Are you connected?

Are you connected in El Salvador? Very Much So.

When I moved to El Salvador, my first major concern or thought (after surviving) was if I could get internet access. Why?

Communication with family, free calls back to the USA using SIP (MagicJack), Movies/Television, News and now even work.

So I was very concerned, I had heard yes, but had no idea as to the coverage area, price, how fast it was.

The good news is that El Salvador has very good coverage, internet is practically available everywhere, high speed, I've yet to find an area where it is not, and we live quite a ways away from the capital, etc.

The internet comes from several companies, to name a few: Digicel, Tigo, Claro.

I personally have experience with Claro. It's ADSL. It's fast, rarely goes out.

The price is good by US standards but a bit steep in El Salvador.

The usual price range is based on speed and goes 256k,512k,1MB,2MB.

1MB is about average DSL in the US, that will run about 35 dollars a month in El Salvador, the lowest: 256k will run about 18 a month.

You can get both DSL and wireless using the cell networks, sadly 3G cell coverage is limited outside of the San Salvador area so DSL may be your best bet, although not for everyone. Claro offers non-contract internet with decent pricing.

You can also find internet access spread widely through almost every area via Internet Cafes which have high speed.

So yes, you will be connected.

Religion in El Salvador

Religion in El Salvador is a very important topic. In the United States religion holds a heart in the place of many; but in El Salvador it's entirely different. Rather you are religious or not you should prep yourself on the society & culture's view and place for religion before your move to El Salvador.

El Salvador was primarily a catholic country. That has changed. You now see many many Evangelists. Evangelism is taking over a large part and it's not uncommon to see evangelistic chruches and schools.

I will say, there is still a strong catholic prescence however I am unsure it's the majority still.

Beautiful Catholic churches can be found throughout many of the smaller and larger cities. You will often find the doors open and people inside praying and viewing shrines.

It is not uncommon to find people crying or weeping as they pray, this is typical in El Salvador. You should not stare.

A few important things to remember before you go into a church....

-Wear Pants

While you may occasionally see a young Salvadoreno enter in shorts, it's not typical and many consider it disrespectful.

-No hats, caps or headgear.

Take off glasses, hats, caps, head-gear.

-Foot-wear

Sandals are not typically worn into churches. Many no longer notice this but some do.

-Keep your voice down

Pretend it's a library!

While your in El Salvador you will typically see many small churches, "Ensambles de Dios". They will typically practice and play music until 8PM, have open sessions, sometimes free meals.

In El Salvador... Saturday is the day for Evangelists. Most Evangelists go to church for 4-5 hours on Saturdays. They then continue with saturday as if it were a normal day.

Sunday is catholic. Same thing.

Many will also goto church various days of the week. Most do not push religion on you. Do not down-talk religion, respectfully decline if not interested. Keep your dislikes for religion to yourself, you may hurt many people's feelings or even bring them to tears if you do happen to bring negative talk. It's an emotional subject.

Not everyone goes to church, not everyong is strong on religion. It just depends on the family,area and specific person.

Rarely do you find other religions commonly practiced, there is a Johovah Witness church in La Paz, I have not seen too many others, but they are here.

I'd also like to add that I have seen several Baptist churchs as well.

UPDATE: A kind reader commented when I referred to the primary religion here as "christians".  Technically everyone who believes in Christ as the Savior is a Christian, which includes Catholics.  The people here, in El Salvador, refer to the Evangelists as "Cristianos", which means Christians.  I therefore often do the same thing.  In fact, they are Evangelists, therefore the primary religion here is Evangelism.  I have confirmed this, thanks to our annonymous reader who commented :)

Also, he/she made a good point in mentioning, while religion is important here, it is not as controversial as in the United States.  I have never seen anyone hate anyone over their religious beliefs here, I have seen it plenty in the United States.

Kitchens & Cooking

The entire kitchen and cooking scene is very different in El Salvador. I'd like to go on to say that it also varies ALOT by region, for example what you might find in San Salvador, the capital... is very different than what you might find typically in the more "rural" setting of La Paz.

Traditionally many North Americans and Westerners are adjusted to the standard electric or gas range stove & oven, microwave, dishwasher, sink style setup. In El Salvador, I've come to notice this is drastically different. Maybe for better, maybe for worse... it all depends on you.

In San Salvador you will find that many kitchens resemble North American style (in general). They have the regular appliances (sometimes on a smaller scale) that you are already use to. The one thing you may not see as much, is a dishwasher. They are very uncommon, although once again... in San Salvador you may find them in some upscale apartments and housing.

The more traditional El Salvador Kitchen:

The more traditional kitchen is an indoor space defined as the "kitchen". Refrigerators are much more common these days, but many homes still lack them. In the Kitchen you will typically find a stone structure that allows cooking via Wood burning. This is the most typical means of cooking. The kitchen will typically not have good ventilation and smoke/fumes build up leading to discoloration of the walls, etc and a very uncomfortable sensation in your throat your first week or two around it. Sinks are very rare in the kitchen, you may have a water "well" or bucket system. A table is typical, but not always located in the actual kitchen, sometimes in a dining room, etc. In alot of places you will find showers off to the side of the kitchen space because the water is already ran to the one source, so they join them, not everyone uses this setup but it was common in older homes.

I'd like to point out, in alot more modern homes (which are popping up alot) for salvadoreno nationals and expats aswell... "normal" kitchens are alot more common. A small gas range with oven can be purchased for 300 dollars. A gas tank is only around 3 dollars a refill and lasts a good two months. So gas stoves are common in these days.

Normal counter-tops and sinks are becoming common due to the widespread use of "water-tanks" which provide "running water" allowing for a sink. Microwaves are somewhat more common as the price drops but people are weary of use because they draw a decent amount of electricity which still isn't the cheapest in El Salvador (still about 0.13 KWH which is still high by US Standards).

Many people as fore-mentioned now have refridges and freezers, although much smaller models versus the un-necessary full size models.

The variation in kitchens varies greatly in El Salvador, and mostly depends on where you are, age of the housing/community and the economic status of the owner of the house.

Outdoor "kitchens" are also very typical. These usually consist of an old metal drum/barell (think oil drum), with the top split down, allowing them to make a platform where wood is placed, and burnt and a large pan is placed above, the fire heats oil which cooks typical foods such as "Empanadas", "Enchiladas", "Pasteles", "Yuca".

Either way, kitchens are always present and functional. Indoors and Out. If you can't survive without a modern kitchen, fear-not... they are common. However, don't be suprised to see the good ol' wood cooker!

The Job Market

The job-market in El Salvador, does not exist. Okay, fine. There is a job market. But it's very very different from here.

First off, make sure you have your work permission. You are not going to find work "under the table" or illegally. It's hard enough for honest, hard-working individuals with work permission to find work. I tried to find work without it and it didn't happen.

So, once you have your work permission... the most common fields are basically teaching english, call centers, and manual labor.

There are quite a few positions, just make sure you have strong attendance, good references and do not think you can miss work just because your sick, you'll be unemployed fast.

Your best online sources for jobs are:

http://www.tecoloco.com/ - Decent amount of listings in El Salvador. Look here.

http://www.manpower.com - Manpower El Salvador has positions usually. I talked to them. Very decent.

Academia Europa - Good to teach English. Staggered hours, it's on and off, but it's money and a good place to start off. No degree required, just speak english and some spanish. Pay is okay.

Call Centers - Dell, Sykes, Etc. Go In person, ask for a job. They will interview you in English. You better speak, read, write english well. The pay is 500-1500 a month. It's a decent work environment. You need English daily with customers. Very little spanish. They will hire mostly anyone who speaks English and shows up.

A moment of recognition...

Dear Readers,

I am sorry, this post is not about my experience in El Salvador. This post is not about me. This post is about another blogger and her experience in El Salvador. I would like you all to take a minute to visit her blog. I read her blog and... It broke my heart.

Her husband had to go back to El Salvador, deported basically. He informed everyone he was scared for his life to go back. He went back and she began the transition to move there but before her and her daughter got over there, her husband was killed, shot 7 times while working.

I am not sure... what to say. My heart goes to her. It's horrible. I blog, everyday... I write about experiences. My partner was deported and that is my reason for moving. I thank god... this situation has not happened, and that we are in a little safer situation but you know what, it reminds me of the importance of saying "I love you" before we end conversation, of making the most of every minute...

It reminds me that immigration is a disgusting excuse for a system that does nothing more than tear families and lives apart. Last time I checked, EVERYONE IMMIGRATED HERE, news flash ICE... There were PEOPLE HERE in the USA before we came... before we KILLED THEM and TOOK THEIR LAND. And now, now we DENY other people.... the right to come here? WE SEND THEM BACK TO THEIR DEATH?

Everyone please visit: http://mividasalvadorena.blogspot.com/

Give her your words of support. God bless the lady.

Running Water

I have been getting alot of emails on the subject of "Is it true there is no running water in El Salvador?". Alright, just 3 emails, but I'd like to address that right now!

What do you think, El Salvador is 3rd world or something? Of course there is running water!**

**Alright, some restrictions apply. Let's take a moment to discuss running water.

El Salvador has running water in many populated areas, San Salvador for example, and alot of the private colonias, have running water. In the private colonias it's "cleaned" so it's safe to drink. But either way, San Salvador, etc has running water. Is it perfect? No. It works, sometimes the pressure isn't the best, sometimes for a few hours (rare, maybe once a month) it stops working. But it is there!

Outside of San Salvador and the city areas, it depends. It depends on the person. People use a well for their water supply. If you lived in a rural area in the USA or another country, you've probably seen or used well water.

The idea is simple, a hole into the ground to tap into the natural water reserves underground. It's common everywhere, including El Salvador. You use an electric pump to draw the water to the house.

In North American well systems, the pump is constantly connect to electricity, un-switched and automatically runs and supplies water based on demand, creating pressure directly from the pump.

In El Salvador, Electricty is the 0.13 cents a kilowatt (US Price) and you don't make as much money, so you think before you use, as a result, the well pumps are switched.

You don't run it directly to your sink. People who use them typically run them to a tank (which is outside) above house level, the pump which you turn on daily to fill the tank, will fill the tank with water. The tank connects to your shower, toilet, sink. When you use water, it is fed by gravity from the tank to your sink, etc.

Result: It works just like running water. The water pressure is great, you'd think it came by pressurized pipes if you didn't see the tank.

The tanks are black so naturally during the day the sun hits them heating the water to a very warm temperature, so you won't freeze! (Oh yeah, you know... outside of San Salvador, hot water in your house is a rarity, almost non-existent). But you don't even need it, El Salvador is not particularly cold.

Electricity & El Salvador

This post is regarding how to keep your energy bill in-line while having the necesary things you'll want after living in the USA.

Electricity in El Salvador is around 0.13 cents a KWH on average. So what does that mean? Well it means it's a little higher than most of the US (0.09-0.12 cents) but still better than some of the midwest (0.17 cents).

So you'll probably ask, why is that a problem? Because, in El Salvador you won't earn money by the hour, you will by the day and it will not be more than 10 dollars a day (most likely). So a 100 dollar electric bill is not going to be acceptable. Yes, it will be hard to control electricity, especially if you lived in the USA. No worries, I'll explain this.

First off, electricity works like this:

Appliances use a certain amount of WATTS (per hour). When they tell you how many WATTS they use, it's generally speaking per hour of usage. 1000 watts is a KWh (IE 1000 Watts will cost you 0.13 cents in El Salvador).

So, let's see what applicances you'll probably want or use:

Central A/C - Uses 2800 WATTS or more. The compressor and large fan suck down electricity. Having a Central AC is not a good idea, not if you want to have money. But the heat is terrible... so what's a solution?

Evaportive Cooler (Swamp Cooler) is not a solution, it will not work in El Salvador, humidity is way above 50% (around 90) and evaporative coolers won't function. So your best bet will be to c cool a single room, IE your bedroom. By a small window unit or a portable unit that is rated at 5,000 BTU. This uses approx. 800 watts of electricity per hour. That's manageable. What I usually do is this, I run the AC in my bedroom for 5 hours at night when i sleep, it uses 800 x 5 = 4000 watts or 4 KWh. That means it is costing me 0.52 cents a night. Multiply that by 30 and it will cost me 15 dollars a month. That's not exactly chump change in El Salvador, but it's way better than a couple hundred with a central AC.

Now that the biggest is out of the way, let's talk about other appliances. No hot water heaters (they are not common anyway). They use alot of electricity. Don't bother with them, unless you get a propane one or use a solar tank outside to heat water, they are cheap and effective.

Electric Oven/Stove - Forget it. Even if used casually use upwards of 4400 watts per KWh, it you use it a total of 10 hours (add up every time you cook) it would cost you 6 dollars a month. Thats un-necessary. Get a gas oven/stove. They are cheaper, easier to cook with and a gas cylinder refill costs under 3 dollars and will lost an average house 2-3 months. Every penny counts.

Lights - DO NOT USE REGULAR BULBS. Get the flourescent energy saving bulbs. A normal non-efficent bulb used 8 hours a day will cost you 3 dollars a month. Multiply that by say 5 lights and we have 15 dollars, that's the same as your AC. Use fluro bulbs, and you will use around 0.40 cents (with a 60w equivalent) per month per bulb.

A digital alarm clock will cost you around 3 dollars a month (assuming it's plugged in 24/7 as clocks usually are). You could get a battery powered one and save money, batteries are cheap in El Salvador (6 or 7 for a dollar usually at the local markets).

Computers - A computer uses around 90w per hour and an LCD monitor 120, CRT's use 160 usually. So your best bet is PC with LCD monitor. It will cost you around ... a few cents an hour. Get a power strip and click it off when not in use, it saves electricity.

Televisions - LCD/Plasma is the way to go. They use around 100watts an hour. Old projection and CRT use way more. Average to heavy TV use will cost aorund 4 or 5 a month.

Xbox 360 - Around 3 dollars a month with 4 hours a day. You'll use it less.

Wii - Uses literally 1/3 the electricity of the 360.

Fans - Very good on electric, stick to these instead of A/C if you can.

Refridge - I recommend a smaller unit, a little bigger than college dorm size but not a full size. They tend to use a fair amount of electric. A small one saves alot.

AVOID OUTDOOR HALOGEN LIGHTS AND HIGH POWERED STEREO EQUIPMENT, if the sound output is 1000 WATTS it uses 1000 WATTS per hour IE 0.13 cents. It adds up fast.

With energy efficent lights and just a refridge, you can get away with about 5 dollars a month electric. A full household with small AC used liberally can survive on 31.00 a month in electric; thats my bill with TV, PC, Lights, A/C.

It's very important in El Salvador to save money... it's not easy to come by. Most of the country has electric now but some parts still do not.

Finding someone to "jerry-rig" your meter so your electricity is cheaper is easy to find and cost around 200 USD. However, be careful if you do this, don't have him cut your usage real low all at once. The electric company rarely catches people using these and many many people do, it can cut your electric bill to 3-4 dollars a month with EVERYTHING on.

My only warning is if they do catch you... they ban your address and name for life from using their electric services.

A quick note on energy alternatives:

Solar Power - There is a high UV index in el salvador and solar powered devices work well however an average 8000 dollar solar system will produce less than 1KWh and hour of electric, much less, so it's not practical to power your household and with the price of electricity it would take around 20-30 years to gain back the value of the panel in saved costs. It's not practical nor useful right now; hopefully one day in the future.

Whats Familiar Part 1

This is a short post detailing which stores you may find that are familiar from the US in El Salvador and where more or less to find them, no exact addresses since they are fairly useless in El Salvador, and GPS is still not widely used nor available.

Department/Clothes

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Dorians - A department store which is the same as Sears. I think it's owned by Sears but I'm not sure. Prices match Sears in the US, products aswell. Located at the Gran Via in San Salvador.

Journey/Foot Locker - Located in Multi Plaza in San Salvador. They are the same product lines, etc. Everything is just in spanish (obviously).

Gamestop - And variations of the Gamestop style store (with english names) are in the Multi Plaza. Prices are slightly HIGHER than in the US. Video Games are expensive in El Salvador and normal 50 dollar game can cost 70 or 80 dollars.

Other

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Office Depot - Located at the Multi Plaza in San Salvador. Very large Office Depot. Same as here.

Radioshack - Located in various locations in San Salvador, including in the Gran Via. Prices are the same as here, products are aswell. Good place to find laptop charges, memory cards, etc.

Restaurants/Food

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Burger King - Same as here, older style signs on most of them. They are scattered throughout the country but mainly located in San Salvador and popular areas. Prices are slightly cheaper than here (Economy Combos start at 1.99). Alot of them have old playplaces and they often have spanish on the signs that says "El Hamburguesa de Reyes".

McDonalds - Typical throughout San Salvador. Same menu as here, food tastes slightly better. Same fries but chicken is different. Burgers taste basically the same. Very slightly cheaper than US.

Wendy's - Several in San Salvador. It's the same.

Pizza Hut - Throughout San Salvador, The pizza is the exact same. Pizza Hut in the US and worldwide uses frozen product they ship; it's not made fresh. Menu includes mostly everything including the new tuscany pastas however no wings. Prices are the same as here.

Papa Johns - Tastes a little different but still good. Located throughout San Salvador, the one in the Gran Bia is particularly good.

KFC - Same prices as the US, same menu basically. Located in various places north of San Salvador and in San Salvador.

Subway - Same logo, same store style, etc. However the subs taste a little different, they still taste good. The bread is the same as here, some of the meats are just a little different. Prices are the same. Located throughout San Salvador.

Gas Stations/Convience

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Texaco - Fairly common throughout the country, some are 24 hours, most have bathroom facilities and convienance stores.

Exxon - Same as texaco above.

West Memphis - Located in Zacatecoluca, not sure where else. Has convience store, good service, no bathrooms.

Other

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Great Value Products (Walmart Brand) can be found in "La Despensa de Don Juan". There are several located throughout El Salvador, including a nice one in Zacatecoluca (La Paz). They bear US prices, product packaging is in English, they also use Walmart signs etc, however they are not an actual walmart store.