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Sooo… apparently, as of today, I am married to a man who treks the Latin American continent selling jewelry and playing music. But let me back up a little and start from the beginning:
I woke up to the chilling air of cold nostalgia that blasted through our aged villa. After the morning rituals of masking the lack of hygiene that we all seemed to adopt in Panama, I jumped into the sluggish atmosphere outside. The bus awaited my arrival with open doors and a warm embrace of cotton cushions. But I was soon jostled from the arms of my comforter by the winding roads of the ambivalent mountains. The mist hung ominously over the peaks and veiled the sleeping woman outlined by the mountain tops. She took solace in the cold blanket of dulled diamonds. Our bus speed like a Diablo Rojo around the roller coaster roads of our destiny. Fate awaited us like a patient grandmother with a Christmas card. My eyes darted from face to face of my amigos. Most of them were blessed with the peace of sweet repose where there was once the evidence of a rough evening. I lack the words to fully capture the magic of the scenery that befell us on our journey. There was a battle between different terrains, all of which stood with breathtaking beauty of a titian. The light danced like fairies upon the water that we left behind us. I am doing an injustice by continuing to try and capture a beauty that not even photography could replicate.
We arrived at El Valle’s Hot Springs where therapeutic mud was plastered on our eager faces. Some creative youngsters decided to make designs (see pictures somewhere) of facial hair and war symbols. Some even ventured to spread their “post-modern artwork” to other parts of their body. Afterwards we embarked on another rollercoaster adventure to explore a canopy. Even a blogger of my lexicon does not possess the words to describe the scenery of the hike nor waterfall that greeted us. We had been given walking sticks to accompany us like faithful companions who gave us traveler’s advice on where to safely step. They were the Virgil to our Dante. After all we had been through I was not ready to give up my stick. I implored the unwavering man, the stoic stick keeper, to allow me to keep my faithful friend. He was unflinching in his resolve and denied my multiple requests. After I had resigned my desire to keep the walking stick and whispered my farewells, I handed my stick back to the man with a half-hearted Feliz Navidad. Those two words that evoke the spirit of a miraculous season unlocked the chains that tethered his kind heart. He handed me my stick back and smiled a warm smile. My heart rejoiced.
Afterwards we rolled on to a dusty market of genuine Panamanians. The prices were cheaper than a molasses on an igloo. We voraciously bought entire pineapples, savory sausages, and myriads of knickknacks. In all our tomfoolery, I had never fathomed that my future husband waited just down the road of destiny in the oppressive heat of Panamanian fate.
But seriously… I walked over to a small display of jewelry that was manned by two obviously hippy guys who were playing guitar. A single feather earring caught my eye. As I had been collecting tribal jewelry for the past ten days, I saw this one as a jewel in my collection. It reminded me of Pocahontas. Bruno and Ricardo, the two vendors who spoke to us in broken English, were from Brazil. They have been traveling for over a year just selling their hand made jewelry. Bruno told me that he normally sold that earring for 20 dollars but he enjoyed “talking” so I bargained. Take off a zero I said as they both chuckled at what they considered to be a joke. I told them that they stole the feather from a bird so it must not have cost that much to make. They said that they do not steal anything but take the gifts that nature had given them. He told me that it was not fair for me to take the item for ten. I said that he does not steal from nature, nor should he steal from me. After many laughs and some business we arrived at a compromise. Twelve dollars and he would make me a surprise. After some tinkering behind his makeshift stand, Bruno forged a ring. He told me that I am a natural woman and that at that particular moment he loved me. He asked me to marry him. After videos were recorded and pictures were taken, we said our goodbyes. I never answer his question.
We ate on a beach whose sand contained traces of uncapturable diamond and whose waves were as fierce as the wrath of the jungle. Afterwards we stopped at El Rey, the local super market. For the entire vacation, for every ten bucks we spent, we get a sticker. The stickers were placed in booklets of 40. Each booklet could be traded for items in a knife set. I had collected the entire set except for the items the store had run out of. This El Rey was not where we usually stopped and it contained the black box that all the knives were held in. I was 38 stickers short from obtaining it. I was disheartened beyond belief. So close and yet so far away. Yet I received positive reinforcement from all my peers. “We’ll do it. Don’t worry. We’ll get it.” And sure enough, through some sort of miracle of friendship and consumerism, we got enough stickers. My set, as well as my life, was complete. Tears welled in my eyes as I recognized the accidental community that we had forged in the fires of Panama. The community we built could not be broken or dissolved. We loved each other.
Day 8 (The Last Day): El Valle
Today, sadly, was our last day in Panama. But we still had a good time, and the day closed out the trip nicely.
We visited El Valle- a town in Panama. The bus ride up was absolutely beautiful. There were hills and mountains everywhere, with diverse flora adorning them. The only way I can think to describe the mountains is "lumpy". For some reason, the mountains here in Panama don't look craggy like the Rockies or rolling like the Appalachians. They're lumpy and a bit misshapen. And the trees growing on these mountains aren't nearly as uniform as I expected- it seemed as though no tree species repeated twice. There were yellow-greens and reds and browns and pinks and forest greens. Puffy, white clouds hung about the tips of the highest mountains.
As we drove around, we wondered at both the natural beauty of the place (which I've described), and all the gorgeous homes present. I found my dream home (I'll attach a picture later), as did Hugo. I'm pretty sure all of us picked a favorite at one point. Clearly, this is where the wealthy of Panama live. It was a bit sad to consider this in contrast with the poverty so prevalent elsewhere in Panama.
First, we got mud masks at a small place in the mountains. Since there were two colors of mud, we made designs on our faces... and our bodies. Many of us made mustaches and beards, some imitated war paint. I proudly decorated Jeff and Patrick a la "Jeff $" and Pocahontas, respectively, as shown in the picture (thanks to Christie for the picture).
After that, we went on a short hike around a creek. It was so beautiful- we walked through rope bridges, over rocky creeks, down stone stairs, and all around this towering waterfall. Needless to say, there were a lot of pictures taken.
We then visited a local market to shop for some souvenirs. Immediately after we got out of the bus, there were two men selling small meat kebabs, cooked over a tiny charcoal stove- for only 35 cents! Nearly all of us tried some, and it was quite delicious. While we're not sure exactly what kind of meat it was (they called it "carne"... but nearly all meats are called that), we did enjoy the experience, and no one got sick (as far as I know).
Surprisingly, there were a few handicraft stands run by hippies at this market. By hippies, I mean soft-spoken, "chill" young men with dreads playing the guitar... not exactly what I was expecting to find in Panama. Most of them were backpackers/nomads selling really interesting handmade jewelry. The people at this market were really friendly, and were exceedingly willing to strike up conversations with us, wanting to know about our trip and our backgrounds. Robin even got a marriage proposal from one of them! You can read more about that in her blog.
Next, we went to the beach. We swam in the Pacific Ocean (a first for some), playing in the rough surf while waiting for our food to be ready at a restaurant on the beach. At one point, we stood in a circle and randomly joined hands, so as to create a "human knot". This "knot" was tossed about the shoreline, causing a few bruises and a lot of laughs.
We closed out our trip to Panama by making fajitas and creating paper plate awards for each other, assigning assorted superlatives related to different inside jokes and events over the course of the trip.
Now, as I realize that I'll be home in twelve hours (which is a nice feeling), I know how much I'm going to miss Panama, the villas, the lukewarm showers, the ridiculous songs on the buses, Genato from Nutre Hogar, the plentiful seafood, and... all of my fellow classmates. We had so much fun, and learned so much on this trip. Thank you, guys.
In conclusion- Que Xopa!
We visited El Valle- a town in Panama. The bus ride up was absolutely beautiful. There were hills and mountains everywhere, with diverse flora adorning them. The only way I can think to describe the mountains is "lumpy". For some reason, the mountains here in Panama don't look craggy like the Rockies or rolling like the Appalachians. They're lumpy and a bit misshapen. And the trees growing on these mountains aren't nearly as uniform as I expected- it seemed as though no tree species repeated twice. There were yellow-greens and reds and browns and pinks and forest greens. Puffy, white clouds hung about the tips of the highest mountains.
As we drove around, we wondered at both the natural beauty of the place (which I've described), and all the gorgeous homes present. I found my dream home (I'll attach a picture later), as did Hugo. I'm pretty sure all of us picked a favorite at one point. Clearly, this is where the wealthy of Panama live. It was a bit sad to consider this in contrast with the poverty so prevalent elsewhere in Panama.
First, we got mud masks at a small place in the mountains. Since there were two colors of mud, we made designs on our faces... and our bodies. Many of us made mustaches and beards, some imitated war paint. I proudly decorated Jeff and Patrick a la "Jeff $" and Pocahontas, respectively, as shown in the picture (thanks to Christie for the picture).
After that, we went on a short hike around a creek. It was so beautiful- we walked through rope bridges, over rocky creeks, down stone stairs, and all around this towering waterfall. Needless to say, there were a lot of pictures taken.We then visited a local market to shop for some souvenirs. Immediately after we got out of the bus, there were two men selling small meat kebabs, cooked over a tiny charcoal stove- for only 35 cents! Nearly all of us tried some, and it was quite delicious. While we're not sure exactly what kind of meat it was (they called it "carne"... but nearly all meats are called that), we did enjoy the experience, and no one got sick (as far as I know).
Surprisingly, there were a few handicraft stands run by hippies at this market. By hippies, I mean soft-spoken, "chill" young men with dreads playing the guitar... not exactly what I was expecting to find in Panama. Most of them were backpackers/nomads selling really interesting handmade jewelry. The people at this market were really friendly, and were exceedingly willing to strike up conversations with us, wanting to know about our trip and our backgrounds. Robin even got a marriage proposal from one of them! You can read more about that in her blog.
Next, we went to the beach. We swam in the Pacific Ocean (a first for some), playing in the rough surf while waiting for our food to be ready at a restaurant on the beach. At one point, we stood in a circle and randomly joined hands, so as to create a "human knot". This "knot" was tossed about the shoreline, causing a few bruises and a lot of laughs.
We closed out our trip to Panama by making fajitas and creating paper plate awards for each other, assigning assorted superlatives related to different inside jokes and events over the course of the trip.
Now, as I realize that I'll be home in twelve hours (which is a nice feeling), I know how much I'm going to miss Panama, the villas, the lukewarm showers, the ridiculous songs on the buses, Genato from Nutre Hogar, the plentiful seafood, and... all of my fellow classmates. We had so much fun, and learned so much on this trip. Thank you, guys.
In conclusion- Que Xopa!
Saturday
We had quite an overwhelming morning at the Albrook Mall on Saturday. I was reminded of a quote I heard a few years back about the Smithsonian that you could visit for eight hours a day, seven days a week, spending about 20 seconds viewing each piece and not look at everything in a lifetime... or something like that. It may not be quite that extreme at Albrook, but it was pretty close. Definitely the largest mall I've ever been in and full of Christmas shoppers. One of the most different things there was the food court. Unlike the standard American mall with one food court with maybe 10 restaurants (if you're lucky) all priced about the same ($5 to $10 a person), Albrook had five food courts, the largest of which had forty restaurants ranging in price from $1.75 for an individual pizza (which I could not finish individually...) to a $20 steak from a full on steakhouse- in the food court! In a line next to Popeye's and Tako Maker.
After lunch we went out to the Causeway and rented bicycles- but not just any bicycles, we had straight up "mad pimpin'" car-cycles, some made for two, some four, and some six people. We all rode up the coast, stopping as we pleased to take pictures. I liked seeing a different kind of area in Panama City. Although the area was a hot spot for tourists, it was not overrun by tourists, and it was absolutely beautiful seeing the water on either side of the road as I got some exercise and felt the wind in (what is left of) my hair.
As nice as anything we did this week was in and of itself, I enjoyed it so much more because
of the company. I'm really glad that we were all lucky enough to get such a good group
together, you all made Panama great for me!
The last day
Today has been by far one of the best days of the trip. The morning began at the crack of dawn to be taken away to El Valle. After a quick stop at El Rey, the trip was a go! We traversed over the newly built bridge the spans over the canal. Interestingly enough, Bianca informed us that the architects of the bridge were German. I was surprised that a Panamanian architect was not chosen, but maybe in this situation the Germans have a superior design and quality. After the two hour bus ride, we were finally at our first destination of the day- the volcanic mud spa.
In the spirit of things, everyone donned their mud masks, some with slightly more humourous designs than others, posed for pictures and goofed around while waiting for the mud to dry. About twenty minutes later, we washed away the hardened mud to reveal “cleaned” faces. Several people felt their faces were immediately softer and healthier looking than arriving. Either way, the mud spa was good fun for the first spot of the day.
After leaving the mud spa, Bianca informed us of a nature hike that was along the way. In the spirit of the last day, everyone agreed to partake in the hike through the Panamanian jungle and across the rickety bridges to witness the waterfall. Although relatively short in contrast to other hikes I have been on, the hike was enjoyable and allowed us to see a different side of Panama – the tropical jungle that it still is. Although the bridges were deemed “safe,” they were relatively decrepit with signs clearly depicting that “No persons more than 5 at anytime” and “No Jump.” It was a completely enjoyable experience, ever with one of us receiving a complimentary walking stick.
Leaving the jungle hike, the group regrouped and headed to the local market. This market, although smaller than the others visited, was more diverse, priced reasonably, and was a heck of a lot busier than the others. The market was vibrant and filled with street peddlers hawking kebab’d meats and street jewelry. This was one of the few places where I was able to actually mingle with locals and some of those who were just passing through. The two jewelry vagabonds were by far the craziest and yet most comical people I have met this entire trip. The two are originally from Brazil and they are just traveling all over, selling jewelry to make money and continuing on.
The last stop of the day was at the beach, which was amazing. The water was rough, but the people there for the journey made it all that much more exciting. The food at the restaurant was good and consistent with how cheaply priced Panama has been. After a good lunch and a quick dip, the trip came to a close and we all coalesced again in the van headed to the last El Rey visit of the trip. The trip was a group effort in order for Robin to get complete Knife set with the cutting board and the knife holder. All in all, the day was a complete success only to be built upon by the last night of group cooking – Fajitas to be exact.
Day 7
Today we first went to the US Embassy here in Panama. My first thoughts about the Embassy were about how large and impressive looking it was. We had seen the French Embassy earlier this week and the US Embassy was about twice the size of the French Embassy. When we entered the Embassy security was really tight we had to turn in our passports and then be escorted to the room where we were meeting the Ambassador and a panel of other people who worked in the Embassy. The meeting was very informative. It was really interesting to learn about what the Embassy does in Panama and how life is for people who work at the Embassy. I never really thought about how the people who work at the Embassies move around so much. It was also really great that we were able to meet the Ambassador and that she took the time to talk to us.
After the Embassy we went to eat lunch at Pencas. It was a great restaurant with a terrific view of the water. The food was also delicious.
We then went to the Hospital Punta Pacifica. I had been looking forward to this visit. The hospital was not what I was expecting though. The technology in the hospital had been what I thought it would be, but the hospital it self was different. The hospital was huge and only had about 64 beds, and they were about 70% full most of the time. The hospital also seemed to be more focused on the aspect of health tourism than on helping the people who already live in Panama. I just think that a hospital with so many resources should be accessible to more people. It seems wasteful that not very many people use the hospital. It was different from what I expected.
Day 6: Nutre Hogar and Smithsonian
Today we all went to Nutre Hogar with the expectation that some of us would go to Casa Esperanza afterwards. Unfortunately, when we arrived at Casa Esperanza the children had already left. It was a disappointment for both for those who had never been there and for those who had been there on previous days but wishing to say their goodbyes. On an up note we spent the rest of the morning at Nutre Hogar and got to bond with the babies even more.
Having spent the last two days of service at Casa Esperanza and getting to know the children there, I felt that nothing could compare to that and I wasn't expecting to have such a good connection, but we were all pleasantly suprised.
Today when we played with the children it was obvious how happy it made them, at the same time everyone of us were also really happy to be playing with them and we all sort of brought out our parental insticts; somehow we just knew what the right thing to do to make the babies feel better. This was especially true of Hugo and Edilio, we had all heard about Edilio and how close Hugo had gotten to him in March but it was just so amazing to finally see them together and how they made eachother light up. We fed, bathed, put them to baed and played with them some more. When it came time to leave it was as if the babies sensed that we were coming back and they cryed hysterically.
The Smithsonian turned out to be alot more interesting that we expected. When we got there we browsed the bookstore, then we were given a tour of the library. One of the chemists there later gave a Powerpoint presentation, she told us about some the research that is currently taking at various places in Panama and that it is even possible for us to do reasearch there if it interested us. This had really sparked my interest because I have been wanting to spend some time in a Spanish speaking country but if I can also do research at the same time them it would be an even bigger advantage. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings, im sure it will be very exciting.
Having spent the last two days of service at Casa Esperanza and getting to know the children there, I felt that nothing could compare to that and I wasn't expecting to have such a good connection, but we were all pleasantly suprised.
Today when we played with the children it was obvious how happy it made them, at the same time everyone of us were also really happy to be playing with them and we all sort of brought out our parental insticts; somehow we just knew what the right thing to do to make the babies feel better. This was especially true of Hugo and Edilio, we had all heard about Edilio and how close Hugo had gotten to him in March but it was just so amazing to finally see them together and how they made eachother light up. We fed, bathed, put them to baed and played with them some more. When it came time to leave it was as if the babies sensed that we were coming back and they cryed hysterically.
The Smithsonian turned out to be alot more interesting that we expected. When we got there we browsed the bookstore, then we were given a tour of the library. One of the chemists there later gave a Powerpoint presentation, she told us about some the research that is currently taking at various places in Panama and that it is even possible for us to do reasearch there if it interested us. This had really sparked my interest because I have been wanting to spend some time in a Spanish speaking country but if I can also do research at the same time them it would be an even bigger advantage. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings, im sure it will be very exciting.
Day 6
The word of the day is heartbroken. This is the feeling we all had after leaving Nutre Hogar this morning. Although it was an amazing experience holding and playing with the babies, it was sad seeing how malnourished they were. I was personally amazed to see how attached the babies were to my classmates after only a couple of days. It really goes to show how little attention they regularly receive. I was also sad to have to leave the children of Casa Esperanza, especially without saying goodbye. However, I feel that I had an equally fulfilling experience at Nutre Hogar and it was interesting to notice the differences between them. For example, it seemed that Nutre Hogar was much larger and had many more resources, which may be due to people being more willing to donate to babies.
After we left, we had an amazing lunch at a local restaurant. I ordered a fish, which I assumed would come in a filet. However, I was surprised to receive the entire fish, plus rice and beans and a sweet plantain (all for only $6.75 - the most expensive thing on the menu!). Next we visited the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. It was amazing to see how far reaching the Smithsonian Institution is throughout the world. Not only are there museums and research institutes in the United States, but they have established campuses all over the world, including several in Panama.
Overall, I have a great feeling of pride for my classmates today. I noticed many heavy hearts as we left the service sites today and I could tell that we all truly cared about the children. Before we left the US, we worked hard to fundraise for our volunteer sites and I'm so glad we did and we were able to help these wonderful kids.
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