The Little Moments

One of the things I love most about Peace Corps is the freedom you have with your work.  I set my own hours, plan my own projects, and follow things through to measure results and impact.  Some days are pretty typical to office work: I spend hours and hours preparing presentations or planning for a seminar.  Other days, I do the Hokey Pokey with a ton of kids, hand out cookies I made at midnight the night before, and hang out in my hammock reading my 3^rd book that week. 

Before coming here, I fully expected my happiest and most productive days to be those of the former- doing typical “work.”  I thought that would make me happiest and that would be where my biggest potential impact would lie.  However, after a few months in my little village, I’m starting to see things from a different perspective.

I still have hopes and plans for improving the local way of performing agri-business functions.  Though I’m no longer naïve enough to believe that I could completely change the community, I have several smaller goals: helping producers understand basic business functions, taking inventory of their farms, starting to use registers, and potentially even working with value added products (chocolate bars instead of raw beans). 

Making a difference in the way locals handle business practices is certainly important, but I’ve begun to ask myself if there are other equally, if not even more important, ways to make a difference. 

In addition to my primary project (agribusiness development) I also get to work with secondary projects of my choosing: education, youth and gender development, nutrition, etc.- essentially anything other than agribusiness.  As is common with many volunteers, secondary projects have quickly begun to be a large and important part of my work here.  There are the official secondary projects: teaching English in schools and leading gender and development seminars, but then there are also the non-official activities: days I spend playing with kids, helping with art projects or teaching songs and dances to draw shy kids out of their shells. 

As a professional, I feel incredibly happy and fulfilled when I teach excel to a local entrepreneur or when a women’s group asks for my help in marketing their products.  As a person, however, I cannot imagine feeling more fulfilled than when a kid runs up to me to show off the better grades he or she is earning, or when a group of kids starts calling me Aunt to show me that I am a part of their family. 

So, it seems like there are two stories to be told: That which is on my resume, and that which you’ll only hear from listening to the little moments. 

Biking on Isla Colon, Bocas del Toro

Looking for a fun, cheap, activity on Isla Colon? Rent some bikes and explore for the day! A plethora of rentals are scattered around Bocas Town and you'll have the choice of renting per hour or per day. Prices range greatly, but the best deal we found was $5/day or $7/24 hours (located at a small unnamed booth in the fork in the road around the corner from the fire station.) 

Though the island is a decent size, the limited number of roads makes it easy to navigate.  You have three basic options for biking on Isla Colon. Ranging from easiest to most difficult they are:

Cruise the roads of Bocas town. You can spend as short or as long as you want circling the busiest part of the island, but watch out for all of the vendors and pedestrians in the street. 

Heading north from town you'll pass some neat little eateries (and Bocas Brewery!) on the beach road. You'll eventually come to a marked fork in the road where you'll have two options. 

Head to Playa Bluff. This mostly flat road will end shortly before playa bluff, but thanks to 4-wheel drive traffic, the sand on the beach is packed tight enough to still be a decent ride. Stop at Paki Point for lunch and lounging- it's one of my favorite chill out spots on the island. 

Take the longer trip to the beaches of Boca del Drago. This 15km route definitely requires some leg muscles to get over the fairly constant hills, so if you're in the hunt for a bigger challenge, give it a go!

No matter what route you choose, I'm sure you'll have a great time biking on Isla Colon!

My Most Beautiful Day in Bocas

Though I normally shop around first, I was sold after talking to the people over at Olas tours (located just around the corner from the police station).  With no time to waste, we jumped on the boat that was just getting ready to leave and headed out to Dolphin Bay, Coral Key, and Zapatillas Island.  The thing I most loved about this tour was that each stop was beautifully different from the others, and our guide, Willy, was happy to adjust the stop times to meet our group´s preferences.  

After leaving around 11:30, we boated through perfectly still, mangrove surrounded waters to reach our first destination- Dolphin Bay.  According to Willy, you have an 80% chance of seeing dolphins on any given day, as this bay is home to a pod year round.  The dolphins are free to roam out into the open ocean, but seem to prefer this secure bay which abounds with jellyfish- one of their favorite foods.

After leaving Dolphin Bay, we grabbed at our cameras once again to capture the insanely beautiful waters surrounding Cayo Coral. To make the most of our time, we ordered lunch at the local restaurant and then headed off to snorkle while it was being prepared. 

 Though the food wasn´t anything to write home about (next time I´ll pack a sandwhich and some fresh fruit), the views made up for it.  And did I mention there were Maccaws?  

The next and final destination was Isla Zapatillas (aka one of the most gorgeous islands in Bocas.)  The aquamarine water and complete lack of development in this national park made it the perfect place to lay back and nap while listening to the gentle waves hit the beach.  

A perfect ending to a perfect day?  I think so.

Trading Sparkles for Chacos and Celebrating 2014

While I have always loved spending New Years Eve getting dressed up  and taking tons of photos with friends while playing Dick Clark's TV special, this year may take the cake for my favorite so far.

There weren't fancy outfits (or makeup for that matter), but there was plenty of rice, friendship, and locally grown coffee.  To my surprise, there was even fireworks and a *tiny* glass of wine!

Although my dad and I had originally planned to spend NYE on Bocas Island, absolutely everything was booked, and we decided to celebrate the coming of 2014 with my small village on the mainland.  Though I certainly love the island, I have to say, I'm glad things turned out the way they did.

We ventured out to town that morning to pick up fireworks and food, but were surprised to see that every. single. bus. was full by the time it got to my stop.  Three and a half hours and a few headaches later, we finally finished what is normally a 15 minute trip.  Stocked up, we returned to my little village to start preparations for the evening.

A small group of villagers who live near the center of town took charge, and together we prepared coffee and cookies, soup, rice, and a small cake (That last one was my contribution).  The one family who owns a solar panel put a movie on their laptop and over 20 men, women, and children eagerly gathered around to watch a Spanish subtitled movie while waiting for the clock to strike 12.

Instead of the usual countdown at midnight, the party host gave a small speech and then we shot off several fireworks and burned a stuffed scarecrow.  Burning these "dolls" of the old year symbolizes letting go of the past and any bad memories associated with it.  If only I had gotten a before picture!

2013 in Review

Whew, what a year!  Between college graduation, joining the Peace Corps and moving to a new country, 2013 has been packed with challenges, blessings, and most of all, change.  Though it's quite cliche, I couldn't help but post a photo recap of 2013; it was a great year! 

I rung in the New Year in January with a trip to Missouri to celebrate with Natalie, Lisa, and Jess, three wonderful friends I made while studying abroad in 2011.  I'm so blessed to have friends like them, and am anxiously awaiting their trip to Panama.  * Hear that, guys?* 

In February, I made my most momentous decision thus far- I accepted an invitation to join the Peace Corps in Panama!  

With the coming of March I got an awful sunburn and an incredible 6 days when my dad gifted me an early graduation present- a Spring break trip to Mexico!  A relaxing week of fun and sunshine was just what my stressed-out, pre-graduation self needed, and the opportunity to practice my Spanish made me more excited than ever for my upcoming move to Panama. 

April was filled with exams and a final push at school- quite a feat with 20 credits, a part-time job and an internship!  However, I did get a nice surprise when I found out that the McKenna School faculty had selected me for the 2013 ACBSP Leadership award.  

After four years of hard work, packed extra-curricular calendars, and unforgettable memories with friends, in May I graduated from Saint Vincent College with a Major in Marketing and Minors in Spanish and International Business.  How did four years go by so fast?! 

Over a year after initially submitting my application, in June I packed my bags, said goodbye to family and friends, and moved to Panama to begin Agri-business training in the Peace Corps.

In July I stuffed my brain full of information on Panamanian agriculture and spent more than four hours studying Spanish each day as part of our rigorous training program.  I also got to spend a week visiting a current volunteer in Bocas del Toro, where I completely fell in love with what would turn out to be my future home province.  Unfortunately, July is also when the honeymoon phase ended and I came face to face with some of the many challenges I would spend my next two years living with.  Mom and Dad, thanks for talking me through everything… even if it did send your phone bill through the roof.  

August was another month of excitement as I swore in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer (and gave a speech at the embassy while I was at it!)  That also meant that I finally got to head to my new home and begin work in a small village in Bocas del Toro, Panama.  Oh, and I adopted a puppy.  He's pretty much the cutest thing ever. 

September was tough.  Though it likely never seemed that way on my Facebook account, I had a really hard time integrating and those few weeks without friends, confidants, or even anyone who could speak my language were rough.  It probably would have also been easier if I hadn't been dropping weight and dealing with side effects from not receiving decent nutrition.  Thankfully, those moments are all in the past!  

In October the unsanitary water around my house at the time led to a nasty bacterial infection on my arms, leg, and hip.  After reporting to my boss about what our regional leader referred to as "the grossest thing" she had seen in her entire three years, I got permission to move into my own house over a month early!  The move did wonders for my morale and it wasn't long at all before my neighbors happily pointed out that I was gaining some of my weight back.  Thanks? 

Though it will always be hard for me to celebrate the holidays away from my family, in November I got to spend several days enjoying Thanksgiving with volunteers from all over Panama.  As part of the newest group in country, it was great to meet more of the 250 volunteers here, and the Thanksgiving feast we prepared was every bit as delicious as Tennessee meals.  If only I could've gotten my hands on some leftovers…  Work wise November was another big month for me since my boss flew in from Panama City to attend my Community Analysis presentation.  

And finally, here we are closing out the year in December.  It's been a busy month and I was able to host two different programs during the first two weeks of the month- a cocoa grafting seminar and a children's Christmas Party.  Despite constantly playing Christmas music in my house, the warm, sunny days made it hard to feel like Christmas was coming.  It did come though, and even better, it brought my dad in with it!  We spent a few days in Boquete enjoying the cooler weather and even cooking a nice Christmas dinner.  After that, I'll be giving him a much better introduction to my village, and then it's off to the island in the first of 2014.  

I hope all of you had a happy, successful 2013 and carry that with you into the New Year.  As always, thank you for your prayer and support!

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.