Business on the Beach

As I wrote about a few months ago, in addition to working as a community volunteer, I was also selected to serve as Peace Corps Panama’s Agribusiness Coordinator for the west side of the country.  It’s no secret I love to travel and meet new people, so I’ve really been loving my new job, which is essentially that plus business education- great, right?  I get work-related leave + travel expenses to visit volunteers on the west side of the country (Bocas del Toro, the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé, and Veraguas) and help out with any type of business or finance education/projects that are going on in their communities.

One of the four Peace Corps programs currently working in Panama is Environmental Health, which builds aqueducts and latrines and works in health & sanitation.  Many of those volunteers (there are about 50 in Panama and 15 in my region alone) are required to hold Water Committee Seminars in their site to teach community leaders organizations and basic skills in water system construction, maintenance, and basic finance.  Since I’ve been begging asking people to invite me to their sites, I’ve gotten to help with the organization and finance sections of several different seminars in my region. 

A few weeks ago my friend Colleen stayed with me on the way to help out with my neighbor, Travis’s, site and brought her pup, Oso (“bear”).  Of course, when she invited me to spend a weekend in her site, Massy couldn’t be left behind. 

Our gas station brought a whole new meaning to "on the water"

Since he hates being left behind, he loved actually getting to go along this time.  He was such a champ with the boat ride and new environment, and he loved the beach.  The seminar was two days, and while Colleen, Dylan (a new Environmental Health volunteer), and I taught different topics during the day, Massy and Oso waited patiently for the afternoons which they knew would bring walks to the beach.  

Colleen's site is awesome- it's situated on a peninsula between a bay and the beach, and thanks to it's convenient location there are several community groups working on establishing eco-tourism programs.  There's even a restaurant on the beach!  Our charlas went really well and I'm looking forward to returning and seeing how I can help the tourism groups.  

In the meantime, you should check out Colleen's blog.  It's a beautifully written blog full of photography and intriguing  posts about life in her community that really captures the essence of being a volunteer in this part of Panama.  

And Then We Retreated to the Beach

After an exhausting but successful tech week, the majority of our group decided to take advantage of our first free night and head to the beach.  Based on the recommendations of other volunteers, we chose Las Lajas, a small beach town on the Pacific Coast in the Province of Chiriqi. 

Since we had some issues getting in touch with the hostels/cabins ahead of time, we decided to head straight to the beach and walk until we found a clean, cheap room.  After a week in the Comarca, pretty much anything would have been a step up in living conditions, so we weren’t too concerned.  

After a few minutes of walking along the water we ran into some local boys who referred us to a string of cabins a few minutes farther down the beach.  Sure enough, a gringa woman was relaxing in a hammock outside a small blue cottage, so I decided to ask her (in Spanish) if there were vacancies.   When she responded by asking if I could speak in English, I figured we had hit the jackpot as hardly anyone speaks English outside of Panama City…   However we soon learned that the woman identified herself as being a “child of the world with no one home,” preferred to go by her spiritual name, was disgusted in the fact that we ate non-organic foods and drank beer, and generally looked down on us in every possible way.   On our last morning, she even accused us of running around naked all night!  Seeing as though we were in bed (fully clothed) by 10 pm, I’m still not sure where she got that idea. 

Other than our interesting neighbor, the cabins turned out to be a great find at $10/person.  And they even had running water!  Though there were some cheap local restaurants that served a typical Panamanian meal for $4, there was also an American hotel and restaurant that offered free wifi and delicious American food.  Blueberry waffles, cheeseburgers, brownie sundaes, oh, the food!

One of my favorite parts of my new job is the ability to travel and explore Panama, and Las Lajas was certainly a great beginning.   Now to make my way through the rest of the country…

Isla Mujeres

Since I've been reminiscing about Mexico over the past few days I figured I would share one last set of photos I never got around to blogging.  

Dying to get out of the resort (as glorious as it was), I managed to get our little group to agree to a day trip to Isla Mujeres on our last day in Mexico.  Just a quick ferry ride from Cancun, Isla Mujeres is a beautiful, albeit tourist filled, tropical island.  We couldn't stop taking pictures of the brightly colored buildings and turquoise waters, and if you're willing to barter a bit, the island has some great souvenirs.  

Smaller towns with a local flavor are definitely more my travel style, and I'm looking forward to exploring more of Central America this coming summer!

Spring Break 2013

via.

I've never been able to take a Spring Break trip, and while I've always been fine with staying behind to earn a little extra cash, this year I was dying to finally take a trip.  My friends and I began planning during finals week- the worst time ever, I know- and thanks to an early graduation present from my dad (Thanks, Dad!!) we just put down our first payment for our trip to Cancun, Mexico! 

I've never been to Mexico before, and although we'll be sticking around the resort, I cannot wait to explore the beautiful beaches and everything else this gorgeous tropical place has to offer.  If you've been to Cancun, I'd love to hear from you!  Any do's or don'ts?

Top 5 Things to Do and See Around San Juan, Puerto Rico

1. Explore Old San Juan

From sightseeing to shopping, Old San Juan has so much to offer.  If you're a history buff, check out the forts that border the city.  At both locations you can tour dungeons, chapels, and the famous sentry boxes.  If you're more into modern day shopping and exploring, give yourself a few days to wander the streets which have everything from local boutiques to beautiful plazas filled with interesting people.

2. See the Arecibo Observatory

Featured in textbooks around the world and even in the James Bond movie, GoldenEye, the Arecibo Observatory is a great place to get a little educational sightseeing in.  In addition to seeing the world's largest reflector, you can also check out the accompanying museum and visitor center.  A little over an hour outside of San Juan, driving is your best bet for transportation (we rented a car for the week).  The drive through rural Puerto Rico was one of my favorite parts though.

Click through to see the the rest of my Top Five list!