.

This trip meant more than a vacation with my family. It meant there is more to life than technology or sky scrapers. It taught me to look at the beauty in life and sometimes I need to stop and spend quality time with people instead of simply just sending them a text. My trip was an experience I will cherish for a lifetime. My trip instilled priorities in me that will help me through my life and made me wiser.