Food

If there is something El Salvador has to be proud of, it's the amazing food it has. From simple things you can grab by the side of the road, to more upscale delicacies, this country has it all. The main dish we're known for around the world is Pupusas. Pupusas are corn or rice tortillas filled with a choice of beans, cheese, or both. They are cooked in a comal and served immediately. On the side of the pupusas there is typically curtido, which is a prepared cabbage salad, and salsa, a tomato sauce that is usually spicy.

Another very typical food form El Salvador is the empanadas. This is a sweet dessert consisting of a plantain ball filled with cream custard, beans, or a combination of both. The most common type is the on filled with the custard because it matches with the slight sweetness of the plantain, but the bean ones also are served with sugar on top. This is a very typical delicacy to eat after the pupusas. 

Something that is extremely popular to do in El Salvador is have "Traditional Sunday" which means that for Sunday dinner we will eat only Salvadoran delicacies from places that specialize in making them.The two most popular foods to eat on Sunday apart from the pupusas are called "pastelitos de chucho" which translates directly to "dog cakes." They are a sort of empanada, but with a biscuit type batter filled with meat and vegetables, and treated as a snack or side dish rather than the main dish, which is why it has such an informal name. This is accompanied by a glass of "horchata" which is a beverage that resembles the taste of really sweet milk with a unique taste of cinnamon. 

Personal Experience With Education

I was fortunate enough to have a top level education while living in such a impoverished country like El Salvador. I went to the only American school in the country, meaning all of our classes expect for one hour long class were in english, and most of our teachers where American. Following it's name, American School of El Salvador, we followed the American system, which differs from the Salvadoran system. This allowed me opportunities that only a couple of other schools in the country have, like access to  a higher education in the US and a great learning of English as a second first language.

Being in the top rated school of the country is not always a good thing, other people assumed everyone there were rich spoiled kids that look at everyone else as inferiors. This is something that I had to deal with often, people made assumptions about my personality based on a generalization about the school, so I fought hard to break that stereotype. Having the necessary resources in the school to help the many who didn't, we were always trying to give back. There were countless fundraisers and clubs that landed a hand to those less fortunate education wise.

I decided to open a club called Interact, the young branch of the Rotary Club to be able to help others in need. We mainly helped orphanages, small schools, and the elders, by providing them school supplies, food, and just a simple distraction from their daily lives. This is what I liked the mots about going to such a resourceful school, that we were able to give back and help those that needed it the most.

Education

Education in El Salvador is one of the most mediocre education one can get. GOOD education in El Salvador is basically a privilege that only the minority can have. The public school system, which is were most of the population can send their kids to, is broken and falling behind. Public schools in my country are lacking most of the basic facilities schools should have, making a good education hard to happen. The environment is not right in any way for students to focus on academics and learn.

Many schools, usually in the poorest parts of the country, don't even have enough teachers and tables for the students. Others don't even have a whole roof over the institutions to protect them form bad weather. This conditions are present in many of the biggest public schools in the country because in the the most populated areas sometimes concede with being the poorest parts as well.

The mentality of these children's parents, most of the time uneducated as well, can be one of the following: "Why send my kids to school if the education is so bad? They won't learn anything anyways." Or, "I want my kids to go to school to get the education I did not get."

Many parents want to provide education for their children, but unfortunately it's not the type that they imagined for them. This lack of education for children is what many people consider the cause of such a violent and in some way unmoral country. Since the majority of the children are the ones who have to receive this low education live in some degree of poverty, there are the kids that the gang target to recruit. If they have nothing else to look forward to than working the fields or with their parents, why not take the 'easy' way out?

Poverty

Poverty is extremely common in El Salvador. There is some degree of extreme poverty in all 14 departments. You are driving down the streets and in the 5 average stop lights you pass, there is always someone begging for some food or money. The saddest aspect of this begging that happens in every corner is the fact that the parents use their children to generate more money, they will generally say the money is for the kids when it's not. There is also many homeless people wandering around the streets of my country.

The hardest thing about having so much poverty is that this gives the people a chance to get into something illegal or unmoral just to make some money. The majority of people attribute poverty as the #1 reason we have so many gangs in El Salvador. The gangs recruit poor people and offer them a community and some money, which is more than what they have living in the streets. The lack of jobs in my country is also a huge reason why there is so much poor people struggling to get even one meal for their day. 

El Salvador being such a warm country, the upper classes are always trying to do something to help out these people who need the most and to avoid a big, dark future for them. Consciousness is slowly being more evident in the community, and the biggest businesses in the country try to generate as much jobs as possible. For example, at my school we are often having fundraisers or events that benefit other organizations that help the poor. I believe poverty is something that impacts me the most, still to this day, about my home. 

Tourism

One of El Salvador’s perks is having the opportunity to escape the violence and poverty, while taking a sip of refreshing coconut water along our many tropical attractions. One of the main beaches that a lot of people travel to, no matter their socioeconomic status, is called “Costa del Sol” which translates directly to Sunny Coast. If that name itself does not make you wish you were feeling the sand and ocean water in between your toes, I don't know what will. Countless seafood restaurants are located along the seaside, offering fresh plates of locally caught fish and other delectable dishes. The surf scene at a specific beach called, “El Tunco”, is exceptionally remarkable. Surfers, both amateurs and professionals, from around the globe travel there for both the perfect waves and the lively nightlife. If the beach life is not for you, there are two more options for tourists interested in relaxing within nature’s wonders. El Salvador offers two spectacular lakes located not far from the capital. Lago de Coatepeque is located a little over an hour drive from the capital, but worth every minute. Hotels and residential are located at the shoreline with amazing views. At some points of the year, the lake has an interesting coloring to it as it turns from navy to a bright turquoise color due to a harmless chemical reaction. This usually happens around the time of the holidays, or “feriados”, where local hotels surrounding the lake are overflowing with tourists wishing to stay at least a day enjoying the unique beauty of this volcanic lake. Another option for those wishing to escape into the altitudes, the many inactive volcanoes across El Salvador are a very attractive getaway. A quick drive away from the capital, Volcan Quetzaltepek offers many cozy restaurants that have incredible views overlooking the city. Most people travel to the volcano to escape from the heat of the city and One can grab a warm coffee or hot chocolate and eat “pupusas”, a local delicacy, and relax while having a beautiful view from the top. Hikes are facilitated by the availability of trails along the mountain. Our country may be the small, but that does not detract the beauty that it holds within. From the beaches to lakes to volcanoes, but the most beautiful part of our country is the feeling that you are truly home.

Violence

A big downfall about living in El Salvador is the violence that lives in most places of the country. It is considered to be the second most dangerous country in Central America. Gangs are a huge part of the violence, in fact the biggest part. They form inside small poor communities and then spread their members throughout the whole country, controlling specific areas and getting into fights with other gangs for control of that area. There is an average of 30 murders per day in El Salvador most, if not all, committed by gangs. The worst violence is in the poor areas of the country, the cities that have the most poverty tend to be the ones that have the more gang problems because young boys fall into the trap of joining them because of lack of education and guidance. This does not mean that violence does not occur in the capital, where I'm from, it does, and it is huge. Gang members are hidden everywhere: stop lights, dark alleys, parking lots, and even super markets. So even though they are hidden, they’re in front of our noses. This type of intense violence is why people don’t understand how I can live in this country. Do I live in fear? Yes. Am I also very used to it? Yes. I, as well as most of the other 7 million people living in El Salvador have learned to live around this great issue that lives in our home. Literally, live around it. We know well what places are safe to go and what places are best to stay away from, and according to this knowledge we move in the safest places and directions. It might get tough having to avoid certain places because the gangs decide to choose that place that specific day to rob people, but it’s a small price to pay for safety. The community does a great job at alerting the others of what is happening in certain areas, like if someone is robbed at a certain red light on a certain street, half of the country will immediately know not to go near there. This is because of the consciousness that going through that is horrible, and we don’t want to give the gangs the feeling they’re winning. It’s small things like this that make it a bit easier to get by. Though I’ve gotten used to this way of living, it’s still very sad, and I wish there was something to fix it.

                                     

Culture and People

I have to say my favorite attribute about El Salvador’s culture is the warmness of its people. The culture is rich in many parts of the country, the pride of our ancestors show in some parts, but the friendliness is everywhere. Our ancestors’ legacy still lives in some towns, and we take much pride in visiting them and keeping them well conserved. Some places like “Ruinas de San Andres” an "Joyas de Cerén” tell the story of how ancestors live I the past, and they’re very popular attractions for people who want to learn about the natives. I believe this is very important for us because as time has passed, El Salvador has assimilated the Western culture more and more. El Salvador went from being extremely undeveloped to having a Starbucks in every corner in a period of ten years. Having been exposed to the “American culture” my whole life, I saw this as an exciting thing to be happening in my country, but the majority of the population, which have never been out of the country, felt it like a huge development in our country, that is because they were used to the local small places. I am from the capital, San Salvador, where the culture and feeling of American influence is much stronger than anywhere else in the country, but in the smaller towns all you can see is the Salvadoran culture. The key difference between both of these cultures is the warmness. You can tell in the small, almost native, towns of El Salvador the warmness and love the people radiate. Everything is much less generic and “popular,” it’s like it was made to fit us especially. It seems that over time there has been a division between the small towns, where no big changes have been made, and the big cities like where I’m from. One thing we both can relate to is the poverty. There are many places all over El Salvador that can be seen as need help, or very undeveloped. All around my country, you can find poverty almost anywhere. Although it’s sad and can be frustrating at times, it is the truth. I believe there is a better future for El Salvador, but it takes the right people and time to get it there. For one, the citizens are positive people. They are genuinely good-hearted and care for the betterment of our country. We need to keep our culture alive, and also the people’s spirits. I hope that through communications, I can return to my country with the intentions of bettering it. I have many ideas on how we can make El Salvador a land of enrichment and happiness again, but it takes hope, and thankfully I have it.