My Heritage

Que Onda! Here let me translate, Que Onda means what's up in Spanish. The reason I put that in my story is because I am Salvadorian and talk Spanish but don't worry I talk English too which means I am *bilingual*. My personal memoir is going to be about El Salvador which is where I am from. So let's begin.

El Salvador is located in Central America. It has a tropical climate with only two seasons, wet and dry. Salvadorians work hard but only earn a little bit of money. They earn around ten dollar's a day. My grandparents live in a small village and own a coffee bean plantation. On Sundays, the side walks are filled with people selling household merchandise and groceries. For a living many Salvadorians farm and raise cattle, but there are also the big cities which are run just like here.

Salvadorians are famous for planting coffee, beans, corn. We have banana trees, mango trees and even coconut trees. We have handfuls of more tropical fruits but these are just some of the best examples there are. My grandfather harvest coffee beans during the month of November. When he comes to visit, he always brings us fresh coffee. And my grandmother on dad's side raises cattle and makes the best sweet bread there is. She then sells it.

El Salvador may be poor but we are rich in culture. For the Holy week in El Salvador, they dress up as Jesus and Mary and have a procession through the town recreating Jesus being crucified. People follow the procession all the way to church where mass is being held. We make "carrosas" or float carnival. There is dancing at night and lots of fireworks. Fireworks are also used on Christmas and new eve's eve. They also have a beauty contest and choose a queen for the "fiestas patronales" or saint patron's week. My older sister Grecia was chosen queen 4 times for the fiestas patronales. They also have "cachiporras" or cheerleaders which dance with the school’s marching band for the festival. My older sister was also a cachiporras a few times.

Salvadorian families are usually big and we take pride in taking care of our elderly and keeping our family together. Well, there you have it, a little bit of my culture and heritage. I hope to visit my country soon. My family tries to keep the traditions alive and I'm glad about that.