Chelsea M. Spade

GEOG 340

Professor Heckel

19 October 2006

I interviewed a Jamie who lives in El Salvador. He is a university student in El Salvador studying to become a pastor. He has traveled in California, Nevada, and Texas. It was very interesting to compare life in El Salvador to life in the United States.

It was also interesting for me to make connections between Mexico and El Salvador as I traveled to Tijuana this past summer.

A great challenge to El Salvador is that there is not jobs for their own people and many go to the U.S. to find work.

El Salvador is a mountainous region and has volcanoes too. The southern region has a great deal of coastline which allows for fishing. Also, tourists are attracted to the region for the tropical climate, well known lake, and beaches along the Pacific Ocean.

A problem with the geographic location is that the nation is prone to natural disasters including hurricanes and earthquakes. Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and earthquakes in 2001 caused deaths and destroyed homes (BBC NEWS).

A large part of Salvadoran culture is centered on Christ and the church. The vast majority of people practice Christianity and are active in displaying their faith. In addition to going to church every Sunday, many people also go during the week.