Photos

So, today I am back in Panama City at an internet cafe, and I was able to upload a few photos. I finally have a fast internet connection (lol!). Be sure to check out the following link: http://picasaweb.google.com/kwwhite3/Panama
Anyways, I returned safe and sound from my journey to Hato Chami on tech week, which was a wonderful place. I had to ride in the back of a chiva (the real thing, which is a small pickup truck with a roll cage and tarp covering it) for an hour and a half with 15 other trainees, and many of us kept saying that they should sell tickets because it was an amazing ride, while others got soaked, banged around, and prayed for safety. (I wanted to be in the drivers seat because it was like an hour and a half mudding experience, included the driver stopping at one point to manually lock the hubs.) The end of the ride takes you to the top of a mountain that is above cloud level. While standing outside in the afternoons and early mornings, you can watch as a cloud approaches and then engulfs you and everything around you. You end up being in what feels like a heavy fog with a sprinkle, but you are really standing in a cloud. I now know what a cloud feels like!
At Hato Chami, which is another Ngobe indigineous community of approximately 2,000 people, there is no electricity, and my host family only had running water in the early morning hours, unless you count the stream that ran behind the house and was used for bathing by myself and others when we woke up too late. My host family was again amazing, and I am beginning to think that it may just be all Panamanians (or at least those that Peace Corp places volunteers with). While there and working with a very amazing group, my group helped a honey cooperative. We walked the president through a SWOT analysis and a significant part of Strategic and Operational Planning. In addition, we had done a mini-BOCA (which is business and organizational capacity assessment). I also worked with another volunteer, Jack, on teaching a group of fifth graders for two hours. I never thought I would enjoy teaching kids so much. With Jack, we used a poster competition to teach/reinforce budgeting, decision-making, and marketing/advertising concepts. We had them create a sign for their tienda (convenient store).
The biggest news I have right now is that I find out where I will be spending my next 2 years on Friday, and I am extremely excited. The diversity of cities here in Panama is incredibily broad, so my site could be from one extreme to another. However, I feel like either extreme will make for an amazing two year experience.
I will try to update this coming Friday with information on my site placement, but I can´t make any promises. As for now, everything is wonderful, and I have a lot of Spanish left to learn.

First Month!

So yesterday will be the anniversary of my first month in country, and it is truly amazing how quick one can adapt. While I still cannot communicate on a sophisticated level with Panamanians, I can communicate to a point (like I can tell Panamanians that I can´t communicate), and I seem to understand more of what is being said each day. But besides language, using a pit latrine with no toilet seat no longer bothers me. I take bucket baths when the water is out, and it doesn´t ruin my day. While Panama will never replace my home in the states, I still look forward to the end of the day and going home to sleep in my bed in Santa Clara (and not the one on the beach). In addition, I look forward to seeing my Panamanian mom, complimenting her on her cooking, enjoying her cooking, and playing bingo or watching TV with her and my host brother (I won a´peso´ last night, which is a half dollar, and I quit playing when I was down to just that). I also enjoy sharing the American culture, while learning about the Panamanian culture at the same time. For instance, where I live, no one really cares or keeps up with the weather, neither the temperature, 7 day forecast, nor even if there will be a rain shower later in the day (except if they see a cloud). I remember being constantly in tune with the weather on my cell phone while living in Arkansas. Granted, I may not always know the 7 day forecast, but I could ask someone close by and they would. Now the weather is always a surprise. In fact, at night, I no longer keep the fan on all night because it feels cold. After only a month, I enjoy the food of Panama. I even have a standard routine each day. I don´t sweat as much as I used to, and I consider it a luxury to have a dry towel after a shower (because I never do). Again, it is not that I am or ever will truly be a Panamanian, but I feel like I may someday not stand out. (Well actually, my pale skin and blue eyes will always make me stand out, but I won´t feel like an outsider.) One month, a lot learned, a lot missed, a lot more I now have a stronger appreciation for, and a lot I know I will miss when I leave in 26 months.
As for my plans, tomorrow I will work with a small group of fellow Peace Corps Trainees, and we will talk to a group of kids about gender roles in Panama. In addition, on Sunday, I will leave for another one week adventure in a Ngobe community. What I am supposed to pack, a sleeping bag because it is high in the mountains and gets cold at night. I still don´t believe it, but I will take my sleeping bag. How could it get cold in Panama?
(By the way, thank you to everyone who is commenting on my posts! It is good to hear from you even if it is through a brief post!)

Volunteer Site Visit!

So this prior weekend, I had a wonderful time visiting another volunteer´s site. It gave me perspective into a typical site of a volunteer in an Ngöbe community, and I enjoyed it. I have tried to upload two pictures to give perspective, but it is impossible to do so with the internet speed I am working with, plus to capture the culture, sound, smell, or overall feeling you have when you are staying in such a community is impossible. It is something truly amazing! I was even lucky enough to see a dolphin while riding in a dugout canoe! (I will upload photos when I am in a internet cafe or hotspot with a good speed. Otherwise, my blog posts will most likely remain imageless).

Also, I have been continuing to learn Spanish, but I still have a long way to go. I do feel as if I am making progress though because I can communicate on many different topics with my host family, including my American family, when I am not feeling well, how wonderful the cooking is, and ask questions about past events (yes, I have started dabbing with the past tense, which feels like an accomplishment.) I am staying healthy, but Panama still doesn´t feel quite like home.

As far as training, I had one of my most enjoyable sessions/days this week. We, Panama Group 66 - CED, had an introduction into Panamanian culture, including work culture and dealing with agencies. It was very interesting. To provide a few examples: Panamanians point with their lips and not their fingers (it is kind of like blowing a kiss in the direction you are intending), letters are still very customary (including a letter that introduces yourself to agencies/groups and thank you letters), it is okay to be late and walk around the group saying hello to every single person while the presentation continues, and they are still very particular about dressing professionally (which includes clean shoes and a collared shirt) when going to town (even if you have to hike for hours to get there). As far as Ngöbe specific, the word for "good" is "queen" (which is pheonetic spelling because I have no idea how to write it).

As far as what I have upcoming over the next week, I have a language assessment interview on Monday (which I am hoping goes well), and I will be leaving at the end of next week for a one week, in-site, technical training. However, I will not know where I am going to spend the next two years helping people until early October.

To all my blog readers (you don´t have to be a follower), what have you experienced in another culture that would seem weird/different in the United States? (Honestly, the telling everyone hello individually even when you are late for a meeting would be very rude in the U.S. But as they say, "when in Rome....")