Kechu'
(That's Panamanian for ketchup.)
So let's catch you up on life. Like I said, I wrote a bunch of stories out that are now locked in my tablet until I return to the US in a few months and get the charging port on it fixed. In the mean time, life goes on.
I spent nearly the entire month of January in the city with a skin infection on my leg and figuring out the legal stuff with the lost check. On the 22nd we had a regional meeting and then after that we went on a couple day hike up to a peak in the Darien. I spent 2 nights in the Darien wearing a hoodie, being chilly. CHILLY. I never imagined it was possible. It was beautiful up there! I went immediately from there to PCV Ben's site to help him and his community build their very first composting latrine! Seeing the idea planted into a new community's brain and hearing that rumors about my project had reached them was definitely a major highlight of my service.
February came and went before I had a chance to even flip the page in my wall calendar. I took 5 teenagers viz public transportation to a youth leadership/health camp about 3 hours from our community and facilitated that camp for a total of 40 youth from all over the Eastern half of Panama. Life lessons learned included things like 'how to flush a toilet', 'how not to get HIV/AIDS' and 'how to set a goal'. We had a blast, and I wrote lots of stories about it. Also, I learned some cultural lessons like what to do when one of your teenage girls gets possessed by a demon. You'll have to ask me about that story in person sometime.
I took the 5 teenagers home to leave with 3 10 years olds 36 hours later for the Costa Rican border, again via public transportation. I met up with other PCVs and together we wrangled dozens of 'pollitos' or 'little chicken's across the country to an ultimate frisbee camp for a week. They loved it, I loved it, and I have never been so tired in my life.
While at frisbee camp, the Peace Corps office moved heaven and earth to get the funds back for my project, so that on our way home from camp I ordered materials to start the last round of latrines. I collapsed into my hammock on Saturday the 15th of February and don't remember accomplishing anything before Tuesday when materials started arriving. Wednesday the 19th seven other PCVs arrived to help with the construction. 5 were there to learn how to build them and to talk about the future of their projects (they are new EH PCVs) and 2 were my neighbor PCVs Danielle and Ben. They were there for 5 days and we got some serious work done, and I think they learned a lot. I am excited for the work they will do in their sites!
I don't remember the rest of February. I think it is safe to say that I was either asleep or building latrines!
The first few weeks of March were lots of slow work days and hanging out in Playona. There are lots of other projects going on right now, including rumors of installing electricity (!) so getting people to work was a challenge. I celebrated Fat Tuesday with a family dinner in Danielle's site and when school started I tried getting the ultimate frisbee team organized again.
March ended with a trip to the city for our Close of Service Conference where the PC staff tries to help us mentally prepare for the last few months in country and readjustment back to the US. It was a great chance to see the rest of my group and celebrate a lot of the successes we have had in country.
Immediately after the conference I took my jungle family out to the islands of San Blas for the vacation my Nebraska family missed out on. It was paradise. I don't know why I left! 4 days and 3 nights on an island in the middle of the Caribbean with fresh fish and seafood = AMAZING. My friends and I took lots of pictures to share with my family back home!
This post is kind of cut-and-dry, but like I said, I have forever-and-a-half to share the rest of my stories. For now, I am going to just enjoy the moment in Panama, because before I know it I'll be back in the good ole US of A.
Laters!
So let's catch you up on life. Like I said, I wrote a bunch of stories out that are now locked in my tablet until I return to the US in a few months and get the charging port on it fixed. In the mean time, life goes on.
I spent nearly the entire month of January in the city with a skin infection on my leg and figuring out the legal stuff with the lost check. On the 22nd we had a regional meeting and then after that we went on a couple day hike up to a peak in the Darien. I spent 2 nights in the Darien wearing a hoodie, being chilly. CHILLY. I never imagined it was possible. It was beautiful up there! I went immediately from there to PCV Ben's site to help him and his community build their very first composting latrine! Seeing the idea planted into a new community's brain and hearing that rumors about my project had reached them was definitely a major highlight of my service.
February came and went before I had a chance to even flip the page in my wall calendar. I took 5 teenagers viz public transportation to a youth leadership/health camp about 3 hours from our community and facilitated that camp for a total of 40 youth from all over the Eastern half of Panama. Life lessons learned included things like 'how to flush a toilet', 'how not to get HIV/AIDS' and 'how to set a goal'. We had a blast, and I wrote lots of stories about it. Also, I learned some cultural lessons like what to do when one of your teenage girls gets possessed by a demon. You'll have to ask me about that story in person sometime.
I took the 5 teenagers home to leave with 3 10 years olds 36 hours later for the Costa Rican border, again via public transportation. I met up with other PCVs and together we wrangled dozens of 'pollitos' or 'little chicken's across the country to an ultimate frisbee camp for a week. They loved it, I loved it, and I have never been so tired in my life.
While at frisbee camp, the Peace Corps office moved heaven and earth to get the funds back for my project, so that on our way home from camp I ordered materials to start the last round of latrines. I collapsed into my hammock on Saturday the 15th of February and don't remember accomplishing anything before Tuesday when materials started arriving. Wednesday the 19th seven other PCVs arrived to help with the construction. 5 were there to learn how to build them and to talk about the future of their projects (they are new EH PCVs) and 2 were my neighbor PCVs Danielle and Ben. They were there for 5 days and we got some serious work done, and I think they learned a lot. I am excited for the work they will do in their sites!
I don't remember the rest of February. I think it is safe to say that I was either asleep or building latrines!
The first few weeks of March were lots of slow work days and hanging out in Playona. There are lots of other projects going on right now, including rumors of installing electricity (!) so getting people to work was a challenge. I celebrated Fat Tuesday with a family dinner in Danielle's site and when school started I tried getting the ultimate frisbee team organized again.
March ended with a trip to the city for our Close of Service Conference where the PC staff tries to help us mentally prepare for the last few months in country and readjustment back to the US. It was a great chance to see the rest of my group and celebrate a lot of the successes we have had in country.
Immediately after the conference I took my jungle family out to the islands of San Blas for the vacation my Nebraska family missed out on. It was paradise. I don't know why I left! 4 days and 3 nights on an island in the middle of the Caribbean with fresh fish and seafood = AMAZING. My friends and I took lots of pictures to share with my family back home!
This post is kind of cut-and-dry, but like I said, I have forever-and-a-half to share the rest of my stories. For now, I am going to just enjoy the moment in Panama, because before I know it I'll be back in the good ole US of A.
Laters!
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