Tortí, the Wild Wild Este

Tortí, Panama Este; my new home for the next two years. Tortí lies off the Interamericana highway, just before the Darien region of Panama. You can take the highway from Canada and you will drive by my front porch, and me sitting in my hammock, a few hours before you reach the only break in the highway, the Darien gap, where the jungle is crazy thick along the Colombia-Panamá border. Tortí is a highway town that had seen a ton of rapid development in the past few years. There are supermercados, a nice hotel/restaurant owned by the husband of one of my teacher counterparts (Andres is also an entrepreneur of sorts, he also runs a microfinance credit union), fondas, repair shops, agriculture stores and other small businesses along the highway. I have heard/seen a variety of numbers for the population, but if you include of the surrounding farms and ranches it is probably around 8-10 thousand. The landscape consists of mountainous jungle in all directions, tons of cow pastures, and a few farms. A huge  percentage of the inhabitants are from Los Santos on the Azuero Peninsula in Panama Oeste, who immigrated here throughout the past 50 years or so upon the governments request to develop the land (especially from what I've seen in Platanilla, further into the Darien, it reminds me of the frontier the western U.S. back when it was up for grabs, except with rainforest..). Thus there has been a lot of forest-clearing for cattle grazing, and land tension between the Interiores and Kuna and Emberá populations that also exist throughout the region. Other than ganancia (raising cattle), another popular business is maderera (lumbering). It is unfortunate to see enormous 200+ year old trees getting hauled off down the highway on a daily basis, but this is the image of 21st century development here in Panama. There are multiple reforestation process, some ran by Swiss groups (the lumber companies are also Swiss, German, maybe Panamanian?..I will continue to investigate more of the situation), which plant new teca (teak) trees. Reforestation is an important part of the Environmental Conservation sector of Peace Corps, especially out here. It will take a lot of time and education to even begin to stop these huge lumber companies, but that's one of the reasons we are here. My friend Margaret is a CEC volunteer in Platanilla, about 30 min away from me, so hopefully I can get some of my students involved with some of her conservation projects.

Restaurante Valdez

Valdez property extended, my room is behind garage in the center

    

Mi cuarto

Where I'll be when you visit

Tío Jose and Adiel, host-hermano 

Out back

Anyway, my setup here in Tortí is pretty solid. I live with la familia Valdéz, who moved east abut 40 years ago. The family has a restaurant, a farm out back, and ton of land a little ways away in Río Congo/Platanilla where they raise cattle.  The 3 children of Edilma and Hermán live in separate houses out back and have their own children. I am excited to help out on the farm and in the restaurant and live the campo lifestyle. Chickens roam freely around back, they have over 10 pigs, dogs (Balto, Oso, and Bobby, could be more), a cat named Anastasia, Paco the parrot, and tons of cows,  This weekend I am going to help plant corn and hopefully ride one the horses on the beautiful ranch, surrounded by mountains and tropical fruit and palm trees. Behind the house there are also palm, mango, orange, papaya, and plantain trees! I also have access to the kitchen to cook my own food, and the family is used to many gringo-isms (like running, cooking/eating vegetables, etc.) because I am a follow-up to this site, and the previous volunteer, Casey, lived with the Valdez family throughout her service.

 

I am currently living in a room adjacent to the property. I have one room and a flush toilet, which is like gold to most PCVs, and a shower, but water comes and goes sporadically, so I leave the tap running to fill my shower bucket. The water is not potable, so I have to filter it or buy it at the supermercado next door (they also have Oreo's, among any other thing you'd need. tough life, right?) I have electricity and a Claro stick, which is a USB internet modem that you use to purchase internet daily or monthly. As i have mentioned before, technology these days travels fast, even (or perhaps especially) in the developing world, and cell phones and internet are widespread. My site is pretty yeye (slang for high class), especially compared to other volunteers. This is the hand we are dealt as TE volunteers. We are placed in bigger cities because part of the agreement with MEDUCA (the Ministry of Education) is that PCVs work with at least 3 English teachers in the schools. I am happy to be an access point for other PCVs who are living more in the sticks, and in turn would like to visit them to experience their lifestyles and help with their projects...Thus, my battle with technology and balancing my time rages on. I am glad to be connected with family and friends easily, and have access to tools to help me enjoy my hobbies (guitar resources, books, etc.), but I will try my best to limit my distractions and be fully present here in this way of living.

the walk home from school

the school  

The school I work in is huge, more than 1200 kids in total. Primedio (6th-9th grade) and Secondaria (10-12) school is in the morning, and Primaria (K-6) is in the afternoon. For my first couple months here, I am going to spend 2 weeks observing each of the 6 English teachers, starting with Primaria. It will be difficult at first because it is difficult to explain my complicated if not ambiguous role here and to articulate that I must take time to observe in order to integrate, understand the system, assess the needs, learn a ton, and develop a plan in order to have the greatest impact. My biggest challenge will be time allocation, because in addition to my primary project of working in the school with the English teachers, I want to develop secondary projects within and outside of the school. There are also night classes and University classes on weekends that I could get involved with. So before I get too overwhelmed, I am going to take these first couple months very slowly. I want to get to know the teachers and develop relationships so that they understand that I am a resource and here to make their jobs easier. (I am also trying to learn names of the students and staff, gunna take a while) I intend to slowly branch out into the community to understand the dynamics of the town and what they are facing in regards to development right now. I am not here to reinvent the wheel or change the education system. I have a ton to learn and hopefully I can help organize and connect people and resources and make some small changes.


However, I am understanding my role here, and the role of Peace Corps in general, more and more every day. It is a much deeper experience than accomplishing projects. For me, what determines success is relationship building; sharing ideas, culture, and friendship. I have already been connected with different families in the community who have invited me to their homes to eat and chat. It will be frustrating and overwhelming at times, but I can always pasear (visit) around town to meet people and explain why I am here, and I am always greeted with incredible generosity and appreciation. Or just hanging out with the kids at school would pick anyone up, especially the younger ones. I just finished my first week, and I have already been bombarded with hugs and kisses everyday, pictures, candy food, and even fresh mangos, all from the students! I am super lucky and excited for this opportunity, and by building relationships, learning and assisting in local activities like farming, milking cows, etc., and developing my skills and hobbies (guitar, yoga/exercise, reading), I will have an incredibly rich and successful experience. Also, traveling and visiting other PCVs in this awesome country will be a constant thrill!

Recap, Godspeed gringos

Quick recap of some fun times with my incredible PC compañeros over the last couple weeks:

 A group of us went to to Lago Gatún to fish a few sundays ago. (Adam, his host-bro Ronál, Dana (Dante Villa Lobos) Katie, Cesár, Benjamin, y yo). When Adam invited me to go fishing with his host brother and him, I was super pumped. I love lakes. I come from a family who has spent generations at el Lago Clark in Michigan. It's our paradise. Let me tell you, lake life in Panama is still cool and tranquilo, but it was quite a wild experience.

Benjesus walking on water
 

 Lago Gatun was formed in the early 1900s during the canal building efforts. It's one of if not the biggest man-made  lakes in the world and was created by blowing up some mountains and rivers with a ton of dynamite, creating an enormous lake. The lake literally sits on mountain tops, and you can see tons of huge trees sticking out of the water and near the surface. imagine whipping around in a pontoon trying to dodge stumps, or better yet, wakeboarding. At one point, we literally got stuck on a tree and had to jump in and shift the fishing boat off of the tree, que locura.. The water is super clean and warm, and there are various types of fish (the majority of the fish we caught is an invasive species). There are also piranhas and lagartos in the lake, which I didn't find out until I was swimming around for a while. Lagarto= alligator, not sure if it's crocodiles or gators that live there, but either way, the prospect scared the shit out of me..kind of.. Our panamanian compadres assured us that they didn't hang out in that particular part of the lake. Fortunately (or unfortunately) we didn't see any modern day dinosaurs. We did catch a piranha though! (Again, we were assured that this kind doesn't normally attack humans.. I love Panamanian optimism, the "it will all work out just go with it" attitude). We also saw an old summer crib of Manny Noriega on the lake, and we met a really cool dude from Quebec, who definitely epitomized the lake life I know and love.

When all was said and done: Panameños: 23 fish ; Gringos 4

*For the record, there was one fishing pole and it was in the hand of the jefe, the rest of us used pop bottles with fishing twine and a hooked sardine for bait. I snagged 3.

We cleaned and gutted the fish, and that night, Adam's host madre y hermano fried up all the fish, made patacones (fried planatins), and we had quite the feast. One of the best days in Panamá thus far.

 Then, we returned to Ciudad de Saber to finish up training at PC HQ...and to climb the coolest f#^*ing tree everrrr!

BenJA y Dana La Rana (Dante Villa Lobos)

me and bejamón

Officially Peace Corps Volunteers!

Finally, the gringos went to Mailbu Beach Hostel in Gorgona to celebrate our swearing in! Needless to say we needed some time to, well, be free and party (a little). The beach was beautiful, the waves were pretty gnarly, the stars were incredible, and it was a very special weekend with nearly the whole group.

The last night there, we cooked quite the feast, complete with a fresh caught red snapper?, which Nico and I filleted and Benja fried up real nice.

Chillin under my mosquito net in my new home in Tortí, I have to admit that despite the frustrations with training and having a rigid schedule for the first two months, the connections made and the support shared between Group 72 was incredible. It was a special, necessary time for development and the friendship between volunteers truly adds to the richness of this Peace Corps experience.

Una Despedida a Santa Rita

It's been a hectic last couple weeks of training, and with swear-in approaching this friday, I'd like to reflect on the transformation that has taken place as I look forward to officially starting my service. Training has equipped me with solid strategies for teaching and planning with Panamanian teachers. The week I spent  working in a high school in Penonomé for tech week was awesome experience for what it will be like in the Panamanian classroom. Finally, the much anticipated friday arrived where we found out our sites, one by one, and our photos were posted on a huge map of Panamá (blog post about site to follow).
These past few months were frustrating at times, especially with little freedom and a rigid schedule, but I feel that they were necessary. The time was needed to integrate into Panamanian culture with our spectacular host families while at the same time having daily connections with other PC trainees, our Panamanian Spanish teachers, and our trainers/other volunteers who facilitated our training sessions.

Our time in Santa Rita flew by, and by the end it truly felt like home, especially after coming back from our tech week and volunteer visits or trips to the city, and I feel like I am a member of the Delgado family. In that sense, with time passing rapidly and things becoming so normal and habitual, adapting to a new place or culture or life is astounding. This adaptation one reason love to travel and experience new people and culture; it's the natural human way to assimilate, and it's a beautiful thing when everyone in a new culture is so accepting and giving... Bucket baths, noisy chickens and dogs, crazy chiva rides (crammed in a bus with luggage, ten+ people over capacity in little buses), rice with fried everything and no veggies--all this is part of the standard Panaday.

Last friday, we celebrated the time spent in Santa Rita at a Despedida, where we cooked Panamanian style cuisine (arroz con pollo, ensalada, chicha de piña) for our families, wore Panamanian-style clothes, and basically had a big culture-sharing fiesta. This included: Markia singing our national anthem, some Irish dancing thanks to Michael's redic. fiddle skills, and some gringo renditions of Wagon Wheel and Lean on Me. We also watched and participated in some Panamanian dances, had a rice pounding competition, and then, the Salomar (the traditional yelp of Panamanians, adapted from the indigenous i believe, that can be heard in the campo (or the cantina) all over Panama). The celebration ended with a nice slide show of pics from the last few months, a piñata (with flour inside for effect, a Panamanian tradition, and some gift-giving and receiving. (Side note: it poured allllll dayyy during our good-bye party, perhaps signifying the start of rainy season, or maybe the impending doom we face in our sites, but either way, the thunder storms here are awesome, and I will spend many days reading in a hammock during thunderstorms. future thunderpanablogposts will occur.)











10 Things I will miss from Santa Rita:
1. My lovely host family; their constant generosity, help and support with Spanish and all things Panamanian, constant laughter from the family and their cousins next door at my gringo-ness
2.  Alan y Alanis singing Panamanian love ballads, típico, reggaetón, and due to some of my influence, bits from Bob Marley's "Is This Love" and "The Weight" by The Band
3. My host-fam's almost 2 year old primita, Edeymis!
4. Sunset yoga sessions with Benja and the gringos
5. Soga swinging in the río with the Carlos, Alan, y Alanis, gringos and other Panapals
6. Jamming under the gazebo in the iglesia
7. Hikes up to the hill to watch sundown
8. Coming home to my host-family blaring Panama tunes (reminds me of the Vetter household)
9. the Santa Rita children's machete militia
10. "Hola" y "Buenas" and a smile from the townsfolk upon every encounter, every day (so apparently we haven't driven them too crazy, or weirded them out with our americanisms)

I have already learned so much about living in Panama and will miss mi familia and the other aspirantes a ton when we depart. Nonetheless, I am ready to be on my own in Tortí; to embrace the challenge I was preparing for, to assimilate, embrace my school and community, learn, and build friendships. This is how I hope to have an impact during my PC service.
....but first we gotta swear to defend that ol' Constitution and head to la playa for a celebratory fin de semana!

Week 5

Just over a week until we receive our site placement. 1 month until swearing into el Cuerpo de Paz. Moving right along. Training has been going great. We have been learning a lot of cool teaching methods; creative games and activities; how to be resourceful with the limited resources we will have access to, lesson planning, etc. It gets dry and redundant at times but the information and training will be very helpful in the future, especially because very few of us TE volunteers have taught in the formal setting before, and we have to convince our counterparts that we have something to offer. Most of the English education in Panama consists of copying and repeating information (very little conversation and communication), and critical thinking skills are lacking and rarely encouraged in the current education system. I hope to bring the new techniques I have learned to help Panamanian teachers mix things up in their classroom and motivate the students to actively learn language. Also, I am very excited to have the freedom to develop secondary projects according to the needs of the school, whether it be a reading club or an after-school program, and cater to the needs of the community. I can't wait to get to my site and start assessing and integrating into my community.  On Sunday we are going to Penonomé  for tech week, where we will be working in the classrooms with teachers. We will be staying with host families for 4 nights. Finally, next friday we return to the PC office in Ciudad de Saber to get our site placements. Then, my 2 year adventure really begins.

Last weekend we had some down time to relax, have some fun, and adventure. Friday, a big group of us went to the house of our fellow aspirante Adam. His host brother Ronal moved their whole living room out onto the porch to watch the Panama v. Jamaica fútbol game. It was a blast hanging with a group of Panamanians and gringos. I also watched the Panama/Honduras game last night with my host family, as well as the U.S./Mexico on my friend Phil's computer (he has what's called a Claro stick, a USB modem that you can get decently cheap down here. I am holding out on purchasing a cell phone or other technological tools until we get our sites. Computers are clutch for us TE volunteers though, as well will be doing a lot of lesson planning.) It's awesome soaking in all this soccer excitement, even over a year away from La Cope Mundial, and Panama leading the qualifying group makes it even better.

On Saturday, some pals and I ventured to Panama City to check out Casco Viejo, the old Spanish colonial city near the bay.  The architecture of the old town was very neat. Lots of tourists and construction, but there were some cool shops and lots of vendors selling indigenous apparel, jewelry, etc. I especially love seeing the Kuna Yala women walking around the city. They are decked out in super colorful authentic clothing and wear colorful beaded sleeves o their arms and ankles. Ben, Jessica, and I hung out at a bar called La Rana Dorada for a bit. It's a Colombian-owned bar and they brew their own beer. Lots of gringos and I loved it. Watched some tourney college hoops also. 'Twas a good day, and got me thinking about future life plans, like brewing beer at an awesome Spanish-speaking spot near the Pacific.
I also was spoiled and was able to watch some hoops at my family's place because they have ESPN somehow. (I know what you are all thinking, "Peace Corps my a**."  First of all, development is a strange phenomenon in this 21st century world. Secondly, just wait until we get sent out to our sites : ))

Other notes:
-Food has been solid. Fried food overload. Rice and chicken rocks, and fried fresh fish a veces. and patacones (fried plantains) for days! Also, fresh coconut, mariñon (a crispy-apple-like fruit from the cashew tree),  and duros (homemade frozen fruit in plastic, like a popcicle), make me happy, esp. after all the rice and fried food.
-We have been doing yoga at the church during sundown after our long days of classes, led by a couple of yogis in the group. It has been awesome-- great exercise, very stress-relieving, and relaxing. I am hooked. Plus the curious responses from the kids and other Panamanians in Santa Rita are priceless.
- Weekly hikes with the gringos to the top of the nearby jungle hill have been amazing. Sundown is incredible and the scene looks like something out of Jurassic Park or The Land Before Time. Very difficult to capture the vastness of its beauty in still frame. The stars and the moon are dope too, slightly different view from down here. La luna llena está magnifica esta noche.



La Semana Santa is an interesting week here. My host-brother Carlos has been preparing for weeks now for their Passion of Christ display. This week they have been building a huge, lavish stage every night. They camp out on/under the stage to guard it from thieves (or maleantes, if interested in hearing about the escaped convict living in the hills, check Keara's depiction here...don't worry we are safe).  Still not sure if there is an actual mass here other than the three nights of the performance of the Cross, but everyone is off school/work for the rest of the week. Saturday I am going with the host family to the beach for the day! Not a bad Easter celebration eh? Hope all is well and a Happy Easter to all my friends and family. Peace and love yall! 








 

Volunteer (Freshman) Visit: Coclé

For my volunteer visit, I went to a mid-sized puebla called San Juan de Dios, located in the northeast part of the Coclé region. It was a great experience seeing the day to day goings on of a volunteer. Jessica is super cool volunteer who has completed her 2 years of service and extending for another 3 months. She had a flush toilet, shower, electricity, and a fridge, which was superbueno. (She also got her hands on the most recent episodes of the walking dead, so having some zombie time and catching up made me very happy : )) It was an awesome weekend meeting community members, and also spending time with other volunteers in the region who offered amazing advice and perspective.

Last friday was the Fiesta Patronal for the town of San Juan de Dios, so there were a ton of people out and about, celebrating the life of San Juan and the solidarity of their community. Viva San Juan!

We went to a special mass in the morning, and afterwords they had a bunch of bautismos (baptisms), so I awkwardly took pictures of other people's children (this little fella was stoked about his baptism, and was transfixed on the candle flame...until he saw a tall lanky gringo snapping fotos of him in his new white digs.)
 

After the mass, there was a fair outside with food vendors, community members selling vegetables, and oddly enough, political party representatives passing out free food. This político was dishing out free huacho (Panamanian beef soup, delish), and caught out attention saying, "Americanos!," so i snapped a picture of the good man.

Friendly niños having a blast in the river in the front yard.
 
Late in the afternoon there was a procession with the statue of San Juan. There was a ton of people, probably over 500. We slowly walked through the town together as people shot off fireworks overhead. Very neat experience.


On Saturday we hiked up through the hills to a great spot with an awesome view of the city of San Juan de Dios, and a 360 view of mountains in the region. These cheeky Panameñitos were our guides up through the misty mountains.



Our group of pals for the weekend: 3 current Volunteers, Alyssa, Nate, Jessica (and her pup, Royce), and my fellow trainee with the sweet 'stache, Logan.
That night we went to the town baile where I saw my first pelea de gallos (cock fight...it was fascinating and pretty violent, and yet I couldn't look away. 'Twas a dose of culture to say the least), and learned to dance to típico music of Panama (kinda). We all crashed at Jessica's on the floor volunteer style, it was a blast!




Great view of San Juan from afar. The Pacific ocean is also in the distance, and we could make out some tall buildings that sit on on the beach Santa Clara, where we visited on Sunday!


Chillin in a hamáca en la playa Santa Clara! A group of volunteers spent the day together, many with their visitors also, so it was super cool to see some volunteer vacation day time. Can't wait to check out the numerous beautiful beaches in this country! 

Walking Far From Home

One week has passed since i moved in with my host family in Santa Rita, yet it feels like a month. I already feel like a member of the fam and the generosity of the people in this community that has been shown to my fellow trainees and I is incredible. Last night, they was a birthday party for my fellow aspirante Aja, and her family provided a ton of chicken fried rice and potato salad, cake, ice cream, and some birthday music from her abuelo who plays the accordion. It was a blast! The hospitality that Panamanians display is natural and admirable. Despite the long days during the week, we have been able to spend time with our host families and other townsfolk, sharing laughs and provoking strange looks due to our desires to go for morning jogs, play frisbee, hang out at the church at night playing music, doing yoga, etc., and our general loud presence. Last week, some friends and I taught my host siblings how to play American football and ultimate frisbee. They loved it. Especially Alan, who asks me every afternoon to "jugar fris" o "jackpot." Alan and Alanis are typical younger siblings, causing trouble at times, but always trying to help me out with whatever and only wanting to be included/hang with gringos. Alan had a few of us rolling with laughter Saturday night when he performed his karaoke ballad "Me Voy" (seemingly an Panamanian song full of heartbreak). My friend Nick suggested we sign him up for the Panamanian equivalent of American Idol for kids. The older brother Carlos has been incredibly helpful, teaching me all about Panamanian food and culture and having tons of patience with me when I ask him a hundred times a day, "como se dice..." (how do you say...?). Carlos starts his second year at the University in Chorrerra in a week or so, so I probably won't see him as much because he has to take 3 buses an hour and a half each way to get to class. In other news in the host family, their perro Suzy has been in some pain lately because she is expecting puppies. I am nearly getting used to the loud animal noises of the day and night; dogs and cats roaming the streets, Suzy barking in pain : (, the 3 newborn parakeets chirping in their box in the kitchen, and even the damn roosters that never miss a crow at the top of every hour (at least).

   Our group was able to observe a little bit of the diversity of Panamanian culture outside the pueblo last week. On friday we had an assignment to figure out the bus system by traveling to Chorrerra, a nearby city. Transportation is super cheap and pretty accessible. They have a brand new MetroBus system in the city that goes throughout the country for about 1.25 usd per ride (impressive, they are air conditioned to the max and nicer than most public buses in the U.S.). However, there are lingering buses from the old system called "Diablos Rojos," and they rock. They are basically old school buses painted all colors with typical images such as topless mermaids and Jesus with a guitar. Inside, they are jam packed with people, with lights, streamers, and other decor at the front so the driver can barely see, and blasting típico, the popular music here in Panama. Not the safest form of transport, but I try not to watch when I any Panamanian is zooming around these curvy calles. Friday night I experienced my first Panamanian rodeo, followed by a baile. Twas pretty wild, the típico music was great, people danced closer together than at junior high dances (but with more style and step and less grinding obvi.), and I was quite awkward during my brief dance lesson with a local amiga. Trying to get my host mom and primas to show me some moves. I also went to a supermercado Chorrerra with Carlos on Saturday to buy a new fan for the family. It was basically a Walmart and kind of tripped me out. There were hundreds of people there and took an hour just to get to a register. Once I get to my site I think I will try to hit the smaller markets often for fresh food. That said, it's super interested in a partly developed country like Panama to see the disparity. Finally, yesterday we had yet another adventure on the diablos rojos to La Ciudad de Panama. The city is huge, full of palm trees and skyscrapers (many of them empty oddly enough enough). After we reached all of our required destinations, my group stopped at a Peruvian restaurant for some bomb seafood and a little sangria.

 This week training continues with language classes every morning and TE classes in the afternoon. Many volunteers say this is the roughest part of the PC experience because of how busy we are and how structured our days are. However, I am going to stay with a current TE volunteer for the weekend who lives about 3 hours from here, in the Coclé region. Very excited for the next adventure and a new place.

 Well, mi madre has my breakfast ready for me; fried plantains and eggs. Hasta Luego!

 P.S. I want to give a shout out to all my fellow aspirantes in PCV group 72. So many awesome people from different backgrounds who have done and will continue to do incredible things. Training wouldn't be nearly as bearable without all the laughs with such easy-going hermanos y hermanas!

 also, this song. chills e'ry time

Tres Pericos Pequeños

I cannot believe it hasn't even been a week since I arrived in Panamá. It has been a crazy, hectic, full, tiresome, incredible, and AWESOME 6 days. Panama is a beautiful country full of amazing and kind people. I am only beginning to understand my small role here, and it has been very interesting learning about the role of PC here. Last thursday and friday my fellow aspirantes (trainees) and I had all day training sessions regarding health, safety, a history and explanation of Peace Corps Panama, and our project overview. I will discuss the Teaching English program of the Peace Corps very often as I learn more during these first couple months of training. Saturday we were able to escape the training compound and venture out to the site of a current volunteer a few hours away. She lives in a mid-size community in a sweet furnished house with screens, a toilet, and running water. We met the teachers she works with at the secondary and primary schools, and also her old host family. They were super nice and there place was awesome! They had avocado, banana, orange, cashew, and mango trees in their yard, as well as tons of chickens running around. This, as well as tons of wandering dogs, is a common scene in el campo de Panama. Also, Saturday night there was a big concert in Ciudad de Saber (the place where we were staying is an old U.S. military base that is currently the home of diplomats, ex-pats, Panamanian government workers and wealthier folks, as well students who attend the international school? or a campus abroad of Florida State). Some friends and I got super lucky and were given wristbands by a couple Americans for entry in to concert, which was more like a music festival with many booths and activites, for ten bucks as opposed to 35 (note: the dollar is the official currency of Panamá, very convenient.) We saw a band called Astro de Chile and very popular band called Cafe Tacuba de Mexico. It was an awesome show and the Panamanian crowd, mostly city folk i presume (and also quite a few gringos), was pretty wild. It was a blast and definitely an environment that we will rarely be apart of during our service. I am currently in the living room of my new host family in Santa Rita where about half of the voluntarios are living during training. The majority of the houses are concrete structures with metal roofs and hard stone floors. Mi casa has 2 bedrooms, a shower room, and living room. They have running water most times and it is potable. Development in the present day is a strange phenomenon, for they lack some basic amenities and yet most in this pueblo have cable and smart phones. Other volunteers have more comfortable setups with screens, toilets, and showers in their houses, but I am one of the only lucky souls that lives with a family who has wifi! ...still blowing my mind a little.. Thus far the food has been very good, little veggies though. Mostly rice, chicken, and fried corn tortillas. My family is awesome. I live with Dilsa and her boyfriend Andres, and her 3 kids--Carlos (19), Alan(10), and Alanis (8). They also have a dog out back names Suzy, and 3 pericos (3 little birds, literally a la the Bob Marley tune...I made sure to play the song for them last night with mi guitarra). I have been here less than 24 hrs and I already feel like a member of the family. Yesterday we spent the afternoon in the river down the road, swimming and swinging into the water on rope swings. A fellow volunteer and I also taught Alanis and Alan how to play ultimate frisbee and they were naturals. Carlos is a cool dude, he studies finance an hour away at the university in this region, and his helping me improve my rusty Spanish immensely. I am so excited to spend the next 2 months here, and am already a little sad that I will have to leave them. We are going to be super busy every day for the next 8 weeks. 4 hours of formal spanish class in small groups 4 days a week, tech and project training in the afternoon, and many excursions planned in the next to weeks to Panama City, back to PC headquarters, and to a few sites of current volunteers. Other than that, it's hot as hell every day and i get to wake up to screaming gallos every morning. Going for a run before sunrise. More updates to follow, but until then don't worry bout a thing cause every little thing, is gunna be be alright. Especialmente en esta vida Panameña.