Friends, Food, and a Panamanian Thanksgiving

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.  

Panama's Patriotic Days

November is a month full of holidays in November, six to be exact.  And when you have six holidays in one month- plus any other unofficial festival that might be going on- well, the country seems to just be on one long break.  

On the agenda of things to celebrate are:

November 2   - Day of the Dead
November 3   - Independence from Colombia
November 4   - Flag Day
November 5   - Columbus Day (And seeing as though he named many cities in Panama...)
November 10 - The Uprising of Los Santos against Spain (Literally translated as "The first scream of                           the saints)
November 28 - Independence from Spain

Needless to say, there are plenty of celebrations throughout the country and though I was sad to miss my town's festivities, it was really neat to be in the national capital for these patriotic days.  

Flag Day, November 5, was the big party day, and I was excited to have another Bocas volunteer around to celebrate with!  Zoe and I meandered along the Cinta Costera, munched on delicious street food, and took tons of photos of stylishly clad marching bands and kids in typical Panamanian dress. Having spent my entire first year in an indigenous site, I thought it was really neat to see the more Latino side of Panamanian Culture.  

And can you believe those stilettos the band girls march in?!  

A Volunteer’s Easter

I’m a sucker for holidays, and what’s not to love?  You have a great reason to celebrate with friends and family and there’s usually good food involved.  Things can get pretty lonely out in the campo, so needless to say we volunteers can take holidays quite seriously.  I usually celebrate double- once with my community and a second time with other volunteers who have a bit better understanding of the holiday and culture behind it. 

Though Holy Week, Semana Santa, is observed here in Panama, Easter doesn’t seem to be a very big deal- especially not in the commercialized way Americans tend to treat most holidays.  While I am definitely a fan of keeping true to the true reason for celebration, I can’t help but have a soft spot for Easter egg hunts and candy.  It’s my sweet tooth and I really don’t think it can be helped.  

Part One of my Easter, the community part, was celebrated on Good Friday with a delicious lunch and Easter Egg hunt for some of the local kids.  I even made some Easter egg coloring pages that they went to town on.  

Christina, who’s a water and sanitation volunteer from a small town about 2 hours away, was already planning on spending the weekend at my house so that we could help out with Travis’ (my neighboring volunteer) water committee meeting on Saturday.  Since Easter was also this past weekend, we decided to make the best of an already fun get-together and have a little Easter brunch. 

Makeshift Easter Baskets.  

Even though we were limited by non-perishable ingredients and my little one-burner gas stove, we managed to make whole wheat rolls, deviled eggs, mashed potatoes, salad with lemon vinaigrette dressing, a watermelon filled fruit bowl, frosted cinnamon rolls, coffee AND a sparkling wine/sangria concoction.  It was seriously awesome.  

Though nothing will compare to spending holidays with your family at home, it was great to have an opportunity to share some American culture with my community and to have some more guests (and delicious food!) at my house.  Thanks to Christina and Travis for stopping by!  

Christmas in Panama

A Winter Wonderland, decked out with Christmas decorations?  I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas (And am definitely, definitely not getting one) is more like it.  It's certainly different to spend December in a hot, tropical climate, and even with Christmas carols on loop in my house, it just never felt the same.  

Even though I may not have experienced the typical Christmas setting, my dad more than made up for it with a visit to Panama.  Though we'll be spending most of his visit in my site, we decided to take a few days break and return to modern conveniences with a short trip to Boquete, Chiriqui. 

Before leaving though, we had a little Christmas party for the kids in my village.  The turnout was amazing- nearly 70 people! Though maybe I should have known since I was offering free food and gift bags…

With cool weather, hot showers, and bountiful coffee, Boquete was a welcome break for us.  Though we briefly talked about going to a nice restaurant for Christmas dinner, we I quickly realized there was no way I could ignore the beautiful kitchen appliances at our disposition.  Thus, a home-made Christmas dinner was born.  

My dad was surprised that I brought my little tree along, though I'm not sure why.

It's amazing how much more tranquil I am about travel when I know I'll be living in the country for at least another year and a half.  Whereas Pre-Peace Corps me would have planned a full schedule of activities, restaurant visits, and photo ops, Dad and I took a calmer route and settled for a coffee tour and time to simply relax.  It was a great way to spend the holiday, and we were even able to attend Christmas mass, a tradition I'm glad I didn't have to miss out on.