Farmer Jose and his Razor cell phone

So Morazán is a funny place. It's definitely a land of contrasts. The most obvious example of this is the ubiquitous Motorola Razor cell phone. There's nothing more out of place than this device, but I'd say that 50% of the population has one or at least a similar phone.

This is a common scene:

So I’m walking down a dirt road and I hear a ringtone like “Born in the USA” or some Daddy Yankee reggaeton song. I look around and who pulls it out of their pocket? The old farmer man in the cowboy hat, boots and dusty clothes.

Everything is very appearance-based here. A family may have a house made out of dirt, cook over a fire and eat only beans and tortillas, but they have a nice cell phone.

Technology-wise, life here is probably a lot like the US in the 50s. However, with the influx of US dollars from remittances, there are lots of anachronisms. For example, cell phones, internet, laptops, plasma TVs, cable TV, playstations, SUVs, etc… Most of the money from the US does not seem to go towards basic needs or everyday life, but towards luxury items.

Everyone laughs at my cell phone because it is very bottom-of-the-line. They call it my ladrillo (rock). They say that if someone stole it they would give it back to me. But hey, that’s fine with me, as cell phone theft is extremely common in this country.