Hello everyone! Sorry I haven’t written in a while but I figure starting a new job and moving to a different country pardons me from any delay in blogging.
Things are going well here. I am living in a house in Colonia Escalon, one of the older but nicer and safer regions of San Salvador. I am sharing the house with a fellow American named Alex who works for FIMRC as well, but in a different capacity. The house is HUGE!!! 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 2 eating areas, a covered patio with hammocks, a full-sized normal kitchen, a laundry room WITH WASHER AND DRYER (!!!), 2 living rooms and a sizable back yard. That being said, my room is the size of a walk in closet and looks a little like a dorm in an insane asylum, not that I have ever been to one… Nothing a little bit of paint and some curtains can’t fix. I also have my own bathroom with a toilet and shower. No sink though. Not enough room. I’ll post a picture once I am done fixing it up.
The job is going really well! I am working in a small clinic in a rural community called Las Delicias in the department of La Libertad. Its a 1/2 hour car ride from where I live and conveniently enough, I am able to hitch a ride with the doctor every day. Otherwise it would be a couple of hours in two different buses. The community is WAY bigger than El Potrero (600 houses vs 52; 3,000 people vs 200ish) and most of the residents are not farmers but rather laborers. They work in the fabricas, pick coffee, clean rich people’s homes, sell things in the market, etc. I always thought people who work should be better off but this is not the case. The number of available workers outweighs the supply of jobs and no one’s job is secure. Not being farmers, when someone from Las Delicias loses their job, they lose everything because they are not producing their own food and have no money with which to buy food. It’s a messy situation. I met the Salvadoran families I am going to be working with and am already brainstorming how I can improve and expand the insurance program. We have nine regular participants right now but I want to expand it to 25 within the next couple months. There is a group of volunteers coming from Wharton next week to help me figure out if this is a feasible goal.
There is surprisingly not all that much to write about at the moment. Life here in El Salvador is not quite as interesting this time round without all the scorpions, latrines, and Rex. Don’t worry Mom and Pa! I promise not to go seeking out adventures here in San Salvador!
Before I sign out I want to put in a plug for my nephew’s blog. Check out the latest video. It’s hilarious!
http://jacktokarski.tumblr.com
Buenas noches y hasta luego!
YAY! You did not fall off the edge of the earth!!! Woo hoo! Glad to hear you are well and adjusting (minus Rex and the scorpions).
Ummm a washer and a dryer?!! You’re living the life! Glad to hear that you’re settling in. Miss you!
Jen
Angie:
I’m so glad you revived the blog! I’m a sucky keep-in-touch friend, but I love reading the blog and hearing about all your work/adventures! Thanks for taking the time to write it! We have our own blog now with the adventures of Ben, Flash and the family at ohmsblog.wordpress.com!