March 5th 2010 – A full Day
Saturday, March 6, 2010 at 02:29PM Today I had to go to San Salvador to drop off a solicitation letter to the CSSP (Ministry of Health). This is a NEW requirement from last year. Why they could not tell me that last week when I dropped off the inventory and the letter of solicitation from the Berlin doctor, I’m not sure. Unless it is such a new thing that the secretary who received the paperwork last week did not even know.
Oh well. So I went. It is a bit frustrating. It is a two hour drive. And this particular visit lasted about 10 minutes while the secretary verified that this is indeed what they needed and that now they had everything they needed to review it next Wednesday and hopefully approve it.
So four hours in the car for a 10 minute CSSP visit. Sigh.
Fortunately, I had another reason to be in San Salvador. A woman who I ‘met’ via email was visiting her son and his wife and their babies. She was visiting to help them for a couple of weeks after the birth of their beautiful new daughter.
I ‘met’ this woman when she emailed explaining that she was going to be in El Salvador and had to bring an empty suitcase so was there anything the Pastoral House could use so she could make good use of that empty suitcase. Well of course, there are always needs here. Usually over the counter medicines and/or vitamins. People come to the door her all the time in need of those items. And when we have them, we dispense them – unfortunately, the needs are usually greater than what we sometimes have on hand.
So I had given her a list of things we could use: vitamins for adults and children, cold medicines, Ibuprophen, etc.
Jody and her son Spence met me at CSSP and I followed them in his car to their home. They live within a block of the U.S. Embassy. And I found out that they live right next door (literally) to the helicopter pad attached to the home of former president Christiani. And sure enough, a helicopter landed twice while I was there! It was a bit surreal.
We had a lovely visit. I found out we had many Iowa connections. Jody currently lives in Texas with her husband but she was from Clive and went to Westminster! And Spencer’s dad even lived on the same street as me in Clive. What a small world.
They invited me to lunch and I enjoyed a lovely cold pasta salad with black olives and I THINK artichoke hearts – so unlike the foods here – it was a bit of a pleasant surprise. And I got to hold a two week old baby. And play with the cutest 15 month old boy. He reminded me of my boys when they were babies.
I left about 2:45 and stopped at a grocery store on the way out of town. I made it home by about 5. Alicia was waiting for me. She reminded me that I had promised that we would walk the Via Cruz. This is the every Friday Lenten procession for the Stations of the Cross that takes place after the 5 p.m. mass.
I was SO tired. And I hesitated because I knew that it would last almost 3 hours … I was going to try to ‘beg off’ but she told me I had to go read my email. She told me that after I read the one from her, I would gladly accompany her for the procession.
The memo section merely said “ICK” – Here is what she wrote:
“I just wanted to let you know that you really dodged a bullet today at lunch. That's right. They served Torta de Pescado again. It was awful. I almost died. God must really be watching out for you. And I'm starting to wonder what I did to make God punish me this way. Jesús also looked pained when he ate the Torta. He swished water around in his mouth when he'd finished. I hope you enjoyed your lunch. I'm going to go get a snack.”
I laughed out loud. A couple weeks ago we had been served this traditional Friday during Lent meal and even I thought it was ghastly. And even I could not eat it and I can eat almost anything! Both Alisha and I had snuck as much as we could into the trash and buried it deep that day.
Pescado is fish… Torta is I’m not sure what. However it is prepared, it is salty, slimy, mushy, very fishy in flavor and smell and (to me) just plain ucky.
So I figured I owed her!
So we went. I had considered asking if we could sneak away about half way through. The Via Cruz is a procession that we honor and remember the walk that Jesus took to the cross. During the procession, the leader – a different person each time - says a reflection, reads a scripture about this particular station, says another reflection, then we say together the Lord’s Prayer, Hail Mary and a couple other little things, and then we all move on to the next Station while walking very slowly and singing). But by the time we got to the 8th Station, I decided I could keep going.
By the time we got back, we were quite hungry and I was bone tired. But I’m glad she ‘guilted’ me into going.
Reader Comments (2)
I like to describe the Torta de Pescada as the texture of bread pudding that tastes likes nasty, salty, fish. It's like fish puree made into a cake and sitting in soggy stew.
Also, I want to thank Kathy for walking the Stations of the Cross with me. It was a two and a half hour event. THANK YOU!!!
Hi Kathy,
It was artichoke hearts. I tried to think of something I could make ahead of time. I had a delicious vegetarian torte while there, so it must have been the type of fish that changed the dish.
I'm so glad to have met you.
May God bless you and your work.
Jody