If you haven’t been sleeping through the announcements or seen the posters in the hallways, you’ve probably heard about the upcoming immersion trip to El Salvador this June.

For all you guys that just think, “Nah, it’s too much money and I have better things to do”, I would give it some serious consideration before writing it off as a waste of time and money.

It might just sound like a mission trip where you’re working the whole time and not enjoying yourself, but working is just a small part of what the trip is all about. The main point of the trip is to open our eyes about how we take a lot of what we have for granted, and how not everyone else lives the same way as we do.

The trip, lasting a total of 9 days, from June 17-25, will require an initial $2000 price, a $30 export tax, and a passport would obviously be needed to leave the country. But don’t let the high price scare you away. In years past the trip cost has been reduced by $300-$800 per person through numerous donations and fundraising events.

I was able to ask trip coordinators Mr. Tierney and Mr. Warren why this trip would be a worthwhile experience, and what people should do if they think money could be an issue,

“It opens our eyes to a whole different culture and shows a truth that the rest of the world doesn’t live like we do”, said Mr. Tierney. “The reality is there are numerous ways to gain money. I would say anything in life is possible if you put the heart and effort into it. Anyone can afford to go on it if they put the time and effort into it.”

“There’s not a lot of opportunities to get out of your own personal bubble in high school to get out and learn the cultures of other people and places”, Mr. Warren told me. “It’s challenging to most people. You’ve got to get out of your comfort zone to challenge your assumptions. It’s a great growth opportunity for those in high school.”

For anyone that wants to learn about other cultures first hand or see how different someone’s lifestyles might be, this is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. I decided to sign up because I saw the trip as a great opportunity to learn about other cultures and how lucky I am to have what I have. I also made the decision that I was done wasting my time was going to start making the most out of my remaining time at Elder High School

I talked with junior Tyler Dierig, who told me that he signed up to get a better understanding of how other cultures live,

“I want to get a better understanding for what the rest of the world goes through, since most countries aren’t as wealthy as we are. I’ve never experienced poverty like there is in El Salvador. Plus it would be cool because I’ve never travelled out of the country before.”

Anyone that wants to get in on this once in a lifetime opportunity will have to put down a $100 deposit by March 5^th, and the sooner the better because there are only a limited number of available spots for the trip.

Ultimately, I believe that this is a trip that everyone should give consideration to, because you’d be surprised how different other cultures are and realize how lucky we are to have the things that we have.

If you have any questions about the trip or want to know more about it, contact either Mr. Tierney ([email protected]) or Mr. Warren  ([email protected]).