Washington D.C. was a quick blur. Highlights include a taste of flash rainstorms, having dinner with Matt and Michelle (twice), finding out deer tongue salad consists of mostly lettuce, not actual deer tongues, and filling out a bunch of forms for the Peace Corps.
Training
We're already a week into the training. This past week was spent learning about what to expect over the next 10 weeks of training as well as the next 27 months (2 years + training).
Yesterday, we went to the major bus center for Panama. Tons of buses converge in Panama City as the bus depot serves as the hub for all bus transit throughout Panama. Folks also thought it was a good place to build a mall. They were right. PCV's spent the evening navigating through an extremely crowded, gigantic mall that could have been found anywhere in Middletown, America.
Tomorrow we'll meet with our host families where we'll be staying during our training. I have no idea what to expect, but I'm excited about getting more immersed in the language and culture.
Today was our site visit to a current Peace Corps Volunteer's (PCV) site to see what they do and what the life is like in the community. This was one of the best experiences thus far. The folks in my sector (Environmental Health) hopped into SUV's and spent over three hours bouncing up and down as we drove over potholes, onto dirt roads, through creeks, etc. Once we were at the site, we met the current PCV. We checked out his digs, which were pretty good considering he had a shower, sink, and latrine. The visit also included a trip to the storage tank for the aqueduct that supplies water for the community. We also ate a traditional soup (san cocho) made from chicken, rice, and a local root similar to yucca. The weather was hot and humid, but we had an amazing time. I'm keeping it short since pictures are worth a thousand words.
