rain rain go away

Helllloooooooo everyone. It´s finally time for another update in the life of me. As a Minnesotan the weather is always a popular conversation topic so I´ll start with that.

Weather: It won´t stop raining! We´ve had about two days of sun in the last two weeks so the volleyball playing has been limited, but the water is plentiful and the tanks are full. Which means I´ve gotten into the habit of washing clothes at home rather than making the muddy trek to the stream, and I´m liking the change. We were put on the "alert phase" at one point but we´re now back in the "all clear".

Business: English classes are marching along. I´ve got about six students consistently coming to class. It´s small but that means good participation. We´ve got three weeks left of this round of classes (aka until I go to Guatemala) and then we´ll take another break. Next Monday we have a test so we´ll see what they´ve actually grasped. Ay ay ay... working with the women´s group is always a challenge. Two weeks ago I took two lovely ladies (the secretary and president of the group) to a leadership and project management seminar. It was a great experience and I think they learned a lot or atleast had their eyes opened to some new possibilities. We returned back to the community with our minds full of ideas and hope for better organization, as well as lots of fabric and beads for the artisanry. The group meeting we had went GREAT! There was discussion and debate, which means change and the possibility for improvement. Finally everyone was in agreement that we would change some things around... and then a week later the president makes her own changes without informing anyone. ergh! If everyone were honest and working for the good of the group things would be SO much easier. But alas, I must work with what I have. We´re working on making a price tag for the artisanry and still trying to find a way to fix up our leaking "restaurant". The solution at this time seems to be Bingo, dominoes, and beer. We´re going to have "activities" once a month to collect funds, with our first one next Saturday. Hope all goes well. Aaaand I´ve got a girl scouts group with nine niñas ages 7-12. We meet once a week to play games and chat about things like washing your hands, leadership, conservation, self esteem, garbage pick up, etc. Last week we went swimming in the river after class. A little stressful for me the chaperone with two girls who can´t swim. But they had a blast.

Current Events: Where am I now? On my way to an English teaching seminar. I left a day early to get in some much needed computer time. And I already stopped by "El Rey del Helado" or The Icecream King. And tonight I´m going to go see a chick flick at the movie theater! Things in site are going well. I´ve made some really good friends and I´m staying busy with work. It´s hard to believe that I´ve already been in Panama for ten months! Time is really flying by. Hope everyone back home is staying warm! Love from Panama, Jessica (PS pictures are of the seminar and making a straw structure with my girl scouts group)