Elections

On Sunday Richie and I visited four different voting centers in San Martín, near the city of San Salvador, as international election observers. Each voting center had lines of people outside of it waiting to get in and trying to find their names on the electoral register. Inside was just as hectic, with anywhere between 20-60 voting tables, each with five official members and around five "vigilantes" or "watchers" of various parties to make sure things went all right. You can see some pictures of the event here.

We didn't see anything that looked like obvious fraud, and I'm pretty sure the vigilantes would have caught anything before we did, anyway. However, we did look pretty official with our white vests and hats that said "Observador Internacional" and at least I hope we helped the voters feel a little more confident in the election. The next day, though, we heard reports from other observers of Hondurans being bussed in to El Salvador to vote illegally, and other reports of people being bribed to vote. In light of those reports, I am thankful for the fair democratic process and smooth transitions of power that the US provides.

The day after the elections I became nauseous, and went to a nearby clinical lab to get tested. It turns out I was infected with Entamoeba histolytica. Getting tested at the lab (which was common practice during Richie's trip to Central America) was a smart move, because I was able to get treatment within a few hours, and my stomach pain was completely gone the next day. Yesterday I mostly sat around the hostel recuperating and watching the coverage of the inauguration. If you weren't able to see it, you can watch Obama's speech here. It was a historic day.

Now that the elections are over, Richie and I have decided to return to his homestay in Honduras for a few days, and then visit Honduran's north coast. We leave tomorrow. This means I won't have internet access for the next few days. I hope you're all doing well!