In such a small country - only 6 million people - it seems wrong...
I've only actually ever seen 5 dead bodies in my life.
All of them in El Salvador.
Two different ones this week.
Lying there on the road.
They don't seem to cover them up here. Don't know why.
Maybe lack of white sheets.
Traffic accidents mainly...
Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Maids
Women in El Salvador can virtually be divided into two groups. Those who have maids and those who are maids.
It’s a word that I don’t think I’d ever said until living here. In Spanish it’s muchacha meaning young girl, but the translation used at my school is ‘maid’.
It doesn’t sit easily.
A recent Healthy Eating letter from Chayo’s teacher said “Please inform maids so we can work together to give your children the healthy start they need”. !!!
Maids earn about £4-6 a day, or £70-120 a month, for working incredibly long hours cooking, cleaning and looking after children, often only visiting their families in the countryside twice a month. Many of them are young girls or young women with babies or children of their own who they have left in the care of relatives. It’s common for middle class families to have more than one maid. I think all the children in my class live in homes with maids.
It’s another world.
It’s a word that I don’t think I’d ever said until living here. In Spanish it’s muchacha meaning young girl, but the translation used at my school is ‘maid’.
It doesn’t sit easily.
A recent Healthy Eating letter from Chayo’s teacher said “Please inform maids so we can work together to give your children the healthy start they need”. !!!
Maids earn about £4-6 a day, or £70-120 a month, for working incredibly long hours cooking, cleaning and looking after children, often only visiting their families in the countryside twice a month. Many of them are young girls or young women with babies or children of their own who they have left in the care of relatives. It’s common for middle class families to have more than one maid. I think all the children in my class live in homes with maids.
It’s another world.
You are my sunshine
All week they’d been acting a little weird but on the morning of 14th February there was complete hysteria in the classroom. “You have to go to Mr Santamaria’s room at lunchtime” they said giggling and whispering. “And please leave our classroom door open”.
So I did as I was told, and when given the instruction went back to my room.
24 nine year olds jumped out hooting “SURPRISE”, hugged me madly, then broke into song: “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy…”.
I looked around the room: the cut out hearts decorating the walls, chairs and tables all carefully moved into position, the fizzy drinks, the cake that read “Thanks for being a great teacher”, the music teacher who’d been commandeered to play the guitar…
I wiped a tear from my eye.
Dia de l’Amistad, Friendship Day, El Salvador.
So I did as I was told, and when given the instruction went back to my room.
24 nine year olds jumped out hooting “SURPRISE”, hugged me madly, then broke into song: “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy…”.
I looked around the room: the cut out hearts decorating the walls, chairs and tables all carefully moved into position, the fizzy drinks, the cake that read “Thanks for being a great teacher”, the music teacher who’d been commandeered to play the guitar…
I wiped a tear from my eye.
Dia de l’Amistad, Friendship Day, El Salvador.
My happy 20 minutes
The morning sunshine feels great on my skin.
I chat to my friend.
The sound of children playing happily nearby.
No kidding.
This is Playground Duty!
(yeah yeah... I know it won't be like that back in England...)
I chat to my friend.
The sound of children playing happily nearby.
No kidding.
This is Playground Duty!
(yeah yeah... I know it won't be like that back in England...)
12 nil to El Salvador
My first live World Cup football experience and El Salvador completely thrashed Anguila! Wow... what with jumping up for 12 goals and the Mexican waves it was pretty good exercise.
Not that used to winning, the fans went crazy. Alot of beer (and other stuff) was thrown around.
Yes... I have to admit I'd never heard of Anguila before. Tiny Caribbean island.
Hungry for more? See my mate Dave's blog: http://dtelsalvador.blogspot.com/
Not that used to winning, the fans went crazy. Alot of beer (and other stuff) was thrown around.
Yes... I have to admit I'd never heard of Anguila before. Tiny Caribbean island.
Hungry for more? See my mate Dave's blog: http://dtelsalvador.blogspot.com/
Friday, 18 January 2008
Saturday morning in San Salvador
8am
On our way for breakfast at Pollo Campero.
We stop at the lights. A few metres in front of our car a huge truck overloaded with large tanks of gas lurches forward. Two tanks fall narrowly missing a small boy selling newspapers.
9.30am
Road closed at lights by our house, lots of police. Hard to tell what had happened. All sorts of possibilities come to mind. Kidnap, carjack… I try to stop the others talking about it too openly infront of Chayo.
Later on the news I see it was a drive by gang shooting – 2 windscreen cleaner boys dead.
9.35am
We are by the shops infront of our house. I suddenly see a young woman struggling and a man grabbing her bag. People walking past. I beep in a vain attempt to help, and as I do so notice that the man has a huge shotgun hanging over his shoulder. He must be a security guard. The woman hangs on to her bag and eventually gets away. The lights change and off we go, all of us a bit shaken up. Kinda freaky seeing an armed person in a conflict.
On our way for breakfast at Pollo Campero.
We stop at the lights. A few metres in front of our car a huge truck overloaded with large tanks of gas lurches forward. Two tanks fall narrowly missing a small boy selling newspapers.
9.30am
Road closed at lights by our house, lots of police. Hard to tell what had happened. All sorts of possibilities come to mind. Kidnap, carjack… I try to stop the others talking about it too openly infront of Chayo.
Later on the news I see it was a drive by gang shooting – 2 windscreen cleaner boys dead.
9.35am
We are by the shops infront of our house. I suddenly see a young woman struggling and a man grabbing her bag. People walking past. I beep in a vain attempt to help, and as I do so notice that the man has a huge shotgun hanging over his shoulder. He must be a security guard. The woman hangs on to her bag and eventually gets away. The lights change and off we go, all of us a bit shaken up. Kinda freaky seeing an armed person in a conflict.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)