Endings and Beginnings

Well folks, I finished training and now I’m officially a Peace Corps Volunteer. Ta-da! Sorry I haven’t posted in almost a month, but turns out volunteer life is really busy. Let me catch you up a little. Rewind to the last week of April. Our final day of tech class we gave our community analysis presentations and then immediately hiked to the nearby river for some quality waterfall jacuzzi time.

Our last week in Santa Rita was bittersweet. While I was glad to finally be wrapping up with the intense craziness of training, the end of training meant the end of a lot of other things. It meant the end of my daily Spanish classes/group therapy sessions, it meant the end of our G76 TE family’s time together, and it meant goodbye to my Santa Rita host family:

(Not pictured is the extended family…so, basically half of Santa Rita). I can’t thank them enough for helping me adjust to Pana-culture in my first months here. We threw all the host families a goodbye party with comedy acts, singing, cupid shuffling, tons of food, and traditional Panamanian outfits. My friend on the right is wearing a full on pollera, I’m just wearing the faldón. My friend in the middle is wearing a nakwa, the traditional dress of Ngöbe women.

After we said hasta luego (but never adios) to Santa Rita, we spent our last week of training together with the G76 CECs in Ciudad del Saber getting ready for the swear-in ceremony. Finally came the big day!!! We got all spruced up, headed to Panama City’s historical Casco Viejo and took our oaths in front of a panel of public officials to serve both Panama and the US for the next two years as Peace Corps Volunteers.

So then it was official. We spent the weekend in a super fun hostel in Casco Viejo celebrating and savoring our time together before we would be scattered to the humid, tropical wind to start our service. Here are some highlights:

The view of the Cinta Costera after a DELICIOUS cup of ceviche fresh from the Fish Market.

The view from underneath the Biomuseo, a biodiversity museum designed by Frank Gehry to make visitors feel as if they were walking under a rainforest canopy (so cool!)

View of the city from one of Panama City’s national parks, Parque Metropolitano. We saw a family of spider monkeys here! Also lots of leafcutter ants and cool birds!


So…after our city adventure, we shipped off to our respective sites and the real work began. This is my third week in San Francisco and so far, so good. Actually, so far, REALLY good.

For the first three months that we’re in site, we’re supposed to just be getting to know our community, our school, and our counterparts. Three months sounds like a long time (trust me, I know), but all the previous volunteers told us it’s essential to spend that time gaining the trust of the people and learning how everything works before we jump in and start any projects. This is especially true for us TE volunteers because we need the time to observe the teachers who we’ll be working with so we understand their needs & goals. My first week I gave a presentation to my 6 teachers about my role at the school and together we came up with a game plan:

So that’s what I’ve been up to at the school. Each week I’ll be observing and interviewing a different English teacher to find out how we can work together to make their job easier and more fun (we’ll practice English too, of course).

Outside of the school my job is basically to be seen around town, hopefully make some friends, and assess the needs/opportunities for projects in my community. Already in my first week people were coming up to me expressing interest in community English classes and an after-school English club. The interest is there! Now it’s up to me to come up with some action plans to actually make these things happen.

I’ve been going to church, hanging out at the local bakery, and going to any and every event that people invite me to (folkloric dance practice, a birthday party, a traveling circus, teacher hang-outs, etc.) I’ve also been spending a lot of time with my host family and extended host family doing everything from making cookies from scratch (a big deal for them!) to four-wheeling in the pouring rain (a big deal for me!). The point is…slowly but surely, I’m getting to know the people here and getting used to this incredible new job.

For example, this is Jesús. He’s a heavy metal fan, internet café owner, father to a very chubby baby, and also the first grade English teacher I spent all last week observing. I was nervous that, because I don’t have any formal teaching experience, I wouldn’t have the knowledge or skills to help my counterparts. But after my first real week with Jesús, I feel like I totally CAN help them! I have plenty of experience with kids/youth…I’m a native English speaker…and even if I don’t know some of the more technical teaching methodology stuff, I have a ton of resources at my fingertips. I don’t have to have all the answers, I just have to listen to my gente and be willing to help.

Okay, I think that’s enough bragging about how affirming my life is for now! Next week is the break between trimesters, but after that I’ve got a BUSY and EXCITING three months ahead of me…Which is just how I like it. :)