But maybe impressions are as important as facts to conveying the flavor of a country. So I'll tackle a little commentary on some of these in my last few missives. The lottery is a way of life here, as it is in many places with groups of people who have so little. I suppose by world standards the standard of living here is really pretty good. It's pretty easy to keep fed and clean.
Health care is reasonable and reasonably priced.
More people have television and cable than have telephones. But for most people there's practically no disposable income and some people are very poor. So the lottery. There are lottery tables set up all up and down the main street all week-long and some permanent little booths, but most of the action is on the weekend. Lots of people buy their tickets right after church on Sunday.