Mana Concert

Just a quick note.  I went to the Mana Concert on Friday (there a band from Mexico) and it was very cool being amongst a crowd that new all of the words and sang along with a ton of gusto (it would not have been the same in the sates).  I've added pics from the concert to my YASC album, so you should check them out.

Traditional Celebrations in El Salvador

So over the last week, I have had some very early mornings and awesome experiences all related to traditional customs in El Salvador.

I'll start with:

#1-las fiestas patronales de San Francisco de Asis (or in english the celebration of the patron saint of San Francisco de Asis).  So basically last weekend, I took the bus to El Pital on Saturday around 1pm to be a part of the "fiestas" from the beginning which started with the election of  the queen of San Francisco de Asis.  San Fracisco de Asis is a big deal to the church in El Pital because the church is named after him.  The election started with a parade of the 5 queen delegates (between the age or 4 and 8).  Three cars were nicely decorated with balloons and streamers and then the little girls were placed on the hoods of the cars to be paraded around the town.  After the parade we started the election process.  I had the pleasure of being a judge, which meant I got to count the money put forth towards one of the girls.  My little girl was named Carolina, and guess what she won! (I can't wait to post these pictures but I took the pictures with the Rev. Irma's camera since I forgot mine so I'm still waiting to get the pics).  In between the ballots, the women from JUL shared information on violence prevention and several of the kids performed skits and dances.  After the elections and the crowning of the queen, there were fireworks and pupusus (yum).  They had fireworks that went up into the sky and also a "bull of fireworks" which was held by one of the young men and as he ran around fireworks shot off in little spirals (it was kind of crazy).  

On to the next day.  I woke up at 4:40Am, in time to leave Irma's house at 5AM to go to an early mass at El Pital and eat "shuco", a traditional soup/drink made out of corn (it's very similar to grits).  After mass I got the pleasure to help (or it might be better just to say learn because I'm not sure how much of a help I was) make tamales.  I got to be part of the process from the beginning to the end.  We started with the corn kernels, which we took to the "molido" (the mill) to turn the kernels into "masa" (which is basically ground up corn with some ground up vegetables and water).  Then we added chicken stock, butter, and oil to the batch and brought everything to a boil.  The next step is to actually form the tamales, putting a little bit of the "masa" into a banana leaf, adding a little potato and chicken, and then rolling the banana leaf up.  Then the rolled up banana leafs are put back into water to boil and then the next step is to eat the tamales.  It was such a treat to be able to learn from the great cooks of El Pital and just to get a chance to chill and talk with them about daily life.  During the cooking process there was also games and a pinata for the kids and more decorating of the church to prepare for a second mass at 2pm that the bishop was coming to.  I unfortunately had to leave before the second mass but the women sent some of the tamales home with me, so I got to try my handy work when I got home.

#2- Dia de Muertos- The second traditional activity that I got to participate in just a few days latter was to join my Spanish teacher (Lisandra) at her family home in the "Departamento Cabanas" and in the town "Guacotecti" or in short "Guaco" to celebrate the day of the dead on Nov. 2.  "Guaco" is out in el campo, so it's away from the pollution and busyness of the city and it was super nice to just be out in the country side (I was actually able to see stars).  The basic agenda of "el dia de muertos" was lunch, a walk to the river, a visit to the cemetery to lay down flowers, a trip to the park, and then back home for dinner and desert.  Through out the day we (Rachelle- a friend from CIS, and I) were also playing with the many cousins in Lisandra's family.  Our playing ranged from playing basketball, swinging, hide and seek, to musical chairs with me signing songs from Sound of Music and "Leaving on a Jet Plane".  Rachelle also brought paper and color pencils with her so I came home with some beautiful artwork to put on my walls.  Our journey ended with waking up at 4:00AM on Thursday so that we could get back to the city in time for work at 7:30AM.  I have to say taking the bus, is always a journey in it self; for instance the buses that go back and forth from San Salvador to "Guaco" sit three on one side and two on the other and they definitely pack you in tight.  I feel really lucky to have had the opportunity to experience "el dia de muertos" in El Salvador and I deff recommend checking out my pics, which i have already uploaded to my YASC album.

So I think that's it for now; I hope everyone is doing well back in the states and I hope all of you other missionaries/YASCers are healthy and happy!

Nursing in El Salvador

So far I've been pretty impressed with the organization within the nursing department of the Ministry of Health of El Salvador and within the community health centers here.  Regarding the nursing department, everything is very regimented as they have guidelines for everything; for instance right now I am reading "Guías Clínicas de atención a la mujer en los periodos preconcepcional, embarazo, parto, puerperio, y al recién nacido" and "protocolos de atencíon de enfermería para el primer y segundo nivel de atención de salud" ("Clinical Guidelines of care for women in the preconception period, pregnancy, childbirth,postpartum and newborn care" and "nursing care protocol for the first and second levels of health care").  So far in my clinical practice, which has been in the vacine department to start, all the nurses I work with seem to follow these guidelines to a "T", which  means I've been getting a lot of feedback as there are some differences between how they do things here and how we do them in the states, for instance the site of injection.  I am slowly learning the Salvadoran way of doing things.

During my first week in the clinic, I have also been overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork that is completed by each medical professional; absolutely everything is documented and in about five different places.  Everything is also very regimented, for instance the kids can't get their vaccines before receiving their well child check, so every child that comes in to get a vaccine also ends up getting a medical check up; which is very important in a country where many kids are underweight or infected with parasites.

Along with the guidelines for everything, the nursing department has a committee for everything; making sure that there is continuous evidence based research being completed throughout the clinics, community health centers, and hospitals in El Salvador.

In general the nursing department at the Ministry of Health has taken me under their wing and set up an amazing orientation for me and all in the name of cross cultural exchange as they are not being paid for any of the help that they are giving me.  To give a quick overview of my orientation, the first week I had the pleasure of reviewing the various guidelines and meeting with various committee members to hear about the research they are completing.  Two weeks ago I started in "La Unidad de Salud Barrios", a community health center, where I will be rotating between immunizations, child and women's health, adolescent health, family planning, TB & HIV programs, and various other programs.  Starting at the beginning of December, I will start rotating between different ECOS teams, ending with the family health ECOS team that is working in El Pital, which is where I will be based permanently when I finish my orientation.  I have to say, I have been highly impressed with how organized my orientation has been.

Now just to say a bit about a different system that is not so organized, immigration.  Unfortunately, instead of spending the beginning of last week participating in the health care of women and children, I spent the first three days of the week in the department for foreigners in immigration presenting my paperwork for my temporary residency.  So, basically the way it works is that there is a list of required documents that you need in order to apply for residency, which in reviewing this list last Monday, I supposedly had everything I needed but it seems that new requirements are made every day depending on who is processing your paperwork.  So, basically you wait for 3-4 hours just to be seen and then you are told that you need something else and then you go back the next day and the same things happens; can you tell I'm a little bitter (oh well, I guess that's just they way it is and I'm working on becoming more patient daily).  Well that's enough of me complaining; coming soon I will post about my amazing weekend in El Pital this past weekend for the celebrations of the patron saint San Francisco de Asis.

El Salvador- in a state of emergency due to rain

May through November is usually the rainy season in El Salvador, but the last four days have put a new meaning to "the rainy season":


(Information and links bellow taken from Tim's El Salvador Blog)


The country is under a state of emergency.   In a press conference Saturday night, president Funes called for all elements of Salvadoran society to pull together.   As of tonight some 13 thousand Salvadorans have been forced to flee their homes, and the death toll has risen to 10.

Emergency efforts to distribute food are underway for families forced from their homes.  Donations are being received from many sources, and the Salvadoran armed forces are participating in distribution of emergency aid.


The current weather map at this link shows the weather systems which have been affecting El Salvador and also includes weather forecasts for the coming days. 


As of now, the city of San Salvador (which is where I live) has been spared from flooding, so I am fine and safe, but just a few miles away people are being displaced from there homes.  In this time of need, I ask that you keep the people of El Salvador in your prayers.

A Busy first two weeks

So, let's see, what has happened since my last post.

I've been to the Ministry of Health several times to start coordinating my first few months of clinical work here in El Salvador.  As of now it looks like I will be splitting my time volunteering with different ECOS familiares teams throughout the country.  ECOS is a new community health program in El Salvador in which teams made up of a doctor, two different types of nurses, and a community health worker go out to specific communities lacking in resources to provide primary/preventive health services.  I also hope to spend some of my time with the "Programa de Salud Integral" which is the health care program provided by the Anglican church to most of the communities that they serve in.  After my first three months, the hope is that I will start to spend most of my time in a clinic in "La Primera Via Anglicana" in El Pital (one of the Anglican communities, which does not receive health services from the"Programa de Salud Integral" and is in need of re-structuring).  Look back in my pasts posts to learn more about El Pital.

I have also increased my knowledge of the health care system here in El Salvador through political/cultural language lessons, meetings at the Ministry of Health, a visit to Hospital Rosales (the main public adult hospital), and a visit to Hospital Benjamin Bloom (the main public children's hospital). I've met with several different groups of nurses to learn about the role of a nurse in El Salvador (turns out the top dog nurses do have some prescribing rights but only when it come to preventative medicine- such as contraception; they even put in IUD's).  I also met with a group of nurses (Comite de Enfermería Comunitaria) working to establish a nursing health care model based on Dorothea Orem's self care theory (and I thought nursing theory was just something you learned in grad school- turns out the nurse's in El Salvador are putting it into practice).  When we went to Hospital Rosales we met with some nurses in a Union and some of the facts that they shared with us were very shocking; for instance there is about one nurse for every 33 patients, during an eight hour shift a nurse is not allowed to eat or leave to go to the bathroom and if they do they are punished.  I have to say, I would never be able to work in these type of conditions and I feel lucky to work in a country where I have the right to eat and go to the bathroom while at work.  I could probably right another two pages just about the health care system here in El Salvador but that might get boring (the basics are that public hospitals and clinics are over crowded, people have to wait for days on end to get care, and there is a lack of medicine but the new government is trying to work towards positive change).

I've traveled a fair amount.  I've been to the beach both Saturdays and I am slowly learning how to surf.  Last weekend I also went to El Pital with Casey (a Cristosal employee).  We met up with Irma (the priest that works in El Pital) and then made our way to the community house that was re-modeled by  JUL (look back in my past posts to learn more about this group- but in short they are a young women's group working against violence and towards positive change in El Pital) to watch a talent show.  The talent show was great and it was really nice getting a chance to see some of the members of the community again; the last time I was in El Pital was a month ago with the YLA.  It was kind of funny, when they introduced me, they said Reverenda Erika (apparently they were confusing me with Kit, the priest that also accompanied the YLA group one month ago).  Saturday night we stayed at Irma's house and then Sunday we went to two church services, one at San Mateo and the other at El Pital.  Then we took the bus back to El Salvador; I had some delicious Taiwanese food for dinner (who would have guessed) and stopped by a birthday party with a group of gringos and Salvadorans that are quickly starting to become one of my circle of friends here.

Over these last two weeks, I have also been taking spanish classes in the morning at CIS (http://www.cis-elsalvador.org/), which has been a really great opportunity to improve my Spanish, get to know more about the cultural and political situation in El Salvador, and get to know some new people.   I would suggest checking out there website, they're a pretty cool organization.  One subject that we talked about a lot this week was the presence of gangs in El Salvador, which is just supper complicated and the problem is every where.  At this point I'm not really sure how to explain my perception of the gang situation but I do want to share some movie titles if anyone if interested in learning more about this subject: "La Vida Loca", "La Mara", "Los Hijos de la Guerra", "Sin Nombre" (I think these are all in Spanish but probably have English subtitles).  I would also recommend watching "Voces Inocentes", which takes place during the civil war.

Speaking of websites, you should also check out Cristosal's website (http://cristosal.org/), since they're a pretty sweet organization as well and I'm technically a volunteer under  the Anglican church and Cristosal.

Hmmm, I think that's all I have to say for now.  Oh, last thing, I've been adding pictures to my picasa account, so you should follow the link and check them out.

Settling in to El Salvador

So I am finally here!  After sleeping 2hours I left logan airport at 7:30AM on Wed. Sep. 21 (2 days ago).  The plane flight was good (I mostly slept) and some how I was able to get one 51pound bag and one 54pound bag checked with out any extra charges.  I also carried on a one cup coffee maker, which I think security found a bit suspect but let through.  I do realize that I can buy coffee makers here but my housemates don't have one and I had one so I though I might as well put it to good use.

When I got the airport Noah (the director of Cristosal) picked me up, we went to the offices and then to an outdoor community meeting (held on a grassy patch in between two highways) for the right to land.  Then I came to my new El Salvadorian home (where my fantastic housemates greeted me despite the fact that they thought I was coming a day later).  The house that I am staying in is really nice and safe and my new house mates are also very nice, one is from El Salvador, one is from France, and one is from Oregon.

Once I dropped my bags off, we went to get some dinner in a random alleyway, which had the best loaded mashed potatoes.  Then it was time for bed and I was ready for it.

Yesterday, I unpacked, cleaned my room, and I got to know my city (San Luis).  I now know, where I can buy groceries, where I can get money out, and what street vendor to buy vegetables and fruits from (all thanks to Marion, one of my housemates that showed me around).  I also know where I can take aerobics and dance classes for $2 a class.  Turns out San Luis is a happening place.  Next Ana (another housemate), her friend, and I took a stroll to CIS (a language school that focuses on the political and social context of living in El Salvador) and inquired regarding Spanish classes for myself and English classes for them (as they are from El Salvador).  On the way back home we stopped at a licuado (milkshake) place and I had a delicious mango, pineapple, orange, and milk licuado.

Then last night I had my first experience on the public bus system taking the 30B (stop very close to my house) to the 101 D to a cultural event, which was being held by the French cultural center (I went with Marion who is my house mate that is from France).  I have to say the bus system was pretty easy; for some reason I was very scared anticipating the experience but it's not bad.  The cultural event was very nice with live music and some food.  Then I had another typical El Salvadorian experience getting home when the sky opened up and the rains came down turning the streets into rivers (a frequent event here in El Salvador during the rainy season).  We ended up waiting for a taxi for 20min under an umbrella but eventually got home and we were not completely soaked.

And now it is Friday, wow the time has flown buy!  So today, I may get an opportunity to meet with the ECO team coordinator, which is the medical team that I hope to volunteer with for the first few months to get my feet wet.  Also in the works, is a trip to the police station to get a criminal background check for my residency here.  Well now I go to unpack a little more and hopefully I will be a little quicker at updating you all in a few days (sorry it took me a little while).

Less then 24 hours to go time!

So I'm about to leave for El Salvador; I head out tomorrow AM at 7:45!  I almost have everything packed although I've probably packed to much seeing as I have two 50 pound bags.  I finally have an address, which I will add to my profile as well (feel free to send me letters, it just may take a while for them to get to me); my address is: Colonia San Luis, Pasaje 2, Bloque 11, Casa 26, San Salvador, El Salvador.  I'm getting excited!

YLA El Salvador Mission Trip Day 6 & 7

Thurs.. Aug. 11 (Clearing ground space for gardens/farming in la Anemona & Trip to Suchitoto)

9:00- 12:00- The kids finally got there taste of manual labor in El Salvador, clearing land of grass and routes with the community of Anemona to prepare it for gardening.  It was pretty hot with the sun blazing down but I have to say it was kinda of awesome working hard and seeing a field covered in grass and weeds transformed into a field ready for tilling and farming.

2:00-7:00- Suchitoto walking tour- learned about the history of the town (and old colonial city) and the architecture and visited some artisan  shops, including a workshop for crafts made with indigo (anil is Spanish).

Now were headed back to San Salvador, where we will hopefully have some delicious papusas for dinner.

Fri. Aug 12- Day at the beach (El Zonte) and trip to the Ministry of Health

So I’m writing this Thursday night so everything I say is what I suspect will happen but knowing El Salvador there is likely to be a few changes.  I want to write about Friday now because I am uncertain when the next time is that I will have internet access and I wouldn’t want to keep you all handing since I am coming to the end of my time in El Salvador before I head to Guatemala for medical Spanish language lessons on Saturday.

So, the plan for tomorrow is that the group (YLA and mentors minus me) will head to El Zonte, a fabulous beach, for a day of reflection and probably a bit of fun.  I am headed off to the Ministry of Health of El Salvador with the one of the lawyers that works with Cristosal to present my Nurse Practitioner credentials (several license with apostille) to try and obtain an El Salvadorian nursing license (should be an interesting experience).  If all goes well, the hope is that I will be done by the afternoon and can head to the beach with Noah (the director of Cristosal) to join the rest of the group.  Then I will join the group for reflection time and fun in the sun (maybe some surfing) and come Saturday, the group will head to the airport, where they will leave me and then hopefully I will get an opportunity to check out some possible living options for when I come back in September prior to catching a bus to Guatemala city at 1:00pm

Well, that’s about it for now; I’m pretty sure I will most likely sign off from blog updates until I return to El Salvador in Sep. (most likely around 9/20).  I will post my pictures when I get back to the US (in about a week), which you can check out on the picasa stream and please feel free to make any comments you wish.  I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a little bit more about El Salvador over this last week, I know I did.

Paz y Amor, Erika

YLA El Salvador Mission Trip Day 5 cont.

Poema de Amor/Love Poem (Los Guanacos) by Roque Dalton (SV= Spanish Version, EV= English Version) (this is a bitter sweet song about the stereotypes that are often given to El Salvadoreans but with the reminder that they are really our brothers and sisters; please excuse the strong language)

Verse 1:

SV- Los que ampliaron el Canal de Panama (y fueron clasificados como “silver roll” y no como “gold roll”

EV- Those that widened the Panama Canal (and were graded “silver roll” and not “gold roll”), Those that repaired the Pacific fleet in the bases of California

Verse 2:

SV- Los que se pudrieron en las carceles de Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua por ladrones, por contrabandistas, por estafadores, por hambrientos,

los siempre sospechosos de todo (“me permit remitirle al interfecto por esquinero sospecho soy con el agravante de ser salvadoreno”),

EV- Those that rotted in the jails of Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras and Nicaragua, for being thieves, for being contrabandists, for being scammers, for being hungry,

they are always suspected of everything (“Let me sentence the deceased for being a suspicious loiterer, and worse still Salvadoran”)

Verse 3:

SV- las que llenaron los bares y los burdeles de todos los puertos y las capitals de la zona (“La gruta azul”, “El Calzoncito”, “Happyland”),

los sembradores de maiz en plena selva extranjera,

EV- Those that filled the bars and bordellos of all the ports and capital of the region (La gruta azul, El calzoncito, Happyland)

the planters of corn in foreign jungles,

Verse 4:

SV- los reyes de la pagina roja,

los que nunca sabe nadie de donde son,

EV- the kings of the red pages

the ones that nobody ever knows where theyare from

Verse 5:

SV- los mejores artesanos del mundo,

los que fueron cosidos a balazos al cruzar la frontera,

EV- the best artisans in the world,

those that were sown with bullets when they cross the border

Verse 6:

SV- los que murieron de paludismo o de los picadas del scorpion o la barba amarilla en el infierno de las banereras,

los que lloran borrachos por el himno nacional bajo el ciclon del Pacifico o la nieve del norte,

EV- Those that died of malaria or scorpion bites or pit vipers in the banana tree hell,

those that cry drunk at the national anthem in pacific cyclones or the snows of the north,

Verse 7:

SV- los arrimados, los mendigos, los marihuaneros, los guanacos hijos de la gran puta,

los que apenitas pudieron regresar, los que tuvieron un poco mas de suerte,

EV- Those up against the wall, the beggers, the pot smokers, los guanacos sons of bitches,

those that barely made it back, those that had a little more luck,

Verse 8:

SV- los eternos indocumentados, los hacelotodo, los vendelotodo, los comelototdo, los primeros en sacar el chuchillo,

los tristes mas tristes del mundo,

EV- The eternally undocumented, the do it alls, the sell it alls, the eat it alls, the first to take out a knife,

the sad ones, the sadest in the world

Verse 9:

SV- mis compatriots, mis hermanos.

EV- My countrymen, my brothers.    

YLA El Salvador Mission Trip Day 5

Wed. Aug 10 (Service Project: JUL from La Primera Via Anglicana, El Pital, Lourdes cont.)-

Today was a great day of getting to know the JUL group.  We started off by making friendship bracelets.  I totally used to make these when I was younger but somehow I have lost my sweet skills.  One of the young El Salvadorian boys made me a very neat and perfect friendship bracelet and the bracelet I was able to give him (made by hand of course by me) was more of a mix of knots, backwards friendship bracelet knots, mixing up the order of colors, and braids but he was still very appreciative.  It was a great way to start a day of friendship building and as you will see from my pictures there was a lot of mixing of cultures and it was crazy how quickly the El Salvadorian youth and women picked up the whole friendship bracelet thing.  After friendship bracelets we had a snack break and ate papusas (I don’t think I will ever get tired of this food- it’s just so delicious).  Then we transferred onto El Salvadorian crafts and learned about the piñatas, hammocks, cards, and jewelry that many of the community members make and sell (usually meaning that most of the community really has 3-4 jobs to be able to sustain a very modest lifestyle).

Next we all piled into our bus and headed to the Ruins of San Andres.  I wish I had more to say about the ruins (which were very pretty and the museum was very informative about Mayan culture) but what really made this place special was the crazy teambuilding games that we played.  As the Bostonians with much experience at an Episcopal camp, we shared one of our tame games called “Eye contact tag” in which you stand in a circle, start looking down and then all look up on the count of three and stare at someone; if you make eye contact with someone when you look up then you’re out.  We played this twice and then moved on to an El Salvadorian game called “Arranca”- Pull out the onion.  Now this was an intense game- basically one person was assigned to be the “onion peeler” (cebollero)- whom was our lovely 16year old teenager who is 6’2” (he’s a pretty strong guy).  Then everybody else lined up clasping their hands around the stomach of the person in front of them with the very first person holding onto a tree.  So the goal of the game was for the “cebollero” to peel off the people in the chain one by one (or a group if possible) by pulling on the last person in the line.  Now, us North American mentors were a bit skeptical, seeing as we just had lunch and it seemed like there was going to be a lot of pulling and probably a lot of falling but no one wants to turn down the opportunity to participate in an activity of a different culture so we went along with it and it was hilarious.  I have to say there is just no better way to get to know someone fast then by holding onto them for dear life so you won’t get pulled off of the line of people.  Eventually the “cebollero” was able to peel everybody off, and by the end of it everybody had their fair share of dirt covering their legs and body after falling to the ground like a piece of onion being peeled off.

Next we frolicked around the ruins a bit, took some pictures and did some Yoga with our group of 25.  If any of you watch Yoga movies, you should keep your eyes out for “Yoga in the Ruins of San Andres”; I’m pretty sure we were living the Yoga dream.

One of the YLAers is a gymnast and pulled out a round off back handspring on the grass, which just tugged on my past gymnast soul  and I broke down and joined her for a dual round off back handspring and I’m happy to report that I did not fall on my head.

And then the day with YUL was over, we rode back to El Pital and had to say good bye.  So you may be asking, where was the “Service Project” of this time with JUL, which is a very good question and a question that all of our YLAers are struggling with right now.  At least twice a day someone will ask, when are we going to do the manual labor- the hard work (what happened to building houses and bridges).  Yet, they are doing hard work and are just starting to realize this.  Building relationships, standing by people in solidarity in God’s kingdom is not easy when the people you are working with are struggling day today just to buy the necessities to keep their children and themselves fed, clothed and with a roof over their heads; and not to mention all of the violence that has surrounded their lives with the civil war and know an overwhelming presence of gang violence.  What JUL wanted from us, was that we would listen to their story and that we would witness the good and courageous work that they are doing and join them within the Anglican communion.  The presence of the Episcopal church in El Pital is very small and to see that there are communities that have similar beliefs, hopes, and visions all over the world (in our case specifically Boston) is inspiring to the small Episcopal community of El Pital (at least that’s what they tell us).

So I realize that this is quite a jumble of dates, times, stories, and theological reflection but I hope you’ve been able to follow most of it.  My hope had been to write something daily but seems like that’s just not going to be my style so I hope my three day in one works.  Hopefully I’ll be able to get one or two more blogs in during the remaining two days that we have but I have to say time if flying fast.

Addition from tonight’s activities:  We had a traditional music performance tonight and I plan to post the lyrics from one of the songs “Poema de Amor/Love Poem (Los Guanacos)”, which I feel gives a good snap shot of El Salvador life.  As soon as I write down the lyrics I will post it (probably tomorrow) – it’s like a to be continued……

YLA El Salvador Mission Trip Day 3 & 4

So I'm a bit behind so hear we go:

Mon. Aug 8 (Historic Sites of San Salvador)

7:30: Breakfast at the Casa de Alexa Guesthouse

9-12: Historic Sites of San Salvador

The Divine Providence Hospital (Hospitalito)- This is the place where Oscar Romero lived as archbishop.  He was invited to live in a large estate by the church but refused choosing to live simply and among his people; so the nuns at the Hospitalito offered him a room at the back of the chapel and eventually a very modest house within the grounds.  The Hospitolito is a hospital for terminal cancer patients and is run by nuns.  The Hospitalito is also the place that Oscar Romero was assassinated while giving mass (a sniper came into the grounds in a car and through the open doors at the back of the church shot Oscar Romero while he was standing in the front behind the altar finishing his sermon).  This is always a very powerful place to visit, given how important the life and death of Oscar Romero is within the history of El Salvador. 

University of Central America (UCA)- Museum recalling the massacre of the Jesuits and many others along with more information on Monsenior Romero.  A place that I have been many times and is thriving with the energy and power that is liberation theology.

12:30: Lunch at Comedor  Nelly’s (chicken lasagna, casamiento (rice and bean mixture- marriage of rice and beans, and guacamole)

1:30-5:00:More Historic Sites of San Salvador

 Catedral de San Salvador- Crypt in the basement of the cathedral (the area where the popular mass is held and the tomb of Romero)

Artisan Market

Visited the National University of El Salvador and learned about the various murals throughout (in the art school, law school, ect.).  One of the murals we saw was completed by an art teacher who had been killed one week prior by gang violence

6:00: Dinner

7:00- 9:00: Salsa Lesson (salsa, cumbia, bachata, merengue)- absolutely hilarious watching some people learn how to Latin dance.  There was a lot of spinning, slipping, and running into walls.  I loved it.  The YLA also tried to teach the “cotton eyed joe” without music (hilarious).

Tue. Aug 9 (Service Project: JUL from La Primera Via Anglicana, El Pital, Lourdes)-   El Pital is the community in which I will likely be performing a community health assessment and working as a community health coordinator (pictures of the clinic will be posted once I get back to the US).

The day basically consisted of major relationship building with a group of El Salvadorian youth that ranges from 13-28.  The concept of youth is quite interesting in El Salvador as it has a huge age range (seeing as it seems to go up to 30) and also consists of women and men with children.  I feel like in the US, if you have children you are usually considered an adult but that does not seem to be the case in El Salvador.

As the service project with JUL is a big part of the mission trip I want to give some information about JUL provided by Cristosal:  JUL is a group of women working towards “Women’s Empowerment for the Prevention of Violence:  This project seeks to accompany fourteen (now ten) young women in the cultivation of skills, confidence, resources, and social networks necessary to affect permanent sociocultural changes in the community.  The girls will establish permanent programs for development in art, spirituality, and recreational activities that will be shadowed by workshops in the civic, personal, and professional formation.  This training and personal development process will be paralleled by a project for economic development.  The young women will demonstrate their leadership in opening and management of a library café.  The girls will work with other community members to rehabilitate the abandoned community house and convert it into a center for the formation of community identity through art, dialogue, and educational programs (and we got a chance to see the rehabilitated community house which is beaming with colors and decorated with ribbons and piñatas).

For a snack the community shared a delicious food with us called Rigua de Elote (basically a sweet tortilla made of corn with cheese and cream).

For the evening we had two speakers that spoke about refugees and human rights in El Salvador; both very heavy topics and worth saying more about but I’m sure I will have an opportunity to say more about these topics when I come back in a month and a half.

YLA El Salvador Mission Trip Day 2

Today was an amazing day; so many relationships made and so many stories shared.  I think I’m going to start putting a little break down of each day with times and all to start of my blog s for the rest of the week.  I just feel like there is so much stuff  jammed into each day, I may just touch on a few things but it’s probably still nice to have a background of everything.

Sun, Aug 2 (Celebrate Mass & Community Visit to La Anemona, II & VI in San Martin)

8:00AM- Breakfast at the Casa de Alexa Guesthouse (desayuno tipico- eggs, beans, plantains, bread, pineapple, melon juice)

10:00- Church in La Primera Via Anglicana, El Pital, Loudres (as the priest of this parish was on a religious retreat, our amazing Kit- priest and leader extraordinaire- gave the sermon and celebrated the Eucharist just 30min after she was asked to do so)

1:00-5:00- Meet with La Anemona (Listen to community members’ testimonies & visit community destroyed in Tropical Storm Ida)

This is where I could say so much but I don’t know where to start.  The community of La Anemona is an amazing community that was displaced from their homes on Nov. 6-7, 2009, when their homes were literally washed down the mountain from Hurricane Ida.  Then as a community they made the decision to move as a whole about a ½ mile down the road where they became squatters (leaving the land the owned behind).  Over the last two years they have worked with Cristosal to get both water and electricity to their new community but they are still working (writing letters, petitioning) to gain rights to own the land they live on.  Today, when we visited this community, several of the youth from Anemona took us on a walking tour of the area they left behind (a small road surrounded by many abandoned houses and an amazing view of the lake and surrounding mountains but a very dangerous place to live; now with sharp drop offs and crop lands destroyed by the mudslides- the crazy mix of beauty, poverty, and danger that I feel is prevalent all over El Salvador still continues to awe me).

After walking with the youth, it was soccer time and my turn to try to teach several little girls how to throw and catch a Frisbee without throwing the Frisbee into the many people and houses that crowded the busy streets (it was a pretty fantastic time all around; got a nice soccer ball to the face followed by a pretty sweet header on my part I must say  it was such a blast watching these 9-13 year old girls learn the wonders of throwing and catching a Frisbee). 

I want to say more about Anemona but I’m finding myself without more words to describe what I experienced and felt today so I guess I will just have to cut it short.

And now I am back at Case de Alexa, full and ready for bed after a delicious dinner of papusas (a traditional El Salvadorian dinner and one of my favorite foods ever).  Good night!

In El Salvador for a week with some awesome Youth Leadership Academy (YLA) youth

So, I find myself in El Salvador aprox 1mo and 1/2 prior to the time that I will come back and stay for a year.  Lucky me, this is my 7th consecutive summer bringing a great group of kids (the YLA) to a place that I have learned to love.  We will be here for a week and our fantastic hosts (Cristosal- whom is the organization I will be working with for my year of medical mission work) have planed an amazing intenarary full of learning about El Salvadorian history (the recent civil war, liberation theology, Oscar Romero, ect.) and plenty of community development and relationship building with some amazing women in El Pital (the community I will be voluntering in when I return in September).

For me, my morning started at 5AM when I woke up and took the shuttle bus with my fellow mentors (best people ever) to the American terminal.  Flew through Miami with the chatter and excitement of 9 teenagers to keep me entertained and arrived in El Salvador around 2pm.  From the airpot we went to the "Museo de La Palabra y La Imagen", a musem that strives to remind people of the recent strife (with the civil war starting in 1980) that the El Salvadorean people went through, in hopes that this recent history will not be forgoten but rembered and effect change towards a more just El Salvador.  There is plenty more to say about the museum but with the 2 hour time change, I am writing this at 12:30AM US time and I'm ready to fall asleep.

After the museum we arrived at Casa de Alexa, which will be our humbel abode for the next 5 nights.  It's really a great place.  Dinner was superb (beef with mushrooms, rice, salad, and home made juice) and now it's bed time.

Hopefully I will have more to say tomorrow.  Sorry for the spelling errors (tried to do spell check and the computer wants to spell check in Spanish, which just turns everything yellow)

Check or credit card tax deductible forms-Print out and mail back with your donation

DATE Mr. Kurt Barnes, Treasurer The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA 815 Second Avenue New York, NY 10017-4594 Dear Mr. Barnes: I hereby give to the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America a gift in the amount of ____________. As a preference, though not as a condition of my gift, I suggest that it be used for the program or purpose designated as follows: Support of the Mission Personnel Program, Young Adult Services Program and Erika Almquist . (Name of missionary) ____________________________ Donor's name and address ____________________________ Signature and date Make checks payable to: DFMS or the Episcopal Church USA Mail to: Yanick Fourcand Mission Personnel The Episcopal Church Center 815 Second Ave. New York, NY 10017

Date _________________ Mr. Kurt Barnes, Treasurer The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA 815 Second Avenue New York, NY 10017-4594 Dear Mr. Barnes: I hereby give to the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America a gift of $_____________per month for the period of ______________ to ______________(or a one time donation of $___________) to be charged to my credit card. As a preference, though not as a condition of my gift, I suggest that it be used for the program or purpose designated as follows: Support of the Mission Personnel Program and/or Erika Almquist’s ministry. (name of missionary) Credit Card Type _______________________ Credit Card Number ___________________________ Expiration Date ______________________ Your signature __________________________ Date________________ Your Name __________________________________ Mailing/E-mail Address ________________________________ Telephone _______________________________________

Fundraising Letter- printed, folded, licked envelopes, and stamped 60 so far (thanks to the help of Cindy and my mom)

 Starting in September I will be embarking on a year long medical mission trip in El Salvador as a Young Adult Service Corps (YASC) Volunteer. YASC offers one year assignments, from health care to youth ministry, to Episcopalians looking to explore their faith and grow through cultural engagement, vocational reflection, and serving others. I’m writing to ask for your support in helping me deliver health care services in El Salvador this upcoming year.

As a Family Nurse Practitioner I will be serving as a Community Health Coordinator, working towards establishing a self - sustaining community health program in the community of El Pital, which will address clinical, pharmaceutical, and preventive health needs. El Salvador has one of the weakest economies in Latin America because of internal strife and military dictatorship for over 50 years and a series of natural disasters. Most of the population is without access to education, health care, and economic opportunities, making it extremely difficult to rise above poverty. Although medical care is free at state health facilities, clinics and hospitals are in poor condition, qualified medical staff is in short supply, and rural areas often lack medical services altogether.

You can become a part of this medical mission by supporting me in my endeavor; I will greatly appreciate any donation you can make, no matter how small. If you feel you cannot financially support me, keeping me in your thoughts and prayers will be just as appreciated. Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Erika Almquist

While in El Salvador I will keep a blog to document my adventures, challenges and successes. Please join me virtually at http://erikasyascmission.blogspot.com/.

All donations are 100% tax deductible (check & credit card contribution forms -see next post)

What's YASC and why am I spending a year of my life doing medical mission work?

             Starting in September I will be embarking on a year long medical mission trip in Central America or South America as a Young Adult Service Corps Volunteer. The Young Adult Service Corps (YASC) was brought together by a diversity of Episcopal voices concerned with peace, youth, and mission and it is specifically administered by the Missions Office at the Episcopal Church Center. YASC is a program focused on bringing young adults into the life of the Anglican Communion, through work with an Episcopal church abroad. The program was first conceived by the Standing Commission on Anglican and International Peace with Justice Concerns.

             YASC offers one year assignments, from health care to youth ministry, to Episcopalians looking to explore their faith and grow through cultural engagement, vocational reflection, and serving others. Nurses are educated to be caring health care providers and in order to uphold the Declaration of Alma-Ata, which declared health a fundamental right nearly thirty years ago, it is my opinion that nurses and nurse practitioners should volunteer their work and offer their professional expertise to the neediest people. The Declaration of Alma-Ata, established a goal that “all people would reach a level of health that would permit them to lead socially and economically productive lives” and by including health care within their mission, YASC is participating in reaching this goal.

              The YASC program will give me an opportunity to participate in God's mission outside the United States in a culture amongst a people that is different from my own. For many years now, I have had the aspiration to serve medically-underserved populations. In the past year, I have had the opportunity to do this locally through participating in a nurse practitioner residency program in a community health center in Worcester. Currently, I serve a low income population from diverse cultures, a high percentage of whom are Spanish-speaking immigrants. I hope that volunteering abroad will improve my clinical cultural awareness by working with the same population within the context of their native communities. I believe that this will also enrich my medical practice in the future as it will allow me to bring increased knowledge and empathy to my work with a growing population of Spanish speakers in the United Sates.

              As a YASC missionary I am a representative of my home worshiping community, specifically the Church of the Epiphany and the Episcopal Church as a whole. Although there are a handful of YASC volunteers each year, we are all called to serve in different countries and therefore are on our own as we venture to apply our skills and talents into whatever projects we are asked to start, lead or help out with. Since I will be on my own, in a foreign land far away from family and friends, the support and prayers of my home worshiping community will be essential. Therefore I invite you all to participate in my ministry abroad, so spiritually we will be together in doing this important work to make a more healthy and spiritually just world.

YASC mission year: Location still TBA but most likely El Salvador