Living through the War By: Pamela

My mother, Cecilia, came from El Salvador for many reasons but also had to leave behind important things like the Salvadorian culture. One example of the culture is its food. Pupusas, the main dish , are awesome .They are filled with beans, cheese, or beef. In El Salvador, the tradition is to speak Spanish, which is my mom’s first language. Currently, however, kids or teens are learning English. In El Salvador, you hear music almost everywhere at parties (which they have a lot), when they are cleaning or just to entertain themselves. But most of all , Salvadorians like to dance to salsa and cumbia. In addition, the most popular religion in El Salvador is Catholicism (ELSALVADOR).

The economy in El Salvador is very poor. The opportunities are very few because there are no jobs or chances to earn money. For example, one forth of the population in El Salvador left to find better employment in the US. Most of the money that is in El Salvador now comes from family members working in the United States. Typically people who work in farming or factories in El Salvador get paid around 100 dollars a month or less. Before you could pay with a Colon which was worth around 17 cents, however, the Colon was replaced by the US dollar (npr.org).


The Civil War in El Salvador war took my mother out of her country. It started because campesinos (farm workers) had to sharecrop and thought the government wasn’t helping them get land (PBS.org). It began in 1980 when the government assassinated Archbishop Romero and the people decided to go against the government and start a war. Over 270,000 people protested day and night, even though 70,000 were even gunned down and killed (El Salvador, PBS.org). My mother was one of the war’s victims because she lived in a war zone.


One day my mother’s parents (my grandparents) gave her their support so she could come here, so she could have a better life. My mother was tired of being in the war and hearing people beg for food. Also she had to work since the age of 11 so she wanted a easier life. Therefore, she came to the USA but her plans didn’t come out like she wanted them to. First, because she could not bring all of the things she wanted because she had to cross lots of rivers (God knows what’s under there) and walk through the desert. She could only take what she could carry.

Once she got to the US, life was still difficult. She had to live with her aunt Angela and when Angela’s husband came home drunk, he would kick them out and made them sleep in a near by park. But she did not give up and she found a job where she would live. She stayed there for around 5-6 years until she found a better job with better pay where she could afford a better home.

Afterwards, my mother met my father and had my brother. She went back to El Salvador with the money that she earned to see her family. In the five years that she was there, she had me and three years later, she decided that she would have a better life here in the US and decided to come back. Lastly, once back in the United States she had my little brother (who is my nightmare). She is happy that she is here because she knows that her children will have a better life than in El Salvador.