A Week in El Salvador

I spent a week in June of 2015 helping the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation plant trees in El Salvador. I am a 62 year old woman and I had just started traveling abroad. I really had little interest in going to Central America, but I have a lot of respect for FTP. I had such a wonderful experience! If you want to really meet people and get a true understanding of a country's culture, planting trees with a group like FTPF is the way to do so. We planted at schools and co-ops. I met school principles, students, teachers and local farmers. I was invited into their homes, shared their meals, met their children and spouses. I marched in the National Environmental Day parade in San Salvador with hundreds of local groups. I ate the local food, (yay pupusas!) drank the local beer, drove the local streets with a local driver at rush hour (not for the faint of heart), and was made to feel welcome everywhere I went. The personal satisfaction I got from knowing I was giving something tangible to a country in extreme need without asking for anything but for them to care for the trees and enjoy their fruit was wonderful. I would recommend to anyone of any age to try this experience. I hope to return in the future.