Journal, March 30, 1976 AM

Well, Jaime and I are set to go to Costa Rica April 9. I got all my little errands done yesterday except picking up Jay’s mail. I’ll do that this morning, & then hit the rode for Sonsonate. I filled out my absentee ballot for the Wisconsin Primary {election}. I voted for Udall, although from Sunday’s {New York} Times, it sounds like he’s playing up to H.H.H. {Hubert Humphrey} more than I’d like to see. I think a Udall victory in Wisconsin would keep the campaign interesting by putting another name in the running, a liberal alternative to Carter. Jan says Udall has a chance, but the Times says Carter is "leading". It’s all kind of a circus anyway. Who knows what Carter or Udall would do as President?

Jaime tells me there’s a meeting on animal health with Doc. Eisenhower scheduled for Thursday & Friday. Chico’s {Francisco Rodriguez, Peace Corps Agriculture Program Director} out of the country, so there’s no way to find out if he officially sanctioned it or not. I think I’ll come in to see the guys. I haven’t seen Russell {Soules} in ages. We ran into Willie at Peace Corps Office, yesterday. He’s gotten married since last I saw him, and is working on a residency for his wife in the US. It seems his grandmother is near death, and he’s going back to help run his grandpa’s farm for a while. Under his callous exterior it seems Willie has a soft spot in his heart at least. He’s still crazy as ever of course. He said he got married for convenience, just papers he says.

Fred Tracy hit town yesterday afternoon, & we went to eat with him last night. He’s a truly hardworking and dedicated {Peace Corps} Volunteer, and never satisfied with how much he’s doing. We went to see Ron & Nancy Shiflet at their San Salvador house, but no luck, they weren’t home. Jaime & Fred are both pretty down on Ron. They say he hardly goes to work, has the subdirector of Ganaderia {Livestock Farming} pissed off at him, and never gets out to the campo {rural zone}. I’ve only seen him once or twice around the {Peace Corps} office, & he says he’s not doing much. He shouldn’t slack off in his support of the other guys like that though - they’re bitter.

<I haven’t written to Sofia yet - wrote 3 or 4 lines.> It’ll have to wait ‘til I get to Metalio.