In Panama

I made it to Panama! Remember when I said it was burning hot in El Salvador and I missed A/C? Well it is even hotter here. But I like to think of my apartment as some sort of a sauna, which will probably be great for my skin :)

I am so excited to being working here, though it was very hard to leave El Salvador and my family. I begin  on Monday. The NGO folks have been taking me around town and showing me all the places so I can begin to locate things. Panama City feels like downtown Miami, and I am staying in a high rise apartment. (Not very international-service like :( )Thankfully, I was told yesterday I will be going into the "interior" often, which is the rural parts of Panama, and working in those schools. There, I will be staying with Panamanian families, which should give me the experience I yearn for.

Well, that's all for now! I'll post more later tonight. I think I'm going to go running by the ocean now... :D

I will write soon!

I promise! 2 weeks have flown by and there is SO much to talk about! I could write a novel about it (those of you that know me KNOW I can be long-winded :P )

But, to sum it up:
I have never felt such a strong feeling like I belong here in Central America, that there is so much to do here and such a great need that I would be a fool to work for an NGO somewhere else. Hopefully one day I will end up back here- in my native country helping my brothers and sisters in need. I see a future for myself here for the first time ever in my life, and it is such a beautiful feeling...

I will explain soon! Next stop: Guatemala!

I made it to El Salvador!

I have arrived in San Salvador, El Salvador- the first leg of my trip!

Wow! The last few days before my departure to Latin America sure went by quickly! I meant to write while waiting in the airport, but instead I passed out because I got no sleep last night due to a combination of last minute packing and nervousness. I cannot believe I am actually here in El Salvador, the feeling is absolutely surreal...

For those of you that don't know, I was born and raised in El Salvador. Because of the Salvadoran civil war, my family and I moved to the United States to begin a new life when I was a young boy. It has been almost 4 years since I was here last. So much has changed since then: most significantly, my grandmother- the ultimate matriarch of a family of 5 children, dozens of grandchildren, and even a few great-grandchildren- died a few months ago. Coincidentally, today was her 90-day mass at the church right outside my old school. Listening to her name being called by the priest made her death finally real to me, and I was almost unable to hold back the tears. It is the topic of conversation with every single family member, family friend, or parishioner I have seen talked with today… so much so I cannot escape the reality anymore. On a positive note, her death and the response from others prompts me to think of how one person can impact so many people- truly living on in the minds and hearts of many. 

On the way to the church, we passed by two McDonalds, a T.G.I. Friday, and an Abercrombie and Fitch. I am shocked by how American businesses have so quickly saturated this country. In less than half a decade, American capitalism has found its way into every single block in downtown San Salvador. On one hand, it is comforting to see familiar names and places from back home. On the other, I feel it has stripped some of El Salvador’s uniqueness away. I am not sure how I feel about this. I will continue to explore these competing ideas as I learn more about this country that I once called home.

It is very late over here, (1 a.m. FL time), and like I mentioned earlier I didn’t get any sleep last night. So I am going to wrap this up. So sorry for the somewhat solemn nature of this post, I do not anticipate many like this in the future! I am very excited about volunteering this weekend at Padre Vito’s Hogar para Niños Minusválidos, which is an orphanage for mentally and physically handicapped children that my family and I have volunteered at since I lived in El Salvador as a child. I also look forward to spending a few days in Guatemala volunteering, before I head off to Panama for the “real” work.

Thank you to everyone who is taking the time to read my blog, make sure you “follow” it if you want to keep posted on my progress. Thank you again to everyone that helped make this possible! You all rock my soul!

-Jaime

P.S.- There is a bat in my apartment. Seriously.

P.P.S.- I am going to miss A/C and water pressure.