First month in El Salvador

I can not believe that I have been here a month already!! Time has flown by but I am enjoying every second of it. After having a full week of school, I am getting into a routine which you all know is something that I definitely need in my life.


This is a picture of the track I get to run on in the mornings :)

At school, we have established lots of routines in the classroom too so the kids are starting to understand what they need to be doing at different points throughout the day. It helps things to run a lot smoother. This weekend I was able to relax some because I have most of next week planned already. Friday night, it was an American teacher's birthday party so we celebrated at the pool here where I live. Many of the other international teachers were there along with some of her Salvadorian friends because she has been here 3 years now. She is 24 so her friends were closer in age to me and it was nice to talk with them. I enjoy this lifestyle so much of sitting around, chatting, enjoying other people's company rather than the bar scene or going out all the time. It is very relaxing and a great way to wind down from the week.

Over this past week, I have also been thinking about this experience a lot and never really thought about how big it was until now. Many people have been telling me (both people I meet here and people from home) that I am so brave for doing this and they couldn't have done it. For me, it was just what I felt was right and what I wanted to do. It means so much to me to know that I have so much support at home. So thank you to each and every one of you for your emails and messages of encouragement.

Last night, I went out to dinner with another 5th grade teacher who is Salvadorian. She is also 23 and a great friend. It was Valeria, her bf, another one of their friends and me. It was wonderful to hang out with new people and get to know them and find out more about their lives. Talking with them definitely opened my eyes to how much people take for granted. They all grew up with maids and fancy cars and with everything they wanted, which is great but not for me. It made me appreciate and feel fortunate for the way that I was raised and the values that I have.


This is a picture of a painting on the side of building in Ataco, El Salvador.

Overall, I feel like I have grown so much in just the one month that I have been here and am a real teacher with my own class. I still can't believe that. Sometimes I have to remind myself that this is really happening. Miss you all!