"Do not go where the path may lead..."

That's our motto of the Darien, because it really is the wild west of Panama, and most Panamanians have no idea what it is out there. Here's the history of the region in which I live: The Darien was important to European exploreres in the 16th and 17th centuries because of its wealth of resources: wood, rubber, and gold. The population began to increase the influx of Europeans. During the 18th century, the capital city was moved from Santa Maria la Antigua to Panama City and the Darien was forgotten. Immigration continued as black slaves escaped from the capital city seeking refuge in the dense jungles of the region. Sometimes prisoners from the city were shipped out to the Darien as their sentence. Choco Indians started immigrating illegally to Darien from Colombia to work in gold mines. From this time on, everything east of Panama City was thought of as dangerous jungle and forgotten. In the 1970's the construction of the Interamerican highway to Yaviza began which ch...

Tomorrow is the big day, the day we head out to the community entry conference, meet our counterparts, and oh yea, GO TO OUR NEW SITES!!! I posted this all over the facebook and email, so for friends and family there, this is old news, but I will be moving to the Comarca Embera-Wounaan!!! The northern region, called Cemaco. (There's a southern reservation of Embera-Wounann as well) My community has about 270 people, or 65 homes. There is no electricity, no aqueduct, and few latrines. The current vlunteer there is starting a pilot project for composting latrines since the pit latrines are disgusting and problematic due to the really high water level below ground. It is on a river and the people live in huts on stilts (called tambos). The community has a problem with howler monkeys like american cities have problems with squirrels and pigeons, so I'm told. We'll see what all of this information means very, very soon. I am excited. I am terrified. I have never been to the ...

Over the course of tech week we learned a variety of tech skills including: -How to survey waterlines using abney levels and water levels -How to build bases for latrines with logs and bamboo frames -How to mix concrete -How to mold seats for latrines -How to haul water from the river -How to form rebar frames for inside concrete structures -How to hike like it's your job -How to form things with mud and chicken wire (the theatre kids were really good at this) -How to construct things out of ferrocement -How to measure the flow of a waterline -How to use thermodynamics (that means how to melt PVC pipes down to make other things with them, like flow reducers, caps, and orifice plates) -How to effectively use a trowel -How to dig with a Panamanian shovel (IE, the handle is 3' long) -How to give a presentation to a group of adults about gender equality in a strongly male dominated indigenous society as the only female in a group of 4 other male presenters (It's not int...

This adventure begins when I woke up to finish packing at 4AM on Sunday the 3rd. It had been a short night since a crazy party the night before had music so loud that, even though I had an 8PM curfew, I was awake until after 1AM. So we were already off to a great start for the 'hardest week of PST'. I left my house at 5:15 and picked up Andrew and Kerri en route to the Diablo Rojo ('Red Devil' It's an old school bus painted crazy colors and typically has loud music) that Chet arranged with his Dad to drive us to the central bus stop on the Pan American Highway. We went 20 min west to the stop, switched buses, and then went 40 min east to the national bus terminal to get tickets to take us 6 hours west. (Welcome to Panamanian travel, friends.) We got to the terminal (Albrook) at 6:30AM, and stood in line until 7:35 when the first 9 in our group were able to get tickets on the 8:30AM bus, but the other 10 of us had to come back at 8:30AM to pick up our t...

Panamanians... -freak out about sunburns. They never turn red, so when their once very white gringa comes back the color of tomatoes, they're pretty sure I am going to be permanently discolored or something. And I thought I got stares and weird looks before! -Don't really use trash cans. It's really frustrating. After you host a party of upwards of 100 people in your yard, you expect some mess. But when after the party you find yourself RAKING up the trash like fall leaves, that's a little excessive. -Have a different definition of 'standing in line'. Meaning...more like an ambiguous amoeba and may the best Panamanian win. -Were shocked and awed when a female trainee asked to shoot off some fireworks. We were shocked and awed when they let her. They talked about it for days afterwards. -Have no concept of fireworks precautions. They will blow up whatever, whenever, wherever if there's a party. And there are lots of parties. It took some getting...

Ladies and gents, it is has been one month since I left Omaha, Nebraska and set off on this crazy adventure call Peace Corps. And SO MUCH has happened. I moved to another country with a posse of strangers, leaving my country behind for the first time EVER. I have mastered another language well enough to survive and do my job fairly effectively. I have traveled alone, in another language, across said new country. I have gotten sick, and then got better. I have taught in front of a classroom of students. I have eaten things with faces. (mostly fish) I have experienced so much so fast that it is hard to keep track. I learned how to use a machete. I learned about the different types of latrines and why some are better than others in differing situations. I know about 8 different ways to purify water well enough to drink. I understand the basic structure of water sheds, aqueducts, and many ways to teach that information to an indigenous community. I have been to and worked wi...