I made it to El Salvador!

I have arrived in San Salvador, El Salvador- the first leg of my trip!

Wow! The last few days before my departure to Latin America sure went by quickly! I meant to write while waiting in the airport, but instead I passed out because I got no sleep last night due to a combination of last minute packing and nervousness. I cannot believe I am actually here in El Salvador, the feeling is absolutely surreal...

For those of you that don't know, I was born and raised in El Salvador. Because of the Salvadoran civil war, my family and I moved to the United States to begin a new life when I was a young boy. It has been almost 4 years since I was here last. So much has changed since then: most significantly, my grandmother- the ultimate matriarch of a family of 5 children, dozens of grandchildren, and even a few great-grandchildren- died a few months ago. Coincidentally, today was her 90-day mass at the church right outside my old school. Listening to her name being called by the priest made her death finally real to me, and I was almost unable to hold back the tears. It is the topic of conversation with every single family member, family friend, or parishioner I have seen talked with today… so much so I cannot escape the reality anymore. On a positive note, her death and the response from others prompts me to think of how one person can impact so many people- truly living on in the minds and hearts of many. 

On the way to the church, we passed by two McDonalds, a T.G.I. Friday, and an Abercrombie and Fitch. I am shocked by how American businesses have so quickly saturated this country. In less than half a decade, American capitalism has found its way into every single block in downtown San Salvador. On one hand, it is comforting to see familiar names and places from back home. On the other, I feel it has stripped some of El Salvador’s uniqueness away. I am not sure how I feel about this. I will continue to explore these competing ideas as I learn more about this country that I once called home.

It is very late over here, (1 a.m. FL time), and like I mentioned earlier I didn’t get any sleep last night. So I am going to wrap this up. So sorry for the somewhat solemn nature of this post, I do not anticipate many like this in the future! I am very excited about volunteering this weekend at Padre Vito’s Hogar para Niños Minusválidos, which is an orphanage for mentally and physically handicapped children that my family and I have volunteered at since I lived in El Salvador as a child. I also look forward to spending a few days in Guatemala volunteering, before I head off to Panama for the “real” work.

Thank you to everyone who is taking the time to read my blog, make sure you “follow” it if you want to keep posted on my progress. Thank you again to everyone that helped make this possible! You all rock my soul!

-Jaime

P.S.- There is a bat in my apartment. Seriously.

P.P.S.- I am going to miss A/C and water pressure.