Oh Atalaya, How I've Missed Thee

As much as I missed Portland, it has been really great to be back home, in Atalaya. Life is so peaceful here and it has been fun catching up with all my neighbors and hearing about how they spent the holidays. More than a few people have suggested that I should have brought some snow back with me, since they have never seen any and would love to know what it's like. I tell them they wouldn't survive if it ever snowed down here- I barely did while I was home. It is 90 degrees here every day. The sun and humidity can be unbearable and the only goal in the afternoon is to find a hammock and sway in it until life is bearable again around 5pm.
Recently my little town was in an uproar over a scandal at the local Catholic church. I'm sure I've explained before but Atalaya is home to one of the most famous churches in the country. Every year during the first week of lent people from all around the country go on a pilgrimage to Atalaya to worship at the statue of Jesús de Nazareno (Jesus of Nazareth). Our church has been here since the 18 hundreds but the statue itself dates back to the 17th century, according to my host mom.

Last week the statue was removed from the church, restored, and replaced. Only later was it discovered that the returned statue was actually an impostor! Soon after it was discovered that a statue of one of the saints in the back of the church had started crying blood (I did not see this miracle). The townspeople were devastated by the loss of their beloved saint and demanded action. The priest responsible for the restoration could not be located and the riot police were called in to control the crowds outside the church.

This next part is slightly lost in translation. From what I understand, the priest was eventually found and the original statue was returned to the head priest at the Atalaya church, who then had the police carry the statue to it's rightful home in the church (that part I witnessed). What I don't understand is where the statue has been, who stole it in the first place, and who returned it. Honestly, I'm not sure that anyone but the priest himself knows at this point. But, the important thing is that the saint is back where he belongs and the his companion has ceased crying.
As I've mentioned before I currently work with an environmental group in my community called Ecoclub. Last weekend the Ecoclub put on a fund raiser for their upcoming summer camp. The fund raiser was a Noche de Talentos (Talent Show) and featured local kids. I have to admit to being pretty impressed by the talent that showed up for our little show in the campo. There was a rock band (above) complete with electric guitars, a beat boxer (who was VERY impressive), a girl who sang Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On in English (very ballsy), and a young man who sang a love song. It was definitely worth the 25 cent entrance fee.
This photo, I'm not going to lie, is just to make you jealous. This is my orange tree. It is one of the greatest things ever. I also have a couple grapefruit trees. Normally I don't like grapefruit but these ones are so sweet, they're amazing. The oranges are sweeter down here, too.
The best way to "eat" an orange down here is to chupa (suck) it. You take a knife and peel off the rind (many people can do it in one long swirly piece but I haven't mastered that yet), careful not to puncture the white skin. You then cut the top off and, you guessed it, start sucking. Since the rind is gone it is easy to squeeze the sides of the orange, massaging it so that you get all of the juice out (occasionally stopping to spit out the seeds). My favorite thing to do is get up in the morning, pick a fresh orange from the tree, and suck out all the juice. It's a great way to start the day.
Next door to my house is the Middle/High School and my back yard butts up against their garden. They have beautiful tomatoes, among other things, that the Ecoclub is raising in order to later sell for a fund raiser and to educate local communities on the benefits of vegetables in general and also those that you grow yourself. Unfortunately, during the summer break, someone broke in and stole from the garden. The kids are also growing trees to plant in order to counteract the deforestation that has been running rampant throughout the country. Someone stole nearly 1500 plants from the garden, which we believe they will sell for a small profit. The kids and professors that have worked so hard to raise these plants are heartbroken.
This is one of the berenjenas (eggplants) that the kids are growing. I love the beautiful deep purple color.
This awesome looking plant is called a guineo chino (Chinese banana). I have no idea why it has that name. The huge purple flower at the bottom (it's at least a foot long) helps you determine if the bananas up above are ripe. The bananas are a lot like plantains in that they stay green and have a square shape but they are sweet, unlike plantains, which is why they are called bananas.
This adorable little hut is in the middle of the school. It is home to a little tomato plant. I don't know why this tomato gets such special treatment but I think it's a cute little shelter.

So that's pretty much what has been going on in Atalaya lately. I've been getting in some excellent hammock time (currently reading Empire Falls- highly recommended!) and spending time with my host family. Tonight is little Yosuet's 5th birthday (he is such a little terror) so we're having a party at my host mom's house. Should be fun!

Happy Holidays y ¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

This year my parents flew me home to Portland, Oregon, for Christmas and it was the most wonderful Christmas present ever. As you can see from the picture my mom makes the house beautiful and cozy every year with tons of decorations. I had been craving cold weather and chai tea by the fireplace and Portland did not disappoint!


A week into my visit the snow started and it did not stop until just before I left. Portland isn't known for snow on the ground, especially in December (sometimes we get a little in February) and it was the first time in my entire life that I experienced a white Christmas. It was absolutely gorgeous. The downside is, of course, the insufferable cold that comes along with snow. I am well accustomed to Panama's 90 degree weather and I don't think I stopped shivering the entire time I was in the states. My dad's pup, Buddy Holly, loved prancing around in the pretty white powder though.


I only found out that I was coming home 3 weeks before my flight so it was pretty easy to keep it a secret. My plan was to surprise Aunt Jenny (who had come down to visit me in August) and my best friend, Christy. I flew in just in time for the Krueger family Christmas in Seattle. It was wonderful to see everyone. I even got in a little bonding with my Uncle Matthew. Isn't he cute? That photo was taken with his iPhone. I swear I am going to be baffled by all the crazy technology when I get back after 2 years abroad.



I was also able to be home in time for my little brother's 26th birthday. He is one of my favorite people in the whole world and I loved being able to spend so much time with him while I was home. I never realized it until now but I think we took opposite traits from our parents. We don't look much alike... I have a Krueger nose. His eyebrows look like my Dad's. Huh.






It took a lot of stealth covertness (including almost breaking up a marriage (kidding!)) to surprise my best friend. Thanks to her older sister and her very helpful and exceedingly patient husband I was able to ambush her at a pet store. She was shocked, which is what I was going for. I wasn't able to spend enough time with her because we both got snowed-in about 20 miles from each other but we got in a little bit of time and some Orange Chicken from Panda Express, so what more could you want?



One night my little brother Justin's friends were snowed-in at our house (well, Patrick was snowed-in multiple nights) and we stayed up drinking and playing cards with my older brother and my parents (you should see the video...). It was a lot of fun and I won $7. It was so nice to be home. I also got to spend a lot of time with my good friend Adie. We dyed our hair, too. Funny side note- I went to a salon to get a hair cut (my first in 16 months) and she asked me what nationality I was because my skin was so dark. Gotta love the permanent tan that Panama has given me in exchange for my service. :)

Eventually my 16 day trip had to come to an end. It was sad to leave my family once again but I'll be home in 9 months, which really doesn't seem like that long. And it was nice to get back to my friends and "family" in Panama (not to mention the warm weather!). I met up with some friends in Panama City to celebrate the New Year, ate good food, and remembered the things I love about Panama- the sun (when it isn't too strong), the friendly people, the cheap food (I had the worst sticker shock in the states), and the calm, slow pace of life. This photo depicts the traditional clothes of Panamanians. The statues were gigantic. You can see me standing next to the baby.

There are definitely some things that I don't love, of course. It was nice in the states to not be sweating through my clothes every few hours. I couldn't get enough hot showers. My mom's homemade bread and chicken with rice casserole is perfection. I love my cat. Rockband is the greatest game ever invented and I am amazing. Not as amazing as my little brother but still- I should be IN a rock band. I have the greatest friends ever (my friend Anne bussed hours in the snow to come see me for a small window of time just so we could see each other). I remember being in a store and being astounded at the friendliness and helpfulness of the employees. Don't get me wrong, I do love Panama, but they are seriously lacking in customer service here- something they are definitely working on as tourism starts to pick up.

It was fun to get back to my community after being gone for a couple of weeks. The new year is a time to start fresh, symbolized by many people painting their houses new colors. Honestly it was kind of confusing. Many of the houses are the exact same style and I got a little confused when the woman who lives in a blue house was going into the pink house, etc. But it's fun to see all the fresh new paint in the bright vivid colors that Panamanians love. Never have I seen so many bright teal homes.

Well, that's enough rambling from me. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year. I am constantly reminded of how lucky (and spoiled) I am by my incredible family and my amazing friends. I love you all so much! And a special thanks to my parents, without whom the photos on this blog would not be possible because they got me a new camera to replace the one that was stolen. Thank you so much!

P.S. There is a sad note to my trip. A few days before I left I was able to spend time with my Grandma Mary (my dad's mom), and recently found out that that would be my last visit with her. She passed away in her sleep last Sunday night. I am forever thankful that I was able to see her and say goodbye but I am sad that I cannot be in Portland with my family today as they honor her at the funeral. Rest in peace, Grandma. You were an amazing woman and an inspiration.

Things to be Thankful for...

Last week was a crazy week, good and bad. My boss was scheduled to come do a one-year visit with me last Monday but had to cancel because he was sick. Instead I spent the day in my regional capital (Santiago) doing laundry and working on different things in preparation for our Volunteer Advisory Council meeting on Wednesday.

Unfortunately, while I was spending my day in Santiago, some kids broke into my house. I came back that night and noticed that some things weren't where I had left them. Not long after that I realized stuff was missing. Most of the things were unnecessary conveniences, like a pair of Serengeti sunglasses that my parents got me a few years ago and a gameboy that my little brother gave me for the long bus rides I seem to always be on. It really sucks to lose them, but I'll survive.

The most frustrating things that I lost, though, were my camera, my iPod, and my contact lenses. My friend Pete and I are the photographers of our group- we always have our cameras with us. The most annoying thing is that my camera was 3 years old and still worked awesome. It had scratches and dings but the photos it took were great. It's such a waste of money to have to replace it. Especially since I was hoping instead to replace my iPod, which was 5 years old and didn't hold a charge anymore. The thieves will be terribly disappointed with it. And the contact lenses- well that's just obnoxious. Contacts have no value to anyone other than their owner. I don't have the money to replace them because that would mean seeing an eye doctor, which I also can't afford. And the thieves won't even get anything for them. So frustrating.

All of the windows on my house have bars, as well as the kitchen door. The front door doesn't but it wouldn't be easy to get through. The kids came in through a window in the attached room on the side of my house that I don't have access to. They broke down the connecting door once inside. My landlord has fixed the door, reinforcing it, and will be putting bars on the rest of the windows. I had felt so secure in my house. I suppose I still feel secure but this is the first time I've ever had my home here or in the states broken into and now I understand what people mean by feeling violated. They went through every drawer and broke things and they stole my friend Shawn's ring which has serious sentimental value.

But there is a lot to be thankful for. I wasn't home at the time, which could have been bad. Nobody was hurt and everything but the ring is replaceable. All of the pictures that I had taken had just been uploaded onto my computer, so I didn't lose any photos. And, the biggest thing of all, they didn't take my laptop. It was sitting in the open and they didn't take it. I have no idea why.

Right around the same time that I was dealing with my mini-crisis here there was a real-life crisis going on in western Panama. I hear it's been on international news. There has been a serious storm hovering over the country, dumping buckets and buckets of water everywhere. Rivers have flooded many communities in the Bocas del Toro region and so far 12 people have died. Our volunteers stationed in the area have been evacuated (some of them airlifted) and have spent the past few days working on relief efforts with local government agencies.

The rest of us have been on alert status, but a little over a third of the volunteers in Panama were still able to make it the mountains of El Valle de Antón for Thanksgiving. We rented out a hotel/resort, which was pretty amazing. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures (I miss my camera so much!). Our thoughts are obviously with all of the volunteers and their communities up in Bocas and Chiriqui provinces, and those in Colón, who have been evacuated to Panama City until the flood waters recede.

On another note, here are some pictures from Halloween and a recent parade in my community:Halloween in Panama City- Captain was a crazed soccer fan, I was a sad clown, and Dennis was a pirate.José Duarte is my community counterpart. He is one of my favorite Panamanians. He loves his country and helps me with anything and everything I could need in Atalaya. Normally he wears Addidas track pants and a t-shirt but for a recent EcoClub fair he dressed in traditional Panamanian clothes.November is the month of parades in Panama. Their independence from Spain, Columbia, flag day, and other holidays are all celebrated this month. The kids in the marching bands have been practicing nonstop for the last three months in preparation.
Atalaya is the home of Jesús de Nazareno whose robe is purple. The church is painted lilac and these girls represent the town. They had a dance that they did in sync with the marching band.Matt and Lisa are my two closest volunteers. They came to watch the parade and go to the fair with me. At the fair there were a lot of traditional dances performed. These little kids were absolutely adorable- I got a million photos of the little boy in front. The elaborate, colorful dresses and hair decorations are my favorite type of traditional Panamanian clothes. The skirts (which you can't see) are beautiful and called polleras. The tops with the little poofs are called tembleques (I'm not sure on the spelling).

So that's it for photos and everything. Thanks, as always for reading. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. There is certainly a lot to be thankful for, especially Franco. Happy Holidays!