One Month in Site

3rd grade boys goofing off during the Virgin Mary Parade
near the end of the trimester

I’ve been in San Francisco for over a month now. Sometimes that seems like f o r e v e r and sometimes I get worried how fast it’s flown by. I’m still in my “observation period” where I’m supposed to be learning about my school and the teachers. It’s a strange time…the students just finished their first trimester at the end of June. This means two out of the four weeks I’ve been "observing" have either been exams or school vacation. Not a whole lot to observe.

So, instead, I’ve been having adventures! 

First, I visited the nearby town of Santa Fe with my host family. About an hour north of San Francisco, Santa Fe is up in the mountain range that runs through Panama, the Cordillera Central. It's also possibly the cutest town I've ever seen. I'll definitely be back there and take better pictures next time. After Santa Fe, we kept driving north along the single, winding mountain road, taking in the sights. I felt like I was on the set of Jurassic Park; the tropical green mountains rising up so high that clouds rolled over the sides like a misty blanket. It was so alien in its beauty. I can't wait to do some hiking around this area and experience the mysterious jungle outside the safety of an air-conditioned Acura. 

During the vacation, some other G76 gal pals came to visit me! We enlisted the help of my friend who works at the bakery, Yosi, to hike up San Fran’s big hill, the cerro. On the way, she showed us the Chorro del Espiritu Santo (the waterfall of the holy spirit):

This slice of paradise is hidden down a wooded path that a passing tourist would never notice. It's things like this that make me so proud and happy to be living here. Not just in San Fran, but in Panama in general. Everywhere you go, there are secret little corners of beauty.

After we finished marveling, we climbed through pastures with barbed wire fences and scrambled over rocks to reach the top of the cerro. We went exactly when everyone in my town told us NOT to go: at midday. I could feel the heat radiating up from the ground as we climbed. By the time we got to the top we were all drenched in sweat, but the view was SO worth it. Here's San Francisco! I labeled some of the important spots:

Team Veraguas flashing our classic "V for Veraguas" gang signs! Left: Kelly, Center: Yours Truly, Right: Kara

El Salto

After the hike, we went to San Francisco’s more swimming-friendly waterfall, El Salto. I plucked up some Gryffindor courage and jumped/dove from the cliffs (it feels a lot higher than it looks in the picture) just like the local kids. Super fun! After we were good and tired, we headed back to my host family’s house for food and a sleepover.

For another perspective of this adventure, read my friend Kelly’s blog post about it! 

The next day I headed northwest to the gorgeous mountain village of Los Valles de Cañazas to help another volunteer, Ben, with an Ultimate Frisbee/Leadership camp. Ben organized this week-long sleepaway camp for teenagers to teach them life and leadership skills through Ultimate Frisbee, presentations from local agencies, and other fun, team-building activities. Several PCVs from all over Panama, not just Veraguas, came to help facilitate the camp. We covered topics like goal-setting, self-image, sex education, teamwork and “tank-filling,” healthy relationships, and of course, Frisbee! The mayor donated food for the week. The kids bathed in the river and slept in the school dorms. It rained every day, but that didn't stop us from playing!

I thought this was a really cute photo until I noticed the
kid about to get decked in the head in the front row...oops.

This was probably the coolest experience I’ve had in my service so far. I’ve worked at a camp for the last few years in the states, so I’m a firm believer in the power of camp to empower youth. Even though I was only there for a few days, I got to witness Panamanian teens going through that familiar process of starting shy then opening up, making friends, and having a great time. Plus it gave us the opportunity to talk about some important issues for Panamanian teens. 

Certified hero and youth program director at APLAFA, Nathaniel,
grossing out some teens with pictures of STIs.

And I’m not just talking about teenage pregnancy or STIs (although those are serious issues here and I’ll be doing a lot of collaborating with Panama’s version of Planned Parenthood, APLAFA, to educate the young’uns). What I’m talking about is helping build kids’ confidence in their ability to control their own future. Same as in any rural, low-income area, the odds are stacked against these kids (especially the girls) on the path to becoming professionals. It's cool to show them there's a whole community of people who can support them, people who want to see them succeed. I know it sounds like cheesy high school guidance counselor talk, but…it’s the first time a lot of these kids are hearing something like that.

Anyway, after the camp school started back up and I was back to observing. Except, the first week back I took a trip to help another volunteer facilitate a program called “Elige Tu Vida,” or “Choose Your Life.” This is like a mini-version of what we did at the camp. It’s a five-hour presentation for teens in two parts. The first part is about goal-setting and the second part is about safe sex (aka, the most common obstacle that stops them from reaching their goals). Again, I was super glad to be a part of this and I look forward to giving my own Elige Tu Vidas at my school.

Torio!

The next day was my first regional meeting. Every three months, ALL of the volunteers from Veraguas meet in Santiago (the big city) and get updates from HQ and generally check in with each other. In Veraguas, the only sectors are TE (teaching English) and SAS (sustainable agricultural systems)…plus like two CEC (community environmental conservation) volunteers. It was cool to meet everyone else from my province!

After the meeting a bunch of us headed south for a weekend beach vacation in Torio, Veraguas. It’s “winter” here, aka the rainy season, so there was hardly anyone at the beach. We pretty much had our own private beach (plus some Panamanian fishermen who caught fresh lobster for us). The hostel we stayed at was also super adorable. It was fantastic relaxing and getting to know the other volunteers. 100% recommended, would go again.

So, that was my vacation to celebrate one month in site…since then I’ve been observing the afternoon “turno” at my school, which is 7^th-12^th grade. Very different from the elementary school scene, but there are a lot of opportunities for me to spice things up with these groups. There’s a big need for more interactive activities and opportunities for speaking practice. Hopefully I can work with the teachers to co-plan and co-teach some fun lessons. I’m also starting an English Club, which should give kids the chance to practice outside of class and (again, hopefully) have a blast doing it.

For the next two weeks (1^st week high school, 2^nd week elementary school) I’ll be helping with “English Week” celebrations. This means plenty of English-related games and contests like spelling bees and poetry readings. We’ll see how it works out! Chao until then!