Ngöbe Dancing

(Kevin was logged in when I uploaded the videos, but this is really April.)

I recently worked as a Facilitator and Team Leader at the Project Management and Leadership (PML) conference for Group 61 Volunteers and their Community Counterparts. The PML conference teaches very basic leadership skills (how to use an agenda, how to write a letter to an agency, how to speak about your project to others, how to run a meeting) to Panamanians. All of the participants are chosen for having demonstrated leadership potential in their community.

One evening during PML is Cultural Evening, with sharing of aspects of culture. Conference participants are told before they come that they will have a chance to share their culture with the group and thus come prepared with crafts and demonstrations planned. Several volunteers are serving in Ngöbe sites. The Ngöbe are an indigenous peoples living mostly in the Comarca Ngöbe Bugle, between Bocas del Toro, Chiriquí, and Veraguas. They shared, along with their volunteers, several of the dances from their culture.

Below are videos clips of a couple of the dances that they shared with us. In the videos notice the clothing...the women are wearing traditional nagua dresses. A nagua dress is characterized by the voluminous quantity of brightly colored material and the intricate hand sewn designs along the collar, sleeves, hem and waist. By brightly colored I mean teals, bright pinks, yellow, orange, reds, greens. I have occasionally seen naguas in pastels or patterned materials...but that is rare. I have been told that this style of dress dates back to the arrival of religious missionaries who taught the Ngöbe Bugle that it was better to dress modestly. Before that time the Ngöbe Bugle wore less covering clothing (cooler in this climate).

Thanks to Patrick for the videos, I did not have my camera in the room...so he shared with me.

Each dance has a specific name, just as each design on their dresses has a name...but the name for this on was in Ngöbera and it did not stick to my English -bound brain.

The above dance was called the Drunkard, and as I am writing this post on a day in the middle of carnival, I can say that there is some real resemblance to drunken dancing

The above dance, the only one executed in a circle, was called the Monkey. The volunteers that you see in the videos live in Ngöbe communities and were included just like all the Ngöbe Bugle in the room in the dance. It was pretty cool. I will be doing another PML seminar at the end of March...so I will look for more interesting culture to share with you.

Kori's Visitor View

April's friend from college, Kori, works at YMCA Camp Willson in Ohio. She came down to visit us over New Year's, right after Tabassum and Linda, and shared some time with them and with Kristin. A woman of few words (unless you catch one of her standup comedy routines or knitting seminars), here are her responses to the visit questions.

(Kori and April at the airport upon her arrival)

Q1: How was Panama what you expected?

I traveled with open expectations. I was humbled by being an "the foreigner" and have a better respect for the International students who travel here for the summer camp employment

(Employing those summer camp attitudes of try anything, Kori competes with our neighbor in a game of pop-the-head-off-the-clover)

Q2: How was it different than what you expected?

I did not expect to see so much influence from the States. I was suprised to see so many movie and tv references in all the communities I visited.

Q3: What struck you about the USA when you returned home?

time, schedules, and busy "Americans"

Q4: What was your best moment in Panama?

Either the "conversation" with the old man on the pony by the river in Sante Fe or the bus ride to the Ruins of Panama City.

(April and Kori in an archway in Panama Viejo)

Q5: What did you find most interesting or most notice about Kevin and April's life in Panama?

Candle-light dinners

Q6: Free response - anything else you´d like to say about your trip and time here.

On our island exit morning, we were waiting for the boat and playing the guessing game for when it would arrive. We had plenty of time to watch the falling stars and the sun rise. Yes, sleep is good, but so is seeing such peaceful beauty.

I look forward to another trip to the Island and have looked at flights for the spring.

Long shot job

As we move under six months remaining in our Peace Corps service, everyone (friends, family, fellow PCVs, our bosses, ourselves) is asking, "What are you doing next?"

We've been discussing (there is a lot of time for talking when the sun goes down by 6:30 and you don't have electricity) grad school, the National Park Service, organic farms in Vermont, applying our tropical island agriculture experience in Hawai'i, and numerous other crazy schemes, including returning to Maryland. And we try to keep an eye on the jobless rate in the states too, because while the pay isn't great, an extension in Peace Corps is a job that provides enough to live on.

But the current iron in the fire, if we were to get really lucky, would take us from "the toughest job you'll ever love" to "the best job in the world"? (Google those two terms and the top hits will explain the jobs.)

So, after staying up way to late to finish up the last details, here is my application for "the best job in the world". Turn on the sound.

If you want to see some of other 14,000 applicants they've supposedly gotten, try http://www.islandreefjob.com/. To see my video, look under the country of Panama (this post was written before they had approved my video, so I couldn't provide a link). The close date for applying is 22 Feb (hmmm, that's today; I guess I scheduled the posting of this blog just right so that you couldn't read it, apply, and bump me out of the running :) and they will announce the final 50 videos on 2 March, so check back then to see if I made it!

Kristin's Visitor View

Our friend Kristin went to college with April and has lived near us in Baltimore for several years. She, along with Kori, came down over New Years, just after Linda and Tabassum visited. After Kori left, Kristin then took a short trip to Kuna Yala (accompanied by April "for her Spanish help" - I think it was a boondoggle for April to get some more snorkeling), and then spent two more weeks of traveling around Panama on her own. Her last day in Panama was the night April's folks arrived, and we caught up with her again that day. Here are her impressions of her trip, which, while more free-form, I've tried to group with our questions.


Q1: How was Panama what you expected?

In a way Panama was what I expected but at the same time I tried to keep an open mind. I did have an (apparently good) idea of what to expect, mostly from blog info and from talking with April throughout their time here. I also had been to Peru a few years ago and Panama City reminds me of Lima, Peru. Hot, sprawling and congested, but still with plenty of historical places to see as long as you are willing to sweat while you adventure out.

(The famous flat arch in Casco Antiguo; having stood for hundreds of years, it was deemed a sign that Panama was safe enough from earthquakes to build a canal there)

(Another perhaps not so historical place; worth sweating for?)

Q2: How was it different than what you expected?

I was surprised to learn that water is safe to drink in all of Panama. I really didn´t expect that.

(The water is safe, but sometimes you have to be careful of what your friends tell you to take a bite of. Butt-in comment from April- hey, that is a marañón, the fruit that grows just below a cashew nut. It was a perfectly edible fruit kindly donated for our tasting pleasure by ouir bus driver who had een planning on eating it, this was not a trick taste testing. April tried it as well, just after taking this photo despite seeing Kristin´s reaction.)

Q3: What struck you about the USA when you returned home?

What struck me about the US is that no one says hello to you. In Panama, you say Buenas dias, or some variation to many people all day long. Then you ask how they are, then you say what you need to say. They like the greetings. They look you in the eye. Most of that does not happen here. That will take some getting used to. That's a basic level of humanity I think is lacking here.

But, I do have to say, that when the customs people said "Welcome home", that was nice. Even if I would be shortly facing glassy Baltimore ice, while still itching bug bites and wearing sandals.


Q4: What was your best moment in Panama?

For question 4 I will divide up my answer, since I was in Panama for 4 weeks, 2 with April and Kevin and 2 without them.

Panama With April and Kevin
I really enjoyed the evenings of cooking, playing cards and talking as these are some of the things I've missed the most while they have been gone.

(Cooking shrimp) (Cleaning lobster)




(Salted fish) (Making maracuya, or passion fruit, juice)


I really enjoyed seeing how the people in their community respond to them when they would see them. It's obvious that they have developed real friendships with many people on the isla.

(Kevin and April and several kids in front of the tienda, after English class)

One of the funniest things was on one bus (I don't remember where we were going) it got so crowded, that Kori and I were on one side and April and Kevin on the other and there were so many people in the aisle that I could not even see them anymore. I did get a glimpse at one point and both of them had babies on their laps (whoever is sitting on these buses gets to hold a baby if one needs to be held). I would have liked a photo of that one, but there was no space to get it. (I was on only one other bus that was more crowded, that was on my last day on the way to the canal. I don't think I had space to turn around and even try to count heads. The lady sitting next to me said it was Mal servicio - bad service.)

(Not sure how this didn't rate as Kristin's funniest bus moment - check the rearview mirror)

Other highlights:

• seeing Kuna Yala with April for a few days. That was an adventure just getting there! It's exactly what you think of when you think of a Carribean Island.


• April's cooking on the island, I swear she could pull a rabbit out of a hat. She always has some plan going on in that cabeza of hers...


• Being able to have April and Kevin ask anyone pretty much any question we had. We were much more able to get to know random Panamainians with their conversations. Something someone couldn't do if you can't communicate in the language. People, once you started talking with them were very open and sharing. Witnessing this also made me try it a few times later on my own. I couldn't find out as much information, but I could get some. And usually, it would turn into a random English/Spanish lesson. They seemed as nervous about their English as I was about my Spanish. It was nice when we both made an effort.

Panama Alone
Spending more time in the country was nice. Traveling alone was fine, as I could meet up with other random travelers and find out information about the next place. Plus, I had gotten a crash course from A & K about culture tips.

On my last day in Boquete, I went on one of those tree-top zip line trips. It was about 15 lines, up around 6000 feet. It was a chilly morning and I had on all my layers (2) so I thought I would freeze the whole time. But, then I realized how much work it was, so I was fine. I had gone with another traveler I had met and then we met another family traveling from the US. We all had a good time. In the afternoon, I ended up going with this family to some nearby hot springs. They had a rental car, so it was easy to get there (something I wouldn't have seen otherwise). It was a little too hot out to be sitting in hot springs for long, so we ended up relaxing in the river for most of our time, with a few dips in the hot water.

I ended the day by eating at a place they recommended and a type of food I didn't think I would be eating in Panama: Mediterean. Homemade hummus, pita, and falafeal. And just when I was thinking about the cheesecake... they all walked in to have dessert. After, they dropped me off at my hotel. It was a great combination day of working hard, meeting new people and eating good food.

Here's a picture of a meal I had in Cerra Punta. It was freezing there!

* soup w/ zapallo (I recognized this from w/ you guys)
* strawberry shake (the book said you had to have strawberries here, so I did!)
* very good roasted chicken w/ rice and beans. I still love beans.
* a decent salad, and
* lunch time reading.

Q5: What did you find most interesting or most notice about Kevin and April's life in Panama?

As far as your day to day lives, I wasn´t too surprised since your blog is so accurate! Although, reading about a composting toilet and seeing one in action are two different things... :-)

I more understand the process to get things done there (although, I´m sure not even close to completely understanding it). Things seem to be done is small doses. A step here, a step there, maybe several days apart. A little information shared in this conversation or that. From April and Kevin´s point of view, with an end goal or plan in mind the whole time. The planning and patience involved is very high. The satisfaction of accomplishment maybe takes longer to realize.

But the thing I noticed about A & K's lives was the amount of planning everything takes. EVERYTHING. Everything is a lot more work. Many times it would seem a more basic life, without as many complications, but it isn't less work; it's more. April is very organized and has things down, but to get to this point I'm sure it took a lot of trial and error.

Tabassum's Visitor View

Tabassum, a friend from our Maryland Search and Rescue (MSAR) Venture Crew visited us over Christmas with another friend, Linda. Here are Tabassum's reflections on the visit and Panama. Linda's reflections posted a few days ago.

(Tabassum and Kevin in the boat to the island on Christmas Eve)

Q1: How was Panama what you expected?

Well, I think it was definitely the temperature that I expected, with the poverty level and infrastructure that I expected, although at different points I was very surprised by the layout of the land. I expected the mindset of individuals to be more laid-back, and was not disappointed to find a simpler way of life overall, especially within the island community. I also expected food to be cheap, and was not disappointed! :)

Q2: How was it different than what you expected?

I was amazed to orient myself from East to West instead of North to South, because the landscape seemed so diverse, with mountains in the middle of the country and shoreline at the edges. It seemed as though each time we were journeying, there were mountains and water on either side. That was different from the US, even with the MSAR experience.

I was amazed to find rather odd animals on the island and odd sounds with lizards and birds that sang. It really made me feel at peace in a different way than if I had gone out to the woods and wilderness here. Everything looks different, the sky, water, stars, sun, birds, trees, it's beautiful and serene but enchanted was the word that kept coming to mind.

(Tabassum and Linda walking along the sidewalk to the school)

I was also amazed at the reliability of public transportation and and the numerous kinds (and completely impressed with K & A's abilities to navigate them all, that took a lot of work for me to even begin to understand), as well as the distinct markings on buildings (specific colors for a school, government building, hospital). Everything seemed very uniform to me, which was interesting.

I also was shocked at the way things seemed to be so closed riding through the countryside, it gave an appearance of privacy but really fences and gates were supposed to be against danger of the inner city population and crime. I just had no idea what could possibly be more dangerous than Baltimore in the US, and felt rather safe in Panama wherever we were.

On the island, life and people were curiously friendly, which was expected, but a simplistic eagerness to understand and learn seemed to underly each individual that we met. I was amazed to find myself comfortable in a strange house just because kids and adults treated each other with the family values I am so used to, courtesy and respect.

(Linda and Tabassum comfortably playing bingo with community kids and adults)

Q3: What struck you about the USA when you returned home?

Honestly, the pollution and industry really struck me. Because I was in love with the island and the aspect of nature that made me feel completely at home, and of course the weather was a rude shock. Going from 85 to 25 in 10 hours was incredibly shocking.

Our customs of "fake friendliness in the US" made me feel rather isolated. In Panama I would not have hesitated to ask for questions or directions from a complete stranger, whereas in the US, each individual is not working with others in their community on a daily basis. I was pleasantly surprised to be much more laid back about life and time when I got back than I usually am. I also took many more moments to just appreciate being outside and enjoying nature. Time seems to stop on the island, and I wanted to keep a little piece of that to bring home with me.

(Tabassum, "laid back" in a hammock, appreciating being outside)

Q4: What was your best moment in Panama?

My best moments in Panama were definitely looking up at the stars for hours or just being on the beach, completely serene. I really enjoyed anytime we were cooking, cleaning, or creating something, even learning how to skip rocks or sitting in the boat, it made me appreciate the simplicity of daily tasks that we take for granted.

(Enjoying time cooking)

(Enjoying time together, with the results of the cooking)

I loved just spending time with Kevin and April, I miss them a lot. By far my best moment on the whole trip was when I realized that Kevin and April were the same amazingly incredibly beautiful couple that I admired and loved back home. It hadn't hit me until we were on the island that they may have changed. It made my heart smile to know that they had, but that it was for the better, and that what made them stronger and even more in love was this experience.

Q5: What did you find most interesting or most notice about Kevin and April's life in Panama?

I definitely found the incredible diversity and culture of the people of Panama to be the most interesting. I loved seeing the pride and identity of the wonderful groups spread out across our travels, and would love to have been able to appreciate that even more. I notice most the simplicity of Kevin and April's life, and loved each moment I was able to share that simplicity. About K & A in particular, well, let's just say that being with them and in their dynamic just made me even prouder of them and infinitely harder to leave.

(Tabassum in the airport, managing to leave anyway)

Q6: Free response - anything else you´d like to say about your trip and time here.

I really enjoyed making the calabasa bowl, even though mine cracked on the way home, RIGHT where Cecilia said it would :(

(Tabassum watching as Cecilia's oldest daughter takes over the cleaning of the outside of her calavasa)

Linda´s Visitor View

The following Visitor's View was written by our good friend Linda, from our Maryland Search and Rescue crew. She visited over Christmas (I know, we're trying to catch up from visitor sets two, three, and four!) with Tabassum, whose reflections are in their own separate post.

Q1: How was Panama what you expected?
It mostly was. I definitely expected it to be a mix of developed and undeveloped states and a culture that was mostly latin with some American influences. Other things I expected: seeing open air markets, seeing a contrast between money and poverty, and being stared at for being Asian/American.

(Linda and April in the boat to the island on an amazingly smooth Christmas Eve)

Q2: How was it different than what you expected?

The cost of living was cheaper than expected, the cities were smaller than expected, and the food was really salty, but the water really is safe to drink ;)

I was also surprised to find that Panamanians don't eat much veggies.

(Linda with a plantain bunch; Panamanians do eat lots of fruits)

There were also parts of Panama that felt like they belonged in Europe, like the touristy place (was it called Panama Viejo or Casca Antigua?) where cruise shippers go shopping. It was a pleasant surprise. I was not expecting something like it, but perhaps because I wasn't really expecting to spend much time in Panama City. Speaking of cities, the cities definitely did not feel like cities to me, perhaps because they're smaller than what I normally consider a city. Santiago felt more like an urban town, like a smaller city that spread in two-dimensions instead of three.

(Kevin, Linda, Tabassum, and April in the ruins of Panama Viejo)

Culturally, Panama was different from what I expected because there was a bit more diversity to it. I had no idea about the existence of so many different ethnic groups in Panama.

(Linda and Tabassum in a trendy part of Casco Antigua, with traditional ethnic Kuna Yala handicrafts displayed behind them)

Q3: What struck you about the USA when you returned home?

Things are much more regulated back home. There's better customer service, and there is an established system for everything. In Panama, it seems like you may not always get what you thought you're paying for. Example: In Panama, who knows if a taxi ride someplace will cost $2 one day or $6 the next? Or what could possibly be done if the postal service lost your mail? Prices and services are not well-defined, which bothers me a lot. At home, they are, and when things go wrong there is a system in place to right it (like when our luggage didn't make it back home with us. Eventually it was shipped back. I suppose this is comparable to the Panamanian postal service losing the mail, except you'd be lucky to ever see that lost mail.)


Q4: What was your best moment in Panama?

Hmm... I'd have to say it was towards the end of the trip, when we were at Tocumen International Airport. We were playing games, like Alien Baseball and the people at the airport were looking at us like we were crazy people. Normally I'm self-conscious and don't like doing things that draw attention to me or make me seem unusual to others, but I learned to just enjoy doing things in life with people I care about because people are free to look and think what they will. (Not that we didn't draw enough stares already).

(Linda at the airport to leave, behaving herself)

Q5: What did you find most interesting or most notice about Kevin and April's life in Panama?

Compost Toilet. There's a psychological barrier that I think would have to be overcome before people could use the compost from a compost toilet for their garden, and from a practical standpoint it makes sense to use it. From the standpoint of a slightly germ-phobic person like me, that barrier is pretty tough. After seeing (and using) the compost toilet and the compost pile in the yard though, I am a lot more comfortable with the idea of eating food grown using that compost.

(Linda and the machete, chopping down a banana tree to add to our compost pile)

April and Kevin's ability to rapidly speak in Spanish also struck me. I would have to say that being stuck on an island and having to use a language that I had only started to learn months before is a pretty impressive feat.


Q6: Free response - anything else you´d like to say about your trip and time here.


Amazing trip with amazing people. I just wish we had more time =) Oh, and the culture shock wasn't bad. It's interesting to see that Americans really are prudish compared to other cultures, but I find it interesting that violence (editor´s note: Linda may be refering to the fact that movies here tend to favor the violent themes.) and interesting fashion are both ok in Panama.

Year end school party

At the end of the school year, which occurs down here in mid-December, just before the summer break, there is a party.

But it is more than just a party for the students. It is a party for the students, the teacher, and the madres and padres de familia (in essence, the PTA). This year, the students actually did some fund raising to help pay for the event, in the form of tumbulas, or raffel drawings. (Admittedly, similarly to in the states, most of the chances were purchased by the family, not by selling to neighbors and such, so the fund-raising burden was on the same audience.) The Padres de Familia (PdF) also had raised funds over the course of the year, including a chicken project (buy chicks, raise them, and sell them as 4-pound hens for about $1 to $1.50 a pound), and selling some teak wood planted on school property.

So what does all that fund-raising get you in a year end party?

Well there is the food: arroz con pollo (shredded chicken in flavored rice with olives, raisins, carrots, and other additions), ensalada papa (potato salad, with a pink or reddish color when made Panamanian style due to the beets they use), some bread (a rarity in our community), and the traditional Christmas foods of an apple and some grapes. They love apples but do not eat the pple skin...they bite off a chunk, chew until there is only skin and then spit out the skin.

Then there is a gift bag for all 21 students, with a toy and a Tshirt. And a gift for each parent, generally a nice shirt for the dads, and a fancy shirt, nightshirt or a cosmetic product for the moms.

And the piñata, full of confite (candies) and confetti.

(Swinging the bat at the snowman piñata; see the line of boys behind, ready to go)

(Sometimes a hit doesn't break the piñata but results in a few pieces flying out; despite the possibility of another swing with a metal bat just over their heads, the kids go diving to recover the candy; I'm not sure if the woman in yellow is a mom trying to protect them from getting hit, or trying to grab a piece too. April's comment- She is diving for candy...pretty sure.)

This year's piñata was a good one, that took a while to break. April took a video of them swinging, the handler pulling it out of reach, and then it finally breaking and the mad dash to grab as much candy as you can, children and adults alike. (But video is too big to upload, so we have no pictures of the final mad dash.) Everyone brings a plastic bag to carry it all home.

(The piñata handler in the back of the room, watching the swingers and pulling the rope to make them miss; when the piñata started leaking, he also decided to pull it up of reach or shake it to break it and get everything out)

(Afterward, the confetti is fun to play with; Roxana and Soray swept the floor not to clean up, but to toss it back on each other)

They also bring plastic bags to carry home the distribution of left over school food. The education ministry supplies the school with rice and beans and lentils for the school lunches that the moms cook. But the distribution sometimes lags, with the first batch of food not arriving until school has been in session for a few weeks, and the last with no time left for the kids to eat it all. So the parents divide it up amongst themselves, since it won't keep over the summer until school starts again in March.

The maestra (teacher) and Cecilia (one of our host family moms and the president of the PdF) and some of the other moms pulled out the 50-lb. bags of rice and set about evenly distributing them into the bags the parents had. It was a bit of a mob scene at times, despite knowing they would all get some, in part because they could leave once they got it. At one point, Cecilia winked at April and said, "Parace como Somalia, no?" ("Looks like Somalia, doesn't it?"). For a woman without a TV, who just gets the news from the radio, it was an interesting observation.

(Cecilia distributing beans; the source bag, on the ground, is marked with the Panama flag and the government name)

(Distributing beans, with everyone waiting in line)

Oh, and while we were waiting for whatever was the next step of the party, Kevin became the entertainment for some of the smaller kids with the You-Jump-I-Lift game. Considering how much taller he is than most Panamanians, it was a bit like flying and rather exciting for them. Luckily, one of the moms finally came over and told the kids in line (they cycled back into line numerous times, organizing themselves and encouraging in the more timid littler ones) that Kevin needed a break and this was the last time. :)

(The You-Jump-I-Lift game; some got the concept and timing better than others)

(Kevin lifting Bebo (José), but note the look of excitement on Carlito's face)

It a fun time for all, and a pleasant way to end the school year and calendar year.