YGA Autumn Summit

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to attend the Youth Goodwill Ambassadors of Denmark Autumn Summit, in which we had one special guest, RH Prince Joachim of Denamrk.It was such a great experience to meet him and it was so impressive how inspiring he is. I am in the middle of a big 1-week exam but I promise I will further elaborate on this story next week ;) wish me luck in my exam jejeje  ....

There is a link from the Danish Royal Family website so you can read more about it :)

Prince Joachim on Denmark at the International Talent Conference 2016 YGA

The Rights of the Youth!

Hej everyone!!

I wanted to share my article regarding the rights of the youth. This was an initiative in alliance with the Europæisk Ungdom Nordjylland / European Youth Nord, an  organisation I joined not long ago; its purpose is promoting and defending the European values (Equality, Democracy, Peace, Rule of law, Liberty, Tolerance, Respect for human dignity and social inclusion) in Northern Denmark. Besides being the protectors of the European values, the organization on a European level, is fighting for a more democratic and close ties amongst  EU citizens.

My article was published by the Nordjyske newspaper 10.11.2015 and it is quite exciting  because it makes me feel empowered, it clearly shows that our opinions can be heard and exposed to the public (even if we are not in our home countries). Since it was published in Danish language, I also have an English version on it, and I am sharing it below with all of you !!  :)

Needless to say, if you wish to become a member of  European Youth Nord and get involved within our mandate, or want to know more about how we work and what we do, do not hesitate to contact me, I am going to be sharing more experiences within this experience.

This is the facebook link 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/182524402439/?fref=ts

and twitter

https://twitter.com/eudanmark

"The importance of understanding your rights"

By, Sonia Zavaleta

I firmly believe that human rights are extremely powerful and present in our global era, they represent our fundamental privileges and freedoms, they identify us as human beings regardless legal membership of state, sex, religion, race, income, etc.; however, human rights also represent our obligations and duties. It is crucial to understand human rights from an individual as well as a collective perspective since the basic notion of human rights lies on the recognition that we need to care about the rights of others.

The international Law of Youth Rights highlights the importance of youth within the decision-making process; the world is failing granting us, young people, some of our fundamental rights so that we can live a dignified life; for instance, I come from a country where the right of education is not fulfilled, education is considered a “luxury” regardless our intellectual capabilities; furthermore, it is nearly impossible to find a job even though we have university degrees. According to the 2015 World Labour Organisation report, six out of ten jobs available to young professionals in Latin America are in the informal economy, which means that youth are lacking stability, career opportunities and access to labour rights. Rachel Jackson highlights that "our youth are not failing the system; the system is failing our youth. Ironically, the very youth who are being treated the worst are the young people who are going to lead us out of this nightmare.", her rhetoric clearly indicates that there is a cry for help for youth empowerment in order to tackle the issues  the world is facing today, and I strongly agree with her.

Nonetheless,we, as the young leaders of tomorrow need to be aware of our fundamental rights and liberties as well as speak up when our rights are being affected. Young people need to have an active participation within the public sphere, for instance, the involvement in politics, non-governmental organizations and civil society sector is important so that we can keep ourselves updated of what is happening around, thus, we must make sure whether our governments are doing enough to ensure our rights.

The Purpose of International Law of Youth Rights is to encourage youth participation within the many areas of development, especially concerning the right of education and opportunities; needless to say, we, as young leaders, need to keep in mind that human rights education is not only about memorizing the bunch of rules and principals we need to respect but it also entails action and behaviour, we need to show the world that we are important, that our rights are a priority; we are the future of our nations and a nation that does not produce, then collapses. I want to finish up this article claiming that nothing should stop us to assume the responsibilities for our future and to speak up for our rights , otherwise, we will not be able to build the society we want.

The Danish Social Model (healthcare)

One of the things I was aware of before coming to Denmark was the fact that it has one of the more stable models in terms of entitling social security benefits to its citizens regardless their affiliation within the labour market. When I learnt I was coming to Denmark, I knew I was going to be well taken care of, here all citizens have equal rights and social services are free of charge. I feel so proud I am experiencing the Danish educational system (of course I will post a blog about it as my semester progresses). Regarding healthcare, residents of Denmark as me, have a private doctor, whom we can contact when we have any health issues and I knew at some point I was going to use the healthcare system as well (I needed to book an appointment with my doctor because of my stupid joint problems); HOWEVERRR, I had to join a hospital muuuuch sooner than expected!!  

I will never forget this anecdote, it has been a month already yet I still remember it as if it took place yesterday!!! A normal Monday, and me riding my awesome bike to the city centre to do my normal duties before my 2 pm class, there is a downhill rode to take from my home (note I was not riding crazy fast, I am a very careful girl) and suddenly, my shoe somehow slipped with the pedal, leaning my body forward and unable to hand-break because of my useless joints (they get really numb and sored every morning because of past problems --I had the Chickungunya Fever on July before coming to Europe and joint pain is an aftermath of it, unfortunately, buuuut that is another story---  also the Nordic cold weather does not help either)!! 

Long story short: My tiny body swept the downhill road, ended up landing below a car smashing  it with my head and pelvis (as far as I remember)

Result post accident? injured knees, disgusting horrible-looking wounds, overstretched thighs and bruised hips 

Bike condition after the accident: A totally useless twisted front wheel, more and less damaged basket,  yet the rest remained in good condition.

My first reaction was to try to stand up, however, I was unable to do so! Some people saw everything (of course it  was super embarrassing) and tried to lift me up, but of course they couldn´t, therefore, I was invited to an ambulance ride and rushed to the hospital, once there they made tons of x-rays to exclude major damages on my head and dismiss the possibility of having a broken pelvis. Luckily, I was "okey" in terms of "not broken bones nor damaged head", however, they told me this could have been much worse. I am again so grateful to have my friends with me, they never left me alone and it is very special to feel their love and support!

Now I am fully recovered, my bike is fixed, and as I said before, if you come to study in Denmark, no matter how safe you feel, you are not exempt from these type accidents. I am speaking based on my own experience yet more students also have gone through same situations, nonetheless, you will never be left alone, the system guarantees welfare and you don´t have to pay anything back, hospitals have excellent facilities and most of the doctors/nurses/administrative staff speak English, so you have nothing to worry about; however, just try not to end up visiting hospitals without planning to do so, as me ;) ... In any case, a piece of advise for the ones reading this post, please wear a helmet if possible, always and I stress it aaaaaaaaaalways use front and back lights  when riding at night (I am going to be serious on this one), I have heard many horrible stories about it!!! Anyways you don´t want to get any hilariously high fine for not having your bike lights, do you??? and bring your documents with you even if you are not going far away (residence permit card and CPR) !!

That´s all for today!!!

cheers :D

Scholarship Issues? =(

I cannot believe we are half way through the semester, my studies are going really well and I am really excited about my big project, I will write about it in a different post, though ;). A lot has happened since i moved to Denmark, and as I mentioned before, I came here thanks to an Erasmus Mundus scholarship. However, having a scholarship does not imply that our lives will be much easier!! When people ask me why I applied to scholarship I reply the following:

Education is considered a luxury in El Salvador, if you have money then you can go to school, it is just as simple as that!!! (unless you find yourself a scholarship) and even though most of us don´t have financial means to afford education in our countries, nor even in a foreign country, our dreams and goals remain alive, and they encourage us to fight for these opportunities, which are not easy to achieve. It took me three years to get this scholarship award, and now that I finally get it I never thought I also had to face some unexpected hurdles. 

Scholarships are not supposed to be paid back nor cut into percentages, (note that I am speaking on behalf of the Global UGRAD grant, which I was part of in 2011-2012 and EM grant, the one I have now) yet in this case, somehow being Salvadoran is playing against me. I was notified my scholarship is not free from taxation,  I of course was very shocked!! and when asking the reason behind this is? then again, My Nationality :(  Yes!! Indeed!! I never expected this, it is very disappointing that my country does not have a bilateral agreement with Denmark, and therefore I have to give the 38% of my total scholarship. I believe it is very unfair, especially when most of your scholarship out of tax goes towards your rent, it is nearly impossible to live by a couple of hundreds of Danish Krone, and the fact that I don´t speak the local language makes it more difficult to find a student job. 

I am extremely disappointed with this news but I will not let this take over me, I am determined to find a solution to this inconvenience; it is of course unfair that my Erasmus Mundus friends have no issues with their scholarships because their governments have bilateral agreements with the Danish government but I am also hopeful that something can be sorted out. 

I won´t give up, though, a positive attitude during hardships is a good point of departure, and it is also healthy to keep smiling, even throughout low moments. I will keep everyone posted regarding this because I am sure more Erasmus Mundus international students coming to Denmark might have to face the very same issue on the near future if their government happens not to have this agreement!!!

Wish me luck and hugs from Denmark !

Youth Goodwill Ambassador in Denmark

Hi everyone, I wanted to share that I was selected as Youth Godwill Ambassador in Denmark, an initiative of Copenhagen Capacity, which is the entity that makes this possible. I feel so honoured to represent Aalborg University as well as share my life experience in Denmark so far!

I am also pending my blog about the differences between Danish and Salvadoran education systems. I will do that later, though, I am too tired to write jajaja

My new life

2015 was a year full of ups and downs regarding both professional and personal aspects; it has taught me so much about my country and how we strive to get ahead everyday, and therefore, now I value three times more what I had in my previous life back home and what I have now, in my new life stage. It makes me sad and impotent to know what we have become as a country and the rest yet to come, it makes me sad I was never able to go cycling or swimming because of fear of ending up in the wrong place/time and therefore, expose myself in the middle of cross-fire struggle between police and gang members, it makes me sad my parents cannot go to work because public transportation is paralyzed, It makes me sad to remember waking up by shot guns outside the neighbourhood, but it also makes me sadder millions of people (including my family) are still under the same conditions.

I have always believed that hard work and determination pays off, regardless where you live. I am from a country stormed by the huge issue of violence and insecurity; even riding the bus to go to work was something I used to fear everyday. My former job was never my favourite, honestly, I threaded it; however, I will never regret about former experiences because those shaped me as a professional. I now know the real face of private companies and what private sector workers can go through, because I lived it! On the bright side, though, private sector companies are sources of jobs for many young Salvadorans, so at least I had a job, and even though it was such a painful 6 months working within horrible conditions, I am aware that you can also reach further opportunities if you know where to look and how to do it.

It has been a month since I moved to Denmark, and it has been such a wonderful experience. How did I end up here?I was awarded a scholarship to study my masters degree in Aalborg University; I look back 4 months ago and I still cannot believe it !! it is amazing to be given this opportunities after 3 attempts, and even though there is so much work to do, it is quite nice to be a student after 3 years =)

I am fully motivated and look forward to thrive, and I think this is the evidence that you can achieve what you want if you truly desire it. I must highlight that Danish educational system is very different and challenging, however, I strongly believe that I will somehow manage to get through it. I will be talking about it in a separate post since there are INMENSE differences between El Salvador and Denmark´s educational/working systems (mostly about differences regarding education).

Hugs from Denmark

Some fotos of 2015

House of Respresntatives , Costa Rica  

My classmates Aalborg Universitet

Danish stunning lanscape

Honour to have conversations with Ambassador of Colombia in El Salvador and US Consul General

El Salvador team at Costa Rica tour 2015.

US Embassy Independence Day :) alumni ambassadors

Olympic Day, triathlon friends :D

 Helsinki cathedral, August

Suommelina Island, August 2015

I love Finland :)

new amazing people

friends

Aalborg mayor and AAU rector :)

Marcha por la Paz y la Justicia #ElSalvador #PorLaPazSV

So today, I decided to march on my bike to celebrate the "#PeaceDay". On his visit to El Salvador,UN Secretary General claimed : "El Salvador is an example for the world" , I hope today`s iniciative marks the beginning of a new path, a new beginning brightened with hope, justice, equality and respect for rule of law. Even though our country remains still wthin a post-war cycle, peace is still far from being reached. Nonetheless, if we all speak up for our rights and commit ourselves to work together to restore prosperity and fight violence through peaceful ways, perhaps El Salvador starts walking a different track.