Host Family Number 1

We´ve now been with our training host families for one week. It´s been quite the transition from our relatively nice villas we were staying in when we first got to Panama. We´re staying in two small towns about 45 minutes (by public bus) outside of Panama City. Houses are made of of cement and it´s about 50/50 latrine versus flush toilet. Fortunately I´ve got the nicer of the two and because of it have yet to see a cucaracha (cochroach). I share a bedroom with my 59 year old host mom- Gloriela. Two of her four children live with us, their ages are 36 and 37. They both work in the city so they aren´t around during the day. Lots of extended family are coming around the house- my favorite is 5 year old Jossmar. Yesterday we were playing in his casa de arboles (tree house). My host family is really nice and they give me my space, but sometimes it´s a bit too much space as we don´t do anything but sit and watch tv. It doens´t matter much as we are kept very busy between technical and language training which are from 8 to 12 and 1 to 5 everyday. Not to mention the homework. I think I have an advantage having just graduated from college, it´s not too much of a transition from that.

Today we had a mini tour of Panama City, how the buses work, and where the grocery stores and hotels are that we might need to use later on. I´ve also had a chance to experience Panama´s health clinics. I think I´m one of the optimisic ones in the group, but as I´ve said before, things are still going great. They are getting a bit more stressful and the workload has picked up, and we´re all anxious to find out where our sites will be. We´ll find out in 3 weeks. I think that´s all the updates for now. Chao!!