So what exactly is it like to be a brand new Peace Corps Volunteer?? Well, I am sure that the expereince is different for everyone, but I can tell you about my first two weeks. Sorry, but no pictures today...I forgot the cord to the camera. We will try to post photos soon.
We headed to our site a day late, after I spent a day with enough diarehha to make me not want to travel (hum...7 hours in busses and boats with re-occuring diarehha was not my idea of fun). I was feeling fine other than the diareah thing. We arrived at the port for departure and spent about 4 hours waiting for a ride and talking with the port police and authorities...who are very nice and even willing to share their bathroom with us! Despite all of that we got to our site without any real difficulties. We are living with a host family just now. We will be living with host families for the next two or so months, every PCV does this as a way to adapt and intigrate into the community.
Paula and Ancelmo, the couple that we are living with, are very nice and very patient with our spanish. I find that with a day or two of talking to the same person we adapt to their accent and way of speaking and they adapt to ours and things get a little easier. Their house is in a beautiful location...right near the water with a wonderful view and good breeze.
They have an uncountable number of chickens and ducks, two dogs, three horses and laundry lines that make us duck when we walk outside the house. I have come to find that watching chickens is almost like watching fish in an aquarium...kinda relaxing and occasionaly amusing. Of course, you don´t often get offered a fish from the family aquarium for lunch....but I did get offered one of the chickens that I had enjoyed watching. Very sad.
So these two weeks we spent going to a meeting with the local equivalent to the PTA. (There was something going on at that meeting that I don´t quite understand...some sort of tension that I know that they were not addressing because we were there - they said that much in Spanish that I could understand...so I am not just making things up.) We walked around looking at were things are and saying "Hi" to everyone we met. We studied Spanish. We learned how to harvest rice. We visited the water source for the community that we are living in.
I made friends with the dogs. I saw my first snake...a 4 foot boa in a tree...and then watched it be killed. (yup...I will be thinking long and hard about how to be respectful of the people and still ask for less killing of local animals). I found a scorpion in the wall of our room (there are gaps in the motar between blocks sometimes) and watched it be killed. Have a photo of it to share when I get the cable. It was about 5 inches long including tail. It didn´t sting anyone. We went swimming and playing in the Gulf with some kids...some of whom were too shy to talk to us directly.
I did laundry twice by hand. I wrote in my diary. I re-read book 5 of Harry Potter so I can re-read book 6 so I can start book 7. We have HP 7 but have not started it. DON´T TELL US ANYTHING ABOUT IT!!! I am thanking God everyday that we are in a place were no one else has read them and can spoil the ending for us. I don´t think that we will start HP7 for another 2 months-when we get our own house. This is because I know once we start it we will want to read a bunch...and that doesn´t seem like a good idea right now while living with families. Plus, we will read it outloud for the first time...and that could look a little wierd to others.
So, there were busy times and times when I would say to Kevin "Now what?". There were moments when I found Spanish to be easy, and moments where we used the dictionary frequently. We had moments were we were sweaty and stinky, and moments when we were a bit chilly in the breeze (yup, you CAN be chilly in Panama - especially in the movie theaters and long distance buses). There were moments of real admiration for the way Panamanians do things, and moments of not understanding how or why they do things as they do. There were moments of no insects, and moments of many bites, but not horrible. There were moments of real fustration due to lack of clear information or understanding of Spanish. There were moments of just enjoying the beauty of where we are living.
All in all, they were two good weeks...not easy, but good. I think that it will just get better over time...but it will be as slow as my progress with Spanish (which means a decent speed but never feeling fast enough for me.)
Hope everyone reading this is doing well. Please go enjoy a good chocolate ice cream or some good cheese in my honor. Both are rare in Panama as a whole, but non-existant on the island. Love to all,
April
April and Kevin in Kuna Yala, the northeast coast of Panamá
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Fun / Interesting Panamanian Moments
So, I am a bit sick. Just diarehha, but that is enough to be a problem when you have 7+ hours of travel ahead of you. So we have put off going into our site for a day, and thus I have a moment to post about some fun stuff that I have seen / noticed here in Panama.
Taxis: Wow, taxis here can be and are, any make/model/year of car. A taxi is marked with a registration number on its side and (most of the time but not always) a taxi sign on top. They can be brand new or an utter clunker complete with bad sounds, rust and flapping fabric. You never know what you are going to get until they actually stop - but you don't have to get in if you don't want to.
There are no meters in the taxis here, just a flat rate or an agreement depending on where you are. Peace Corps tells us to talk to the driver about where and how much before getting in. Taxis will also stop and pick up more passengers as they go along, so if you are alone you tell them that you want the taxi to not pick up anyone else before you get in (safer that way). For the most part taxis here have been a safe and easy way to travel...but more expensive. A taxi might be $1.50 for a ride where a bus would be $.25 a person. You just have to weigh all the options and pros/cons and do what is best at the moment.
Fashion: Well, I should start by saying I am not an expert on this, and I do not have good fashion sense in the States...but I have noticed a few differences here worth telling you about.
First, women here seem to love clothes that sparkel. Beads, bangles, sequins, glitter, enbroidery are all a part of normal everyday fashion for women here. I don't know that that will be as true on the island, but I have seen examples pretty far out into the countryside. I would think that it would make the clothing harder to wash, and in many places the wash is done by hand. They do look nice, but most of you know that I am not a very sparkly girl.
Second, shoes are important when trying to look nice. Shoes may or may not be practical in nature. They definitely have and use work shoes, but would not wear them to a public event. Many kids and sometimes adults go barefoot a good deal, but when appearance matters the shoes should be nice, and they should be clean. Our host in Santa Clara during training would on occasion remove our shoes from our room and wash them. I was starting to worry about mold on my boots and had to ask her to not wash them because I was having a hard time drying them.
Third, Sizes are different. I haven't been shopping for clothes here yet, but when I do go it should be an adventure. I am considerably taller than most Panamanians - male or female. (To be totally accurate there are some men Kevin's size, but they are not overly common.) Anyway, I think that I will just say that my definition of "what fits" me is probably a bit different than the culture here. Sizes here tend to run smaller (other volunteers tell me) both because the people are smaller in stature, and because clothing is often worn snugger.
Mold: Hum, where to start. We have had some fun with mold here. This can be a fairly wet and humid climate. It is not hot or humid all of the time, but when it is cool things don't dry. They best way to dry things is out in the sun on a clear day. I have some money that I have been saving....yup it grew mold. Turns out that moldy money is kind of soft and powdery feeling. Somehow I can't see myself putting it all out in the sun for a day to kill the mold, so I am stuck with it. I think that the active mold growth has stopped, but I am still thinking about turning it in to a bank just to be free of moldy money.
My black birkenstock leather sandles have been rescued from mold growth twice. They grew mold (a pretty gray mold) on the surface of the leather and on the leather top to the birk footbed inside. Yum. Another Volunteer (or PCV in PC lingo) lent me some waterproofing wax that should stop the mold - I hope that he is right. Before we left hiking boots on the island we put them out in the sun to get good and hot for a day. They are also stored near the roof in the house that they are at - supposed to be warmer there.
The final mold indignity came the other day when we opened up the computer to use it for the first time in a couple of weeks; there was a fine smattering of mold on the wrist rests and screen. Kevin cleaned it off, but who knew that a computer could grow mold. We are now on the look out for those re-usable de-humidifying packets. If you know how to get them please email me! In the mean time, we may go shoe shopping and steal some silica packets.
Interesting advirtising:
I am just going to let this one speak for itself. Enjoy.
These are elevator doors and interior in a mojor mall in Panama City. I thought that they were pretty funny. In case you can't read it they do talk about Parental Controls.
Taxis: Wow, taxis here can be and are, any make/model/year of car. A taxi is marked with a registration number on its side and (most of the time but not always) a taxi sign on top. They can be brand new or an utter clunker complete with bad sounds, rust and flapping fabric. You never know what you are going to get until they actually stop - but you don't have to get in if you don't want to.
There are no meters in the taxis here, just a flat rate or an agreement depending on where you are. Peace Corps tells us to talk to the driver about where and how much before getting in. Taxis will also stop and pick up more passengers as they go along, so if you are alone you tell them that you want the taxi to not pick up anyone else before you get in (safer that way). For the most part taxis here have been a safe and easy way to travel...but more expensive. A taxi might be $1.50 for a ride where a bus would be $.25 a person. You just have to weigh all the options and pros/cons and do what is best at the moment.
Fashion: Well, I should start by saying I am not an expert on this, and I do not have good fashion sense in the States...but I have noticed a few differences here worth telling you about.
First, women here seem to love clothes that sparkel. Beads, bangles, sequins, glitter, enbroidery are all a part of normal everyday fashion for women here. I don't know that that will be as true on the island, but I have seen examples pretty far out into the countryside. I would think that it would make the clothing harder to wash, and in many places the wash is done by hand. They do look nice, but most of you know that I am not a very sparkly girl.
Second, shoes are important when trying to look nice. Shoes may or may not be practical in nature. They definitely have and use work shoes, but would not wear them to a public event. Many kids and sometimes adults go barefoot a good deal, but when appearance matters the shoes should be nice, and they should be clean. Our host in Santa Clara during training would on occasion remove our shoes from our room and wash them. I was starting to worry about mold on my boots and had to ask her to not wash them because I was having a hard time drying them.
Third, Sizes are different. I haven't been shopping for clothes here yet, but when I do go it should be an adventure. I am considerably taller than most Panamanians - male or female. (To be totally accurate there are some men Kevin's size, but they are not overly common.) Anyway, I think that I will just say that my definition of "what fits" me is probably a bit different than the culture here. Sizes here tend to run smaller (other volunteers tell me) both because the people are smaller in stature, and because clothing is often worn snugger.
Mold: Hum, where to start. We have had some fun with mold here. This can be a fairly wet and humid climate. It is not hot or humid all of the time, but when it is cool things don't dry. They best way to dry things is out in the sun on a clear day. I have some money that I have been saving....yup it grew mold. Turns out that moldy money is kind of soft and powdery feeling. Somehow I can't see myself putting it all out in the sun for a day to kill the mold, so I am stuck with it. I think that the active mold growth has stopped, but I am still thinking about turning it in to a bank just to be free of moldy money.
My black birkenstock leather sandles have been rescued from mold growth twice. They grew mold (a pretty gray mold) on the surface of the leather and on the leather top to the birk footbed inside. Yum. Another Volunteer (or PCV in PC lingo) lent me some waterproofing wax that should stop the mold - I hope that he is right. Before we left hiking boots on the island we put them out in the sun to get good and hot for a day. They are also stored near the roof in the house that they are at - supposed to be warmer there.
The final mold indignity came the other day when we opened up the computer to use it for the first time in a couple of weeks; there was a fine smattering of mold on the wrist rests and screen. Kevin cleaned it off, but who knew that a computer could grow mold. We are now on the look out for those re-usable de-humidifying packets. If you know how to get them please email me! In the mean time, we may go shoe shopping and steal some silica packets.
Interesting advirtising:
I am just going to let this one speak for itself. Enjoy.
These are elevator doors and interior in a mojor mall in Panama City. I thought that they were pretty funny. In case you can't read it they do talk about Parental Controls.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Swear-In Photos
Despues de hoy,
estamos voluntarios de Cuerpo de Paz en Panama.
Groupo 59 de voluntarios en Panama
Swear-In went fine...almost all in Spanish so I had to pay good attention. The oath was in English, so at least I know what I agreed to. Thus starts our 2 years as Volunteers
estamos voluntarios de Cuerpo de Paz en Panama.
Groupo 59 de voluntarios en PanamaSwear-In went fine...almost all in Spanish so I had to pay good attention. The oath was in English, so at least I know what I agreed to. Thus starts our 2 years as Volunteers
Swear-In Day
So today is the big day.
In about 2 hours we will be heading to Panama Viejo (old Panama city) for the swear in ceremony and officially become volunteers (we have been trainees up until now). The Ambassador and Panamanian dignataries will be there and local press. It will be very official, but not very big.
After that we will be full fledged volunteers. This means that we will (for the most part) be free to schedule our own work, life and free time! Training has been hard at time because there has been very little feeling of control of my own life. The introverted part of me is tired. Living with host families is great for learning, but boy does it leave me tired.
After Swear In we get 2 days of free time and then we head into our island site to start living and working there on Sunday. On one hand we are ready to go and get started, and on the other hand I could sure do with a couple more days of down time.
So how am I feeling about Peace Corps right now? I am happy, tired, glad to be here, occasionaly fustrated with training, occasionally very happy with training. I am loving the expereince, but not looking forward to hauling all my stuff around on Sunday. I am looking forward to exploring the island and learning more about the community there. I am not looking forward to the chitra - or no-see-ums that bit us up last time we were there. I am very much looking forward to finding a house and setting up house keeping of my own in a couple of months. I am happy to be here. This was the right choice for me, I am happy to be spreading my horizons and learning new things.
I would like to say a quick thank you to our host family in Santa Clara. I know that there were occasionaly rough times (learning a language always makes getting to know people harder) but there were many good times, and we learned a lot at your house.
Also, just a fun note for the bird lovers out there: we got to see a Harpy Eagle yesterday. He is a captive education bird with a program that raises and releases Harpys in Panama and Belize. We even got to see him fly. VERY cool! Harpys are about the size of a Bald Eagle or a bit bigger for females. Thier wing span is not quite as big, but they are heavier and stronger (more lbs pressure in talons). They eat primarily sloths. Kind of funny to me that this majestic power consumes one of the slowest animals for 60% of it's diet.
And now we're out of time and off to Swear-In!
In about 2 hours we will be heading to Panama Viejo (old Panama city) for the swear in ceremony and officially become volunteers (we have been trainees up until now). The Ambassador and Panamanian dignataries will be there and local press. It will be very official, but not very big.
After that we will be full fledged volunteers. This means that we will (for the most part) be free to schedule our own work, life and free time! Training has been hard at time because there has been very little feeling of control of my own life. The introverted part of me is tired. Living with host families is great for learning, but boy does it leave me tired.
After Swear In we get 2 days of free time and then we head into our island site to start living and working there on Sunday. On one hand we are ready to go and get started, and on the other hand I could sure do with a couple more days of down time.
So how am I feeling about Peace Corps right now? I am happy, tired, glad to be here, occasionaly fustrated with training, occasionally very happy with training. I am loving the expereince, but not looking forward to hauling all my stuff around on Sunday. I am looking forward to exploring the island and learning more about the community there. I am not looking forward to the chitra - or no-see-ums that bit us up last time we were there. I am very much looking forward to finding a house and setting up house keeping of my own in a couple of months. I am happy to be here. This was the right choice for me, I am happy to be spreading my horizons and learning new things.
I would like to say a quick thank you to our host family in Santa Clara. I know that there were occasionaly rough times (learning a language always makes getting to know people harder) but there were many good times, and we learned a lot at your house.
Also, just a fun note for the bird lovers out there: we got to see a Harpy Eagle yesterday. He is a captive education bird with a program that raises and releases Harpys in Panama and Belize. We even got to see him fly. VERY cool! Harpys are about the size of a Bald Eagle or a bit bigger for females. Thier wing span is not quite as big, but they are heavier and stronger (more lbs pressure in talons). They eat primarily sloths. Kind of funny to me that this majestic power consumes one of the slowest animals for 60% of it's diet.
And now we're out of time and off to Swear-In!
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Contact updates
Hello to all.
We officialy swear in as Peace Corps Volunteers on Thursday of this coming week (up to now we have been trainees). We will then, on Sunday, be going to the island to live for our two years. We will have less internet access after Sunday as the internet will be a boat ride and bus ride away (2-3 hours travel). We hope to be able to post to this blog every 3-4 weeks from now on.
Many of you will be amused to know that we now own our first cell phone (yes the irony of going to the Peace Corps and getting my first cell phone is not lost on me). It is VERY expensive to use cell phones to call out here, $.83 to the states. But incoming calls are free... so we will be welcoming calls. Other volunteers tell me that an international prepaid calling card in the states brings the cost to $.05-.08 cents a minute for you. The phone will not always be on as we will be running it on solar power and we don´t know what type of signal coverage we will have. I do not wish to post the number on the net...but just email me if you would like the number.
Also, our mailing address at the bottom of this blog has been updated for the new home location. Please switch to the new address. Also, volunteers do find that Jesus stickers and "Praise God" sayings do help the packages to arrive intact...especially when Jesus is across the seams where you would have to cut to open the package. ;)
All in all we are doing well and looking forward to getting going on the next and biggest step in this marvelous adventure. Love to you all.
April
We officialy swear in as Peace Corps Volunteers on Thursday of this coming week (up to now we have been trainees). We will then, on Sunday, be going to the island to live for our two years. We will have less internet access after Sunday as the internet will be a boat ride and bus ride away (2-3 hours travel). We hope to be able to post to this blog every 3-4 weeks from now on.
Many of you will be amused to know that we now own our first cell phone (yes the irony of going to the Peace Corps and getting my first cell phone is not lost on me). It is VERY expensive to use cell phones to call out here, $.83 to the states. But incoming calls are free... so we will be welcoming calls. Other volunteers tell me that an international prepaid calling card in the states brings the cost to $.05-.08 cents a minute for you. The phone will not always be on as we will be running it on solar power and we don´t know what type of signal coverage we will have. I do not wish to post the number on the net...but just email me if you would like the number.
Also, our mailing address at the bottom of this blog has been updated for the new home location. Please switch to the new address. Also, volunteers do find that Jesus stickers and "Praise God" sayings do help the packages to arrive intact...especially when Jesus is across the seams where you would have to cut to open the package. ;)
All in all we are doing well and looking forward to getting going on the next and biggest step in this marvelous adventure. Love to you all.
April
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