So I got the pleasure of visiting another Peace Corps Volunteer's (PCV) site for a few days. The volunteer lives in the Comarca Ngabe/Bugle region of Panama. A few bus rides and a boat ride later, you pull up to an amazingly picturesque site. Green hills, houses on stilts, one singular sidewalk sweeping through the village, a white sand beach nearby. The volunteer knew she had an amazing site. I would agree.
The trip out there was amazing, mostly because I went to the middle of nowhere all by my grown self. Yay for Spanish. The boat ride into the village was complete with the obligatory dolphins and small islands sprinkled along the seascape.
The site was a traditional indigenous community. The children were curious about the new gringo and the adults were very friendly. I'd be happy to be spending two years in a site like that. On that same vein, I'll be getting my site assignment next week. Stay tuned.
During the trip, I got to go to a neighboring village to discuss a potential rainwater catchment project. The meeting went well. The hike out there was fun to say the least. We had a guide who handed the two gringos walking sticks. We later found out it was so that we could feel around in the trail (which was now a pool of water) for the logs that were safe to step on. It made for a long hike. After the meeting, there was an intense rainstorm, complete with lightning a little too close for comfort. We took shelter in the community meeting place and they served us coffee. The rainstorm was a blessing in disguise because we killed the time learning a traditional Ngabe dance and checking out the village's clothing line. The women of the community make traditional dresses which they then sell to tourists. They took measurements of the PCV so that she could buy a shirt and skirt on her return visit.
Another cool moment during the trip was finding a new part of the community. We pasear'ed, which amounts to walking around the village and chatting. It's a lot of what the community does and is one of the main ways of communication in a village without electricity, etc. So we pasear'ed to to the outskirts of the community. The hike out there was difficult without a machete. We didn't know where the homes where, just a general idea of where they should be. Luckily, we had some children help lead the way. As an aside, it's a humbling experience having a barefoot six year old leave you in the dust in the middle of the jungle. All part of the adventure. When we found the homes, they gave us some oranges (which are green when ripe). I proceeded to show them that I'm clueless by trying to peel the rind, etc. They promptly showed me by cutting the rind with a knife so that I could squeeze the juice. The hike out there was much easier after they showed us the well-maintained trail that led back to the central part of the community.
All said, an amazing trip. I learned a lot about PCV life a lot more about what to expect. Big shout out to Kaitlin for being a great host. Quick cultural note: the fact that a guy visited Kaitlin did not go unnoticed. Typical conversations included: "Hello. Where are you going? Have you finally found yourself a man?" Not kidding. It's pretty interesting considering the typical Ngabe is usually very shy. They're just shocked that a 24 year old girl is still alone and they would constantly remind her of this.
Out of time in the cafe. I'll post photos from the site soon!!! Chao!
