Patience

Patience in Panama is a different thing than what I would say we term “patience” in the US. In the US, we all know the pervasive lack of patience, rushing from work to meetings to home to bed to work. Admittedly, that is “busy” more than lack of “patience”. But who isn’t on the cell phone between or during each of those events? Who isn’t rushing the yellow light (or fuming in traffic that isn’t moving through the signal)? Who uses the oven or stove every day, instead of the microwave or take out?

Here, in Panama City, I’m it is the same (except no traffic lights, and fewer personal cars, so more folks in taxis or buses). But we aren’t living in Panama City (thank goodness). In the smaller towns of Panama, patience can be limited too. Lines at the counter in small stores or food kiosks are often non-existent: just walk up infront of whoever was there ahead of you and yell “joven, dame un galleta” (“hey you, give me a cookie” is the best I can translate the meaning). Push onto the bus regardless of who is waiting to get off or who else was waiting at the stop and when they got there. Interrupt if you have a question for someone who in the midst of a conversation.

And yet, there is a patience I can’t recall seeing in the states. While waiting for the bus on a country road, people will just sit and think and wait. If there is someone to talk to, they may talk, but they are content to just wait. In the states, people would be on their cell phone, listening to their iPod, reading the paper or a book, checking the time, and generally fuming. Personally, I would want my book, or something to fill the time – to feel like I was doing something, not just sitting. But I’ve seen neighbors waiting for a friend or the kids just sit, patiently, for half an hour or an hour.

Maybe they’re thinking of what to cook for dinner (“hmmm, rice”, I guess doesn’t take too long to think about) or enjoying the weather (“hmmm, 80 degrees again today”, I guess also doesn’t take too long), or listening to the waves or the birds. Or maybe they aren’t thinking anything, and are just patient. I hope I bring back some of this patience with me.

Quick notes:

I just wanted to pass along some quick information:

• Peace Corps Panama Calendars have been printed and should soon be available through http://www.panamapcv.net. I know that they are not posted there yet...but we are working on it. Please consider one of our beautiful calendars for your wall in 2009!
  
• We will be in working/site most of November, so be ready for some good posts in early December.
  
• We are hoping to get a way to upload our photos again...we lost the cable to connect the camera to the computer when our camera was stolen. A fellow PVC has an extra card reader and has offered it to us at thanksgiving. We have a ton of photos that we want to share. (Including a shot of baby hummingbirds...do you get any better than that?)
  
• It is thundering here. Not really news to you...but it means I am not in a rush to get off the computer now. :)
  

Take care out there. May you have lots of snow to make us jealous.

Sometimes nothing is easy

Well, I should be on a boat right now approaching the island where we live. I should be hot, hungry, and a bit cranky because I am almost finished with a three hour boat ride in the sun and I still have a full days worth of activities ahead of me and all I really want is a nap. That is what should be...that is what Kevin is experiencing at this moment....so why am I typing a blog in a computer lab (that sounds like an arcade from all the kids playing after school) instead?

Because nothing worthwhile is easy to accomplish.

This is true in the USA as well, but today it feels more evident than normal here in Panama. It often feels like it takes 4 steps to get something done that I feel like I should be able to accomplish with 2 steps. The main projects that I am working on this month are:

• a trip with the kids and environmental volunteers to visit another PCVs community (we are going to learn about the sea turtles that lay eggs there) November 14-16th
• a National Association of Interpretation (NAI) workshop about how to give interpretive programs (think national park ranger guided walk) that will be given in Parque Naciónal Coiba on Nov 16-22

Did you notice that the dates overlap... both projects are coming to a head at once...and of course that complicates matters. Scheduling the dates was complicated, and while I am not very happy about the way they overlap (as I have still not learned to be in two places at the same time) that was the only way that personal schedules, community schedules, agency schedules, and ocean tides all lined up to work together. Don't you want a job that is impacted by the schedule of the tides?

These projects have been very typical of why a Peace Corps volunteer needs or develops patience (or goes home early). A vezes, nothing is easy. For example, the reason that I am sitting here typing to you is because I need to get gasoline for the boat ride visit the other community. I need 15 gallons of gasoline, about $52.00 in value. The process of getting the gasoline has been interesting.

Months ago I started talking about this project to the local agencies. They liked it enough that I heard an agency member using this project as an example at a seminar of how we can work together. A month ago I wrote a letter asking for help with the costs of this project to a local agency. Letters are the official first step when dealing with Panama’s agencies.

I didn't get any reply from the agency, but kept hearing that they liked the project....so I went visiting. Visiting is the way to get things done here, well, after you make small talk you might get things done too. So I visited. We made small talk and we looked through their files for the letter and then printed a new copy. I was told that they wanted to help me and that I needed to stop back next week. That visit was on Friday.

Now, let us take a brief break to look at the holiday schedule for Panama:

• November 3. Separation Day (from Colombia).
• November 4. Flag Day
• November 5. Colon Day
• November 10. "Primer Grito de Independencia de la Villa de los Santos" The uprise in the Villa de los Santos against Spain.
• November 28. Independence Day (from Spain).

Add those national holidays to regional celebrations...and about 1/2 of the days in November are dias libres. So the agencies were all closed on Mon, Tue, and Wed of this week. I wanted to be heading home on Thursday at the latest, but decided to stick around and see if I could get a promise of help. Good thing I did. When I visited late on Thursday I got walked from one office to the other and we made arrangements for when I was in port I would call and they would tell the gas vendor to give me 15 gallons and that they would pay for it.

Great, I had a promise that gas would be paid for...now I just need a tank to put it in (I didn’t know how any of this would work before it all got started.) So I called a different agency and asked to borrow a tank that I had seen in the past. That worked.

When I got to port the tank was too small, 12 gallons...so yet a third agency lent me a bigger one. Yeah! (This week represents quite a victory with agency relations for me.) I went to go fill the bigger tank and guess what? There is no gasoline in port, both venders have run out. They say that more gas will come in tomorrow... pero veo para creerlo (but i will believe it when I see it). So I am typing to you and going to visit a friend for the night.

Si Dios quiere, I will return to the island tomorrow....if not, the day after. I find it funny that Kevin and I both wrote blogs with a theme of patience in the same week without talking about it. What does that mean??? His entry will post soon.

Just remember, smelling the roses requires taking a deep breath.

Why the intensity?

I just got to an internet connection finally and saw April's "vote" post. I wanted to make a quick follow-up. In talking to folks back in the states, I've heard more intensity in this race than the past two, which I thought were more divisive. The way I looked at it this go round, any change was change for the better. But I've heard folks say for the first time ever they donated to a political campaign, or they signed up for campaign emails, or they are trying to convince family and friends not to make a mistake and vote for the wrong candidate.
Admittedly, I've missed most of the ads and news, having only listened to debates 2 and 3 on our worldband shortwave radio. So please, help me out, post a comment (or send me an email) and let me know what what is the source of your interest, your intensity, and your activism this year. (I realize I'm pretty close to election day here, but it is my first internet access in over three weeks, sorry. And hopefully none of those qualities will abate dramatically on Wednesday; an informed and involved public makes for the best government.)
And like April said, Go Vote!

We voted...and you?

While we don't always get news in a timely or complete manner, we did manage to catch two of the presidential debates on the world band radio. They felt like real "Peace Corps" moments, sitting in our house by candlelight, listening to the radio on headphones with the rain pouring down outside.

I also saw the vice presidential debate on CNN Español in a private home with cable (a pretty rare thing in my experience) here in Santiago. The debate was translated into Spanish, which made it more challenging. I could hear a bit of the debate in English when the translators paused for thought...just enough to be distracting.

We voted in the US election and sent in the absentee ballots. One of my tasks for Oct 16th was to print our ballots...which were emailed to us. We then filled them in and mailed them (you could also fax them) back to Maryland for counting. I am really glad that Maryland allows them to be emailed...because we already missed one local election vote due to slow international mail.

And election day? We have reserved a hotel suite (sounds much better than the reality) to share with friends and watch election returns on November 4th. We figure that no matter who wins it will be a historic moment (first person of color or first woman elected) and we want to see and share it with fellow citizens.

So get out there and VOTE America...this is a historic election. Be sure to be part of it!