Camp Hope: El Salvador - Living Experience [Post 2]

El Salvador Living Experience

The most common question I was asked after returning from El Salvador was, "How was it?" Well, it was a very unique experience. As noted in my previous post, I was a bit nervous at first. But the greater mission of the trip pushed me forward. 

So how did I live there?

This was actually my favorite question to be asked because it was the most funny story to share. Upon arrival in San Jorge, El Salvador; we found out that we would be rooming at one of the local pastor's homes; Pastor Julio. To get there, we would have to drive/walk on the dirt road. We were told that during the rainy season, the road would become a river. (See pictures below).

It was not uncommon to see people herding their cattle during the day. 

A herd blocks our path as we drive through San Jorge, El Salvador.

                                

                                        

Walking from our home towards San Jorge.

                           

After crossing the dried river, we would have to travel up a steep hill and make a few winding turns, we finally arrived at our resting place. 

The green building, was our home during our stay in El Salvador. 

Most of the people in El Salvador still relied heavily on subsistence agriculture and livestock. Where we stayed, the families had plenty of goats, cattle, chickens and ducks. 

This hen diligently nested in our bathroom for the entire duration of our trip. At first it was awkward, but it soon became a normal part of our daily routine. (When you gotta' go, you gotta' go). On a side note, in El Salvador, we had to carry our own toilet paper. It was also common for place to charge money, about 25 cents, to use their restrooms. 

We woke up to these two kids everyday.

It was Extremely hard to fall asleep! The roosters crowed continuously throughout the night. Occasionally, there would be a few dog barks, cow moos, and goat baas. It was kind of hard for me the first few days because we slept with the doors and windows wide open. (We did not have air conditioning nor fans). Growing up in Milwaukee, I witnessed thieves stealing bikes and breaking into homes first hand. It was a bit uncomfortable for me to sleep by the door-which was wide open. Pastor Julio did assure us that there was only little gang activity in the area. However, on the first few nights of after our arrival in San Jorge, we did notice the El Salvadorian police and military parked outside of the church we were working in.

Me laying in bed...I mean mattress.

The other part that made it hard for me were the ants. We all had no beds, just a small mattress. The house we lived in was made of 4 cement walls and metal roofing. Creatures could come and go through the tops as they pleased. (We had a bat living with us).

Roof of our living space.

Jason and Michelle resting after a long day.

The weather in El Salvador at the time was tolerable. It was about 70F and 80F most of the time. Staying in the shaded areas helped us out a lot. At night time, it became much cooler.

To cool off we would take showers/wash ourselves using this shower or well. In El Salvador, we cannot consume the water or let it enter our system. This was because the bacteria in El Salvador was different from what we had in America. During showers, we would have to make sure no water entered our eyes. To brush our teeth, we could only use bottled water. 

We were also advised not to eat any fresh fruits or vegetables, unless it was peeled. This is because the outside may have been in contact with rain. We also could not eat the cheese because they may not have pasteurized it. Lastly, we could not have ice in out drinks because the ice used was most likely made with sink water. Our diet consisted mostly of: eggs, beans, tortillas, rice, plantains, and some meat. By the end of the trip, we were all tired of beans and rice.

A pupusa, the first meal I had in El Salvador.

 Now, sleeping was the hard part. Waking up was not as bad. We were up about at 6:30 a.m. everyday. This was because the Camp Hope Schedule and also because the farm animals were really good alarm clocks. By the time we woke up, the other families would have all been up (at about 5 a.m.) to take the animals out to graze.

This is where the cows would be fenced in at night. 

The scenery was also very beautiful in the morning. 

Steam coming out of the volcano near San Jorge.

Thee town where we stayed at, San Jorge, was surrounded by mountains. Here is a screenshot from google maps:

The location where we hosted Camp Hope this year was located at the heart of a volcano chain. (I survived my first earthquake in El Salvador. ). 

I will admit that El Salvador is one of the most beautiful place I have ever been to... well... for the most part. 

A cow is seen grazing in the shade amongst the garbage. The volcano overlooks the landscape.

A trail of garbage fills our pathway towards our home.

I do not intend to romanticize our trip to El Salvador nor exoticize this place. There certainly are beautiful moments, and there certainly were dark moments.

Overall, it was not that bad for me. I am used to camping every year. At our camp site, we use a hole-in-the-ground outhouse similar to the ones in El Salvador. Showers were also done in a similar manner. I am also used to sleeping on multiple surfaces. So the conditions were similar, but the environment was a new thing for me. I hope this post gives you a brief idea of how I lived in El Salvador.