Saying “Sí” to Things You Just Didn’t Quite Catch the Whole Meaning of in Spanish

            So in the past few weeks I have been working at integrating myself into the community, which means I’ve been trying to get involved in a lot of community events. December was cholk-full of various events and holidays. December 8 was Mother’s Day. December 14 was the sixth grade graduation, what they call their “despedida”, in Valle Escondido. December 15, I was invited to a despedida for a community member’s first grader in Bocas, the tourist town. December 17 was the high school graduation in San Cristobal, the community that is a 45-min to hour hike (depending upon the amount of rain that has fallen recently, which corresponds to how deep your boots sink into the mud along the path). December 21 was the Kindergarten graduation in San Cristobal, which my community attended because Valle Escondido children danced in their polleras and guayaveras as part of the celebration. December 23, I was invited to “pasear,” or take a trip to visit another community called Aguacate. Finally, December 24 and 25 brought the Christmas celebrations. Now that you know what my schedule was in December, such that it looks like I was fairly busy, I can say that I said “yes” to a lot of things this month, whether I understood the situation entirely or not. Sometimes this tendency put me in an embarrassing position and other times I truly lucked out with a great experience.

            Exhibit A: High School Graduation

            From Valle Escondido, two men were graduating from the Panamanian equivalent of 9^th grade (or what they call 3^rd year) and another was graduating from 12^th grade (or what they call 6^th year). For the past few years these men have been attending night school in San Cristobal to work towards a high school degree. In other words, this day is a big moment for them, thus I am, of course, invited to take pictures of the entire event. I gladly accept well in advance.

Confusion comes about only a bit when I don’t know how I’m going to get to San Cristobal. On foot involves a muddy hike, but boat involves, well, someone else’s boat. Luckily, I hitch a ride with one of the men graduating from 3^rd year. I show up and am very excited to see my neighbor PCV, Kim. We make our way to the school for the graduation, and I am eagerly greeted by the mother of the man graduating from 6^th year. She had been worried that I wouldn’t be coming, because earlier that morning her son had come by my host family’s house to pick me up on his way to San Cristobal. My host family said I was still asleep, but really I was just getting ready in my room. Anyway, the graduate’s mom eventually asks me about being “madrina,” or godmother, as if I should be prepared with something. Godmother for a graduate involves getting a gift…I did not have a gift. I showed up empty handed. I wracked my brain searching for the moment that I said yes to being a madrina for this graduate. I’m still searching for it, because I think I misinterpreted a conversation involving “madrina” and a small child that was present. Thinking he was talking about this child’s madrina, I had noooo clue that I was saying yes to being a madrina for him at his high school graduation.

Embarrassed and feeling horrible, I took as many pictures as I could and apologized profusely. They reassured me that it was ok. I told him that I owed him. So, on my next trip to Bocas, I came back with a very nice shirt for him, which my host family told me was a great gift. You’d think that I would have learned my lesson about saying yes to something that I don’t understand 100%, but I didn’t…

            Exhibit B: Kindergarten Graduation

            Leaving Bocas one night to return to my community, our boat is stopped by another boat near the dock. The other boat pulls up along side of the Valle Escondido boat. The other boat happens to be a San Cristobal boat, and the driver leans over to me and asks me to be the madrina of his child for the Kindergarten graduation, on December 21. I had met this man once before when I was visiting Kim in San Cristobal. Kim said he was a good man, and it’s good to note that it’s always useful to have a boat driver’s phone number in your cell phone. Sitting in the boat, I was a bit confused, but I agreed, knowing that I was planning to attend regardless to take pictures. I enjoyed the drive by request for a madrina.

            This time, I knew I was madrina, but for whom? I had never met his children, and a few words were lost among the waves. This was going to make picking out a gift a little more difficult. Boy? Girl? 50/50 chance… It was time for a little investigation, because Kim didn’t know if his Kindergartener was a boy or girl either. First, I tried asking other Kindergarteners. They were no help. They don’t know the name of the parents of their classmates. So, we asked some of the women in the community. They didn’t really know either. Finally, we went to the woman making the cap and gowns that the Kindergarteners wore for graduation. She explained that boys had madrinas and girls had padrinos, or godfathers. Ok, great. It’s a boy! What’s his name? Adrian. Mission accomplished.

            I may not have known all the details initially, but slowly but surely I was able to piece things together. I had a great day as madrina, and this time I was ready with a fun airplane and GI Joe as a gift for my godson. While Adrian was a very quiet boy, the best part was his smile and his thank you at the end of the day for the gift. Plus, just watching a bunch of 5 year olds parade around in cap and gown is worth a bit of initial confusion.

            I should also mention that I was very happy to be taking photos of my community’s dance group. Check the photos out on Facebook. J

            Exhibit C: Visit to Aguacate

            Let’s just say I didn’t know I was going to Aguacate until I was on my way to Aguacate. The day before Christmas Eve, I woke up in the morning and walked into the kitchen, which is a separate structure in my host family’s house, to see if anything was going on. Well, anyone walking by can see into this kitchen, so my neighbor asks me if I want to pasear today. Still kind of asleep and in my pajamas, I am a bit confused. She mentions something about aguacate, which means avocado in English. She asks, “Conoces Aguacate?” “Do you know Aguacate?” or “Are you familiar with Aguacate?” (Or, at least that’s how I translated that in my mind.) I thought, “Yes, I love avocado.” Other bits of the conversation included a request for me to take photos and to come to the dock between noon and 1 pm. I’m thinking, “Great! I’ll take some pictures. Maybe she’s coming back with some awesome avocado that she wants pictures of.” (Wouldn’t put it past them. I’ve taken pictures of pigs, squash, dogs, parrots, and chickens for people.)

            I went on with my plans for the day. I was going to help clean the church with my host mom in preparation for Christmas services. Then, at 1 pm, Edvin comes up to the church and says Angelina, my neighbor, is ready to go. I had forgotten, but I quickly changed because as I walked back Angelina asked me if I was ready to leave. So, I thought, “Ok, I guess we are going to Almirante, one of the bigger cities that people often go to with produce.” I ask Edvin, “When will we be back?” “Late,” he says. Where are we going??? Almirante is relatively close. We are going to Aguacate, a community located on the other side of the Bocas del Toro Archipelago.

            I climbed into a small boat, borrowed from the American that Angelina works for. Camera in my purse, I am ready to take pictures. I’m ready for an adventure. We passed this island and that island. We passed many houses that had their own island. We got drenched from sudden rains. Multiple times. (I had not come prepared with my rain jacket or umbrella, unfortunately.) We passed the major communities along the islands. We passed many men and boys fishing. We even saw a dolphin as we sped across the water.

            The trip was great. It was a wonderful adventure to be seeing Bocas by boat, but why was I on this trip? Who were we seeing? Slowly I got the entire story that my neighbor had a daughter in Aguacate living with her paternal grandmother. This daughter was half black and half Ngabe, and my neighbor hadn’t seen her daughter in a year or two at least. Nicole, the daughter, was now three, going on four, and we were delivering Christmas presents. My role was photographer. Despite having nooo clue what was going on until the last moment, I was extremely happy to be able to take this beautiful boat ride to capture moments that are clearly very important to members of my community. Her daughter has beautiful dark brown eyes with the same smooth straight black hair as any Ngabe. Opening her toys, Nicole was happy to be playing with new dolls, and when asked which she liked more, she responded that she liked all of them. When asked if she loves her mom, she said, “Yes.” When asked if she loves her grandmother, she said, “Yes. Both.” She was adorable, and I’m glad I said yes to the invitation.

            Well, that was a long one, and I’m still hoping to put up a blog about Christmas in site soon. Hope you enjoyed it!

Part of the Community and November 3

            My first three months are called Proyecto Amistad (Project Friendship), and during this time, I am not expected to do much Environmental Health work. Instead, I am supposed to complete a Community Analysis, which will legitimize my service and any projects by providing a basis, or an expressed community need and desire, for future work. Using “Participatory Analysis for Community Action” (PACA) tools, I will begin my analysis after Thanksgiving, when I hope to get a variety of supplies as our group is meeting up in David. I will hold several meetings to create community maps, daily activities schedules, a seasonal calendar, and a priority ranking (or needs assessment). The Community Analysis also involves a questionnaire given to PCVs by Peace Corps-Panama. The questionnaire includes questions about community organization, water, sanitation, and health, and all of these questions require community input. In between various meetings I will be visiting houses to discuss Family, Religion, Education, Economics, Health, Organization, Politics, and Preparedness (FREEHOPP). After the Community Diagnosis/Analysis, I will continue with participatory meetings, and during these meetings, the community will identify strengths and weaknesses within the community and analyze weaknesses by looking at the cause and effect. These steps after the community diagnosis can help develop a plan for the rest of my service. I would hopefully complete these steps during the time that we are working on the latrine project to assess whether we should continue with more latrines, aqueduct, or whatever.

In the meantime, I’m simply working on cultural integration. As required by Peace Corps-Panama, I am staying with a host family for my first three months in site. In the first few weeks my tactic for cultural integration has been to do whatever work my host mom or the community is doing. For instance, I have gone to the stream to wash my clothes twice, and I have attended the Methodist Church services on Sundays even though they last for three hours. I have also gone to the finca, or the plot of farmland, with host family to collect vegetables for them to sell in Bocas, and I have worked my way up to carrying four pumpkin-like vegetables in a woven purse with the strap across my head. With the community, I carried slats of wood for the house for a preacher whenever he comes, and I helped to clean up and decorate the community in preparation for the November 3 celebrations. Otherwise, a lot of people like to visit my host family and occasionally, I visit other houses to talk with the families. Probably one of the biggest ways to meet people was taking pictures on November 3. EVERYONE wanted their photo taken, so I took over 350 photos in one day. If they want the photo printed, they must pay a quarter (I am following protocol from previous volunteers), so I have quite a job ahead of me. I realize I still have quite a ways to go, but so far the community and I are happy to take our time with everything.

November 3 all of Panama celebrates their Separation from Colombia and my community is no exception. At 4:45 am I was woken up by the drumline that traveled around the community and played beneath my room because we’re in a house with high enough stilts. All in good fun! Then, the children had a parade from the dock up to the school. For several months a group of 14 kids from the primary school have been practicing choreographed traditional Panamanian dances, or baile tipico. The girls wore polleras, which consist of very full, brightly colored skirts and a matching top. To accompany the polleras, they each wore gold jewelry (fake in this case) and tembleques, which are beautiful hair pieces (typically pearly white) in the shapes of flowers or butterflies (as far as I noticed). The boys wore black pants with a white guayavera, which is a traditional button-down shirt with stripes made of doubled over fabric (I am a big fan of this shirt!). The boys also wore the traditional Panamanian sombrero pintado (painted hat) that flips up in the front along with a small woven purse, the chacra. Beautifully dressed, the dancers performed several very impressive traditional dances.

The day continued with recitations of poetry, competitions, and dancing. The poetry recited expressed their patriotism, love, and appreciation for the flag. Competitions included school children and events that you would find at a Field Day in the US. Also, they had their equivalent of “Pin the Tail on the Donkey,” but it was “Touch the Chicken that is Tied to a Pole in the Middle of the Field.” Then, the dancing competitions began. I was paired with Gregorio, the President of Padres de Familia and organizer of the November 3 events. To paint a better picture of the hilarity of the scene, Gregorio is in his mid-30s with at least 5 children and is about as tall as my shoulder, or maybe even my chin. This was an elimination dance competition, so after four salsa, bachata, and merengue dances, during which the community thoroughly enjoyed watching the Gringa dance, Gregorio and I won. I got a perfume and sore legs as my prize.

Well, I think this entry is long enough… Oops! But, I had to make up for the month delay!

Difficulties, But Reasons to Laugh

October 20 I officially became a Peace Corps Volunteer here in Panama. The ceremony was in the Ambassador’s Residence in Panama City, and we had a lot of Peace Corps Staff and the Volunteers who helped with training come to the ceremony and then dinner afterwards. Dressed nicely and eating good food, the night was a great way to celebrate the completion of two months of Peace Corps training.

After a few days of relaxation, I arrived in my site, Valle Escondido, on October 23. First, I was happy to get the chance to use the internet in the tourist city, Bocas, to wish Graeme a happy 2^nd birthday! Now, I would say that the first week in site is the most difficult week I have experienced here. Unlike the other weeks during training when we were staying with host families, I was there to stay without the ability to fall back on a conversation in English with other trainees or a guaranteed good meal. Instead, homesickness hit hard and hunger hit equally hard when my jar of peanut butter ran out. With time and new jars of peanut butter, the homesickness and hunger have mostly subsided. At the same time, cultural integration is a continuous process as I am trying to balance my need for personal space and their cultural interpretation of someone alone in their room as being sad. I simply also have to make a more concerted effort to visit many houses instead of only conversing with the families with whom I feel comfortable.

Peace Corps technically allows us two personal mental health days per month to leave our site. I took advantage of this after two weeks in site and I went to Bocas for night. I simply talked with friends and family. It was refreshing to have electricity, internet, and something to eat other than rice. But, I have to admit the importance of being able to share similar experiences from halfway around the world with Brad in Madagascar on a daily basis. This communication and shared understanding has been immensely helpful. For instance, one night I woke up at 2 am because I felt something on my hair and then on my shoulder. I brushed it away and switched it on my flashlight to find a cockroach INSIDE my mosquito net. I then spent the next half hour trying to kill it before I finally succeeded. Halfway around the world, Brad has woken up to a rat scurrying around his house and also to a broken roof that leaked heavy rains onto his bed. Basically, we just have to laugh at some of our ridiculous experiences.

Another experience to laugh at was my last trip to Bocas. When I was trying to get to Bocas on the 7^th I was told that the boat was going to leave at 7 am. Now, in what developing world setting does a boat that says it’s leaving at 7 am leave at 6 am??? Only in Valle Escondido! But, that’s fine because another boat happened to be leaving at 9 am…after slaughtering a cow. So, my boat companion was a dead, skinned cow on top of some banana leaves, and the best part was when the boat slowed down in the middle of the bay so the man in front could chuck the cowhide overboard. I guess it’s biodegradable?!?

Going to break up today's entry, because it is suuuper long!

Bienvenidos a Valle Escondido!

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!

Site Announcement!!!

Drum roll please…. I’m going to Bocas del Toro for the next two years!!! I couldn’t be happier. My group of EH volunteers found out our site placements this past Wednesday. We have 9 out of 17 volunteers going to the Bocas del Toro and NoKribo (formerly part of Bocas, but has since been incorporated into the Comarca Ngobe-Bugle despite cultural similarities to the Bocas) regions of Panama. Four volunteers are going to the mountains of the Comarca Ngobe-Bugle, which border Chiriqui. Another three are going to Latino sites in Cocle, and finally one person is going to Panama Este to live in another indigenous community of Embera.

My community is called Valle Escondido on Isla San Cristobal in the province of Bocas del Toro. Very, very, very far from Panama City, Valle Escondido is very close to the town of Bocas del Toro on Isla Colon, a major tourist destination for scuba divers, surfers, backpackers, and, in general, beach seekers. I consider myself very lucky, and in all actuality, a bit spoiled because I will have the benefit of living in an indigenous community and having access to the amenities that so many PCVs crave, like internet, electricity, flush toilets, and anything gringo. In other words, Bocas del Toro is only a 30-minute boat ride away from my community and I can make it a day trip instead of having to pay for a hostel each time I want to use the internet. To top everything off, a composting latrine project is already underway because the previous two volunteers in my site had been working on it. This existing project and similar projects in nearby communities will greatly facilitate my thesis research. From what I’ve heard, you pass through a mangrove to get to my community’s dock and I am a 30-minute hike from the other volunteer on the island in the community called San Cristobal. Furthermore, a house, or what some might call a hut, is already built and I even have the keys! I look forward to visiting my community in one week, and I will be sure to let you know how it goes.

As a side note, if you are considering visiting me, look into flights to San Jose, Costa Rica, because they are cheaper and closer than Panama City. Additionally, there is an airport in Bocas del Toro if you so choose to avoid a 15-hour-ish bus ride from Panama City or a 8-hour-ish bus ride from San Jose. Finally, while I have not received any mail since getting to Panama because of customs or just really slow mail, I am including my new mailing address here:

Patricia Wilbur

Cuerpo de Paz – Panama

Entrega General

Bocas del Toro, Bocas del Toro

Republica de Panama

P.S. My door will always be open to visitors! One of my first purchases will be an air mattress, and if two hammocks can fit on my patio, there will be two hammocks as well.

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!

Comarca Emberá Wounaan

Everything is going well in Panamá! Last weekend I visited a current Environmental Health Volunteer in the Comarca Emberá Wounaan in the Darién. The Darién is the region that borders Colombia, so the police presence is felt along the Pan-American Highway, which actually stops in the middle of the Darién. The Darién gap composes the only break in the highway that runs from North America to Central America to South America. It is an incredible area, and I had an excellent visit experiencing the Embera culture.

Monique lives in the capital of the northern Comarca Cembu (there are two in the Darién), called Lajas Blancas. The community is located on the Río Chucunaque, and they have electricity, but no water. The basketball court is located in the center of the community. Pit latrines are the norm, but a lot of community lives in a flood plain. While many communities live upstream and discharge waste to this river, the community continues to the river as their water source. Monique has her work cut out for her, as a good water source for an aqueduct is located very far way. In the meantime, she organized a great event that incorporated a basketball tournament to draw people during the day and health ¨charlas,¨or presentations and discussions, in the evening. Brilliant idea!

I had an amazing time learning about the Emberá culture, as well. The top highlight was getting painted!!! Using the juice of a fruit, a woman in the community painted me with jagua. They created a beautiful leaf design on my back, covered my legs, and a geometric design on my arms and around my neck. Throughout the painting and even after as the juice became darker, I was repeatedly called ¨Blanquita¨ (not sure if that is the exact spelling). So, you can get the idea that they were not accustomed to seeing the jagua on such a fair person. In reality, the jagua usually looks black on a normal person, but on me...it appeared a blue. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to get painted while the women spoke a mix of Embera and Spanish, and as of right now, you can still see the remenants.

In addition to donning jagua, I also donned a paruma. The paruma is the typical dress for Embera women, as every single woman in the community wears one. Simple and beautiful, the paruma is a brightly colored piece of fabric that is doubled and then securely wrapped and tucked around the waist. By securely, I mean that I tucked it into my shorts while the Emberá women are able to play basketball in parumas without any worries.

I also had the opportunity to watch the women working on the traditional baskets. Made of strips of palm leaves that have been dyed, the baskets take over a month to make. Right now, the women are working on two different designs, one with birds and one ¨de cultura¨ (a geometric design). These baskets are incredibly intricate and can cost anywhere from $30 to thousands of dollars. I feel like this blog post just barely skims the surface of that weekend, but it can give you a taste of what I may experience in my community with respect to environmental health issues and culture. Hope you enjoyed! Hasta luego!