Schwartzie

Although I am home and the next few entries will be some days behind, I still want to share my experiences from my last 3 days in El Salvador. Since I was going to the Center for Malnourished Children today, I was able to sleep in a bit. I didn't leave quite enough time for breakfast so a packet of cookies on the way to the clinic was all I had until lunch. I was very aprehensive about today's visit, since yesterday at the orphanage was really difficult for me. We headed over to the clinic around 9, only a 10 minute walk from the volunteer house. Kathy and Karen had spent a few days there already, so Troy and I were the only newbies. This was a visit I didn't think I would be able ... read more

When I went to bed last night it was raining, but I assumed it would stop so we could still have our Field Day. But no, was still raining and pretty wet in the morning, and since Field Day takes place on the soccer field, we had to postpone it until Tuesday. Aside from the wet field, the roads in the village are not paved and it would be dangerous to try and drive the vans through. So, we our modified schedule for the day and headed first to UCA, the University of Central America, run by Jesuits who aim for social justice. UCA 9 years following the assassination of Oscar Romero, six Jesuit priests were dragged from their beds at the University and killed execution style by the Salvadoran Army. We spent some time touring ... read more

I awoke in a panic this morning, convinced I had overslept. And since I took my watch off last night, I had no idea what time it was!! The only person still in the room was Kathy, and since she was going to the Center for Malnourished Children today, I assumed everyone else had left for the village. And it was fairly quiet in the house, which added to my anxiety. So, I jumped down from the bed (I sleep on top bunk) and grabbed my watch, only to learn that it was 6:30am... I will definitely keep my watch on me tonight!! But it was nice, I had some time to check my email, eat breakfast, and pack lunch for today without having to rush. After our prayer circle, we were off!! Today was to ... read more

Well, here is round two of Schwartzie´s Travelblog! Except now I am in El Salvador! And this is a much different trip than my Peru trip last summer. I am officially on a Mission Trip this year, and everything we do is service work and volunteer. Unlike my month in Peru last summer, all expenses paid, this time I had to purchase my own plane ticket and also pay a "donation fee" to the volunteer house in which I am staying. But it is all for a good cause, and I know I will benefit immensely from this opportunity. The focus of the trip is to spend time working with children in a nearby village called Las Delicias, which in English means "the delicates." El Salvador is a country in extreme poverty, and the living conditions ... read more

Wake-up time: 5:30am... arrrgghhh. But we had to get back to Machu Picchu to see the sunrise! So we ate a quick breakfast at the hotel, waited in line for the bus back to Machu Picchu, and took the long, winding, narrow, and muddy road up to Puente Ruinas station, the starting point for our hike. But where was the sun? Ohhh there it is... hiding behind all that fog and those clouds... so much for a sunrise hike today! But, no matter, we still planned to hike Waynu Picchu, a popular climbing point with a great view of Machu Picchu. Fortunately for me, the line to get into the trail was too long, so we hiked Intipunku instead. This was fortunate because even though we would end at the same altitude (9000 ft above sea ... read more