Living out of a Backpack
As of today, I have spent two entire weeks sleeping in the same place. 14 nights in my bed. This hasn't happened since July.
I know, right. In fact, from October through January, I never spent more than 5 nights in any single place. That's...insanity. It totally explains why the last thing I want to do right now is leave my house, for nearly any reason.
Therefore, loyal blog readers, I apologize for the lack of updates in the last 6 months. It's embarrassing. The down side is I am so behind I don't even know where to start. The up side is I have done a lot of great things and have learned some valuable skills living on a bus. I have been taking advantage of every opportunity in Panama I can.
So...let's tackle the last 6 months shall we?
First, I'm really good at traveling. I can pack for anywhere, for any amount of time, in about half an hour. Tops. Just grab tons of underwear, 2 pairs of shorts, some parumas, a shirt for every day (but never more than 5), a bar of soap and your phone charger. If it's bien metido (way out there), bring bug spray and rubber boots. If it's something fancy, bring your razor and eyeliner. If it's winter, grab your only pair of jeans and buy a long-sleeve shirt at the airport.
When it comes to the act of traveling, it's better to travel independently in groups. Wait...what? Lemme explain. It's always nice to have a friend with you on the bus so that you don't have to snuggle with an old man and his chickens on the seat. It is helpful to be in a group of people who somewhat know where they are going and how to get there. Having a buddy to make sure you don't get left behind while peeing behind a tree is important. I've been that girl chasing the bus down the Inter-American Highway.
But as far as the act of traveling in Panama, sometimes you just have to get yourself where you're going. Shove yourself into that bus and just trust your friends will get themselves on too. You get YOU on the boat/bus/truck/plane, then you shamelessly flirt or distract the driver to do whatever you have to do to get him to wait as long as possible. Especially when the bus is pulling out and you are holding a random woman's 6 month old child because she hasn't come back yet. She dropped him off, said 'Cuidalo' (take care of him) while I assumed she went to the bathroom. But now that you mention it, she didn't mention for how long she wanted me to care for him...For a few frightening minutes, I thought that kid and I were about to get real close.
You know the disoriented feeling you get the first time you wake up in a new place? I have effectively disabled that function. To be more specific, maybe it's not disabled, just the new normal. Open my eyes...what country am I in right now? Oh right. Seattle. Chicago. Bocas. Darien. Chiriqui. Omaha. Sioux City. Lincoln. Panama. Those aren't even countries. That's my point. Just open your eyes and roll with it.
Going back to the US for 6 weeks really brought some of these new traveling 'skills' to light. I hadn't really realized I was doing them, I just always did them. For example, I had silverware with me at all times. Apparently that's not really normal. There was a purpose, of course. You would also never go anywhere in Panama without snacks. Even if you are going to visit a Volunteer that has a store- you just never know. When the bus will break down, when you will miss the boat, when the PCV will decide that a spoonful of peanut butter is a good enough dinner. It's better to be prepared. Quaker oatmeal cookies, apples, bananas, peanut m&ms, and cans of tuna with saltines are the best travel snacks, fyi.
"Where are these snacks coming from?" was a regular comment throughout my US travels. Apparently, its unusual to take snacks with you unless they are being transported in a diaper bag. Whatever, I was prepared for anything. Besides, whose gonna pay $12 for your silly airport snacks?! Leaving Panama for the US, security saw my diplomatic visa and pulled me ahead to the front of the line, and I ended up waiting to board sitting between two suits, also with diplomatic visas. While they sat there with their rolling leather suitcases matching their shiny leather shoes, I sat there with my muddy little purse and a plastic grocery bag of bananas and tuna. Which I ate, much to their dismay.
One of them gave me the side-eye from behind his newspaper. When he realized that I saw him watching, he asked, 'So...are you a Peace Corps Volunteer?'
When I said yes, he gave a knowing nod, then went back to his paper. The way I see it, he was in luck. I had showered that morning using shampoo AND conditioner, and had spent all my time in air conditioning after that. What more could he expect?
It's true that in Peace Corps we tend to glorify our 'rugged'-ness and frugality. I know a few ladies who went months without washing their hair to save money on shampoo. I have seen facial and body hair that surpassed all boundaries. I know a guy that hikes an extra hour to get in an out of his community in order to save $1.50. (His hike could be 90 mins up a mountain, but to save money, he takes the 2.5 hour route) Admittedly, we're a little ridiculous.
It is easy to get caught up in the stereotype that Volunteers like being smelly and cheap, or that we think it makes us superior. It's not so much that we value it in so much as it becomes so ingrained into our daily lives that we just embrace it. We can't change the fact our houses have dirt floors and we bathe in Nesquik rivers. We can change how we deal with it. So we have disgusting competitions I won't subject you to the details of. We establish bizarre grooming and spending habits.
Visiting the States, I thoroughly enjoyed my hot showers, lotions, clean toenails, and wearing makeup without it melting off. I had no regrets spending my money on fancy coffees, beautiful produce, and spectacular beers. Oh man, breweries. There aren't words to describe how much I miss great beer. I enjoyed spending time on my appearance and spending money- but I didn't feel pressured by it. I had as much fun dressing up for beers as I did the night I went bowling without makeup on. I equally enjoyed dinner out for sushi as I did making canned bean burgers in my friend's kitchen.
During the world cup, I ended up at a bus stop with only 25 cents for my dinner. In the States, I spent roughly 80 times that for food and drinks during a football game. In one instance, I was wearing the my favorite t-shirt with rainbow-colored mold stains in the armpits. In another, I was wearing a cute new sweater.
My point is that both were great memories I'll always have. It's not about being frugal, it's not about splurging. It's not about what you look like or how you smell. Real friends will sit next you anyway. (Although, if they are worth their salt, they will tell you when you need to bathe!)
Living out of a backpack is to constantly be reminded that's about taking full advantage of the opportunity in front of you because it won't be there tomorrow. So catch that sunset. Buy that beer. Go play frisbee instead of washing clothes. Embrace the mud between your toes, until the next hot shower comes along.
I know, right. In fact, from October through January, I never spent more than 5 nights in any single place. That's...insanity. It totally explains why the last thing I want to do right now is leave my house, for nearly any reason.
Therefore, loyal blog readers, I apologize for the lack of updates in the last 6 months. It's embarrassing. The down side is I am so behind I don't even know where to start. The up side is I have done a lot of great things and have learned some valuable skills living on a bus. I have been taking advantage of every opportunity in Panama I can.
So...let's tackle the last 6 months shall we?
First, I'm really good at traveling. I can pack for anywhere, for any amount of time, in about half an hour. Tops. Just grab tons of underwear, 2 pairs of shorts, some parumas, a shirt for every day (but never more than 5), a bar of soap and your phone charger. If it's bien metido (way out there), bring bug spray and rubber boots. If it's something fancy, bring your razor and eyeliner. If it's winter, grab your only pair of jeans and buy a long-sleeve shirt at the airport.
When it comes to the act of traveling, it's better to travel independently in groups. Wait...what? Lemme explain. It's always nice to have a friend with you on the bus so that you don't have to snuggle with an old man and his chickens on the seat. It is helpful to be in a group of people who somewhat know where they are going and how to get there. Having a buddy to make sure you don't get left behind while peeing behind a tree is important. I've been that girl chasing the bus down the Inter-American Highway.
But as far as the act of traveling in Panama, sometimes you just have to get yourself where you're going. Shove yourself into that bus and just trust your friends will get themselves on too. You get YOU on the boat/bus/truck/plane, then you shamelessly flirt or distract the driver to do whatever you have to do to get him to wait as long as possible. Especially when the bus is pulling out and you are holding a random woman's 6 month old child because she hasn't come back yet. She dropped him off, said 'Cuidalo' (take care of him) while I assumed she went to the bathroom. But now that you mention it, she didn't mention for how long she wanted me to care for him...For a few frightening minutes, I thought that kid and I were about to get real close.
You know the disoriented feeling you get the first time you wake up in a new place? I have effectively disabled that function. To be more specific, maybe it's not disabled, just the new normal. Open my eyes...what country am I in right now? Oh right. Seattle. Chicago. Bocas. Darien. Chiriqui. Omaha. Sioux City. Lincoln. Panama. Those aren't even countries. That's my point. Just open your eyes and roll with it.
Going back to the US for 6 weeks really brought some of these new traveling 'skills' to light. I hadn't really realized I was doing them, I just always did them. For example, I had silverware with me at all times. Apparently that's not really normal. There was a purpose, of course. You would also never go anywhere in Panama without snacks. Even if you are going to visit a Volunteer that has a store- you just never know. When the bus will break down, when you will miss the boat, when the PCV will decide that a spoonful of peanut butter is a good enough dinner. It's better to be prepared. Quaker oatmeal cookies, apples, bananas, peanut m&ms, and cans of tuna with saltines are the best travel snacks, fyi.
"Where are these snacks coming from?" was a regular comment throughout my US travels. Apparently, its unusual to take snacks with you unless they are being transported in a diaper bag. Whatever, I was prepared for anything. Besides, whose gonna pay $12 for your silly airport snacks?! Leaving Panama for the US, security saw my diplomatic visa and pulled me ahead to the front of the line, and I ended up waiting to board sitting between two suits, also with diplomatic visas. While they sat there with their rolling leather suitcases matching their shiny leather shoes, I sat there with my muddy little purse and a plastic grocery bag of bananas and tuna. Which I ate, much to their dismay.
One of them gave me the side-eye from behind his newspaper. When he realized that I saw him watching, he asked, 'So...are you a Peace Corps Volunteer?'
When I said yes, he gave a knowing nod, then went back to his paper. The way I see it, he was in luck. I had showered that morning using shampoo AND conditioner, and had spent all my time in air conditioning after that. What more could he expect?
It's true that in Peace Corps we tend to glorify our 'rugged'-ness and frugality. I know a few ladies who went months without washing their hair to save money on shampoo. I have seen facial and body hair that surpassed all boundaries. I know a guy that hikes an extra hour to get in an out of his community in order to save $1.50. (His hike could be 90 mins up a mountain, but to save money, he takes the 2.5 hour route) Admittedly, we're a little ridiculous.
It is easy to get caught up in the stereotype that Volunteers like being smelly and cheap, or that we think it makes us superior. It's not so much that we value it in so much as it becomes so ingrained into our daily lives that we just embrace it. We can't change the fact our houses have dirt floors and we bathe in Nesquik rivers. We can change how we deal with it. So we have disgusting competitions I won't subject you to the details of. We establish bizarre grooming and spending habits.
Visiting the States, I thoroughly enjoyed my hot showers, lotions, clean toenails, and wearing makeup without it melting off. I had no regrets spending my money on fancy coffees, beautiful produce, and spectacular beers. Oh man, breweries. There aren't words to describe how much I miss great beer. I enjoyed spending time on my appearance and spending money- but I didn't feel pressured by it. I had as much fun dressing up for beers as I did the night I went bowling without makeup on. I equally enjoyed dinner out for sushi as I did making canned bean burgers in my friend's kitchen.
During the world cup, I ended up at a bus stop with only 25 cents for my dinner. In the States, I spent roughly 80 times that for food and drinks during a football game. In one instance, I was wearing the my favorite t-shirt with rainbow-colored mold stains in the armpits. In another, I was wearing a cute new sweater.
My point is that both were great memories I'll always have. It's not about being frugal, it's not about splurging. It's not about what you look like or how you smell. Real friends will sit next you anyway. (Although, if they are worth their salt, they will tell you when you need to bathe!)
Living out of a backpack is to constantly be reminded that's about taking full advantage of the opportunity in front of you because it won't be there tomorrow. So catch that sunset. Buy that beer. Go play frisbee instead of washing clothes. Embrace the mud between your toes, until the next hot shower comes along.
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