To my adoring followers,

I know that you've been waiting a long time since my last blog. So have I. It's been a long time since I traveled anywhere more interesting than Toronto (sorry, Torontonians). But now I'm on the road again, and you can read about my inane observations and daily misadventures right here! 

I'm spending the next two and a half months in El Salvador, a small, beautiful, and somewhat troubled country on the West Coast of Central America. I've come to volunteer at a small and progressive legal research organization called FESPAD, which stands for Foundation for the Study of the Application of Law. Don't ask me what they want me to do yet; I still don't know. I'm sure someone will tell me before I'm supposed to start... 

I have not come here alone. My school set up the volunteer opportunity and I've come down here with a fellow first-year law student, Leah. She's eager to climb all the same volcanoes as me and we're already planning our first trip to the beach.  

The trip began eventfully. As might have been expected, my flight out of Toronto on American Airlines was delayed for 2 hours due to mechanical troubles and borderline incompetence. They did not feed us or let us off the plane. When we finally got to Miami, I had exactly 15 minutes to get on my connecting flight. First I was stuck behind an old lady getting off the plane, then behind a very slow man on the gangway as the seconds ticked down before my gate closed. I was tailgating him like crazy, but if he noticed he didn't care. I burst into the airport and heard them announcing, 'Could passenger Erica Stahl please report to gate D12 for check in to San Salvador,' 'Paging passenger Erica Stahl, this is the final boarding call for flight 925 to San Salvador.' That's the worst sound you can hear when travelling no matter what, but I had forgotten to write down the phone number of Rosie, the woman who was picking me up. If I came in on a later flight, I would have to pay the Miami airport for internet time so that I could find her number, and then find a payphone so that I could call her. Payphones seem to have gone the way of monocles, snuff boxes, and other quaint things, so basically I would have been screwed. I ran so fast my shoe nearly came off. Sweaty and breathless, I arrived at the gate as the attendant was packing up to leave. She let me on, and the plane took off minutes after I took my seat.

When I arrived in San Salvador, I realized that my bag had not been as fortunate as me. It was still languishing in Miami and wouldn't arrive for at least a day. Luckily I had foreseen this eventuality and packed some clothes in my carry on. I registered my bag with the lost luggage people and went outside to find Rosie.

The drive to San Salvador from the airport is very beautiful. The airport is on a coastal plain, while San Salvador sits in the mountains several hundred feet above. The highway is well maintained and smooth. We drove through foothills covered in lush rain forest, river valleys opening below us. 

San Salvador itself is really comfortable. Most people have cars and I have seen very few people begging or sleeping on the streets. There are definitely signs of the civil war and gangs, but the violence that this country is known for is very targeted, and probably something I will never see. I've been learning about it though, so I'll write about that in a later blog post when I know some more.

Since I arrived on Saturday I've spent the time hanging out with Leah and Jessie, who is showing us around. We're getting to know the bus system and we often duck into tiny restaurants to avoid the downpours that occur at random times during the day (it's rainy season). We've eaten the national dish, pupusas, and I've discovered liquados, which are smoothies in a bag for $1. I plan to have one a day every day for the rest of my time here. 

Oh! Before I go, here is my number just in case you ever want to call me: (503) 7464-8939