- I am no longer taking photos
- I don't lend people money, but would be glad to buy food from their finca in exchange
- I don't give things out from my home, but will have a lottery for a few things when I end my service
- I can't buy you something when I'm in David because then everyone will want one
This 95% makes for a really good exercise in patience and emotional fortitude. The other 5% makes for a good social study as to what my community members are thinking about.
Let's make the 5% represent 100% of the questions that people ask. Here's a breakdown to show how much certain types of questions are asked:
There are some interesting trends. About 80% of all questions deal with money. Only once in a blue moon do people ask personal questions. Here's a summary of each section of the pie chart from most asked to least.
Cost of Things (50%): Most people want to know how much something costs. This could be the cost of something I own that they don't have like my headlamp. Almost every man I've had an extended conversation with has asked me at some point the cost of visiting the US. I usually respond with prices that are about 50% of the actual cost to take away some of the sticker shock. They already think I'm flush, so they don't need any more encouragement.
Printing Money (20%): The general understanding that all Americans are rich is due to us having the factories where they print money. Most Ngabes think that bags of money are carried off from the mint and distributed to the general public. I'm not making this up. Remember that Panama uses US currency and their Red Oportunidades program is basically just that. Someone shows up at a designated place with a bag of cash and hands out $100 to each family.
This question is always followed up with an explanation of inflation. A fun afternoon can always be spent trying to explain inflation to someone with no formal education. Sometimes the light bulb clicks on and that's always a proud moment in service.
Visa, Working in the US (10%): Many times the men in the community want to know about working in the US. What type of work is there for a Ngabe? Do they need a visa? How long can they stay? I explain how the US has immigrants from all over the world, but finding work would be hard because they would be competing with all the other immigrants, many of whom speak English and have a college education. I explain that they could only stay for a short time and, that as enticing as our minimum wage may sound, the cost of living would leave them with little to no savings to bring back to Panama.
Distance to the US (5%): Most of the people in my region have not been further than David, fewer than 50 miles away. Many of the older women have never left the immediate area. The idea that Panama is the same size as one of our smaller states (South Carolina) and that we have 50 of them is mind blowing.
It's interesting that when I explain that it's about 8 hours in a jet to my region, they are shocked. It's as if they are doing a quick calculation, taking from memory the flight that they had never been on, extrapolating out to eight hours, to converge on yes, the US is very far away and the world is very big.
Some of my fondest memories are taking out a world map and showing people the world. I can't begin to imagine what's going through their heads. Maybe it's just a confusing piece of paper. But I hope it's like the first time I learned about the solar system. Recalling the latter still gives me goosebumps.
The War in Iraq (5%): I hate to say it, but there is a whole demographic of people that think all Americans are war-mongering soldiers who engage in warfare for the thrill of the sport. It always pains me to hear this impression of Americans, but maybe that's the composite image of scattered news reports and campo gossip surrounding American's involvement in Iraq and more recently Afghanistan. My response is usually to point to the Americans they already know, past volunteers that brought water to nearby communities. Do these people seem like soldiers? I also put it on the shoulders of the US government, that a small fraction of the population is involved in wars abroad. This seems to resonate a little more with their own discontent with the current administration in Panama.
As a side note, I can't help but point out that these conversations do much for "the war on terror." Imagine a convoy of Americans conversing with those in the Middle East. What would that do for our image abroad?
Comparing Flora and Fauna (5%): Many are surprised to find out that the US doesn't have any bananas or yucca. What do you eat?! They are equally surprised to find out that we do have rivers and mountains just like Panama. This conversation usually spills into a discussion about imports and exports. I like these discussions because I can see the pride in their faces that us gringos want coffee and bananas, things that are growing in their own fincas.
Knowing Other Gringos (2.5%): Much like finding out how big the world is, many Ngabes are surprised that I don't personally know all the other gringos in Panama and that Jon and I didn't know each other before Peace Corps. I explain that it would be like them knowing other Panamanians from the Darien, the province on the other side of the country.
Questions About Me (2.5%): More often that not, it's women that care about this type of information. This line of questioning usually begins with whether I have any kids and is immediately followed up with asking my age. In other words, the fact that I'm almost 28 and don't have any kids is confusing to say the least. Many men are on their fourth or fifth kid by my age. The next logical question is whether or not there is a woman in my life. I explain that there is, but it's complicated. Out here some men have more than one family, so my status is of little import. They usually joke that I need to find a Ngabe woman, especially since I do my own cooking and laundry. I explain that, in my experience, one woman is more than enough.
So that about does it. It's a pretty interesting window into the Ngabe's perception of the boy next door.
