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

Saturday: 48 hours until camp launch! While the team captains answered the last minute questions from uncertain parents and double checked the packed bags for the 30 excited kids in site, the facilitators spent an informative day in San Felix, where “the engineers were turned into theatre people and the theatre people were turned into Peace Corps Volunteers.”   After a brief introduction on Ngäbe and Emberá culture for Katy and Andrea, the facilitators practiced effective techniques for running a children’s camp, learned a brief overview of theatre history, and collaborated in small groups to finalize the week’s engaging presentations and activities.   Accomplishments of the day include the completion of an environmental health themed Jeopardy, everyone learning to say “downstage” in Spanish, and finalizing the pounds of rice required to properly feed 40 hungry children and volunteers- 92! -Hennessy Theatre Camp Facilitators! Sunday: It’s the final countdown...

Buenos Dias! This is Andrea and Katy, writing from San Felix in Panama. We both arrived on Thursday and spent the entirety of this day traveling by bus from Panama City. We had quite the journey. What was supposed to be a six hour trip turned into nine hours when the bus broke down and we were stranded for a while. We had a fine the time though, especially at lunch. Katy ordered a dish she described as ‘tasting like chicken’ but unbeknownst to her was actually cow stomach. Both of us were incredibly excited for what was to come. The night before, we had stayed up late talking about our plans for the camp and our goals in the next week. Both of us utilize theatre as a means for social justice back in the states, and when we heard about Amber’s camp, wanted to help in any way we could. Currently the rain is coming down here in San Felix. We are staying at Amber’s house tonight, and she has been kind enough to treat us to a spaghetti dinner. Tomorrow we meet the ...

Those exclamation points are mixture of joy and fear at the moment. Fear because no matter what you do, at this point in the game it seems like there is never enough time. However, I slept really well last night knowing that the "TO DO" list is officially shorter than the "DONE" list. After the grant was filled, there was a delay in Washington. The funds finally arrived in Panama on the 20 th , so camp t-shirts have been designed and ordered, materials and prop lists have been compiled, and we have reservations for kids at hostels from one side of the country to another. Matt is bringing 5 teens from just outside the Sambu Reservation of the Embera-Wounaan in the Darien. It is a three-hour boat ride to his community, and his kids have never left. They will start their journey Saturday the 30 th at 4am to make it to camp by Monday, but Matt can’t wait to show them the Panama Canal, mountains, and you know, cars. On the other side of the country in Bocas...