Sunday, November 30, 2008

Stormy Weather

Wow, it’s been a crazy couple weeks here in Panama. It started off with a fun weekend with the November 16th parade. I went with a friend from the community, Rosa, and her family. We stayed on a nearby island with her inlaws. It was like being part of a mini family vacation- we had a really good time. Right after that is when the weather started to get bad and we had a tough time getting back to the community. Fortunately, work on my house was going really really well and they finished my bedroom! So, planning to move in, I put a 5 gallon bucket outside to collect the rain that was falling and unfortunately I fell really bad off the side of my host family’s house and thought I broke a rib. (There was also an earthquake that night, but I slept through it.) Because of the rain and wind I wasn’t able to leave for the hospital for three days and even when I did the sea was as rough as I’ve ever seen it. I got x-rays and the good news is that nothing is broken but the bad news is that it still hurts. After that I continued towards Panama City for our first in-service training. It was good to get together with the 40-some other volunteers in my group (#61). We sat in the classroom during the day and hung out at the beach at night.

The rains continued and there is some really bad flooding in the region. A few days later all volunteers in Bocas were pulled out of their sites and eventually consolidated in Chiriqui. I have been in contact with my community and it doesn’t sound like we have any damage but hearing the stories from other volunteers and the rivers they crossed and rescue missions they went on to save community members has been crazy. So many people lost everything, not just their homes but all their crops and therefore their income for the next few months. We’re here now learning about disaster response and what we can do to help. It’s nice to have electricity and internet, but we’re all anxious to get back to our sites to help out. Panama is not normally in the hurricane track but this is the closest to becoming a hurricane a storm has come. And the rains continue so we’re not sure when we’ll be able to get back. There were several land slides and the road we take was washed out in several locations. Hopefully I can make it to my site before my parents who fly in on Saturday! It’s been good to hang out with other volunteers but I do miss my community and hope everything is okay. Please keep everyone here in your prayers!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

My first real break!!







I finally made the 6 hour trip by boat and bus for a little rest and relaxation. Well, if you can call running around shopping, printing pictures, typing Peace Corps documents, and using the internet and phone like a crazy R&R. But warm showers are hard to beat.

Recently I’ve been keeping busy in my site doing the same old same old. Unfortunately no work has been done on my house for weeks on end and it still sits sadly frame completed and ¾ roof completed waiting to be finished. I am no longer building it with hira (the “traditional” way they built houses) because everyone was waiting for everyone else to be the first to cut their part and as a result nobody cut the wood. So, now I am going with tablas or essentially 2x4s for the walls. Luckily my boss came for my four month visit and fanned the flame a bit so they say I should have my house done in two weeks.

On Wednesday, Pablo my APCD, aka my boss came to visit my site. I was a bit nervous not really having a whole lot planned but it went really well. HE BROUGHT ME ICECREAM! Even though by the time we ate it, it was more like ice cream soup, it was delicious and will probably be the only time I get ice cream in my site. He also participated in my English class where I taught about clothes. I had lots of fun games planned and my students didn’t let me down. They really are a smart bunch and Pablo was highly impressed. Then we had town meeting. I hadn’t planned it in advance but still had a pretty good turnout- although as usual it started over an hour late. Basically he asked the community to evaluate me, how I’m doing, if they’re satisfied with the work I’ve done, etc. And as we say, my “tanque” was filled. They said I’m very hard working and always participating in whatever activity, cleaning up the school, fishing, etc. They even asked how it would be possible for me to stay longer than two years. Which is kind of ridiculous considering I haven’t even been there six months. But never the less it made me feel pretty good. Then Pablo showed off his mad skills in volleyball and it was back to my host family’s house. It was good to talk and get his advice, especially for the tourism part of my project.

The next day, because I wanted to leave, I went with his boat on the way to visit another volunteer and I was dropped of at a beach to hang out for the day. I do lead a tough life here… Unfortunately it was raining and COLD!! I was wearing pants and a fleece and my fingers and toes were COLD! It was exciting. I chatted with a hotel worker for most of the day and went on a 2 hour walk along the coast. Panamanians are truly friendly people. But it’s annoying to be a blond and have your phone number asked for by every guy you talk to for more than 30 minutes. Yesterday in my travels everywhere I went people would chat with me, but it’s neat that some how I stand out as a Peace Corps volunteer because they all ask, Cuerpo de Paz? I was even invited to the woman’s house that I sat next to on the bus. Anyways, I made it to the hotel safe and sound.

So, that’s pretty much what’s going on in my life right now. There are lots of holidays in November so English classes won’t be as regular. Hopefully I’ll get moved into my house and then it’s more training for a week at the end of the month before the big Thanksgiving celebration. The pictures are of a birthday party I went to and my current host family...