Central AmericaFirst visit 2011El Salvador
Small country, outsized heart — the kind of place that changes how you see the world.
Taught English here in 2011 and it was one of the more grounding experiences of my life. The people are warm and resilient in ways that are hard to put into words. Left with a deep respect for a country that gets written off way too easily.
I spent 2011 teaching English in El Salvador, and it was the first time I lived somewhere as a member of a community instead of a visitor. My students were funny and stubborn and worked harder than I did, and I learned more Spanish from them than they learned English from me. San Salvador gets a bad reputation, and some of it is earned, but the people I met were kind in ways that stayed with me.
On the weekends I went to the coast. El Salvador has some of the best surf in Central America at places like El Tunco, and fewer crowds than its neighbors. One night I sat on a beach under a full moon, listening to waves I couldn't see, and felt very small and very lucky. Pupusas cost almost nothing and I ate them constantly. I left with a lot of respect for a country most people never think to visit.
No photos yet
Apparently I forgot my camera.
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