Beauty in Everything: El Salvador

On Jan. 14, I set out for El Salvador. I didn't know much about the country but was eager to discover new things and to learn more spanish. I had never been on such an intense trip before and the only place I had traveled to out of the U.S. was when I took a cruise to the Bahamas. To add to the experience, it was also my first time, EVER, on an airplane. I remember looking up at airplanes, wondering what it must be like to be in one... I will admit that my stomach felt a little twisted when the plane took off, but once we were up in the air and the plane was steady, I felt amazing! I also had the good fortune to have a seat next to the window on all four flights I took. The whole idea of planes amazes me. We get on this giant machine, sit down in a comfortable seat, fly up into the air so high that you are above the clouds, and arrive to your destination in record time. I could not believe how fast the flights were! From Atlanta to El Salvador was about 3 hours. 3 HOURS. I could be sitting at home on the computer for 3 hours, or cleaning the house for 3 hours, or I could be taking a plane across the ocean that is headed for El Salvador for 3 hours.... it's incredible. When we arrived at the airport in El Salvador, I couldn't believe the warm air that greeted me! It is currently 10 degrees here in North Carolina and 90 degrees in El Salvador. That is a huge difference. El Salvador only has two seasons, the dry season (November to April), and the rainy season (May to October). The weather is also very constant, with little drastic changes. The whole time we were there the sky was nearly cloudless and the temperature ranged from about 85 degrees to 90 degrees. The only strangely cold place we went to was a small town called Ataco, where I was shivering during the later hours of the day. Though the landscape and weather was beautiful, what really touched me was the people. I met with so many different people with so many different lifestyles. It makes you realize how small you are, and how you share this planet with so many different people. But at the same time, it makes you realize that we are all connected; what we do truly affects other's lives, wether it be big or small. Simply talking to someone makes you a part of their life, a piece of their history. I also realized how many generous, nice people live in this world. Every single person I talked to wanted to help me in some way. Many were eager to help me with my spanish and did not ridicule me if I said something wrong, which helped build my confidence and fuel my desire to learn. I was amazed how many open-minded, accepting people lived there. I wish more people were like that in this world. Now that I'm home, I want to go back so badly. I feel trapped in the old routine of worrying about school and passing tests. I have realized that I am free-spirited at heart and want to live a life of travel and discovery. I don't want to stay in one place doing the same things over and over, which is exactly what I am doing right now... Luckily, I have been invited to stay with an amazing couple in June and July who have a gorgeous house in El Salvador. This is a perfect example of how generous the people are there. They invited me to stay in their home free of charge and attend spanish classes at the university where one of them works. I miss all the people I met while there and can't wait to see them all again! My heart belongs to El Salvador and I will be counting down the days until June arrives and I get to see this beautiful country full of beautiful people once more. I encourage all you travelers out there to visit El Salvador! You will be surprised how accepted you are by the people and how beautiful the country is as a whole.

There a few extra things I would like to address. Firstly, I know that El Salvador is known for having very dangerous gangs, violence, and crime. I was very nervous about going because of this and wasn't sure wether or not I would be safe. To my surprise, I felt completely safe the entire time. I saw no gang members, who are notorious for having many tattoos to represent their gang, and I saw no violence whatsoever. There were many armed guards with rifles across their chest as well but I did not see any of them actually use their weapons. Secondly, there is no denying that there is also a lot of poverty in El Salvador. You are going to see it no matter what. El Salvador is a third world country after all. What was surprising to me is despite their poverty stricken life, many of the people seemed generally happy and thankful for the life they had.

The beautiful trees and plants that grow in Cerro Verde, which was one of my favorite places we visited.

I couldn't help but do a few silhouette shots while in Costa Del Sol!

This is a gorgeous canopy of flowers that I saw in Ataco.

Coffee in El Salvador is HUGE. There were coffee plants everywhere and it struck me as incredible how much they look like simple berries. Before, I would have never known this plant had coffee beans inside of it.