Salvis Unidos Podcast

Wearing a tuxedo at a gala, rowing across the Long Island sound . . . no, I'm not talking about James Bond. Ulises dedicates his energy and passion to serving others whether he's doing work for adults with intellectual disabilities or children in El Salvador. In this episode, strap on some cleats and score some goals with Ulises Cartagena.

Ulises is a first generation Salvadoran-American from Long Island, New York. His parents come from San Miguel, El Salvador. He served in the United States Marine Corps, served as an educator and advocate for a family violence and rape crisis center, and now continues to serve the community by working in development for one of the foremost nonprofit organizations in the Northeast that supports people with intellectual disabilities. He is also the Co-Founder of Pazitos, an organization that supports underprivileged youth in El Salvador through the power of soccer while promoting a fun and healthy environment. He is committed to his work in helping and supporting those in need with love and conviction.

• Brentwood, Hempstead, Huntington Station Long Island
• Salvis coming together
• Pressure to assimilate
• Power of soccer
• Serving in the Marines
• Pequeno pero fuerte
• The Search for Community
• PTSD
• IGHL - Independent Group Home Living
• Feeling out of place in high society
• Pazitos!
• Meeting goals!

Show resources:

• Pazitos Instagram
• Scoring Smiles Fundraiser Tix!
• Pazitos Facebook
• Donate to Pazitos!
• Ulises Instagram
• IGHL

Music:

Salvi Nacion by Crooked Stilo

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Todo buen cuento necesita alguien quien lo cuente. Carmen se ha dedicado a descubrir las historias de inmigrantes Salvadoreños en Nueva York de los últimos 90 años. Y está a punto de publicar su libro: Salvi Yorkers. Así que agarren sus libretitas de periodista, su curiosidad y prepárense para contar nuestras historias con Carmen Molina-Tamacas.

Carmen Molina Tamacas es una periodista salvadoreña que vive en Nueva York desde casi 10 años. En El Salvador trabajo desde 1994 en periódicos como La Prensa Gráfica, El Mundo, El Diario de Hoy y a colaborado con medios digitales como El Faro, Factum y Revista Escultural. Por unos cuatro años ha sido periodista freelance de El Diario, el periódico hispano más importante de la Ciudad de Nueva York y otros de noticias hiperlocales como Brooklyner. Estudio Antropologia, ha publicado artículos académicos sobre la historia del periodismo cultural y digital salvadoreño y está por publicar un libro sobre los inmigrantes salvadoreños en Nueva York.

• Creciendo durante la guerra
• Vida cotidiana en la capital
• Education para ser Agente transformador
• Trabajando en Prensa Grafica
• "El fin de la guerra no trajo el fin de problemas"
• De architectura a periodismo por culpa de la matemática
• De bachiller director a trabajar
• Para qué estudiar?
• 2000 - abren carreras de la cultura archeologia, antropologia, historia En Universidad Tecnológica y cierran en 2019
• Se quebró la infraestructura socioeconómica durante la guerra
• Muchos vacíos, investigación en temas de ciencia y cultura
• Joya de Ceren, la Pompei de America
• Ciberperiodismoen Iberoamérica por Ramón Salaverría
• Buscando mejores oportunidades en Nueva York
• El Diario, 100 anos de noticias de hispanos
• Trabajando por The Weather Channel
• Temas de centro américa vs temas de latinos
• Aprendiendo de los Dominicanos
• Becoming Latina
• Buscar que significa ser un Salvadoreño-Americano
• Si no vota, no joda
• Micro iniciativas internacionales produciendo resultados concretos
• Pazitos
• Mario Arevalo
• American Dreaming - Immigrant Life in the Margins by Sarah J Mahler
• Salvadorans In Suburbia - Symbiosis and Conflict by Sarah J Mahler
• Etnografía de salvadoreños migrantes en Brentwood y Hempstead, New York - Jorge Arturo Colorado Berríos;
• Edward Gonzales Junior - These Days
• La necesidad de documentar
• Monica Martínez - Senadora
• El pueblo Salvadoreño polarizado impide desarrollo político
• 90 años de historia - Salvadoreños en Nueva York
• Perdiendo el vínculo al Salvador

Show resources:

• www.salviyokers.com
• Salvi Yorkers en Amazon
• Salvi Yorkers en Amazon (Kindle Edition)
• https://www.instagram.com/salviyorkers/
• https://www.instagram.com/carmenmt347/
• Ciberperiodismoen Iberoamérica por Ramón Salaverría (libro gratis)
• American Dreaming: Immigrant Life on the Margins by Sarah J Mahler
• Salvadorans in Suburbia: Symbiosis and Conflict by Sarah J Mahler

Music:

Salvi Nacion by Crooked Stilo

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Bolados, chunches, y otras babosadas. As our mothers would say, ustedes solo son inventos. When Norma didn't find ways to represent her pride, she decided to create them. She became an entrepreneur and launched an online store to sell Salvadoran themed pins, socks, and apparel. Pull on those pupusas sock, put on those boss pants and get ready to start a small business with Norma Rivas.

Norma is the creative bicha behind Mimster Shop. She was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley about 30 minutes outside Los Angeles. Norma grew up in a very loving and extremely Salvadoran household. She's the youngest of 3 and definitely the one que sale con todas las bayuncadas.

• Traveled to El Salvador regularly growing up
• Small towns in ES where everyone knows everyone
• Feeling safer in ES than in the US
• El Cuco
• Fiestas Agostinas - weeklong parties
• Alfombras de aserrín
• Desfile de carrozas
• Running for Queen of the village
• Stolen elections for the local monarch!?
• Dating interculturally
• Working with uniform design
• Wanting to show pride in your culture
• If you build it, they will come
• Figuring things out as you go
• Power of word of mouth
• Finding inspiration while stuck in traffic
• Self doubt can ruin your path and dreams
• Challenges of running a business
• Getting overwhelmed
• Going for perfection, not taking compromises on quality
• Boss: putting your big girl pants on
• You'll never know if you don't try

Show resources:

• https://www.etsy.com/shop/MimsterShopCo
• https://www.instagram.com/mimster.shop/
• https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiestas_patronales_de_San_Salvador
• Fiestas Patronales San Salvador - Video

Music:

Salvi Nacion by Crooked Stilo

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While most of us struggle to get out of bed, Carlos soars and flips through the air straight onto the podium with gold medals and championships. A 14 year old gymnast that only started three years ago shows us what can be accomplished with talent, courage, and a wonderfully supportive mother. So wear that Salvi flag as a cape, get a running start, and stick the landing with Carlos and his mother Erica.

Carlos Deleon Vivar is a vivacious 14 year old boy with dreams of Olympic gold. He's currently a level 8 junior gymnast slated to represent El Salvador in the Pan American and in the Central American games. Initially considered a troublemaker, his mom put her faith in him and enrolled him in gymnastics. Three years later he won state and regional championships which caught the eye of the community and el Instituto Nacional de Deportes de El Salvador.

Erica Vivar is Carlos's mother and his number one supporter. She's a single mom, an immigrant and home owner. She works multiple jobs to keep Carlos' career going. While gymnastics is not cheap or a necessity she does whatever she can to keep Carlos on that pommel horse.

• Seeking a better life in the US
• Getting mistaken for Mexican
• Acquiring the Mexican accent
• Learning about the struggle of Salvadorans back home
• Learning about the struggles of immigrant life
• Teaching the beauty and warmth of our country and its people
• Challenges of raising a Salvadoran child in the US
• Kolashampan
• Rellenos de guisquil
• Traveling to El Salvador during the war
• Chilate
• Learning backflips on your mattress
• Starting gymnastics
• Training and conditioning
• Junior Olympics Levels System
• Regional Champ for Age 12 category
• State Champ for Level 6
• Dreams of Olympic gold
• Parenting gold medal
• The cost of competing
• Official recognition from INDES (Instituto Nacional de los Deportes De El Salvador)
• Pan Am Games
• Central American Games
• Raising money for your dreams

Show resources:

• https://www.instagram.com/carlos_deleon_vivar/
• https://www.instagram.com/erica_erika123/
• http://www.genesisgymnastics.com/
• Carlos's YouTube Channel
• Road to Junior Pan-American games 2020 GoFundMe
• https://indes.gob.sv/web/
• 2019 Pan American Games Wiki
• Central American Games Wiki

Music:

Salvi Nacion by Crooked Stilo

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Sometimes you need a fire to clear away the brush so new plants can grow. This cipota didn't let a medical crisis slow her down. Going from dance teacher to vegan chef, Norma reinvented herself and Salvadoran cuisine. Settle in, grab some quesadillas, atol de calabaza, and explore the vegan lifestyle with Norma Perez!

Norma Pérez is an Afro-Salvadoran and the proprietor of The Salvi Vegan, an all Salvadoran food, all vegan pop up restaurant. For two decades she worked as an international dance teacher and choreographer until a medical condition ended her career. She discovered her talent and love for cooking after converting overnight to a vegan lifestyle.

• Born in traffic, it doesn't get more LA than that
• The stigma of being from El Salvador in LA
• Food leads to cultural pride
• We're more than pupusas
• Colors United - Dance group for at risk youth
• From dancing to teaching to choreography
• Factor X - Salvadoran Dance Crew
• Earthlings documentary
• Losing your identity
• Veganism - what is it really?
• The beginnings of The Salvi Vegan
• Veganizing Salvi classics and earning mama's approval
• 40 Salvi dishes veganized
• Equelecua - Cuban Vegan Restaurant
• Failing is part of the process
• Vegatinos
• Taking Salvi Vegan worldwide
• Cookbook in the oven?

Show resources:

• https://www.instagram.com/thesalvivegan/
• Factor X Panama Competition Video
• Earthlings Documentary on YouTube
• Chef movie
• https://equelecuacafe.com/
• https://vegatinos.com/

Music:

Salvi Nacion by Crooked Stilo

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"Cuantas va querer mi amor? Ya le van a salir." These and other similar phrases may have been uttered by Randy and Allison, a pupuseros that sought to put pupusas on the map in Manhattan's lower east side with his restaurant Cabalito. Put on your delanal, grab a bit of masa and get ready to echar pupusas with Randy Rodriguez and his wife Allison Sebastiani.

Randy Rodriguez is a Salvadoran enthusiast, restaurateur, and storyteller. Born in Pasadena and raised in Vermont, he made the move to Manhattan in 2010, where he reconnected with his latinidad and fell in love with restaurant culture after managing a taqueria. From 2015 to 2017, he owned and ran his own pupuseria, Cabalito, along with his wife, Allison Sebastiani, in the Lower East Side. Cabalito was featured in NY Magazine, El Diario, The Village Voice, and NY Eater. He is currently working at a food tech startup as he works on his next Salvi passion project.

Allison is a Peruvian-American software product manager born and raised in the NYC area. She is committed to creating diverse and inclusive tech spaces. Outside of tech, she dedicates her free time to social justice and environmental advocacy, tending to her plants, meal-prepping, and learning about all things Salvi.

Before we start the episode, I have a little culture for our non Salvi listeners The word Cabal is salvadoran slang for perfect or exactly. Cabalito means even more perfect or exact. So next time you want to say exactly! You can cabal instead!

• Randy Rodriguez and Allison Sebastiani
• Randy was born in LA moved to VT, never felt at home
• Allison is Peruvian-Amerrican grew up in Jersey in a very latino dominated area
• You're not X enough for the X'ers, you're not Y enough for the Y'ers
• Parents teaching the VT community about El Salvador
• Lacking the tools to represent your roots
• Starting over in NY and seeking challenges vs comfort
• "Amor de Tacos"
• Balancing quality vs quantity time
• Falling in love with food and restaurant communities
• Where are the pupusas at in Manhattan?
• 16 mins - Cabal sidenote?
• Learning from a pupusa señora
• How are trendy millennials gonna get down with pupusas?
• A pupuseria for non-Salvadorans
• Becoming the Salvadoran cuisine wiseman of the Lower East Side
• A man that makes pupusas?
• Salvadorans: the worst pupusa critics
• Gluten-free and vegan pupusas
• Let me get a pupusa without the pupusa
• Pupusa 101: cultural education
• Perfection takes time - pupusas should always be sold fresh
• NYC fast service vs handmade pupusas
• The esoteric art of telling what the filling is in the pupusa
• Loroco supply chain
• Loroco: squash blossom
• Michael Stipe eats pupusas!
• America Ferrera eats pupusas!
• America Ferrera's Gente-fied series
• Delicious El Salvador by Alica Maher
• The difficulties of owning a small business
• The cost of pupusas in the city
• Connecting people with pupusas
• Shining a positive light on El Salvador
• Being a business owner is radically different from your 9-5
• Tips for couples working together

Show resources:

• https://www.instagram.com/ydnarzeugirdor/
• https://www.instagram.com/allison.sbstiani/
• https://www.instagram.com/cabalitonyc/
• https://deliciouselsalvador.com/
• America Ferrera - Gente-fied

Music:

Salvi Nacion by Crooked Stilo

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Ah, yes, the starving artists. Earning pennies drawing portraits of tourists in Times Square. But wait, if you believe in that myth, you might as well believe in the Chupa Cabra. Natalie says that as long as we live in a visual world, there will be jobs for artists. In this episode, grab some art supplies, connect with your indigenous roots, and get ready to create with Natalie Lazo.

Natalie Lazo is a first-generation Salvi-American based in the tri-state area. She has a bachelor's in Fine Arts from Ithaca College and is a classically-trained artist who specializes in drawing, printmaking, and graphic design. In the professional world, she has over five years of experience in the web and graphic design field, where she is now the Lead Brand Designer for a B2B SaaS startup. In her spare time, Natalie enjoys video games, drawing for fun, anything music, and getting her soccer fix by cheering on the New York Red Bulls.

• Finding a Salvi in the wild!
• Show off nationality and teach others about your culture
• Share your quesadillas and empanadas too
• Only Spanish in the home
• Hierarchical structure in the Spanish language
• Spanish code switching
• If you're Salvadoran you must like . . .
• Latinos isolating themselves
• There's nothing like mom's cookin'
• The pyramids of Tazumal
• Joya de Ceren
• El cipitio, La Llorona, La Carreta Chillona, La Siguanaba
• The myth of the starving artist
• The artistic process
• Using indigenous influence in school projects
• Connection to our ancestors through artGet your art out there!
• The high cost of art supplies
• Self-designed tattoos
• Legend of Zelda tattoos
• Want to get into the industry? Network!
• Women in Tech!

Show resources:

• http://www.natalieblazo.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/natalieblazo/
• https://twitter.com/natalieblazo?lang=en
• https://www.facebook.com/HairNailsExpressByJenny
• https://theithacan.org/life-culture/drawing-her-roots/

Music:

Salvi Nacion by Crooked Stilo

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The bass is booming, the crowd is dancing, and drinks are flowing as you sit high on your throne spinning those turntables. But being a DJ is not all about parties. Raul finds ways to inspire others and give back to aspiring artists in Central America. In this episode, keep the crowd and our people going, drop that beat with DJ Loup Rouge.

Raul aka Loup Rouge is a DJ, producer, and musician from El Salvador who blends a global sensibility with a contemporary edge. As part of La Causa NYC, he promotes cultural awareness of the Hispanic experience. He's a true modern day nomad who spreads ideas through music education locally and in Central America.

• Strong Salvadoran identity
• Being accused of not really being Salvadoran
• Moving to El Salvador to pursue education and music
• Eavesdropping on English speaking tourists
• Secret American identity in El Salvador
• Salvadoran stereotypes about Americans
• Discrimination from your own people
• License to be proud of where you're from
• Playing flamenco in El Salvador making it on to Canal 4 and 10
• What does it take to work at the El Salvador consulate?
• The infamous NYC consulate and it's bad reputation
• Going above and beyond for your countrymen
• All the things your consulate does
• Teaching at Scratch DJ Academy
• Being a DJ in New York and how to become an international DJ
• Creating a self-sustaining music micro-economy in Central America
• Pescozada
• Reyes del Bajo mundo
• Inspired by Cruz Control
• It doesn't take money to make professional quality music
• Make your own doors, create your own opportunity
• La Causa NYC
• Bestia BX
• Audrey Funk
• Spreading the message that there's talent in Central America
• Listen to more than top 40s music! Get out of the bubble
• What does a DJ really do?
• • Keeping people on the dance floor
  • Matching rhythm, tempo, keys
  • Using music theory to present music in new ways

Show resources:

• https://www.instagram.com/djlouprouge/
• https://soundcloud.com/djlouprouge
• https://www.instagram.com/lacausanyc/
• https://www.instagram.com/koverfuentes/
• Reyes Del Bajo Mundo - Spotify
• Pescozada - Spotify

Music:

Realista by Kover Fuentes

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What do you get when you grab a pinch of the Bronx, a dash of Puerto Rico, and a whole lot of Salvi? Find out in this episode. Bring an empty pansa, leave those knives and forks at home, and take a tasting tour of the Salvi Yorker experience with Janeth Perla.

Janeth Perla is a multi-cultural Salvi mom and Salvadorian culture ambassador. She's always searching for the best pupuseria in NYC, especially the ones with pink curtido. She's a cosmetologist and salon receptionist and dreams of starting her own restaurant and making documentaries about Salvadorian culture

• Salvadorian vs Salvadoran
• Salvadorian and Pureto Rican
• Chayotes! aka Guisquil
• Shame around our food and heritage
• Longing for connections to El Salvador
• Warmth of the community back home
• Pupuserias in NYC, venturing out on your own
• Drinking from a bag
• Being a half-salvi mom with multicultural children
• The love of Chirimol (chirimol pizza!?)
• Cosmetology - a wide spectrum
• Anime hairstyles - Perla can do it
• The love of film
• Travel shows in El Salvador?
• High end Salvadoran restaurant?
• Let's start a food truck!
• Baconmigo
• Must try pupuserias in NY
• Can we get some good tamales de elote in the US?

Show resources:

• https://www.instagram.com/gloomyperla/
• https://elolomega.com/
• La Cabana Salvadorena in Norwood
• http://www.jenkemmag.com/home/

Music:

Salvi Nacion by Crooked Stilo

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Not all that glitters is gold but that's quite alright according to Amy. Beautiful jewelry is accessible, easy to care for and comes in all types of finishes and styles. Want to get a ring for that special someone? Need a new piece to express your personality? Well, grab your favorite rings, necklaces, and polishing cloth and get ready to shine and sparkle with Amy Espinoza.

Amy Espinoza is a Salvadoran-American jewelry enthusiast. Born and raised in Long Island, she started out buying jewelry books and tools as a kid to make her own pieces, including the ever popular friendship bracelets. She's worked at Baublebar, a trendy jewelry start up specializing in fast fashion. She now works at Catbird, hand-crafted fine jewelry made right here in Brooklyn, New York.

• Parent struggles during the war, college education, and immigration to the US
• Parents achieving the American dream
• Living up to our parent's expectations
• Working for your passion vs working for money
• Working at BaubleBar - jewelry start up company
• Costume jewelry
• How to care for your jewelry
• Karats! How do they work?
• Fine jewelry
• Catbird handmade Jewelry
• Why can't luxury be sustainable?
• Advice for engagement ring shopping
• Budget Ring: custom made might be cheaper
• Should you surprise your girlfriend with an engagement right?
  • Maybe not. Working together is best!
• Trends are trends. Follow your personal expression with your jewelry
• Sofia Zakia designer

Show Resources:

• https://www.instagram.com/love.always.amy/
• https://www.catbirdnyc.com/
• https://youtu.be/MyXJDIgYFxk
• www.baublebar.com
• https://sofiazakia.com/

Music:

Salvi Nacion by Crooked Stilo

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