I have been in El Salvador for over a month now and I have about half a month to go. Granted, the best days I have spent here have been some of the best days of my life, but the same applies for the worst and most boring days. Here are the top five things I have disliked about my time here in El Salvador.
5. Mosquitos: Odds are, if I die in El Salvador, it will be from a mosquito bite. That isn't a joke either; I've been bitten by dozens of these jerks, maybe even hundreds, regardless of whether I am using repellent or not. The layout of Salvadorian houses always has an open space that bugs and even birds can get in through. I have no clue why; a tree is able to grow there, but for someone from the States, it is both unnecessary and often times annoying. I've stopped seeing the point of even attempting to defend myself; if one of these bugs is carrying a deadly disease, I'm going to be screwed, and my apathy won't even allow me to put up a fight.
4. Tortillas, vegetables, beans, and soup: If you eat three meals a day in El Salvador, you can expect to be offered most of these foods, as well as rice and plantains. I have stopped eating tortillas altogether (which are offered every meal) because although I like flour tortillas in the States, I haven't enjoyed any tortillas I have had here. I try to eat the others because my pickiness is unreasonable, but the simple fact is I am used to a far different diet than the people here. I don't crave fast food or sweets near as much now as when I first came here, but I miss meat so badly it isn't even funny. I devour every last bit at every chance I get because in the US, meat is always the "main course" for lunch and dinner, sometimes even breakfast, and now I'm lucky just to be able to eat it during one meal a day.
3. Noise: I expect this is more the result of being in a city than being in a foreign country, but the amount of noise here drives me insane. Everyone unnecessarily honks their horns in traffic, cars rev up loudly past Gerardo's house, jerks are always ringing bells and screaming in public, trying to push their wares on local civilians (and it works often enough too). Even my headphones can't block out these irritating sounds, and God knows I've tried.
2. Traffic: For someone who can drive, there is always something to potentially do. Even though I hated driving in the States, I never failed to recognize that joyous fact. Even a bicycle leaves me with options. Without a car and the ability to drive in this ridiculous traffic, my options are completely limited to the whims and schedules of Gerardo, Gaby, Connie, and their family members. Even when they are up for something, I still feel sure that the trip will result in a wreck because everyone on the road is a reckless driver.
1. Heat/Humidity: Summers in the States are bad enough, usually reaching temperatures in the 90s or even 100s, but at least there are air conditioners, ceiling fans, nearby places to swim for free, etc. On a boring day in the States, I sit by an air conditioner and watch television. On a boring day here, I sit in front of my laptop wishing it to be night time so I can shower and fall asleep. If it wasn't for my friend Stephanie Tillman (whom I promised an honorable mention in this blog post), that's exactly what I would be doing right now. Gerardo has a television, but I can't even watch it right now, not because it's in Spanish or because there are so few channels, but because the process of doing that in this kind of heat literally makes me feel like throwing up. Same goes with reading books or attempting to play games online. My mind is dead, physical activities are limited both indoors and outdoors, and my very existence is as slow as it's ever been.
This blog post was probably unpleasant to read, but I know that for me personally, it will be a great reminder when I am back home at how much there actually is to do when I say "There's nothing to do today." Even though I wrote this post solely because of the bitterness I feel in experiencing all of these nuisances, there have still been some really amazing times here that I look forward to writing more about. For now, I have to be patient and wait...a royal pain.
One.
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