Visiting the Motherland

The first time I ever went to El Salvador was in 2000, I was about 11 years old. I was excited to meet my family and see the country my parents were born in. When we first landed, I was amazed by all the green I saw out the window. It looked like a big jungle and smelled like fresh air, but once I walked out the airport, I got hit by the humidity and smog. I felt very sticky, nasty and I could taste the smog. I felt disgusted and wanted something sweet to take the taste out. The airport was crowded with people waiting to see their families. It looked like a packed stadium, which made it hard for us to get out. All I heard were people speaking in Spanish with major accents. We finally made it out and off to my family’s house. I never knew that this trip was going to be an eye opener for me. Going to El Salvador made me realize how I took things for granted and how I should be thankful for the luxuries I have.

The life style in El Salvador was something that I was not accustomed to. 

The scenery changed drastically, from the air port to the city. It went from seeing a lot of green everywhere to seeing a lot of dirt and smog. I could see shelters along the road made out of wood, bamboo and or tin foil. Those houses didn’t seem stable at all. If an earthquake struck it, the house would be demolish in a heartbeat. I couldn’t believe people lived in them, I thought they were abandoned, but I was wrong. I compared those houses to the ones here in California, they were nothing like them in comparison. A house here had a backyard or a front yard and it wouldn’t be affected too bad if an earthquake hit. These houses in El Salvador had nothing but dirt around them and weren't stable. They would collapse in a heartbeat. 

I didn’t see a place for kids to play in either. What was the fun in that? It made me sad to think that people could live like that without the luxuries we have back home. There's parks at almost every corner and playgrounds kids can walk to with out a problem. There were a lot of differences from back home. 

Finally we reached my family’s house and it was a culture shock to me. I thought at least it should be somewhat better than the ones I saw on the road. I was puzzled to see that the kitchen was half inside and half outside. 

That my family would wash their clothes outside in the “pila” and would also wash dishes there. It didn’t seem sanitary to me. Back home we had washers and dryers; we didn’t have to use our sink to wash clothes. They also didn’t have closets in the rooms to hang clothes in. I instantly whispered in my mom’s ear about there being no closets for my clothes. She started to laugh and said “hunny they don’t have closets here, use a table or leave it in your luggage.” I was embarrassed that she blurted that out in front of my family I just met. I didn’t want them to think I was materialistic or snobby. We settled in and by that time, we were starving. I couldn’t wait to have some traditional food ‘pupusas’, which is the main thing El Salvador is known for. It’s a big tortilla stuff with cheese, beans and sometimes even with pork. A piece of heaven. We finally went out to get our grub on. They were only 25 cents i thought that was a bargain since back home they cost about 2 dollars. Little did I know that the economy was bad and they had to survive with what ever they could make. 

On our way back, I saw a lot of people walking on the highways to reach their homes instead of driving. I asked my family why? They responded that they were not fortunate to own a car or make enough money for a taxi ride. The buses didn’t run everywhere and some didn’t have the money for that either. Back home we are able to have transportation from buses to cars or even bikes, unlike the people in El Salvador. It made me think twice about things I owned and things I complained about. I couldn’t imagine walking everywhere. I would be tired and exhausted. Life was not easy for them but they still seemed to be happy.

Another thing that intrigued me was that they are a community based place unlike the United States. We tend to not communicate well with others. I hardly saw people on their phones. Instead they are usually walking around with a friend or family member and enjoying their company. Every neighbor seemed to no one another by names. As we all know here, no one talks to there neighbor unless they have a complaint to make.  The families seem to enjoy one another company that you see them hanging out enjoying the sun on the curb. You would definitely not see that here.  

Even though they struggle to survive in El Salvador, the people don’t seem to let that affect them. The Salvadorians that i have encounter tend to be happy all the time. The people were all good neighbors and seemed to have a ball whenever they got together. They interact with one another and they took care of their neighbors homes when they left for trips. When we left my aunts neighbor told us who had gone to visit and gave us a package they left. At the time I thought they were being nosey but in reality they were just looking out for one another. I was amazed that they could have so much trust with each other. Because I would not leave my package with a stranger. Back in the U.S most people wont even say hi to you, even after living next to you for 15 years. It goes to show that we are into ourselves more than others and that they are more down to earth.

This trip was a very good experience for me and made a significant impact on my life. Because I now see the differences between the two countries. It showed me not to take things for granted. It doesn’t matter if I am rich or poor, I should just be thankful for having a wonderful family and life. Give thanks for living in a stable home even if it’s in a small apartment, It beats living in a hut that can collapse at any second. It made me realize that you don’t need much to be happy in the world all you need is your family, friends and love.