Tech Week in Hato Pilon

It’s been a little while, so I have a lot to talk about. For this first entry, I’d like to talk about our Environmental Health (EH) Tech Week in Hato Pilon, a Ngobe community in the Comarca Ngobe-Bugle. Last week, all the trainees and I arrived during a massive rainstorm, but I had the luck of staying with the family that lived at the meeting point, the tienda at the top of the hill. Granted, later that week the “hill” seemed like a mountain to climb each day. I stayed with a single mother, Yessi (pronounced like Jessi), and her 12-year-old daughter, Marianely.

Typically, Ngobe children are more reserved than Latino children in Panama, but with time and some silly humor, the smiles are just as big. I took far too many pictures to record this week, but the kids loved it. Not the typical Ngobe family, Yessi and Marianely were very outgoing, spoke more Spanish than Ngobe, and make beaded jewelry each night by candlelight. Yessi is studying to be a grade school teacher and is working with the Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) in the community to help develop a women’s group to sell their wares.

Besides the cultural experience, the purpose of the week was to get a better introduction to the possible work and construction techniques for an EH volunteer. Our work started with mapping the water system, both in a plan and profile view, so we had the chance to work with a water level to map the difference in elevation. We quickly moved to interviewing the community regarding water use and sanitation habits. I would say it was a bit too quick, considering most of the community was confused as to why we were there, but that is the nature of Tech Week as it is a condensed period of time. Physical construction projects included building an aqueduct bridge for the tube crossing a stream in the community and three tap stands in the community. We faced many hiccups in the plan, so much to the group’s dismay we left the tap stands incomplete for a nearby EH volunteer to finish. If nothing else, we have learned about the difficulty of getting materials and, more specifically, the correct materials to a very rural community set amongst the mountains of the Comarca. Near the end of the week, we hosted a presentation for the community regarding out analysis of their water system. As the meeting progressed, people joined the crowd, but I think the numbers really only increased because the “cultural hour” was afterwards.

Led by my host mom in Hato Pilon, the cultural hour included an introduction to Ngobe handicrafts and dances. The typical dance is called the hege, but there are many variations and often involves a congo line-type formation. After the presentation, women of the community sold chacras, naguas, and beaded jewelry. Typical in the Comarca, chacras are handmade bags woven with various designs, from straight lines to detailed geometric shapes. The women normally put the strap across the top of their head and are able to carry heavy loads this way. Let me just say, that I attempted this going down the aforementioned “hill” with about 30 pounds of gravel. I thought my neck was about to snap. But, you can’t say I didn’t try! Naguas are the clothing of choice, not just the traditional dress. Women wear their naguas on a regular basis. They are long, brightly colored dresses with geometric designs on the sleeves, along the neckline, around the waist, and at the hemline. Finally, the beaded jewelry included earrings, necklaces, and bracelets with similar geometric designs as those found on the nagua.

Overall, I was very lucky to be staying with my host family. I had the opportunity to practice Spanish a lot, because they were very interested in everything about my home, family, and friends. I am happy to have experienced a bit of life in the Comarca Ngobe-Bugle. After Tech Week, 14 of us went to Las Lajas, the beach closest to Hato Pilon, for our one free night during training. For $10 we got simple cabanas on the beach with a double bed. Let’s just say that waking up to the sound of the ocean is priceless. Finally, the day after we returned to Los Mortales, the Spanish teachers organized a cultural day. I would recommend checking out my photos on Facebook to see the different traditional dresses from the various provinces of Panama. It’s beautiful! Again, hope you enjoyed this little insight into the work of an EH volunteer in Panama. I’m loving every minute here!