And we're off...

I am writing this is my last moments of last-minute packing and housekeeping things. Our flight leaves for San Salvador this afternoon, with a stopover in Houston.

Here's a brief overview of recent Salvadoran history:
The Salvadoran civil war and the violence associated started in the late 1970s when the incumbent president was deposed by a junta. The junta then formed a government that suffered from both intra-party friction and large external opposition from the rest of the country. Soon, a series of attacks began, both carried out by armed rebels in opposition to the government and by the government to quash opposition. The most notable victims of the violence included Archbishop Oscar Romero, an outspoken opponent of human rights abuses, and a group of four American missionaries including Jean Donovan (a Case graduate) and Dorothy Kazel (a native of Cleveland). The civil war continued, with much bloodshed and violence, until 1992. Since then, the economy has struggled to imrpove because the of tremendous impact that war had on the infrastructure and social fabric of the country.
The two main parties in El Salvador are ARENA, which has held the presidency since 1989, and the FMLN, which was formerly a revolutionary organization during the civil war.

That's all for now, as I've got to finish doublechecking everything before I go.