Antimicrobial resistance

I have been feeling frustrated recently with my activity setting goals and my inactivity reaching them.  I cannot quite figure out what is wrong.  I think I need to focus more on the things I'm am grateful for, it will help me realize that there are some habits that I have that are really healthy and good.  It's not that my life is completely disorganized and unproductive, it's just that there are some habits that I would like to establish and they seem to escape me.  

On a side note, today is World Health Day.  The focus of this years World Health Day is antimicrobial resistance and it's global spread.  What is that?  This is what I got from the WHO Q&A section:

Q: What is antimicrobial resistance?

A: Antimicrobial resistance – also known as drug resistance – occurs when microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change in ways that render the medications used to cure the infections they cause ineffective...Antimicrobial resistance is facilitated by the inappropriate use of medicines, for example, when taking substandard doses or not finishing a prescribed course of treatment. 

what makes it worthwhile?

Last night some of my friends help put together a fantastic BBQ dinner at a local homeless shelter. It was a lot of work but, I think the guys at the shelter really appreciated it and were thankful.

Afterwards, one of my friends felt the let down that you get after you do something good for people who may or may not ever escape the trap of drugs, alcohol, and poverty. She wondered if there had been any real interactions and if just "hanging out" in that setting does any good at all. In some ways, I wish that mere acts of kindness would help people out of poverty but, unfortunately it doesn't work that way. That does not make the acts of kindness any less significant.

Even so, I think that the question, "What is the good of this?" is worth asking. I mean, seriously. If our intention was to help these guys, we probably didn't do much more than give them a really delicious meal. But, maybe that is enough. We don't have to fix their situation. Maybe our willingness to be present is good enough.

Isn't that [almost] all we want anyway? As I listened to my friend's discouragement --I realized that I felt the same way a week or so ago after we had a big party at our house. We had a good time, we shared good food, and had good people over but, afterwards, I felt a similar let down. I wondered what the good of that type of interaction is, I felt like all my conversations had been short and superficial, so, ok --yeah, we had a good time, but what is the value of that?

Maybe it is the same. We want people to be present in our lives. Sharing food and time is valuable. We can always work towards more meaningful interactions with people and towards more intentional conversations. What is it that makes an activity worthwhile? Is it something we can measure?

child poverty

I went to a hearing on the impact of the recession on childhood poverty. It was very interesting. To say the least. One of the most sobering facts that were mentioned during the hearing was that children who's families started out above the poverty line before a recession and fall under the poverty line during a recession end up with similar outcomes of productivity, education, and health as those who were in poverty the entire time --even if the families are able to improve their circumstances after the recession, those children do not recover as well. Isn't that interesting and sad?

the soloist

I saw this movie last week and it has been on my mind ever since. Homelessness is an issue that I think about all the time. I intentionally seek to know the names of the homeless people that I see every day and I surround myself with people who love the homeless --more than I do.

I want to believe that merely treating people with dignity is a valuable contribution to the common good of all people and that for the thousands of people that might never escape the trap of poverty and homelessness, one person might feel the courage to seek help because someone affirmed them and treated them as a valuable person.

I have become less expectant of radical transformation since the days that I would go hang out on East Hastings in Vancouver, BC when I got to witness the incredible events that led to Trisha Baptie get off the streets through a simple relationship and a lot of other hard but good events.

I do believe transformation is possible, I believe there is hope for the most voulnerable, but what has changed is that I do not expect to be the catalyst for that change. I might get to help someone one day, I might not. I believe that I can be a friend along the journey. To be honest, that is all we really want sometimes anyway. I know I don't always want people to "help" me I just want someone to listen to me...

Even though it can be heartbreaking to befriend people who never get to escape the traps of poverty, I guess I could relate to "The Soloist". I don't know why sometimes things don't get fixed but, I guess the point is that none of us were really ment to be "soloists" we all need the suport of others to help us keep going and to make sense of it all.

that was random

So, last night I went to dinner with some friends. I was sitting next to someone I had never met before so, we just chatted randomly for a while about where we're from, places we've traveled, languages we're interested in, etc.

During dinner we ended up talking about homelessness and I started telling him how I often find myself talking to homeless people that I pass by every day. I told him that I talk to them because I feel like they are my neighbors and I think it is good to talk to your neighbors!

It was an interesting conversation for being a first conversation with someone. He told me that he feels very uncomfortable talking to homeless people. They make him feel insecure and he always feels like they are trying to get something from him.

I looked at him and thought how odd it was that it makes me feel very different when I talk to homeless people. I feel like it is a simple act that affirms us as human beings and even though sometimes there are people who try to take advantage of us, often there are people who just want someone to talk to.

Obviously, there are people that I'm afraid to talk to and there are people that I cannot talk to because they might take advantage of me but, those are decisions that are made on a daily/individual basis. I don't just ignore people automatically because they are homeless.

Anyway, the thing is that as we were talking I told my new friend about these homeless people that I walk by everyday and that I asked them their names so that I could at least say good morning and say their name. I told him that yesterday a homeless man that I always walk by asked me as I was walking by why I never stopped to chat with him. I slowed down, I apologized and told him that I'd come early today so that I would have some time to chat with him.

So, anyway... this morning I stopped by and asked his name and learned a couple things about him. He told me that he ended up on the streets because he has Korsakoff's syndrome where he forgets everything every couple of days. He was nice and didn't ask me for anything, he just told me his story. So, after chatting with him I walked down through the park that I always walk through and said "Good morning" to Joe, who I always say good morning to and then, when I took three steps past Joe...

...someone was walking next to me and he said, "that was weird" and it was my friend from last night! I looked at him in disbelief. It was weird because he caught me in the very act of doing the very thing that we'd talked about the night before when we'd met. We sort of talked awkwardly and walked to our office buildings. It was so random! I wonder if my new friend and I will run into each other all the time now.

worries and blessings

I've been a little more worried than usual in the past couple of days about what is going to happen to me next year. I know that I shouldn't worry. I know that God is good and will provide for me.

I also know that in spite of my worries I am so blessed. I live with wonderful girls. I am in an interesting city and am part of a really good community. I am really happy right now, in spite of my worries.

We loose sight of so many things when we worry. We miss out on the good things in life. So, I'm trying not to worry. With that thought, I think there were times during college that I missed out on some fun because I was worried about stuff.

One thing I will never regret is the time that I spent in the downtown East Side of Vancouver. I just found this video made by my university featuring one of the coolest profs at my school and the East Side. I have MUCH to be thankful for.

it's not you, it's me...

So, I just want to clarify something. I just realized that every time that I have passionately said in the past "THE CHURCH NEEDS TO BE IN RELATIONSHIP WITH THE POOR", what I meant was "I (as a part of the Church) need to be in relationship with the poor".

I don't think I've had a more obvious yet significant realization in years. My frustration "with the Church" is not really valid, if I am the part of the Church that longs to be with the poor, when I get to be with the poor --then the Church (as a result) is being with the poor.

Of course, I believe that the Church should be caring for the poor. I also believe that no one should be doing this alone. There are others in the body who long to be with the poor as much as I do and as we find each other, we ought to be loving the poor together. The rest of the body can/should support this (through prayer, financially, etc.) without it being their primary call just as I need to support the things that are on other people's hearts even if those things are not my primary call.

It is not an excuse for anyone to not reach out to their neighbor but, it is freeing for me. I know this is SO obvious but, I hadn't seen it this way before.

Do you really think that we can end poverty?

This week I was at the Mobilization to End Poverty put on by Sojourners, an organization with the mission "to articulate the biblical call to social justice, inspiring hope and building a movement to transform individuals, communities, the church, and the world."

This week has been particularly strange for me. I returned to DC in January after being out of the country for the fall and I feel like I have changed completely in this past year. A year ago, I wanted to change the world, right now... I want to love my neighbor. I don't want to be a social worker, international development officer, foreign correspondent, educator or any other type of job without first being a "good neighbor" wherever I happen to live. That is not so simple but, also not so complicated.

I feel like one thing that wasn't clear to me all week was the definition of poverty. I mean, I believe that significant structural/social change can happen (it has happened in the past with the abolition of slavery, the civil rights movement, etc.) but, I don't know if 'poverty' is as clear of a social problem to be able to 'end'. Unless we are talking about 'child hunger', 'sex trafficking', or other specific things --I'm not sure if we will be able to 'end poverty' in the same way that was so passionately announced during the conference this week.

Poverty is not just the absence of economic resources and political will (even though these are important) but it is also sustained by the absence of relationships, social links to help and support.

I went to the session on Children, Race, and Poverty and heard the dire statistics about childhood poverty and dropout rates. One in three african-american boys will drop out of high school. One in three of the boys in my second grade class. Then, I went to my 2nd grade classroom yesterday afternoon to have one of my beautiful 7 year old boys start hitting his head on his desk, on the wall, and on the floor saying, "I want to kill myself. I just want to die. Life isn't worth living." He's 7 years old!

I wanted to burst into tears as I held him and told him of his worth and uniqueness. That is poverty. He has clothes and goes to school but, he comes home and his mother isn't home, his brothers don't make food for him, so my little 7 year old ends up making himself dinner, "I eat hot dogs" he says. Can we end this type of poverty?

I have felt so burdened by these things and even though I actually feel an overwhelming amount of hope because I see people building relationships with 'the poor', but I don't know if we will actually be able to 'end poverty' quite so simply.

This morning, when I was walking to work I saw David, a homeless man who always encourages me to not stop having compassion on people. He never asks me for money, he just asks me if I remember his name. I always stop if I see him, even if I'm late to work. He told me that last week he wanted to commit suicide and that he doesn't know how long he can put up with the circumstances he is in. This morning he told me, "You cannot change the world, but you can continue to have compassion."

How do we define poverty? Can we really "end poverty"?

We have so much food! Oh my!

There are so many things on my mind right now. On Sunday, I went to the grocery store to get some food and while I was standing in line I was just observing what kinds of things people were purchasing. I have to admit that the amount of pre-prepared food, frozen meals, snacks, and things like that was almost sad.

I wish that people could enjoy the less expensive and tastier joy of home-made food and eating fresh fruit and vegetables. It is not surprising that people are excessively over weight if those are the kinds of things that they eat every day. It reminded me of a photo essay that I saw a while back called “What the World Eats.” It was a very interesting comparison of how much it costs to feed a family in a week in different parts of the world and also how different the amount of food people have available to them.

Int' Water Day

I like water. I like drinking clean water without any fears of getting sick because of it. Every 20 seconds, a child dies as a result of the poor sanitary conditions endured by some 2.6 billion people around the world.

I think that often I take water for granted. I don't often in my prayer blessing the food say "thank you for this fresh, clean water". Maybe it is a good thing to stop and consider that as a real gift. I'm going to try to celebrate International World Water Day. Apparently, it is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. (I didn't know about it until this year).

There are a lot of random things people could do to celebrate World Water Day.

1. You could learn about and donate to Play Pumps International.
2. You could go to a World Water Day Event in your town/city. [Water for People DC is featuring the Filmmaker of "Blue Gold," Sam Bozzo; Friday March 20, 2009 6:30pm @ 1904 14th St. NW Washington, DC 20009]
3. You could learn more about water and the water crisis through organizations like Water for Life.
4. You could participate in the World Water Day International Poster Contest.
5. You can provide access to clean water for 12 people by using a replyforall email signature for one month.

Last, and not least, you can be thankful for the next clean glass of water that you get to drink.

to end poverty

How to portray poverty without offending the poor...

Not too long ago I went to see the movie Slumdog Millionaire with some friends. The movie is a strange mix of a fairy-tale like romance and a horrible portrayal of what seems like a brutally cruel life in the slums of Mumbai. I left the movie with mixed feelings. It was happy? It was terribly sad? I don't know...

I was just reading about the very negative reaction that many people in India had towards the movie. There were protests about the use of the word "dog" in the title. Many people considered it offensive. At the same time, others have said that it is just that most people wouldn't be willing to be so brutally honest about the conditions that many people do live in. It's complicated, that's for sure.

Obama Inauguration 2009

It was great to get to be on the Mall during the Inauguration. It was freezing cold but, in the crowd you couldn't feel it as much. It was fantastic to get to be part of that historical crowd. I have to admit that being part of such a huge and such a peaceful crowd was one of the most usual experiences I've ever had. I have to admit that I'm cynical about all the expectations that are being thrust upon Obama but, I am truly impressed with the way that this country peacefully passes on leadership. That is an example worth following.

What do Salvadorans Eat?

This is a little bit of photojournalism that makes me feel "homesick" for El Salvador...

Lo que comen los Salvadoreños.

Notice the range in cost and quantity... it hurts a when you learn about the little 10 year old girl who eats one tortilla and a piece of cheese for lunch. She gets paid 6 tortillas a day for helping prepare the 'masa'.

not just words

Lead me from death to life,
from falsehood to truth.
Lead me from despair to hope,
from fear to trust.
Lead me from hate to love,
from war to peace.
Let peace fill our hearts,
our world, our universe.
Peace, peace, peace.
- Satish Kumar

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought,
and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.

- Gilbert Keith Chesterton,English writer (1874-1936)

You are not here to verify,
Instruct yourself, or inform curiosity
Or carry report. You are here to kneel
Where prayer has been valid. And prayer is more
Than an order of words, the conscious occupation
Of the praying mind, or the sound of the voice praying.
- T.S. Eliot

I'll stop so I don't say anything I shouldn't...

I dream of one day having a job that will not feel like a job because I love it so much. There will always been the part of any job that is work, it is not that I don’t want to work hard I just want to be able to be doing something that I love in an environment that is positive. There is a lot to be said about working in a positive environment. In fact, it might be better to have a “so-so” job in a positive environment than an incredible job in a negative environment.

Not enough can be said about working in a space that is not uptight. I think that there is more creative energy in a relaxed environment and in the long run everyone will be more productive because they will be less stressed about life in general and will be able to sustain good work over longer periods of time.

How do you determine what things are cultural and what things are just wrong? The type of relationships I’ve seen in the work environment I’ve been in during the past few months seems to be filled with difficult to decipher cultural differences and wrong behaviors or attitudes. In this culture there is a bit more respect for our elders and people who are in charge are not to be questioned. That being said, I don’t believe that –in any culture-- anyone ought to be able to verbally mistreat the people around them by casting a shadow of doubt on everything that everyone does or says.

The "centro" of San Salvador

Last week, I got to do something that I had wanted to do since I arrived in El Salvador two months ago. I went to the "centro" of San Salvador. I had been warned repeatedly that I should NOT go there alone and I had not found anyone who would be willing to take me there. So, finally, I found the perfect people to take me and got the tour of the "centro" that I had wanted for the whole time that I've been here.

Because of how common thievery is in San Salvador but, particularly in the "centro" I didn't get to bring my camera. I'm a little disappointed about that but, I'm going to do my best to paint a picture with words. As we were getting ready to go we realized that someone who had been living in El Salvador for 7 years, had NEVER gone to the "centro". San Salvador is really a small city so, someone living here for such a long time and never going seems crazy to me.

I think, however, that it just goes to show how easy it is to isolate yourself from the reality that most people live in and experience on a daily basis. It is easy to live and move in "safe" circles and never have to encounter the darker side of the places that you live. Anyway, the five of us went down to the city and parked in one of the many guarded parking areas. We got out of the car and started walking. The street had stagnant dirty water in the gutters and there was litter almost everywhere. Not in massive quantities, just enough that it was decidedly dirty.

We walked a block towards a street that had (at one time) been a road for cars but had progressively been taken over by vendors in small little shops set up in tents and other makeshift shelters. We walked into one of the side streets. People were selling everything, hats, shoes, clothes, pirated DVD's "Three for a dollar!" as you walked down people would reach out to you and ask you what you needed, "What size are you?" the woman selling pants asked, ever store had someone begging you to stop and consider buying something from them. Once we got outside we found people selling fruit, vegetables, tortillas, and all kinds of other produce and merchandise.

We walked around in the midst of all the people, in front of city buses with attitude problems, and around little children who were working or playing depending on how old they were. As we walked around I was moved with sadness and happiness all at the same time. I love being in a space that is so decidedly human and yet, it was also somewhat dehumanized at the same time. The space meant survival, existence, THAT is the meaning of life for those people. That busy, dirty, loud, unsafe bustle of activity is life.

As we walked by the National Theatre, a grand old building, we were invited to go inside because there was a free concert! It was unbelievable. A concert that in the US they could have easily charged us a nice sum of money to get in, we just walked in. As we were being explained what the concert was about a young boy of about 11 walked up to us and said, "Will you tell them that you're my parents?" "Why?" we asked him. "They won't let me in without my parents" he said. So, he snuck in with us. "I come here everday" he said. There was something wonderful about that. Even this young child who was probably an orphan and lived with his grandmother was finding a way to fill his life with some of the beauty that is life outside of the chaotic mess that dominated the space where he lives.

We left the theater to go see the National Cathedral and then walked to the Plaza la Libertad which was like a scene from a movie where you have all the older men sitting around talking or playing their guitars singing the songs from the "good old days". I wondered how they were able to afford such leisure and then I decided to ignore the reality that it meant. We stopped and had an ice cream cone before walking back to our car and heading home to the tranquility that seems unreal in light of now near it is to the "centro" that turns out to be like a different dimension, a completely different reality.

when the wind blows

The wind has been blowing in the past few days. At times it is a threatening and at times it is almost soothing. If you've ever lived on the Chesapeake Bay you'll know that strong wind that makes a loud rushing whistling sound through all the house. If you leave a crack in the window the wind will get to be so strong that it will wake you up (and I'm a deep sleeper usually). I love it! Everything is so cool and fresh when the wind blows.

Last week I went to the Museo de la Palabra y de la Imagen. It is a small museum that is doing its part in helping to preserve the memories of the Civil War in El Salvador. The conflict is so complex, all sides were convinced that they were defending a righteous cause and everyone was corrupted in some way or another by the atrocity that is war. The thing that fascinates me is how the country continues to be passionately polarized. I hope that they will be able to continue to grow in peace and freedom into the future.

an honest living on the bus

When I ride the bus to and from work I find myself with some type of person on every ride who is asking for help. Most people have some sort of speech or performance. There are the recovered drug addicts or gang members who have an amazing conversion story where they talk about how Jesus saved them from their past life. They usually give the message that you too can be saved and ask you to support the ministry that God used to help them by purchasing a sticker or something for 10 or 25 cents.

Other times it will be a man with his son telling us about how their youngest child has a terrible sickness and that they cannot afford the medical expenses to support their family. It is terribly depressing. There is the young boy about age 12 who got on the bus and sang us a song. I've seen him twice. He ends his song and says, "Thank you very much for helping me earn an honest living." It's so hard to see and hear that.

The other day, there was a clown and a man with no legs who got onto the bus. The man painted as a clown made some ridiculous comments and told everyone that his companion was the strongest man alive. He then lifted him up to hold onto the two bars on the top of the bus. He proceeded to do some acrobatic type exercises with some comical interaction with his partner. They then told everyone that they would appreciate a contribution.

A couple of days ago, I saw a young woman dressed as a clown with a little girl waiting to get on the bus. I saw her get on and though to myself, "She looks so sad." She got on towards the end of my bus ride. She set her little girl on the first seat and started to talk. "My name is Teardrop the sad clown. I want to recite a poem for you." She went on to recite the saddest poem. I cannot remember the words only the feeling I had. The poem told of the sadness of the clown that has to smile to hide their sadness, who has to smile to make others laugh. I had to get off before she finished her poem but, it made me feel very sad.

Cardboard Houses

This song is about all the people who live in the cardboard houses. Poverty is so disheartening. Overcoming poverty takes supernatural courage, overwhelming support networks... well, a miracle. Anyone who makes it out is a miracle. It can happen, it happens more often than it would seem like but... the people that remain stuck outnumber the ones who remain stuck. Where is the line between being poor and indignity. I think that you can live a beautiful, satisfying life while being poor but, I think there is poverty that can rob you of your humanity.