Day 1: Travel

Arriving at Cuscatln International Airport in El Salvador.
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Journal Entry by Uliana Kojolianko

It’s often said, in characterizing the dynamics of travel, that the trekker is capable of writing the equivalent of an entire book upon arrival in a new destination – the impressions so vivid, the novelties so many. Within a week, it’s said, a few chapters can flow from the traveller’s ink, in a month’s time – down to one. Finally, if it’s only at the end of a year (or whatever the length of the stay may be) that the pen’s taken in hand, little beyond a few pages will typically materialize as the mix of experiences and memories, so difficult to detail separately, intertwine in the new sense of normalcy.

The bus that met us--and all our luggage--in San Salvador.
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If the first day of the two-week Central American trek on which we’ve embarked is any indication, our own travellers’ account may fit this profile to the T – only it’s our plan to keep the entries flowing from start to finish! Day 1 of our adventure has been of the most colourful of sorts – in every positive way, a day with a beginning but what seemed like no end. Some of us had slipped in a few hours of slumber before arrival to Pearson Terminal 3, others – burnt the midnight oil; either way, the 3 a.m. meeting time and 6 a.m. departure most certainly had us all on our wander-lusted feet. With the first encounters between the travellers from the Ottawa and Queen’s clubs complete, we boarded a cozy jet destined for Houston, our transit point, and used the time on that flight as well as the Houston-San Salvador connection to get to know each other better, take in the birds’-eye views and, indeed, catch some ever-precious z’s. Our landing and passage through customs in San Salvador remained the final steps separating us from the world of adventures and service we had so been anticipating since the early days of the fall, and once taken care of, our Salvadoran journey could finally begin.

The plane that took us from Toronto to Houston.
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Lush palm trees and vegetation too warmth-loving for Canada’s climate greeted our exit from the airport (as did that unforgettable wave of humid heat!). Met by Rotaractors from the San Salvador club, we set off on our journey in a van that embraced us, quite literally, from all sides as 11 travelers and their carry-ons negotiated for space; any ice that may have remained unbroken from Canada conclusively melted away by the time we arrived at our new base, Alamo Internacional Hotel. Lined with blossoms, the oasis of a courtyard that awaited us certainly left little to be desired, as did our rooms, and we soon found ourselves heading out for lunch (which felt already like suppertimes if not later). Three Pizza Hut pizzas, a visit to a nearby hypermarket, and a group de-brief later, we found ourselves back under the roof of Alamo sorting the donations for tomorrow’s and other visits on the agenda. At 20:00, we all convened for supper where a traditional meal of pupusas – cornmeal pouches stuffed with cheese – prepared us for our first meeting with the Rotaract Club of San Salvador. Joined by about ten local Rotaractors, we introduced ourselves to one another, received an overview of their club’s activities past and recent, and engaged in active dialogue that culminated, quite aptly, with a test of our knowledge of El Salvador and some essential language training.

Organizing donations.
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Twenty four hours haven’t even come to pass since we boarded our original Continental flight, and yet the feeling of several days lived and a somewhat surreal realization that we are in fact here (and loving it!) is very much present. A packed day of museum and orphanage visits awaits us upon our first Salvadoran sunrise and our excitement, needless to say, for the day and weeks to come in this hospitable land knows few if any bounds. Let the immersion begin, vamos!