| The family with whom Gwen and Hugh spent the night in Santa Marta: Kelly and Eduardo (on the left), two cousins, and Alba. The father is living in California and sending back money for his family. Note the cinder block walls, the treadle sewing machine (no electricity required!), and the extension cord, which went to the only receptacle in the house. There was a light bulb handing in the main room, but none in the bedroom (it was a 2 room house). We weren't sure whether the floor was dirt or concrete. Gwen and Hugh gave the family the Washington Redskins baseball cap that Alba is proudly holding. |
| Virginia stayed with Alicia (on the left), Alba's sister and Vice Principal of the School. Those are Alicia's two girls. |
| The mother's bed, where the kids, Eduardo and Kelly, also slept while Gwen and Hugh were there. We think they gave up their beds to the visitors, although we're not sure. Aren't they too cute? |
| Making tortillas. Notice the stone mortar and pestle. |
| A typical street in Santa Marta, and a couple of street urchins. Note the fence, intended to keep out village animals such as pigs. There were also lots of chickens running around, a source of eggs and occasional meat. The chickens appeared to breed freely, that is, not all the eggs were eaten, since there were lots of chicks following mother hens around. |
| The clinic in Santa Marta. Medical care is free. |
| Sam examining the pharmacy, which was pretty well stocked with the basics. |
| A hand-crank centrifuge in the clinic's lab. You put the tubes in rings in the top and turn the handle, and the tubes spin outward and they rotate. |
| The lab technician--on the job trained. Lots of dedicated people work in the clinic, mostly on a voluntary basis. |
| The dentist. No formal training, but lots of dedication. |
| Gwen giving some physical therapy consultation to Brenda. |
| Gwen and Beth looking over the physical therapy facilities. |
| Brenda was tickled to get the exercycle, that Sam dismantled in Bethesda, packed to check on the airplane, and reassembled at the clinic. Hugh handed him the wrenches and learned a trick for making a wrench fit even when it's the wrong size. |
| Sink in the clinic. As in other places, water is sporadically available and is stored in the sink that you can see, dipped out with the blue plastic bowl, and, if you're washing your hands, you rinse them by pouring the water on your hands over the tray to the left; it then runs outside via a drain hole. |
| The church in Santa Marta. They recently got a new priest, whom everybody just loves. That's a portrait of Archbishop Romero, who was assassinated by right-wing operatives during the war. He was seen as inciting the people in the rebellion, although his interest was in fair treatment of his people. |
| The Lempa River crossing and massacre was a major event in the lives of the people of Santa Marta. Many people were killed while trying to escape across the river, as the army moved into the area during the war. This was an assembly to commemorate the event and the make sure that the people "forgave but did not forget" what happened. |
| Dancers at the commemoration. The Spanish influence is quite obvious. |
| Below are pictures of people who came to the the memorial event, either guests from other countries, such as our own group, or people who were present during the Lempa River crossing and told their stories. |
| Christina and Beth broadcasting a local radio program in Santa Marta. |
| The parish priest--much loved by the people and a very warm and loving man. |
| Road leaving Santa Marta, dusty and bumpy. We rode in the back of a pickup truck. |
| Oncoming bus as we rode from Santa Marta to Victoria--dusty! |
| Shops in Victoria |
| Tim and Virginia at Radio Victoria, the local "popular" radio station--92.1 FM. Overseeing the station and it's activities is one of Christina's primary activities and responsibilities in El Salvador. |
| Christina and a DJ in the studio. The radio station is a personal communication resource for people in the area, especially important with the lack of telephone service. If somebody needs to get a message to somebody, they come to the radio station and have their message broadcast. Amazing! A real public service radio station. |
| Beth and Christina doing a live interview on the air. |
| Viewing the studio through the window. |
| Gwen in front of a mural at the radio station. Note the picture of Monsenor Romero. |
| Another view of the mural, with Tim. |
| Lunch in Santa Marta. We only ate at places that were known by our hosts, and only ate cooked food, no fresh fruits or vegetables, and only bottled water or soda pop, or, of course, and occasional cerveza (beer). |
| Kitchen area for the restaurant where we ate in Santa Marta. |
| Old woman carrying a load. |