The One with a New Year

Well hello. It has been awhile since my last real update. I had that semi-depressing post about what I missed about Christmas, but other than that it has been nearly a month since “The One about the Hotdog.” Oh, lost has been going on, so let’s get into it….

• · I am getting better with my Cayuco. When I first got it nearly 2 months ago I thought that there was absolutely no way I would be able to learn how to manage it. However, “Poco a Poco”… little by little, just like everything else, I am learning. It also seems I have become a bit of a tourist attraction… Here is a picture that was e-mailed to me from a tourist visiting my neighbors for the chocolate tour.

I started by going out in the morning when the bay is calm. Now, I can manage with a little wind and some wakes from the motorized boats. I have learned that when the waves are bigger, I need to sit further back in the boat, and it is necessary to keep some sort of cup close by to scoop out water. I am still trying to master the “J” or “C” stroke. My community tells me that they can tell it is me out in the bay because I am the only one why has to switch sides with the paddled to stay in a straight line. Maybe after my 2 years I will be able to stand up and paddle the way the little boys can do…. I am not pushing it though =)

Unfortunately, my confidence in my Cayucoing skills diminished a bit after an incident a few weeks ago. I had paddled over to one of my “Gringo” neighbor’s houses with my regional leader Jim. Jim ended up getting a ride out, back to mainland so I was left with the Cayuco (which was slightly larger than my own) to get back to the community. Of course the wind picked up in the afternoon, like it always does and when I tried to leave I was just blown like a leaf into the maingroves. After detangling myself, it became obvious that the wind was not going to let me go anywhere. There was a little voice in my head (probably my moms) telling me to stop trying to fight it and ask for help. So my neighbor gratefully volunteered to drive be back in her dingy and we asked one of my community members, who was working there, if he could take the Cayuco back for me. of course it was no problem for him, and I had to suck up my pride and follow in a motorized dingy all the way to the other side of the community. Anyone who was paying attention to the water (and when they hear a motor, they all look) saw me pas by. Oh and trust me, I heard about it later. They all say “Aw Meti, we saw you had to be rescued by a gringo” and then they laugh really hard. At least I can keep them entertained.

• Ok. To explain the housing situation; In the beginning I was told we were going to have to build a house for me. But, after spending some time in the community I started inquiring about certain houses that no one was living in. VERY long story short …because some families don’t get along I had to be careful where I decided to live in order to stay neutral. Turns out, my community, with the support of the “gringo” neighbors, built a house a few years ago for the teachers to live in. However, the teachers have since “married” within the community and thus have other places to live. So this worked out perfect for me because it is an impartial place and I will be paying rent to the community at large to help fund whatever projects we may be working on. Speaking of rent… let’s just say that by the time my 2 years are up, I will not have paid half of what I paid for 1 months rent during college… my rent is $20 a month.

So part of the deal for me renting this house was that Padres De Famila (like PTA) would help me build some things. So when I returned from Christmas I was pleasantly surprised to see I had a new kitchen table, bed, and shelves! However, the only tool they have to work with is a machete to everything is a little…off. But I still appreciate their work very much! On the other hand, I had made it very clear numerous times that I wanted a small bed, just big enough for one person. That way I could buy a small/cheaper mattress and the mosquito net that Peace Corps gave me will fit. Of course I returned to find a bed literally big enough to sleep 5 people! They told me “Meti… you never know when might need someone to keep you warm at night.” Just another non-distinct hint that they hope I “hook up” with someone in the community. It is just a good thing I don’t have blond hair and blue eyes or else I would seriously have a problem. Also, the whole idea of anyone (let alone a woman) living alone is so incredibly far-fetched to them.

Before I could start moving anything in, I needed to clean the walls. I got two little kids from my first host family (because we all know that they have kids to spare) to help me. It started out with just some spot cleaning: where there was dirt, scrub it off with soapy water. Then it turned into “let’s just clean the whole wall,” and because it was so dirty it escalated to scrubbing the floors as well. Now, picturing 2 little Indian children down on their hands and knees scrubbing the floor (for free) may seem like child labor, but I can tell you that I lived with these kids for over a month and I have never seen them having so much fun. Especially when we would break from scrubbing to have an all out water fight in the middle of the house. It ended with then ganging up on me and dumping a huge bucket of dirty soapy water on my head while I was standing in the middle of my soon to be room….they definitely won the fight. Always good to mix some work with fun right?

Here are a few pictures of the house. I will add more as it changes… I have big plans!!

• I met a guy (gringo-ish) on Bocas Island who was born and raised with the Indians long before any other gringos were in the area (his parents where missionaries from the states). Very interesting person! You could easily write a book or screen play on his life. Anyway, he offered to take me and another PC volunteer around the island during New Years eve day. It was quite an adventure to say the least. Once you get off that main road where all the tourist are your hardly on anything that even resembles a road anymore. We were Four wheeling through mud 3 feet deep, driving through waves, flooring it through flooded zones that the locals call “sand-pits” and barley serviving bridges that had only inches of error space on either side. My ½ gringo ½ Indian friend drove it with ease and confidence, it was nothing new to him. The waves that day were huge! Probably some of the biggest I have ever seen... well, at least in the Caribbean. When I went walking on the beach, I could feel the ground shake with each wave that crashed. Of course our guide could not pass up this opportunity to surf. So we watched while he went out with all the “Richie Richie” Boggie Boarders from Panama city and showed them how to really ride a wave.

New years eve night proved to be just as exciting. I had dinner with an extremely random collection of my friends: there was some PC volunteers (all of us from different states), a friend of mine from Germany, another from Australia, 2 from Canada and then my gringo-ish friend. The conversation was never dull! After dinner we went out and did some dancing, watched fireworks, and I rung in the New Year with great company on a dock overlooking the still waters, with a perfect view of the full moon!

• I returned to Buena Esperanza the next morning to find lots of hung over Indians!When it comes to drinking, the Native Americans and the Ngobe Indians don’t differ much.I think It may be something in the genes of an Indian, someone should research thatI think it would be interesting to know…. Anyway, the one main difference is that my Indians can’t afford alcohol all the time, so Christmas and New Years, you better watch out!Anyway, there were remnants all over the community that reminded me why I didn’t want to be in site the night before.

Here is one picture of what use to be a bamboo structure with a thatched roof….

I think I arrived too late in the morning to see any people tied to trees, but that is what they do with someone when they get out of hand…seriously.

• English classes are rolling still rolling!It has gotten to the point I actually feel like they are learning and studying… some definitely more than others.I still have a class size of more than 30 people! The other day I took the opportunity of having their undivided attention to explain how in “gringo culture” it is very important to be polite.

Ngobe fact: there are no words for “please” and “thank you” in their language.

So I taught them how to say please, thank you, excuse me etc… Part of my job as a PC volunteer is to share cultures and being polite (I think) is a big part of it. I say please and thank you constantly, I am sure they think I am crazy. And with the kids, whenever I give them something or do something for them I ask “what do you say?” at first I got a bunch of blank stares but now they are learning… with the “Gringa” you have to say please and thank you!

• Personally, I think that the sound of children laughing is one of the best sounds in the world.A few days ago I heard a group of kids laughing and playing off in the distance, so I grabbed my camera and went to check it out.I found them at the top of a muddy hill using a few old splintery pieces of wood to sit on and sled down.Coming from the mountains I guess I have always thought sledding was just for snow… it definitely isn’t.

Well, that is about all I have time for now. I plan on doing another post within the next week or so with all my adventures of moving into my own house.

I also have a ton more pictures but the computer wouldn't let me upload them all... So there is lots to look forward to!!!


Hope all is well in your lives.
Paz,
Miche,Meti, Michelle

P.S I decided that my New Years resolution is going to be to Volunteer more... haha just kidding

The One with Christmas on the Beach

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and are resting up for a fun filled New Years celebration.

Obviously things are a bit different for me this Holiday season. I traded in the snow from Tahoe for the sand on the Pacific side of Panama. I spent two fun filled days with 16 other volunteers from my training group; playing in the waves, relaxing in Hammocks, and catching up on each others lives. Honestly, there was absolutely nothing about the day that reminded me of Christmas. I would often have to remind myself that it was, of course the phone calls home were a bitter sweet reminder.

On Christmas morning we did a white elephant gift exchange. Nothing says Christmas like stealing presents from your friend’s right?

Christmas Day was spent playing in the ocean, walking the beach in search of seashells, playing football, relaxing in the hammock and simply enjoying each others company.

For Christmas dinner we went to this German Restaurant on the beach. We had the place to ourselves and they made us a special 3 course Christmas dinner. Even though it wasn’t a traditional Christmas dinner, it proved to be one of the best meals I have ever had.


I think it is true that you appreciate something a lot more once you don’t have it. I know that my Christmas’s in Tahoe are not gone forever, but being away for the first time EVER has made me value the little things that Christmas usually brings.

What I missed most about Christmas….

• Family
• Cutting down a tree with my Mom and always having the honors of putting the star on top.
• Reading Christmas cards about what family and friends have been doing the past year.
• Christmas cookies, especially the cinnamon ones
• Zucchini Bread ( even though I did get some when I went home last month, thankgoodness)
• Getting creative when making my Christmas gifts
• Good conversation while making Tamales (and eating the Tamales too)
• Polar Plunge into the Lake
• My Pops fake palm tree Christmas tree. Even though I had plenty of real ones around.
• Midnight Mass
• Christmas dinner at the Rasmussen’s
• Snow/ being cold

From the list above it seems that what I missed most are the things that are traditions, things that usually happen every year for Christmas regardless. And I know that the entire list happened this year without me, and that’s ok. I agree that traditions are good, and for me Christmas IS tradition. However, that being said, I know that in 10, 20 and 50 years from now, my memories of all these traditional Christmas’s may just blend together, but I will always remember that ONE Christmas I spent on the beach in Panama, and I am thankful for that.
But missing 2 Christmas’s is enough! Only one more to go, and I then I will be looking forward to returning to the traditions =)

As my gift to you, here are some more pictures =)
This first link is my Buena Esperanza album. I added a bunch of new photos at the end. Most of them are of my new host family because I put together a photo album for them for Christmas. http://picasaweb.google.com/maguilar317/BuenaEsperanza?feat=directlink

And this is a link to some pictures from Christmas. I actually didn’t have my camera with me, so all the Photo credit must be given to my friend Derek. http://picasaweb.google.com/maguilar317/ChristmasAtTheBeach?feat=directlink

I want to say Thank you for all the warm holiday wishes. It is nice to know that within all the commotion that Christmas brings you were able to find time to send me a message; I very much appreciate it and feel so lucky to have such great friends and family.
Have a safe New Years celebration!
Miche

The One With the Hotdog

Well, here I am back in Buena Esperanza, “good hope” (Which is exactly what I have returned with) The past 2 weeks sure have been a whirlwind. I still find myself opening my eyes each morning wondering if it has all been a dream.

For those of you that knew my Uncle Tim, know that he would have wanted me to return to Panama ASAP. So that is exactly what I did, even though I am missing out on some serious fresh powder back home. The day after the memorial I was back on a plane and traveled more than 24 hours before making it to my village. Even though we were all brought together by the tragedy of my Uncle’s death, it was wonderful to see all of you and receive your words of encouragement. I also had no idea how many people were actually reading my Blog, so maybe now I need to put a little extra effort into it =)
So let’s get into it…..

• The first point I would like to share with you is some “reverse culture shock” that I experienced during my trip home. Because I was so rushed to get out of B.E and be with my family, it really never even occurred to me that I might experience any sort of reverse culture shock. Oh but it hit me right when I set foot in the Huston Airport. Moving sidewalks? Best Buy vending machines? and flat screen T.V’s everywhere. I found the restaurant directory and B-lined it to the closest Jamba Juice, where I happily indulged in a Caribbean Passion smoothie with a boost of Protein (much needed) and 2 ounces of wheatgrass of course. The total came out to more than $10… OMG did I really use to pay this much for a smoothie? Moving on, I should have know better than to peruse the infamous airport magazine wall, but I had a few hours to kill and of course I was curious on what I had been missing. WOW, talk about information overload. Oprah’s leaving? Britney is married? And Tiger cheated?
  
  My Uncle’s memorial took place in L.A County. Now, I had culture shock visiting Las Angeles even before I joined the Peace Corps! That place is a whole different world.
  
  When I was home, in Tahoe, I stayed in the house most of the time, trying to spare myself of more unforeseen culture shocks. But, even in the house, I found myself using the toilet even when I didn’t need to and being so grateful that each time I turned a facet the life giving substance of water flowed freely and with such force that if I moved my cup for just a second I felt guilty for wasting that bit of water.
  
  And to top of the “reverse culture shock” when I got off the plane in Sacramento, my hippie brother (who I would often have to remind to put deodorant on for the sake of the mankind) greeted me by telling ME that I smelt….. And that was after I had been to the restroom to “freshin up.” Now I feel bad for whoever was sitting next to me on the plane.
  
• So I made it back to my village in time for their Mothers day celebration, which is December 8th. It was so great to see that woman in have a day to themselves. Even though they still had to cook breakfast and dinner, wash clothes, clean the house and watch after all the kids…. The men cooked lunch for them.
  
  When I was in the states I went to Wal-mar (yikes) and printed out all the pictures I had taken of my host family. I put them in a photo Album for my host mom for Mothers Day. As much as the Nagbe people (especially the women) don’t show emotion, I could tell that she was very pleased with her gift. The photos also kept the kids busy the rest of the day, they must have looked through it 100 plus times.
  
• I have moved into my next and last host family host! Now I am living with the school teacher, his wife, mom and three kids (7 less than before) The kids are: 2 boys ages 3 and 7 and one little girl who is 1 1/2 . My first week in this house has been good. The living conditions are pretty much the same except I don’t have a bed and they don’t have a rainwater catchment system so I need to be a lot more careful about the water I am drinking.
  
  I bathe with a bucket and cup still but it is not in the kitchen like before. Now, I walk about 10 min through mud and cow patties to fill up my bucket in the “Pozo” which really is just a muddy hole with water in it (pictures to come.) But I must admit that even though I am bathing with dirty water, there is something really wonderful almost spiritual about showering outside, especially when the palm and banana leaves act as your shower curtain. I can still remember almost 10 years ago when my Uncle Chip showed me his outdoor shower and I thought he was crazy. Turns out he knew what he was talking about (like always). I have made a mental note that wherever I end up living after Peace Corps, an outdoor shower is a necessity. But a shower head, clean water and a drainage system are musts… actually maybe not, we’ll see.
  
• By now my entire community knows that I don’t eat meat right? They still are fascinated by it and it is still often the topic of conversation. The first night in my new host house the “vegetarian conversation” lasted a good hour. Since I am living with one of the most educated people in the community (the teacher) he helped me establish that I don’t eat “any part of anything that was once living.” This was as clear to all, or at least I thought so… The next morning I received nothing more but a fried hotdog for breakfast! All I have to say about this incident is that if these isolated Indians take one look at a hotdog and genuinely think that it is something other than meat, that should tell us something about hotdogs.
  
• Thursday was my first English class. I had more than 40 people show up. There were so many people that they were lined up outside watching and listening through the window. I began the class with my rendition of Simon Says. It proved to be a good way to give them some vocab without actually having to teach them because they could just follow that I would do. I would say touch your head, touch your feet, touch your knees etc and then repeating and pausing when I usually say the body part to have them fill in the blank. They would laugh so hard each time I told them to touch their butts.
  
  After the Simon says into I taught them the Alphabet , some greetings, numbers and days of the week. I have jumped into teaching English right now because I know that is what the people want and really what they need. However I have absolutely no experience teaching so I would like to welcome any pointers from anyone. The people here are very reserved and I know that it is going to be a challenge to get them to participate in class.
  

Well, I would like to thank my Grandma T for reminding me and everyone else that attended my Uncles memorial, of the saying “Life will never give you more than you can handle.” Yes, it is unfortunate that “life” has prematurely taken my Uncle Tim, but now we each must “handle” this loss in our own way. For me, I know that the words my uncle wrote in that last e-mail will be running through my head each day I serve as a Peace Corps volunteer, and I am so grateful to have that.
And in case you are not on my uncles Marcus’s e-mail list, here is the link to the amazing slide show he put together for my Uncle Tim. http://vimeo.com/8036951

I would like to thank everyone once again for all of your support and acts of kindness.
And don’t worry about me down here! I am still staying positive and trying my best to stay focused.
I love you all very much!

Miche