I just read an article that brought to my attention some positive movements that have been happening in Cuba that work to further the rights for the GLBTQIA community.
Maybe this is old news, but I just thought I´d share it because the surprise of what I read made me very happy...
One of Fidel Castro´s daughters has been a big pusher for the acceptance of the GLBTQIA community in Cuba, and therefore has helped some laws pass in support of GLBTQIA people /couples. This lucha for justice is setting a progressive tone over Cuba and its residents... More continue to partake in this process for human rights; it´s impresionante.
The BBC News has some neat articles on the above; I recommend checking them out!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
A good good afternoon!
About an hour ago the group and I arrived in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua.
Our bodies can already tell the difference between climates, and they show it by giving off a decent amount of sweat. It feels good to be starting in a new place, but I think we´ll need a couple days to let the good stress settle down.
Well, tomorrow four others friends and I are going to Granada, Nicaragua, and then we´ll be there for a day or two before moving on to Lake Ometepe. We´ve got some neat hostels lined up and we´re ready for some spontaneous relaxing, exploring and people-meeting...
Our last day in El Salvador was finished off by presenting our group projects. One of mine was about globalization in El Salvador and the other was a dance that two friends and I choreographed to demonstrate oppression and liberation.
Packing went on late into the night... actually early into the morning, and then at 2:30 am we left for the bus station!
Echale ganas siempre...
About an hour ago the group and I arrived in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua.
Our bodies can already tell the difference between climates, and they show it by giving off a decent amount of sweat. It feels good to be starting in a new place, but I think we´ll need a couple days to let the good stress settle down.
Well, tomorrow four others friends and I are going to Granada, Nicaragua, and then we´ll be there for a day or two before moving on to Lake Ometepe. We´ve got some neat hostels lined up and we´re ready for some spontaneous relaxing, exploring and people-meeting...
Our last day in El Salvador was finished off by presenting our group projects. One of mine was about globalization in El Salvador and the other was a dance that two friends and I choreographed to demonstrate oppression and liberation.
Packing went on late into the night... actually early into the morning, and then at 2:30 am we left for the bus station!
Echale ganas siempre...
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
copapayo/suchitoto
Copapayo is an island near the colonial city of Suchitoto, around an hour away from San Salvador. I spent last weekend there - staying two nights in the Center for Art and Peace and one night in a rural community of Copapayo.
Once again the time was filled with hearing testimonies from the armed conflict. We had an extremely deep, touching talk with two survivors of the Massacre of Copapayo. One recounted images of seeing his mother and sister lying massacred upon the barren ground, surrounded by others who had just been killed by the military minutes before. The other told of her fleeing to the woods in order to escape the military raids of her community and those surrounding.
This was only one of eight massacres that plagued the area around Suchitoto and Copapayo during El Salvador's armed conflict.
Once again the time was filled with hearing testimonies from the armed conflict. We had an extremely deep, touching talk with two survivors of the Massacre of Copapayo. One recounted images of seeing his mother and sister lying massacred upon the barren ground, surrounded by others who had just been killed by the military minutes before. The other told of her fleeing to the woods in order to escape the military raids of her community and those surrounding.
This was only one of eight massacres that plagued the area around Suchitoto and Copapayo during El Salvador's armed conflict.
Recent update
Hey everyone!
I thought I would take this quick chance to stop reading about Liberation Theology homework (I'm currently on a chapter which speaks about social justice and eco-feminist insights - of Elizabeth Johnson's book Quest for the Living God) and write a few words...
Our first weekend in a rural homestay in San Jose de Las Flores (in Chalatenango), I went on a hike and finished with some big "rashes" on my arms and hands... The next day, after swimming in the Pacific, I got to experience El Salvador's emergency room situation because the supposed rashes actually turned out to be burns... 2nd degree burns with some growing, yellow blisters...;) sorry! The doctor made a plastic surgeon come in and during this whole time I was not believing all that was going on... my friend and I actually had a great time during this whole emergency room endeavor...laughing and all.
As my blisters were being attended to the "Pequena cirugia" room's door was wide open... people were passing by and many decided to stay and watch in the doorway... way to make new friends, eh! Haha but it was all de buena onda and like I said, this was a great opportunity to see different styles of health care systems, how needs are met, etc.
*PS: While in San Jose de Las Flores, the Vice Presidential candidate for (leftist) FMLN (january 2009 elections) Salvador Sanchez passed through (as he was doing his weekend travels of visiting small, rural communities) the community and spoke. I got to hug him and exchanged some words--it was awesome and very unexpected.
ARENA has been in power here for a very long time. The majority of Salvadorans (specifically the impoverished) want (and have wanted) a change from ARENA -- need a change from ARENA. ARENA is expected to win in the upcoming elections, but the people also have a great deal of fear that their will be another electoral fraud. I have met some foreigners here who will be serving as official observers in January for the elections. If I would be here, I would do it too.
The Presidential candidate for FMLN is hailed by many (specifically progressives). He was a journalist/reporter and took a great social justice stance during the armed conflict... following he continued to speak out publicly against oppression, corruption and injustices.
Sure, doing that in the US, for example, is seen commonly - but here it is dangerous, literally life-threatening to speak out against the system (specifically during the armed conflict).
Today was one of the busiest-- we had class (like we do three times a week) at San Salvador's public university (which costs $25 per month to attend). At noon we headed back to the house and had lunch, then it was nap time... By 1:45 we had to leave for the UCA (University of Central America)-- which is a private Jesuit university (where the 7 Jesuit priests along with the gardener's wife and daughter were assassinated in 1989 during El Salvador's armed conflict). There we talked with a Jesuit UCA professor who is originally from the Bronx. He spoke with us a lot about economic and political situations in El Salvador, then we later talked about migration. Around 740 Salvadorans migrate to the US daily. If one doesn't make it or is deported, then one usually makes 3 to 4 more attempts. Number one and two reasons for migration: unemployment and poverty.
El Salvador's number one source of income is from family remittances - Salvadoran migrants in the US sending back money to their families in El Salvador.
Whatever goes on with the US economically (specifically because ES is on/uses the Dollar) affects incredibly ES.
The vast majority of goods (including the Dollar) are imported here. This is covered up greatly by the Salvadoran system.
Regardless, there exists beautiful and absolutely monumental grassroots movements here. The group and I have been graced with the presence of some of the most revolutionary people I have met in my life. We have been invited into, and learned greatly from, numerous small, rural communities that personify - embody - the most genuine definition of solidarity and progressive, unified action. Although they do exist, I have never seen such movements by small pueblos like this in the US.
Despite the system, transformative, effective actions are being done... There is a saying in Guatemala famous amongst the people: Somos jodidos, pero estamos contentos.
Very much love,
I thought I would take this quick chance to stop reading about Liberation Theology homework (I'm currently on a chapter which speaks about social justice and eco-feminist insights - of Elizabeth Johnson's book Quest for the Living God) and write a few words...
Our first weekend in a rural homestay in San Jose de Las Flores (in Chalatenango), I went on a hike and finished with some big "rashes" on my arms and hands... The next day, after swimming in the Pacific, I got to experience El Salvador's emergency room situation because the supposed rashes actually turned out to be burns... 2nd degree burns with some growing, yellow blisters...;) sorry! The doctor made a plastic surgeon come in and during this whole time I was not believing all that was going on... my friend and I actually had a great time during this whole emergency room endeavor...laughing and all.
As my blisters were being attended to the "Pequena cirugia" room's door was wide open... people were passing by and many decided to stay and watch in the doorway... way to make new friends, eh! Haha but it was all de buena onda and like I said, this was a great opportunity to see different styles of health care systems, how needs are met, etc.
*PS: While in San Jose de Las Flores, the Vice Presidential candidate for (leftist) FMLN (january 2009 elections) Salvador Sanchez passed through (as he was doing his weekend travels of visiting small, rural communities) the community and spoke. I got to hug him and exchanged some words--it was awesome and very unexpected.
ARENA has been in power here for a very long time. The majority of Salvadorans (specifically the impoverished) want (and have wanted) a change from ARENA -- need a change from ARENA. ARENA is expected to win in the upcoming elections, but the people also have a great deal of fear that their will be another electoral fraud. I have met some foreigners here who will be serving as official observers in January for the elections. If I would be here, I would do it too.
The Presidential candidate for FMLN is hailed by many (specifically progressives). He was a journalist/reporter and took a great social justice stance during the armed conflict... following he continued to speak out publicly against oppression, corruption and injustices.
Sure, doing that in the US, for example, is seen commonly - but here it is dangerous, literally life-threatening to speak out against the system (specifically during the armed conflict).
Today was one of the busiest-- we had class (like we do three times a week) at San Salvador's public university (which costs $25 per month to attend). At noon we headed back to the house and had lunch, then it was nap time... By 1:45 we had to leave for the UCA (University of Central America)-- which is a private Jesuit university (where the 7 Jesuit priests along with the gardener's wife and daughter were assassinated in 1989 during El Salvador's armed conflict). There we talked with a Jesuit UCA professor who is originally from the Bronx. He spoke with us a lot about economic and political situations in El Salvador, then we later talked about migration. Around 740 Salvadorans migrate to the US daily. If one doesn't make it or is deported, then one usually makes 3 to 4 more attempts. Number one and two reasons for migration: unemployment and poverty.
El Salvador's number one source of income is from family remittances - Salvadoran migrants in the US sending back money to their families in El Salvador.
Whatever goes on with the US economically (specifically because ES is on/uses the Dollar) affects incredibly ES.
The vast majority of goods (including the Dollar) are imported here. This is covered up greatly by the Salvadoran system.
Regardless, there exists beautiful and absolutely monumental grassroots movements here. The group and I have been graced with the presence of some of the most revolutionary people I have met in my life. We have been invited into, and learned greatly from, numerous small, rural communities that personify - embody - the most genuine definition of solidarity and progressive, unified action. Although they do exist, I have never seen such movements by small pueblos like this in the US.
Despite the system, transformative, effective actions are being done... There is a saying in Guatemala famous amongst the people: Somos jodidos, pero estamos contentos.
Very much love,
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The Future of the Human Soul
This book is awesome thus far. I recommend it incredibly.
Our profesora for Liberation Theology is having some of us read it in order to do a presentation this weekend when we'll be in Suchitoto.
Anyway, I will update with some of the book's information when I get further into it...
I just wanted to put that recommendation out there!
Last night I realized I had not been sucked into a book so much for a long time:))
Our profesora for Liberation Theology is having some of us read it in order to do a presentation this weekend when we'll be in Suchitoto.
Anyway, I will update with some of the book's information when I get further into it...
I just wanted to put that recommendation out there!
Last night I realized I had not been sucked into a book so much for a long time:))
Minnesotans thinking wrong about Barack?
Last Sunday I watched a BBC News clip about one of John McCain's visits to MN in October. It showed McCain with a crowd taking questions... one woman actually said Barack is "an Arab."
WRONG
People are even calling Barack a terrorist.
I was soo disappointed to see that Minnesotans were saying this!!
People--- we must become informed!!!
McCain at least corrected this woman, telling her essentially that she did not know what she was saying...
Eek, I know I sound harsh but it may be because of McCain's performance tonight on the debate...
WRONG
People are even calling Barack a terrorist.
I was soo disappointed to see that Minnesotans were saying this!!
People--- we must become informed!!!
McCain at least corrected this woman, telling her essentially that she did not know what she was saying...
Eek, I know I sound harsh but it may be because of McCain's performance tonight on the debate...
First embassy visit
An emergency trip to the Embassy happened two days ago--- we had to get our voting ballots sent out-and pronto.
The trip was pesado... but a success!
This Friday we will have an actual official visit there, meeting with officials and everything.
The trip was pesado... but a success!
This Friday we will have an actual official visit there, meeting with officials and everything.
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