Promoting Civil Society Participation within El Salvador´s Youth

It is my pleasure to share that It was such an honour to have taken part in this forum, it gave me so much possitivism and enthusiasm for what is yet to be seen in the Salvadoran horizon!! Needless to say, I am very much convinced that the Int´l Community is playing a vital role within this task, their sense of commitment to work for the Salvadoran youth is very strong and I firmly believe that their actions will have a possitive impact to promote development and national growth in every sense.

Let me share you some fotos!


Promoviendo la Participación Ciudadana de las Juventudes Salvadoreñas - PROJUVES

Vicepresident of El Salvador

German Ambassador to El Salvador

Somo of the ideas we came up with regarding public policies

A selfie with the Spanish Ambassador 

Three great cooperants and promoters of ESA`s development

"It is about dreaming the impossible" Spaniard Ambassador claimed :) 

The European Union Head of Mission in El Salvador talked about EU initiaives targeting the Salvadoran youth

It is such an honour to stand beside these flags 

Part of the Diplomatic body and Salvadoran authorities

Feliz de aprender de los grandes!

Hallo Österreich =), und Europa!

My first EVER European experience came out of the blue! I would have never pictured myself in Austria, Germany and Hungary 3 months ago but I am so happy and grateful I got to see another beautiful spot of this big, but small world.

Radio communication is very important in a peacekeeping mission !!

Awesome team

So yes, the reason I was sent to the Old Continent was a Training Course on Civilian Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding,  I was one of the lucky folks who were awarded a scholarship funded by the Austrian Government (Danke, Danke, Dankeeeeeeschuuund for trusting meeee =) !!! ), so that was a big motivator to embark this 3 week journey!

Happy after a long day

The venue was the stunning Peace Castle located  in a town called Stadtschlaining, which is in the Burgenland province. I was a bit scared at the beginning since I had never been to Europe before nor never have I ever experienced such an advanced  peacekeeping training, specially because of my lack of experience, however, it turned out to be more than just a theoretical matter but I could internalise and experience the actual role of peacekeepers whilst exposed on the field.

Study case !!!

Map reading and radio communication :)

We learnt a variety of skills such as how to act and behave in different situations and areas where peace has been disrupted; moreover,  we also analysed the role of  IGOs, NGOs, peacekeepers, host societies, civilians, military occupants, etc. when being exposed in risky, vulnerable or post-conflict areas. Last but not least, we learnt how to act within our mission mandates! One of IPT goals is "enhancing desirable personal attitudes, stressing the importance of active involvement in the host society and promoting a reflective and critical approach", therefore, there is a strong attachment between myself and every theorethical and practical experience gained whilst taking part in this trainning, specially, because I live in a country that is going through a ongoing, yet still rough, transitional period since the civil war in the 80s!

lectures :)

Mine Field exersice!!!!

Some other skills leant during this training were radio communication, map reading, stress and conflict management and surviving mine fields. Believe it or not, those are important when being deployed for a mission! The most exciting part was the 4x4 driving exercise, which consisted in driving a 4x4 wheeled car in hazardous environments, Finally, we got to see beautiful cities such as Oberwart and Vienna, which are full of culture and history! My friends and me also toured Szombathely, Hungary and I spent some hours in Frankfurt, Germany!

Radio Communication theory

Practising some mediation !! 

Overall, Europe was a such a meaningful experience in all senses and I really wish to go back, either for masters, another related course or an internship, that would be AMAZINGGGGGGG, I made so many friends from all over the world but at the same time, I reunited with old friends from my last exchange program in Montana (how cooler could have this experience been ????!!!).

Big thanks to my parents, who always support me in all ways, my professors and lecturers, whom I learnt so much from, my advisors, the Austrian Gov´t ,obviously!! :), and ALL my lovely friends who came across my path, and whom I had so much fun with. It would not have been a success without all your support and guidance!!

Hungary

Finally, for those who have asked me how and when to apply, just visit this website and stay tuned with the next call for applications regarding IPT,,, good luck in advance  :)

 http://www.aspr.peacecastle.eu/

More pictures belowwww, enjoyyyyy !!!!

OSCE Officer mission was a success

I was so honoured to be a OSCE Officer for a day!

ASPR card :)

Watch out everyone ;) jajja

Me expressing my gratefulness after such an amazing course

My study place :)

My Bozeman friends Greta and Eric :D

Girls can also change huge tires ;)

I love EU and Austria 

Bike ride in Vienna !!

Yeaaah, I drove these 2 4x4 Machines jejjejjeje ;)

Triatlón Internacional Fiestas Julias

Hi my dear friends!

I raced the most important tri of the year, it is a very special one for many reasons: Firstly, it is held in my hometown, secondly, it reminds me my teenage years and thirdly, it honoured one of the best athletes in El Salvador, I am talking about Mr. David Miranda, who was amongst the greatest cyclists Santa Ana has ever had.

The race took place at Lago de Coatepeque and the swim was all about "surviving a human-washing machine" the first 300 meters! I placed myself behind my teammate but was quickly dropped after some guys pushed me down the water. I found myself with some guys and 3 girls from Guatemala at the end of the swim. In the bike I surprisingly felt very strong in the 3.5k hill and as always, I had to ride the entire 20 kms solo, I was between the 1st pack of boys and the chasing packs, who were behind me but never caught me either! The run felt pretty nice and smooth, I knew I was running well and never looked back, a girl from Guatemala was the closest one but I had a big gap so I was very calm!  I timed around 19 mins in 5k :)

After race, I went straight to my home to see the final match, both teams were awesome though Germans deserved to win, they were my favourite European team. Congrats to Argentina for the outstanding performance as well!

Thank you for your support, I had a lovely day!

When will we restore peace?

I think this is a very ambiguous question ... Even though int´l community claims peace, leaders negotiate it, and armies fight for it, possitive outcomes at greater scale are not yet seen.... Mmmm, to be honest, It is quite difficult to say so, specially, whilst watching what has been going on around the world, and in El Salvador, of course!

I suddenly run into this video, which is the Mongolian National Anthem, sung by lovely kids! Its lyrics express there needs to be respect amongst nations and peoples, it is very beautiful and inspiring!  

What triggered Dark Ages?

I always knew my country was located in one of the most active geologhical areas on earth. In fact, we are full of volcanos, volcanic lakes and hotsprings. However, I find this video fascinating and scary at the same time!

First Half 2014

I know how that sounds, it is certainly unbelievable how fast time flies by, but what I can be certain about is that 2014 has been quite possitive and remarkable. When it comes to sport, I have had great experiences through racing; in fact, I have gotten unexpected outcomes regardless my lack of training and my new "non-pressure-have-fun-phylosophy". I realised that the least pressured you feel, the more fun you have and the better the result tends to be; I did not think about that 5 years ago, when I found myself injured, sick and worn out of the sport´s pressure. Indeed, I can proudly say I feel happy with what I have accomplished and sometimes I even think I can still be competitive at a high level, and  if I wanted, I could still be fully dedicated to sport, but to be honest, I feel detached from that person who used to think about triathlon 24/7. Now I have new goals, new life perspectives and dreams in regards to my professional development as well.

Reflecting about my past life as a full-time athlete, I realise how much I grew up as a person; needless to say, triathlon always opened new opportunities to me, I got the chance to make endless friendship bonds and race in different venues within and outside my country, which was so much fun and I will always feel grateful for that, I will never forget my teens as an athlete who proudly represented El Salvador. It took a while to replace this endless passion for the competitive sport in 2010, it does not mean I do not hold the same passion anymore, but I think that overwhelming yourself with such pressure is not sane. Taking a step away from my sporting life 4 years ago was the best decision, which also led to open myself different opportunities outside my boundaries!  I will always be proud of what I have accomplised within triathlon, of course, and that will never change. However, I will always hold the statement that being an exchange student in America shaped me in regards to my professional and personal development, and thanks to this experience, I now have a clearer indicator of where I want to direct myself to. 

People ask me whether I miss triathlon at a high level, my answer (hand in heart) NO! 6 years ago I used to measure success with trophies, podiums, medals and race results but now it is different, I deem it on how good I do my work and how much I have learnt from it. I will always strive for new opportunities and give my best in everything I do; I seriously feel grateful for the professional development I have come to build since my return from my exchange program in the United States. Being part of the USAID Transparency and Anticorruption Program was such a remarkable experience; it has shaped me as a professional as well as a person in the most possitive way. I discovered skills that I did not know I had and everyday was such a new learning experience; I could see the need of strenghtening El Salvador´s institutions in order to improving domestic issues. There is always going to be abuse of power of course (I guess that´s human nature) , but if there is an enforcement of civil society participation, then a democratic State will remain stable, with the respect of its citizens and the respect of the Rule of Law. Big thanks to the program´s chief of party, who believed in me and gave me this opportunity, I could not be happier and more grateful of being part of this project, such an honour indeed!!! 

First half of 2014 was full of learning and good experiences, I have enjoyed my job and being a normal athlete; I am looking forward to keeping following this professional path and I am eager to learn more about it. I am also excited about my further training and racing meets, but as I said they will be taken as "zero-pressure-level experiences".