It was Saturday night, and after crossing the bridge, to El Salvador, we were all excited to go to the festival, but then the guards came up to the pick up truck and my heart began to pound out of my chest. They had told me that there usually are no soldiers at the entry to El Salvador. I was hoping that my skin color and the fact that there were plenty of us in the back if the truck would hide that I am American. Then I heard the man say "Lift up your shirt." I was apalled, was he saying that to one of the girls!! We all looked at him with open mouths, until the guy next to me lifted up his shirt, and we realized the guard was just checking for weapons, and then we passed without another problem. I have a tiny understanding now of how it must feel to be an "illegal" in the country, walking around with fear of the policemen around the festival. Ok maybe I am a little dramatic, but I wasn't that worried, only a lil bit, I mean after all they did put me on a blacklist to not enter the country until I had left the region.
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| A brother of my girls, the Uncle Hilberto, Aunt Nina, A cousin, and one of the twins |
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| These are the streets in part of the town. | | | | | | El Salvador is those hills in the distance | |
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I had no intention of going to El Salvador, when I went to the house of two of the girls that go to our school. The sisters live with their uncle and aunt because their mom left them 8 years ago to go work in the states. Their whole family has been moved around and dispersed between different tias and tios. Its sad, but right now they are in a great place, with their Aunt and Uncle who take care of them like their own children, along with some distant cousin's twin daughters whose mother died in child birth, and their own son. They live in a beautiful little tiny countryside town of a couple hundred people. They like most everyone, make a living off their coffee farms and money they receive from the states (from the girls' mom). The town is litterally right across a tiny bridge from San Fernando, a town of El Salvador, and Saturday night there was the coronation of Senorita San Fernando, so there was a tiny Fiesta, with tons of fireworks, a ferriswheel live music, dancing, and vendors of all sorts of stuff.
One crazy tradition they have is tho have a person with a cow costume that had live fireworks run around and dance, and randomly the fireworks will shoot off into the crowd! As I was in the crowds I knew I couldn't move so I just sat there and prayed to God the firework didn't go off when the cow was near me! Its fun to see the cool cow dancing with flames on its back, but then you remember at any moment you might get pegged with one of those hot flames, and then you start to worry!
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| This is one of the sisters of a diffferent girl who goes to our school but couldn't make it home this weekend |
Its a beautiful place, and I love the way everyone knows everyone, and everyone family or not, is family. I was called tia more than once by random little kids running around the village. I hope that the threats right now of our modern culture can integrate with their lives, without destroying the beautiful sense of community you can find in these little villages like this.
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| The dad of a different girl cutting down some fruit pods so that I can try them. |
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| This is the fruit that you eat! |
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| Crazy fuit pods called Pepinitos (I think) |
It was Saturday night, and after crossing the bridge, to El Salvador, we were all excited to go to the festival, but then the guards came up to the pick up truck and my heart began to pound out of my chest. They had told me that there usually are no soldiers at the entry to El Salvador. I was hoping that my skin color and the fact that there were plenty of us in the back if the truck would hide that I am American. Then I heard the man say "Lift up your shirt." I was apalled, was he saying that to one of the girls!! We all looked at him with open mouths, until the guy next to me lifted up his shirt, and we realized the guard was just checking for weapons, and then we passed without another problem. I have a tiny understanding now of how it must feel to be an "illegal" in the country, walking around with fear of the policemen around the festival. Ok maybe I am a little dramatic, but I wasn't that worried, only a lil bit, I mean after all they did put me on a blacklist to not enter the country until I had left the region. 
I had no intention of going to El Salvador, when I went to the house of two of the girls that go to our school. The sisters live with their uncle and aunt because their mom left them 8 years ago to go work in the states. Their whole family has been moved around and dispersed between different tias and tios. Its sad, but right now they are in a great place, with their Aunt and Uncle who take care of them like their own children, along with some distant cousin's twin daughters whose mother died in child birth, and their own son. They live in a beautiful little tiny countryside town of a couple hundred people. They like most everyone, make a living off their coffee farms and money they receive from the states (from the girls' mom). The town is litterally right across a tiny bridge from San Fernando, a town of El Salvador, and Saturday night there was the coronation of Senorita San Fernando, so there was a tiny Fiesta, with tons of fireworks, a ferriswheel live music, dancing, and vendors of all sorts of stuff. 
You are definitely too tall to be mistaken for a Honduran! Lol Good thing you were sitting in a truck bed. That is some crazy looking fruit. It looks like cocoons, all fuzzy. Was it good?
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