Two, Four, Six, Eight, How Do We Appreciate?

The pyramids of Tikal peeking out over the trees as we wait for the sunset. 

            "I'll meet you at the top," Hugo, our guide told us. My mom and I climbed the wooden stairs to the top of one of the pyramids of Tikal. At the top, the ruins peeked out over the canopy line. The sun started its descent. Another guide at the top asked the forty or so people at the top for silence to be able to hear the birds, howler monkeys, and other animals settling down for the night. Collectively, we all watch the sun sink before disappearing completely. My mom and I made our way back down the stairs. Hugo was waiting for us at the bottom. He never made it to the top. 
       "Oh, I was going to come up. We could have gone stargazing," he joked. As we walked back to our hotel through the woods by flashlight, he told us,  "I don't need to see the sunset. I've seen it hundreds of times before." He preferred to talk to the other guides at the bottom who also didn't feel the need to see yet another sunset. 
       I really couldn't blame him for not wanting to see something he had seen repeatedly before. Earlier in the day, we had done a group tour of Tikal. There was one pyramid Hugo said we had the option of climbing. While others immediately started the climb, I questioned whether or not I wanted to go up. I've climbed up my fair share of ruins in the past year and a half. Since living in El Salvador, I have visited Copan in Honduras and Tazumal, San Andrés, and Joya de Ceren in El Salvador. Less than two months earlier, I had climbed the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Moon in Teotihuacán near Mexico City. Would climbing this pyramid really be that different? While 2016 me in Taiwan thought: How many temples can one person see? The 2018 me in Central America was thinking: how many ruins can one person see? More importantly, though, how do you continue to appreciate something when it is no longer a novelty? 

The sunset at Tikal

          By realizing that I was not appreciating something as much as I should, I felt guilty. Here was an amazing experience, and I wasn't fully appreciating it. I came up with some ways I could help appreciate my time traveling, even if it wasn't a new experience. These aren't overly earth-shattering but maybe serve as good reminders. 

1. Take a Moment

     The day after we watched the sunset at Tikal, my mom and I went to a different pyramid to watch the sunrise. We walked up the stairs by the light of our cell phones. When we got to the top, there was no fence protecting from the drop-off of the pyramid. We flashed the light on our phones to see about fifteen people sitting on the stairs. We had not realized that they were there because they were sitting in complete silence. We found spots to wait for the sunrise and sat in companionable silence. 

      "Think about where we are," my mom whispered at one point. 

      I took a moment to think about the Maya who had built this pyramid and their lives and how they had built something that had lasted for so long. I also thought about how we were experiencing this in silence with a bunch of strangers. 

       There wasn't much of a sunrise. It was foggy. Still, by taking a moment I could appreciate where I was and who I was with. 

2. Learn More

     I had been caving before. I had been tubing before. I had never been cave tubing before. In Belize, we went on a cave tubing excursion. As someone who enjoys caves and tubing, it was quite a lovely experience. We floated down the river in the cave, shining our headlamps to see the different parts of the caves. What made me appreciate it more was learning more about caves and our guide's experiences mapping out the caves in Belize. The cave we were floating in was about 35 million years old, which is young for a cave. Giovanni, our guide said that they were still mapping out the caves in Belize because there was still so much to explore. He helped by rock climbing and scouting out for the cartographers. While the experience of floating down a cave in an inner tube was enjoyable in and of itself, I was able to appreciate it more by learning a little bit more about caves. 

3. Make a Personal Connection

     My favorite activity we did in Belize was taking a cooking class from a worker at our hotel in St. Ignacio. The biggest reason that this was so fun and memorable was that we asked Chef Will about his hopes and dreams and his life. He taught us how to cook, but talking with him was what made the experience enjoyable. Making connections with people is often the most memorable aspect of a place. 

     One of the people I have made a connection with in El Salvador is my friend Jacob. He is one of the most appreciative people I have ever met. Ask him how he is and his response will be, "Oh, just another day in paradise." He used to end our conversations by saying, "I appreciate you." This is something very rarely said outright. It is even rarer to hear it repeatedly. I have learned a lot from him about how to continue to appreciate living in El Salvador once the novelty has worn off. 

    When I first moved to El Salvador, I was amazed by my walk to school. It featured a view of a volcano behind the athletic fields. Most days now, I don't even take the time to look at it because I have gotten used to the view. In many ways, it is so much easier to appreciate my friends who do not live here. Hearing from and seeing them happens less frequently, so each time it is special. In El Salvador, I have gotten used to the people and living here that I don't appreciate it as much as I should, especially since my time here has an expiration date. I'm moving out of El Salvador in a little over three months. I'm trying to get the most out of the time I have left here. So here is me taking some time to appreciate El Salvador. 

 Here is a video I took when I first moved to El Salvador of my walk to school. 

1. Take a Moment

     My favorite thing to do in El Salvador is spending the weekend at the beach or the lake. On one trip to the lake, Jacob pointed out to me, "We get to go on vacation almost every month. That's not something most people get to do." It's true, living in the states I never took weekend trips. I also would have had to take a plane to a tropical beach or lake. I appreciate the fact that I get to do this so frequently. 

2. Learn More

     Before living abroad, I was aware that I have a lot of privilege. My privilege is even more apparent in El Salvador. I make twice as much money as the local staff for doing the same job. My salary is higher solely on the fact that I was born and went to school in the United States. As a foreign teacher, I was told I would be getting $250 extra for this year. While this is nice, it does not significantly change my lifestyle. A local friend was told she would be getting $250 more. She was so excited because it meant that she could afford to drive her car to work. She had been taking the bus, which she had been robbed on three times. As a white person, I also get treated very differently both at school and around El Salvador. By learning more about my privilege, I appreciate what I have. 

Last three months here we go. Here's to appreciating every moment of it.