While I have a lot to describe about the past few weeks, I am going to have to keep this entry short. I hope that photos on Facebook can do a significant amount to explain and describe my community.
I will start with my Site Visit, which was over a week ago. When asked for a word to describe the week, I came up with a noun that characterized each person that I met there: jokesters. I laughed the entire week that I was there. Granted, often I was a little late on the uptake as I translated the Spanish and then laughed... Oh well, I think they appreciated the times when I was able to shoot a joke right back at them. I stayed with the host family that will host me for at least my first month in Valle Escondido. The family has four children, ranging in age from 16 to 7, and the family is very talkative and outgoing, which is a trait different from Ngabe families in the southern parts of the Comarca Ngabe-Bugle. My host father built the aqueduct system for the community, and listening to him talk about his motivations, perseverance, and success despite a lack of formal education is extremely inspirational. Unfortunately, the water source is not the most protected source, and it is not treated at all. So...let's just say that I had some stomach issues after the visit.
During the week, I visited with various committees, including the Artisans Committee (the women's group), Potable Water Committee, Latrine Committee, and Junta Local (the group in charge of general maintenance and infrastructure projects, such as the school). The president of the Latrine Committee is my counterpart, Hipolito, and he is the king bromista (joker). I will be working closely with him as we work to finish the composting latrine project that is half finished. I am unsure what I will be able to do with the Potable Water Committee, because the president is my host father, and he is very proud of the system... But, I am very excited to see if the Artisans Committee is interested in being a secondary project of mine. I would love to work with them to find more training in their traditional arts that have been lost in the community. Finally, I will also be teaching English classes.
I should also mention how lucky I am with regards to the food I was served during the week! Besides a consistent bowl of rice, I had many forms of bananas, plantains, yuca, and eggs. But, because I am so close to the ocean, I was also served fish and even lobster! Imagine me sitting down to a meal of lobster, which the community members say costs $20-$30 on Isla Colon, the tourist island. I can't believe it! I also discovered that an effective way to avoid consuming copious amounts of rice is to bring a small child around with you. Because I ate each meal at a different house, I often brought my little host sister to the meals, and she was extremely happy to finish the excessive amounts of rice.
The only down moment that I experienced was the nickname selection. Everyone has nicknames in the community, from Cielo (Heaven) to Hurucan (Hurricane) to Machete! And, it is tradition to hold a meeting to give the new volunteer a nickname. At my meeting, I introduced myself for a bit, and Hipolito explained the work of Peace Corps. Then, the meeting divided into two groups, men and women. Each group chose a nickname for me, and finally there was a vote (which really was just a count of men versus women at the meeting). The women chose "Insom," a nickname given to women with large, long noses. The men chose a lovely name, "Nuarechi," which is a term of endearment for daughters because it comes from "bonuare" (beautiful) and "chi" (little/child). Unfortunately, there were more women than men at the meeting, so I was given the big nose name. :( I was not happy. But, on the upside, I have at least one man who going to stand up against the elected nickname. He is one of the community leaders in the Methodist church, and he has promised to call me Nuarechi forever. In the end, I head back tomorrow, and I am hoping that I can change this nickname before it really sticks.
Finally, this past Thursday was Swear-In. We were lucky enough to have the ceremony at the Ambassador's Residence in Panama City. An extravagant house, the setting was wonderful, and we were able to share it with the majority of the Peace Corps staff, including Language and Cultural Facilitators and Training Staff. Furthermore, we had many volunteers, who helped with training, at the ceremony. After the ceremony, we celebrated at a Peruvian restaurant, and from there, we spent the night out on the town!
I guess this wasn't a very short entry after all, but I hope you enjoyed a little peek into my community!
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