June and July

I came to Panama 2 weeks shy of a year ago with 41 other volunteers. Over the course of the last 11+ months we've lost 10 people for various reasons but the hardest for me was my friend Kelly. Kelly, CoCo, and I (photo) have been close since we left the training community last October and we were all geographically close too, within two hours of each other. But Kelly hadn't really been feeling the Peace Corps life for awhile and she left Panama for good the same day that I flew back to the states to spend a couple of weeks with my friends and family.


One of the nice things about Peace Corps is that, although they encourage you to serve the full 27 months and they do their best to make it a productive and successful tour, it is pretty easy to leave if you decide it isn't working. I'm really bummed that Kelly is gone but you have to do what's right for you.

Anyway, after saying goodbye to Kelly at the airport in Panama City I flew to Portland. It felt amazing to be home. My mom, Dad, and little brother Justin met me at the airport. I was only in Portland for 12 days and it went by crazy fast. The reason I flew back was for my best friend's wedding reception (photo) but I took advantage of the opportunity to see a movie (so expensive!), drive cars (the freedom!), and eat lots and lots of great food. I gained back about 7 pounds from the 50 I'd lost in the previous 10 months, but I've lost those seven again, being back in Panama. For some reason I just don't have as much of an appetite when my options are white rice and lentils.

Christy's wedding reception was beautiful and it was really great to spend time with her. My parents were really amazing and they threw me a huge party the Saturday before I left so I got the chance to see all of my friends and family. Thank you so much to all of you who drove from far away lands to come do relay races, drink cocktails, and jam out on Rock Band!

On July 1st I flew out of Portland at 4:30am with my friend Adie (who I've known since I was 8) and her boyfriend's sister, Liz. We landed in Panama City (photo) that night and hopped a 3 hour bus ride to Santiago, where we stayed in a hotel. The next day Adie and Liz met up with a friend in Santiago and headed to Boquete, while I went home to unwind. A couple of days later I met up with most of my Peace Corps buddies at my friend Captain's house in La Mesa where we had a July 4th celebration. Late that night we busted out sparklers and sang an alcohol inspired rendition of the Star Spangled Banner for all to enjoy.
I didn't see much of Adie and Liz during their trip, which actually worked out pretty well. As much as I love to have visitors, it can be expensive for me to run around the country with them, especially since I've already seen most of the touristy places. Which is why I love it when people come down in pairs. :) Adie and Liz were able to see Boquete, El Valle, and Bocas del Torro.

Towards the end of their trip they visited me in my site and then we went to Santa Clara where we stayed in a (slightly stinky) cabin on the beach, swam in the warm ocean, and soaked up some hammock time in little thatch-roofed huts. It was pretty perfect.


We met a music teacher from Florida who had never left the country before, was traveling alone, and didn't speak a word of Spanish. He totally cracked us up. Adie and Liz (photo) sampled all of Panama's national beers (nothing to write home about) and suffered through some not so pleasant restaurant food. We then parted ways, me back to Atalaya, and them on to Panama City to tour the canal and fly home.


After Adie and Liz left it was time to get back to work. I was invited to join a few of my friends doing an AIDS charla (presentation) in the Comarca. A little background- the Comarca Ngobe-Bugle is a large chunk of land in central western Panama that is similar to an Indian Reservation in the states. The indigenous tribes of Panama have been forced off their lands and into designated areas where they have sovereignty, more or less. The individual communities are very impoverished, living on less than $2 per day, generally. Because they receive government handouts they've learned to rely on handouts almost exclusively. The handouts, however, are hardly sufficient and the children are malnourished. There are some that believe the insufficient supplies are intentional, but that's another blog all together.

Anyway, my friends and I went to the site of a friend of ours in the Comarca. His house is a simple wooden structure on stilts with the most amazing view of the jungle. The picture hardly does it justice- you can't tell, but the Pacific Ocean is clearly visible in the distance. The level of education in the Comarca (and throughout most of Panama) leaves a lot to be desired and one of our goals as Peace Corps volunteers is to spread the word about AIDS, among other things. We presented our information to just over 70 Ngobe children around the age of 10. It was a lot of fun and a really great experience for all us.

While I thoroughly enjoy working with my Girl Scouts and my EcoClub, I hope to focus more on AIDS charlas in the future. It is tempting to believe that AIDS, while problematic everywhere, is mostly an issue in Africa. Sadly, it is rapidly spreading throughout Latin America and the education, due to inadequate information and funding as well as the abstinence promoting Catholic government, is severly lacking. Also, it just feels good to know that you are making a difference in a child's life. (And the silly games and condom demonstrations are just plain fun!) :)