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The year was 1971. Mar\u00eda Alicia Catal\u00e1n was young, and in love. Her husband, Victor,<\/a> a skilled shoemaker, had left El Salvador to seek his fortune in San Francisco, making psychedelic boots<\/a> at the legendary Rainbow Cobblers<\/a> on Columbus Avenue in North Beach.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe was so handsome,\u201d Catal\u00e1n recalled on a recent rainy Friday afternoon standing outside of Paprika at 24th Street and Osage streets. What could she do but follow him?\u00a0<\/p>\n Catal\u00e1n had taught elementary school and worked as a nurse in El Salvador. In San Francisco, she got a job as a teacher\u2019s assistant, in the Mission District, working with young children who spoke Spanish. She then became a nursing assistant at Laguna Honda Hospital, where she stayed for about 25 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n Want the latest on the Mission and San Francisco? Sign up for our free daily newsletter below.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a great experience,\u201d said Catal\u00e1n, when asked about her years at the hospital. \u201cYou provide your patients with physical and emotional therapy. It is such a good feeling to share your wisdom with others.\u201d<\/p>\n Catal\u00e1n will turn 88 next month, but, she said, the years have barely changed her. \u201cPeople age on the outside, but the spirit always stays active and beautiful,\u201d she said in Spanish. Among her favorite activities, then and now: listening to Los Angeles Azules<\/a>, Orquesta San Vicente<\/a> and Lito Barrientos y su Orquesta; <\/a>reading the work of Salvadoran poet Alfredo Espino<\/a>; eating rice with vegetables and beef; and writing poetry.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201c\u201cMe? I love writing. I love writing poetry. It is one of my favorite hobbies,\u201d said Catal\u00e1n. \u201cI read my poems to my children, just listen.\u201d She proceeded to recite \u201cMe gusta cuando llueve<\/a>,\u201d standing, at this point, outside of Caf\u00e9 La Boh\u00e9me, umbrella in hand.<\/p>\n \u201cMe gusta la lluvia por que todo esta en calma<\/p>\n Me gusta cuando llueve por que siento los deseos intensos de volver a so\u00f1ar<\/p>\n A so\u00f1ar con mi abuela que me quer\u00eda tanto y que me daba besos \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI like it when it rains because everything is calm<\/p>\n I like it when it rains because I feel intense wishes to dream again<\/p>\n To dream with my grandma, who kissed me and loved me so much.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you write, you elevate yourself. You go far away, to a celestial orbit,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n When asked what advice she had for anyone reading this article, she didn\u2019t hesitate.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know who gets mad when one doesn\u2019t read? Your brain,\u201d Catal\u00e1n said. \u201cThe brain eats from wisdom, from reading good books and listening to good music.\u201d<\/p>\n And, she said, enjoy each moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m this age and I can tell you that I adore every moment of my life because that\u2019s what my grandparents taught me,\u201d she said, adding for good measure: \u201cDon\u2019t waste your time, study \u2026 Life is beautiful and you have to take advantage of it.\u201d<\/p>\n On a recent Friday afternoon, Catal\u00e1n was living her own advice \u2014\u00a0walking along 24th Street, enjoying the rain.\u00a0<\/p>\n Catal\u00e1n\u2019s husband died several years ago. But there\u2019s not a day that she doesn\u2019t think of him and the \u201cbeautiful life\u201d they built, she said. The two had seven children, more than 16 grandchildren and a few great grandchildren.<\/p>\n![\"Mission](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768133831_545_mission-local-logo-300x300.jpg\"){kind=logo}
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Mar\u00eda Alicia Catal\u00e1n has lived in the Mission District since 1971, the Salvadoran national loves wiring poetry and music. Photo by Oscar Palma.<\/p>\n
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