The One about the Water Project

“The Average annual rainfall in Buena Esperanza, Panama is 160 inches… All we have to do is catch it.”



4 different communities
28 water tanks
2 free standing catchment systems
one mini -aqueduct
one 50 foot deep well
over 15,000 gallons of water…
flowing to more than 60 homes…
providing clean water to over 500 people….

For the first time in these people’s life’s they have access to clean water. All of this thanks to YOU!

We have been working on this water project since November 2010. I/my mom sent out my holiday cards, which most of you reading this should have received, asking for your support and donations. And your response was astounding…I sure had my work ahead of me! We have been installing tanks and implementing the water project poco a poco over the past 6 months. And as my time in my community is coming to an end, so is the water project.

During my time here in Panama, I have grown to love and respect both my community and the Ngobe people in general. They have given me a different perspective of life, work, happiness and so much more. They have a very special place in my heart and will always be a part of me. That is way I am so thankful there are people like YOU out there, to help me to help them. Together we were able to bring clean water and education to my community.

As I wrote about in my blogs (The one About Water or The One were Everyone is Thirsty and, of course my inspiration for the project, The One with the Sad Day) it was hard for me to imagine that anyone is going without clean water in a place where it falls directly from the sky, all year round.

Usually, I would just say something like, thank you to everyone who donated and helped out. But your contribution means so much more than that to me and to my community. I am going to attempt to recognize each of you, I spent many days thinking about this list, but if I accidentally left you out….. please please please forgive me, and write your name in the comments! The project could not have been done without each and every one of you!

I am so humbled to have such amazing friends and family, you guys inspire and motivate me!

Amber Wade
Bracken and Kate Killpack
Brett Bernstein
Carl Warren
Cerutti Family
Christ the King and 9-mile Community Church
Community of Rio Oeste Arriba, Adam Armstrong
Community of Buena Esperanza
Community of Mile diez, Derek Bloor
Community of Quebrada Pastor, Catherine Basham
Cynthia W. Archer
Contextual Solutions
Dental Refiners
F.P. Alling
Global Humanitarian Adventures
Harold Whitaker
Hydromissions
Joanne Chambers
Journeys School, Teton Scince School
J.T Thompson
Kevin Watkins Family
Kyle Brockman
Liz Tracy
Lou Price
Manny Aguilar
Manuele Family
Nick Aguilar
Nystrom Family
Operation Safe Drinking Water
Outward Bound, Costa Rica
Peggy Thompson
Rasmussen Family
Rotary club, Stanwood
Rotary club, Arlington
Rotary club, Boquete
Rotary club, Shasta Valley
Sessions Salon
Watkins Family
Wendorf, T and Da

Peace and Love,
Michelle

The One with the Guyami Confusion

Do you know where the word “gringo” comes from? I have been told the term either refers to a song sung by American frontiersmen during the Mexican-American war titled "Green Grow the Rushes" or that the word comes from the idea that the Americans were taunted with cries of “green go!” during this same American-Mexican war. The latter story I view with a bit of skepticism, due to the fact that our soldiers did not have green uniforms until WWII, but who knows, could have some truth to it. I believe pretty much everything though, so I will let you be your own judge.

Well, for the past 48 months, I have been doing some amateur etymology work of my own, trying to find the history of a certain word. Recently, I finally have received an answer that actually makes some since.

Here is the deal:

The indigenous group I work and live and spend ALL of my time with are called the Ngäbe Indians, sometime spelt Ngobe, but always pronounced the same, NO-BAY. They are one of 7 indigenous groups in Panama, and said to be the second largest indigenous group in central America, right behind the Mayan (which make me feel pretty ignorant that I knew nothing about them until I came to live with them)

Anyways, I have questioned many things since I have been here, como and por que are my two favorite words. I feel like a little child, questioning everything: How do you make a boat out of tree? And once you make it how do you get it out of the jungle? And once it is in the water how do you keep it from tipping over? How do you open a coconut? Why do you build your homes off the ground? How do you harvest piva? Where does chocolate come from? How do you keep the school uniforms so clean? Why don’t you have to wear shoes? How do you sharpen a machete? How do you know that is edible? And so on.

Most of my questions have been answered through experience, observation, or trial and error, and some questions will simply go unanswered, which is fine. But there was one question that seemed so basic. It seemed like a question that should have a simple answer, and it did, it just took me a long time to figure it out. The question was this; if the name of the indigenous group is Ngäbe, then why is it that any outsider, Ex-patriot, gringo, tourist, missionary, Non-profit organization, or outside news source always referred to them as Guyami Indians? Where did that name Guyami come from? Am I missing something? or are these outsiders simply just misinformed?

No one in my community seemed to have an answer, they knew that they were all indigenous Ngäbe, but they also knew that for many years, that they have also been called Guyami Indians. One answer I received from a community member was that to be Ngäbe you have to live in the reservation, and since they live just outside of it in Bocas del Toro, they have to have a different name. I have also been told that Guyami refers to a certain group of Ngäbes whose decedents all came from a same large Ngäbe village in the reservation called Cricamoula, but the most common answer I get is just that to be Ngäbe and to be Guyami are simply just the same thing.

But in my efforts to encourage my community to be proud to be Ngäbe, and to hold on to their culture and tradition, I just couldn’t let this question go. Also it seemed to be a reoccurring theme, that many “outsiders” would show up in the community, thinking they were well informed, and then refer to the people as Guyami Indians

Well, the other day, I received an answer from a very well educated Ngäbe man from another community that I actually think might have some truth to it.

First, do me a favor, say this word, Guyami, a few times out load. It is pronounced Gwai me. Gwai me. Gwai me. Now think of the story with the word “Gringo” and try to think about what this word Guyami might sounds like?

The story goes like this:
Christopher Columbus, and the Spaniards were the first to discover Bocas del Toro, but it was actually the English who first to establish settlements. When they arrived, they brought many labors in from the neighboring Ngäbe reservation to work on the banana plantations. Actually, Bocas was purely an English speaking part of Panama for many years. You will still find that the oldest generations speak the English that they learned when working on the plantations. Anyways, the story goes that the Ngäbe Indians were brought in as cheap labor, or pretty much slaves, and they were bossed around by the businessmen running the farms… “go do this” or “go do that” they would yell, and the Ngäbe would respond in what little English they knew, in the accent of their native language with “Why me?” and so the uninformed, unaware or possibly ignorant English men started calling this ethnic group the “Guyami.” (Gwai me?)

Just like some Americans may take offense to being referred to as a “gringo” Ngäbes may take offense to being referred to a Guyami. I don't think my community would take offese, like I said, they have been called it for so long that they just simply believe that is who they are, now it is part of their heritage. But, I do think there are some people, and some Ngäbes who would take offense to someone calling them a Guyami Indian, because really that may be in direct reference to the days when they worked as slaves. We can’t say for sure, but I think that all of us Peace Corps volunteers that work in Ngäbe communities would agree that maybe it is time we reinvent the wheel, or break the chain, and remember and appreciate and recognize this amazing group of people by their traditional and respectful and more politically correct name, Ngäbe.

~ Meti

The one with the Video from May

Another month just flew by. Only four more to go… but I don’t want to talk about that!

Unfortunately, I somehow lost all my video footage from the first 3 weeks in May. But luckily my mom was visiting for 10 days, and she had her own handy Flip camera, so I was able to steal some of her footage… So, you will see me a lot more in this video than any of the others.

Hope you enjoy the video, it was a great month!

Until next time,
Meti