Only the best busses sell ice cream cones
Since
our Close of Service is rapidly approaching, I´ve been starting to work on
cultivating a deeper post on how grateful I am for the impact Peace Corps has
had on my life. So instead of getting too
deep, I´m going to save that for another time and instead share a little about
the awesome Thanksgiving celebrations I was able to have here in Panama.
As per
Peace Corps Panama tradition, a majority of volunteers made the trek up to
Cerro Punta, Chiriquí to celebrate Thanksgiving as a giant, happy, Peace Corps
family. After some of my busiest,
sickest months yet, it was awesome to have the opportunity to spend a few days
relaxing and celebrating with some of my closest friends.
Carlos, the
owner of Los Quetzales Eco-Lodge, was wonderfully accommodating and gave us all
wonderful deals on accommodations, food, drink, and spa services. My friends and I rented a cabin with
stunningly beautiful views of the surrounding rainforest, and I couldn´t not
take advantage of $20 hour-long massages…
With the
help of our master chef, Brennan, we created a delicious and mostly locally
sourced Thanksgiving feast of roasted turkey, baked ham, cranberry stuffing,
sweet potato and lentil curry, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole,
salad with cornbread croutons, chocolate cupcakes, and fruit tarts with a homemade
custard filling. Talk about a bule kri…full belly!
Our incredible Thanksgiving dinner
We also had
a talent show that was surprisingly packed with talented, well thought out acts
such as a hip hop take on a traditional dance and a Panama PCV´s 12 days of Christmas:
On
the first day of Christmas my PanaMan gave to me- a parrot in a pifá tree!
On
the second day of Christmas my PanaMan gave to me- 2 Many catcalls…
On
the third day of Christmas my PanaMan gave to me- 3 Meetings cancelled…
On
the fourth day of Christmas my PanaMan gave to me- 4 Quarts of Clos (the
cheapest wine)
On
the fifth day of Christmas my PanaMan gave to me- 5 Days of School in November!
On
the sixth day of Christmas my PanaMan gave to me- 6 Pavos shouting…
On
the seventh day of Christmas my PanaMan gave to me- 7 Swines a Sqealing…
On
the eighth day of Christmas my PanaMan gave to me- 8 Outfits molding…
On
the ninth day of Christmas my PanaMan gave to me- 9 Nipples nursing…
On
the tenth day of Christmas my PanaMan gave to me- 10 Turtle eggs a frying…
On
the eleventh day of Christmas my PanaMan gave to me- 11 Random rashes…
On
the twelfth day of Christmas my PanaMan gave to me- 12 Poops a day…
Obviously,
a good time was had by all and tears were almost
shed when we realized that this would be our last Thanksgiving together as
Group 73. Thankfully we still have almost 8
months left in country.
And
because one incredible Thanksgiving wasn´t enough, Part 2- Group 75´s
Friendsgiving- followed a few short days later. Sadly, due to the initial 3
month travel ban which just barely encompassed Thanksgiving Day, our newest group
of awesome volunteers, Group 75, was not allowed to attend the annual
celebrations in Cerro Punta. Since
they´re a positive and super fun group, they decided to make the most of
a potentially sad situation and organize their own Friendsgiving in Panama
City. They even invited some of us old
volunteers (we´re almost the seniors now!) and since I was passing through in
preparation for my trip to the Darien- more on that to come- I was able to
spend some time celebrating a second time. Even though we couldn´t be at home celebrating with our families, I think I can speak for everyone in saying that our Panama Thanksgiving was pretty dang awesome.
