Pgs. 36-38 Pgs. 25-27 August 2012 Largest circulation of any Peace
Transcription
Pgs. 36-38 Pgs. 25-27 August 2012 Largest circulation of any Peace
Pgs. 25-27 Largest circulation of any Peace Corps magazine in Panama August 2012 Pg. 20-21 Pgs. 36-38 2 La Vaina Cover and Contents Photos: E. FranquiCover Pullout Photo: R. Beitsch In This Issue FEATUREs: From The Office: 4 From the Director -Brian Riley 5 Notices from Safety and Security 6 APCDs 8 Medical Office Departments: 15 Off-the-Beaten-Path -R. Beitsch 16 Teaching Adults -J.Rudder 18 Believe What You See -J. Linck 18 People and Processes - M. Kapadia 20 Pride -M. Manupella 22 Panama Ink'd- A. Parker 23 Histo-What? -K. Piper 25 Burning the Lethargy -J. Fischl 26 Folklore in Panama -E.Miller 27 Child Snatching -A. Butler 27 El Chinito -T. Carter 28 Brujas y Duendes -C.Galligan 29 Plumed Revolution -A. Parker 30 Sombrero Pintado -A. Basurtto 31 All Hands on Death -E. Jones 32 A Day in the Life -J. Fort 34 Biological Control -E. King 36 Rocking Goal Two -A. Parker 37 Down by the School Yard -R. Watkins 38 Ultimate Frisbee- B. Searle, C. Weber, Kenneth Hartman 41 Next Issues Theme: Campo SKYMALL Amazing inventions? Incredible jerry-rigs? Crazy lawn art? Beauty potions? Deadline: Dec. 1st Baseball -A. Hines 42 Hiking -J. Carter 43 Coping with Stress -M. Collins 44 Bricks for Wood? Thoughts on a 9 VAC 10 Fish And Tank Iniative 45 Horoscope 10 GAD: World AIDS Day -L Geiken 46 Coco Loco! -P. Wawro 11 GAD: Healthy Artisans -N. Petrucci 48 Canned Food -L. Fishman 12 GAD: Hay Pan -A. Eden; Updates 48 Diet Dilemma -J. Rudder 13 Seeders Update 50 Volunteer Recipes 16 Dear Profe 52 Goodbye Group 66 Lost Art -- B. Gibs “The toughest revista you’ll ever love.” September 2012 3 From the Editor’s Desk: For me, Panama is a long line of girls sweeping back and forth with embroidered polleras in hand. It is fireworks going off for no other reason than it's noon on Thursday. It's that first question from taxi drivers (Tienes un esposo?), the strange looping handles made for my grocery bags, que calor- horrible!, the “Twillight Barking” (see 101 Dalmations) when it's long past midnight, and the old campesino stretched out sleeping in front of the tienda. I live in Los Santos and we are nothing if not traditional. However, this last few weeks, spent in the city courtesy of an epic back fail, has shown me an Alternative Panama. I went to an International Tattoo Convention in El Dorado and was surrounded by the Panamanian equivalents of Kat Von D, Lil Wayne, and any extra that ever appeared in a Good Charlotte video. Normally a strange duck in my Azuero home, I was finally among my people! Loud bands, outrageously ―rebellious‖ hair, the constant buzz of a 100 guns inking at once, we were expressing our “uniqueness” all over the place. Follow this with the International Book Fair at Atlapa. A room full of books and full of people who love books. Since the 10th Doctor is never going to drop in with his little blue box and ask me if I'd ―fancy a trip,‖ this is about as close as I get to Nerd Heaven. I've met creative writers handing out chat books, Smithsonian researchers working on postdocs, and surfers who live only for the wave. Whenever you think you know Panama, when you've got the rhythms of this country down, take another look. Some Volunteers will visit a friend in the mountains and find hidden strawberries. Some will go to a Comarca and find themselves crafting away like a pre-Enron Martha Stewart. You might pop to the city for a game of Ultimate frisbee or meditate with jungle gurus in the Darien. No matter where you go, this country can surprise you. -Emma Rose Miller Executive Editor We do not accept responsibility for the views expressed in any article within these pages. Editors reserve the right to edit articles for length and/or clarity and photography for print. All written and graphic material must be submitted prior to the deadline date to allow time for editing, writer approval, layout, and requests for more material if needed. Meet the Staff: Emma Miller- TE 67 Los Santos Executive Editor FYI from Admin: PC Approved Hotels Name of Hotel Check -In CheckOut Cost per night Services Offered/ Amenities COSTA AZUL 2254703 225-1267 HOTEL VIA ESPAÑA 264-0800 10 AM will vary 2 PM $28 (1) $33 (2) $45.(2) $55 (4) 1 PM 12 PM $35 (1) $50 (2) $60 (3l) FREE WIFI, A/A, CABLE, HOT WATER, PRIVATE BATHROOM A/A, CABLE, BREAKFAST BUFFET, WIFI, FREE AIRPORT TRANSFER AM: 5, 8, 11 PM: 2, 4 HOSTAL MAGNOLIA INN 2020872 7AM10PM 11 AM HOSTAL URRACA 391-3972 12 PM 12 PM $13. 50 (Dorm) 14.20 (Dorm) 17.60 (Single) 35.20 (Double) A/A, HOT WATER, CABLE TV, WIFI, KITCHEN BREAKFAST, FREE WIFI , ACCESS TO COMPLETE KITCHEN LAUDRY SERVICE WITH DRYER $3.50 lavainaPanamá@gmail.com Andrew Butler- TE 70 Bocas del Toro Editor, Cover Annie Hines- CEC 70 Los Santos Editor Andrew Parker- CEC 68 Darién Editor Feature Writers Include: Erica Jones, Rebecca Beitsch, Jasmine Linck, Matt Manupella, Chelsea Weber, Kenneth Hartman 4 La Vaina From the Director: Peace Corps Role in the Development of Panama Brian Riley CD PC Panama RPCV Ecuador 1985-89 I have had some recent conversations with a few PCVs and with the VAC regarding our development role in Panama and how it has evolved over the past couple of years. It is an excellent conversation to continue and I wanted to pass along my thoughts about our current role in development to all Volunteers in Panama. Panama is a unique country in terms of development. On the one hand, it has a booming economy which is the envy of much of the developing and developed world. However, according to the World Bank, a third of all Panamanians continue to live in poverty with 14% living in extreme poverty (less than $1 a day). Many of those Panamanians living in poverty are indigenous people. The World Bank reports that over 80% of indigenous people in Panama live in extreme poverty. Our commitment to Volunteer placement states that we will place at least 70% of Volunteers in areas of 70% poverty level or higher and to placing at least 30% of Volunteers in indigenous communities. We continue to strive to meet that commitment and in fact we currently have approximately 82 PCVs (of a total of 243) working in indigenous communities, which represents 34% of our total. Therefore in recent years, we have maintained and actually increased our presence among the indigenous population. We will continue to support indigenous communities, primarily with our Environmental Health and Sustainable Agriculture projects. As you know, most of our PCVs in those projects are assigned to indigenous communities and they deal with immediate needs of communities living in poverty: water, sanitation and food production. Additionally, over the years we have had a good number of Community Economic Development Volunteers working in indigenous communities to assist with cooperatives and income generation projects. Unfortunately our CED project is closing at the end of this calendar year, but we plan to continue to provide periodic support with CED specialists through PC Response. Rest assured that PC Panama will maintain a strong presence in indigenous areas as long as the need and interest exists. I think there is some confusion about how our Teaching English Volunteers assist with issues of poverty and development in Panama. Most of them are not yet placed in indigenous communities, but we do currently have 5 TE Volunteers working in indigenous schools. Nevertheless, let‘s look at why we decided to collaborate with MEDUCA in the first place. In addition to the previously mentioned “The toughest revista you’ll ever love.” poverty statistics, there are significant gaps in access to basic quality services, especially education. Standardized tests in math and language show that among 3rd and 6th graders in Latin America, Panama comes in 14th place out of 16 countries. Furthermore, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) notes that although there are 88 institutions of higher education in Panama, only 2% of the poor and virtually nobody living in extreme poverty had access to higher education at the turn of the century. I expect that this has improved somewhat in the past 12 years, but it certainly remains a severe limiting factor for real development in Panama. Can you imagine how one of the most robust economies in the world would benefit if it had the education system to support it? The Panamanian government clearly understands the relationship between poor education and a lack of sustainable development. They realize that the entire education system must be overhauled in order to begin graduating qualified young professionals that can participate in the economy and take the thousands of jobs in Panama that go unfilled due to inadequate preparation. In 2010, the Panamanian government asked Peace Corps to assist with teaching English teachers how to teach English. The Minister of Education boldly supported the creation of this project, not only to improve English teaching in Panama, but to begin the process of making the education system more effective. The process will be long and challenging, as there is a great deal of pushback within the entrenched system. However, I believe that this project will have a direct and measureable effect on poverty in Panama by giving Panamanians September 2012 5 throughout the country a chance at improved education. The ability to speak English will open doors for communities to build tourism and other types of projects that help sustain local economies. Improved education along with English and critical thinking skills will allow Panamanians to take the jobs that are being created daily by the economic boom that is ongoing. Panama desperately wants to become a ―developed‖ nation, but as long as education lags, it will not happen. SAFETY AND SECURITY By María Elena Ortiz, SSC Finally, I would like to discuss the role of our Community Environmental Conservation Volunteers. Some of them are placed in indigenous communities, but the great majority of them are placed in communities and towns that are at least one step above the level of extreme poverty. Have you ever tried to teach a hungry person environmental education? It is possible, but it is very hard. The importance of our CEC project at its core is to help create an environmental ethic in Panama. The environment is usually the first thing to suffer when a country is going through an economic boom. Our CEC Volunteers are working with communities and schools that have the ability to accept and promote environmental conservation in order to be prepared for the continued economic onslaught that is inevitable. Just look at some of the environmental issues that are at the forefront of Panama‘s headlines: hydroelectric power and its effect on watersheds and rivers, mining consequences, illegal deforestation of what little remains of the original primary rainforest, wildlife poaching, trash management, recycling, etc., etc. You can see how all of these issues can potentially affect all Panamanians. PC Panama will continue with the policy of REQUIRING that PCV files a POLICE REPORT (DENUNCIA) for the following incidents: ASSAULTS,ROBBERIES AND BURGLARIES with local authorities like Corregiduria and/or DIJ. However, minor pickpocket type thefts or loss/misplace of minor items DO NOT REQUIRE A POLICE REPORT. SSC/CD/DPT will make the judgment as to whether or not an incident needs a police report in order to get a reimbursement approved. I hope this helps you understand that although PC Panama remains a very rural program, with the majority of our PCVs working in small communities, we have diversified how we carry out our development efforts over the past couple of years. Whether you are a community Volunteer working closely with community counterparts or you are an education Volunteer, working closely with MEDUCA, you are all working toward the same goal of helping Panama leap forward in its quest to alleviate poverty, while becoming a truly developed nation that can continue to build its economy in an inclusive sustainable manner. That may sound a little pie in the sky, but of all the countries that Peace Corps works in within Latin America, I believe Panama is the only one on the cusp of developed country status. Your work is having a direct impact in helping make that a reality. “Personal safety is lifestyle choice”. I hope that all of you are happy, healthy, and safe. I would like to give a big welcome to our newest group of Volunteers (G71). NEW POLICY FOR CLAIMING REIMBURSEMENT FOR VOLUNTEERS WHO HAVE LIVING ALLOWANCE STOLEN PROVINCIAL SAFETY TEAM: Bocas del Toro/ Ñokribo: RL: Kimberly Woods / SWs: Emily Lange / Erica Gallegos Chiriquí: RL: Lyle Ian Robbins /Ina Hysi ( Nov. 1) SW: Alec Cobbs. Comarca Ngabe Buglé RL: Jake Steiner / SW: Laura Fishman Veraguas/Kadriri : RL: Laura Olds / SW: Eric Franqui Coclé: RL: Aaron Winston /John Cho (Nov. 1) SW: Nathan Tusa Panama Oeste: RL: Mary Collins/ SW: Abigail Fried Azuero: RL:Annie O‘Donnell/SW-Herrera: Jason Cox/SW-Los Santos: Chelsea Weber Colón: RL: Mary Collins / SW: Kyle Wiggins Darién: RL: Molly McCumber / SW: Hanna York Panama Este: RL: Molly McCumber/ SW: Renee Thessing KUDOS TO ALL OF YOU: I would like to give a big thanks to all of you who have traveled to Darién/Guna Yala and have submitted your leave request 3 weeks in advance. Letters now are sent to SENAFRONT ahead of time and our communication is more effective. FRIENDLY REMINDER for G-71 (EH/SAS): We must ensure each house and home stay arrangement for Volunteer meets all minimum standards as established by PC Panama. During the first two weeks of your arrival your site, you should complete requirements for the pre-arranged host family. We are still waiting for pictures of improvements. Please send them to [email protected] or [email protected] with a c.c. to [email protected] Make sure that the pictures you send us are smaller than 1MB . Pictures bigger than 5MB will be rejected by our email PC server. RESIZING PHOTOS: Select the pictures to resize and go to the folder with the pictures. Select the ones you want to send. Right click on the highlighted files and you will get a pop up menu. Choose "Resize pictures". You will get dialog box with some options to resize your pictures. Please select ‖Small‖. I hope to see you during the September Regional Meetings. If you have any problem, question, concern or doubt please send an email to [email protected] . If the topic is confidential or you just want to talk to me just dial 6671-2552 or send an email to: [email protected] lavainaPanamá@gmail.com 6 Peace Corps: Not Just What We Do But Who We Are Leo Redmond IV EH APCD Peace Corps service is a profoundly human endeavor. People are the foundation underpinning the projects and presentations and progress that we all strive to achieve in our communities. As G66 EH and CED complete their service and G71 EH and SAS begin theirs (and for all PCV groups in between), please take a moment to reflect upon the people, the Panamanians, in your lives. Each of those relationships is a genuine human connection, chockfull of emotion, expectation, contradiction and all those other intangibles that make us who we are. Each of those relationships has been hard earned. Celebrate them. Cherish them. To employ the title of this edition‘s La Vaina, ―Riley‘s Believe It Or Not‖: although one‘s Peace Corps service may seem indeterminably long at two years, believe it or not, you will serve as a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer much, much longer (si Dios quiere….). Thus, take a step back to focus upon not what you have done during your time here in Panama, but rather how you will be remembered by the people whose lives you have touched. Continue to be you. Continue to be present. Continue to serve. La Vaina Leaving the BEST of CED Behind Lisa F. Andrusyszyn CED APCD OJO: This article does not require an MBA to understand, so all sectors please read! ―It was the best of times; it was the worst of times…‖ I am both saddened by the inevitable missed opportunities due to the CED Phase Out, and inspired by the new opportunities this impending departure has created. I have always appreciated how CED‘s foundation is at the core of true community development – our Volunteers empower counterparts to set their own goals and facilitate the process of identifying strategies for achieving them. Our sector is not just about business, but truly about investing in the people we work with; in building their leadership skills, their organizational strength, and financial independence. These are the foundation for any successful agricultural project, sustainable youth group, well-run English club, or effective water committee. Alas, the very fact that we are at the heart of all development efforts is what makes it more possible for us, maybe than any other sector, to leave behind the best of what we do. So, please read on; see all that we are leaving behind and how we‘d love for you to remember us. Last, But Definitely Not Least – G66 COS Conference Congrats G66 on making it to your COS conference! It was incredible to see you all under the same roof again and review your impressive accomplishments from these past two years. I know we missed a few familiar faces at the conference; those that departed long ago-remember Greg, Jacob, Kelly and Phil?- and those that left more recently: David, Erica, Kevin, Carmen and Andrew, and of course, Stephen! It has been an honor to serve you all – thank you for your amazing work! What We‘re Leaving Behind As CED leaves, we have been working hard to leave behind our best practices for other Volunteers to continue to use long after our departure. In many cases, we have simply been strengthening work that is already an essential part of other sectors. See highlights below. For SASers: Jessica Rudder has been working hard to strengthen money management sessions in the Agribusiness Manual. For EHers: Lyndsey Bunting has helped reorganize the sessions and improve sessions on internal management in the Water Committee (MAR) Manual. For CECers: We have incorporated more economic sustainability sessions into the upcoming workshop in September. Andrea Kraus is staying on until May 2013 as the ECPA coordinator to further incorporate CED themes into this initiative. “The toughest revista you’ll ever love.” September 2012 For ALL Volunteers:Johanna Castillo has worked with Erica Sausner, Courtney Jackson, Diana Bennett, Douglas Martin, Kim Woods, and Elsie McIver to create a Youth Manual to guide all Volunteers on best practices and resources for working with youth. Jack Fischl and David Johnson toured the country providing Basic Business Training to Volunteers and counterparts. These materials are more accessible to Volunteers without business knowledge (see Toolkit below). Diana Bennett is staying on until November 2013 to provide Computer Training to Volunteers and counterparts. Do you work with a group? Committee? Artisans? Then CED has GREAT resources for you! To help guide you through the best CED resources available, we have created a ―CED Toolkit Guide‖– a one-page document to guide you through ―problems‖ that you identify with counterparts and potential ―solutions‖ – CED resources are available to tackle those problems. There is also an evaluation one-pager called ―Evaluación de Capacidades Organizacionales‖- this is for you to go through with your counterparts or any group to identify what organizational skills they can improve. You should be receiving a copy at your regional meeting. Below is an overview of what‘s what: 7 Believe It or Not…Great Experience with CED Agency Counterparts: Lastly, as CED leaves, I‘d like to also leave behind with you the sense of importance and possibility for success in working with Panamanian agencies. I know that sometimes amongst Volunteers (I was one not too long ago, after all) agencies get a bad rep. However, especially since I learned of CED‘s phase out, I have been reminded of how crucial it is to the sustainability of our work- that we strive to work closely with our agency counterparts. After all, they will be here a lot longer than we will. Franklin is the second to the last on the right. In CED, we have achieved great success with our IPACOOP counterparts. Since just last year, we trained over 20 IPACOOP técnicos from the Education Department at the national and regional levels on our CED Business Assessment Tool- which is now an official IPACOOP tool. These técnicos, in turn, have implemented the tool with cooperatives around the country. For the first time, the agency has an overview of the capacity needs of the organizations they serve. This has the potential to massively improve the technical assistance to these cooperatives. Most of all, we are proud that completing the assessment is a participatory process that requires that the técnicos facilitate and empower COOP leaders to identify specific areas of strength and improvement. What I‘d like all of you to grasp is that this was only possible due to an amazing agency counterpart: Franklin Carvajal. Maybe it‘s because Franklin was an educator most of his career, or his dynamic personality, or just because he has passion for what he does equal to any Peace Corps member. But just as in your communities, it‘s all about the leaders you find. When working with agencies, it‘s also all about who you identify to work with, your own persistence and consistent follow-through, honest respect for them, as well as your belief in their ability, which makes the difference. ♦ lavainaPanamá@gmail.com 8 La Vaina Medical Updates Updates from Eduardo Segovia (PCMO) Fighting Fungal Infections Lourdes Rodriguez, PCMO Due to our humid, tropical weather, fungal infections are fairly common. This is why it is very important to dry very well after showering or swimming. Most commonly affected areas are the armpits, groin, feet and toenails. The sun exposed areas are also easily affected by fungal infection, although different types. There are multiple brand name fungal creams and solutions. The active ingredient most used is clotrimazol and ketoconazol. The latter is more expensive and it is used as a second choice. For athlete‘s foot infection, the best treatment is clotrimazol since it helps dry the affected skin, whereas the cream makes it more humid. The cream works great on dry skin lesions. Regarding the use of foot powder, the best appliation is to use it in your socks and shoes. If you have a foot fungal infection, powder won‘t help. What will take care of the problem will be the clotrimazol solution. You need to pour the powder on your socks and inside your shoes, because that is where the fungus lives. As was said, fungi love humid places and so pouring the powder there will prevent the fungus from multiplying in those places. Hence, it will help to stop the infection. Once the fungal infection disappears, you need to keep on using the medication for no less than a week after. Continue weekly since it can recur. If you need any more information, don‘t hesitate to contact your medical office. The following are authorized medications for refill, according to Peace Corps Washington: 1. Malaria suppression medication (Chloroquine, Mefloquine, Doxycycline) 2. Condoms 3. Epi-Pen 4. Oral Rehydration Salts 5. Pepto-Bismol 6. Multivitamins 7. Candles (water filter parts) 8. Birth control pills 9. Prescriptions authorized in your medical record 10. Insect repellant and sunscreen This year, 2012, the medical office has resumed scheduled visits to your homes. Due to lack of staff, this had not been possible over the past years. Now with a new full time PCMO, we can start scheduling visits. We have visited some Volunteers already and hope to visit many more. Our visit is focused on evaluating your way of storing food, cooking, diet, ways to reach your sites, nearby hospitals, water sources and methods of treating it to make water drinkable and healthy. We know many of you have had frequent gastrointestinal and skin problems, with our visit we want to see firsthand the possible causes of your problems so we can give you the best advice to avoid repeating these situations. The most frequent question asked is about the best technique to make water drinkable in a healthy way. This is one of the topics covered during PST - the recommendation in accordance with Peace Corps policy is to boil water for three minutes (cloudy water should be strained through a cloth or other simple filter to remove larger particles) or filter the water and then add 2 drops of chlorine per liter or quart to the filtered water and let stand for 15 minutes. This means you will need to add 16 drops of chlorine to the lower tank of your filter (5%). If you only want to use chlorination without using the filter, chlorine should be added at a rate of 4 drops x liter of solution, equivalent to 16 drops x gallon, and let stand 60 minutes before serving. The taste of chlorine should be almost imperceptible. If you notice a very strong flavor, this means that you have added too much chlorine, which can cause stomach problems. The combination of microfiltration followed by chlorination using household bleach is safe, reliable and relatively inexpensive. Remember, chlorine alone is not effective against the cyst form of many parasites. If you have problems with your skin, you should always contact the medical office and let the PCMO know your problems. It is important when cleaning and caring for injuries or wounds to use the disinfectant solution is in your medical kit (chlorhexidine detergent). You may also use usual soap for bathing. Do not use alcohol or peroxide for cleaning wounds. This will kill the healthy skin cells necessary for the healing process. Saludos! Hope to see you in the next visits. “The toughest revista you’ll ever love.” September 2012 9 Saludos from the VAC Board: Grant News Saludos! The VAC board would like to share some of the amazing projects Peace Corps Panama volunteers have been doing in their communities with their VAC grants. The following VAC grants were published not only to highlight the success and creativity of Panama volunteers, but also to share that creativity with other volunteers in hopes that this could spark an idea in other communities nationwide. The feedback forms also help demonstrate to the VAC board and our supporters, like Peace Corps Panama Friends, that the grant money is being put to good use. Keep up the good work! We look forward to the next round of grant applications. Best Regards, VAC Board Natalie Petrucci, El Cedro, Herrera Sea Turtle Conservation Field Trip to Cambutal, Los Santos ―The purpose of this activity was to provide a small group of telebasica students in 7th and 10th grade the opportunity to learn about the coastal ecosystems of their neighboring province and the conservation of the sea turtle populations in this area. During the excursion the students toured the beach and turtle egg nursery… [They] learned about the human actions that threaten mangroves and pollute estuaries, and related these problems to similar environmental issues in their home community, such as pollution of the river La Villa and deforestation.‖ Erica B. Sausner, La Colorada, Veraguas, (TEDxJoven@LaColorda) ―Students organized and hosted an event of ―charlas‖ under a TEDx license. Each student researched his or her topic, crafted a PowerPoint presentation, and shared the content with the audience. Using the funding from VAC we were able to make a backdrop for the ―stage‖ and offer a small snack to the guests in attendance... Through the process of researching and preparing their own talks, and working in teams to organize the events, students saw the value in self-directed learning, and the benefits of teamwork and organization. Although the event was not perfect, it gave students the chance to reflect on their work and progress over the school year. ― Madye Berger, Boca Chica, Chiriquí Garbage/Recycling Center ―After receiving the VAC grant in my community of Boca Chica, we invested in 3 recycling cans for the school along with reusable plastic gloves and a scale… During the environmental club, the kids use the reusable gloves and go out in the town in search of recyclables. The kids like to go out to the ―dump‖ and search for recyclable materials… In one month we collected over $100 dollars of recyclables. The grant was lavainaPanamá@gmail.com successful because now the school has taught the kids the importance (environmentally) of recycling and the adults saw the fiscal benefits. This is a very large step for Boca Chica because before people saw absolutely no use for garbage, but now people are starting to understand that garbage can be reused to make money.‖ Laura Sofen, Portorrica, CNB Visit to Model Farm ―This project funded transportation for thirteen producers from Portorrica to a model farm in Cerro Papayo. The producers represent men and women from six families that currently do not have food security but recently began working with MIDA to adopt sustainable agriculture techniques to improve their production. ―The owner of the model farm presented a variety of techniques including rice tanks, green manures, and terraced hillside production. For most of the producers, this visit was the first opportunity to see many common sustainable agriculture techniques in practice. Following the visit, the producers were excited to try new techniques in their own farms, and were energized to continue collaborating with MIDA and the Peace Corps for technical support. One farmer observed, ―If Felix can do this here, we can do this in Portorrica.‖ Thank you for all your hard work and creative projects! 10 La Vaina seminar this January for interested counterparts modeled on the SAS-71 tank tech week. Participants will receive a theory charla and have the practice of ‗siting‘, constructing, and tank management. More details TBA. New projects: Visits to new sites with interest in tank projects. Work with PCVs on how to start a project, and provide technical training to communities. Got fish? What could be better than having your own stock of nutritious and delicious fish to eat and sell? Natural fish stocks in many areas of Panama are too low for regular hunting; furthermore fishing is time-intensive. Domestic fish production is a great alternative for motivated producers who want to improve their families‘ diets and perhaps dabble a bit in an agribusiness (especially during Semana Santa). We are regularly updating the written material about tanks available on Sharepoint: Programming> SAS>Areas of Work>Rice and Fish Tank Initiative. We also recently added Spanish translations of the Rice Tank Manual and new suggestions to fanguear your fish tank walls to seal potential leaks. Check it out! There you can find useful documents on how to begin a tank project, sample solicitudes, etc. Why rice tanks? As population pressures reduce the traditional fallow periods between slash-and-burn cycles, dry-land rice production drops. Rice paddies offer a sustainable alternative. Practiced for centuries in Asia, they additionally offer net labor savings over dry-land rice (and really, who would miss limpiando arroz?). We can recommend a few model farms to convince you: Felix Salinas‘ farm in Cerro Papayo, Finca de los Padres in Tolé, and INADivisa. Greetings from the Fish and Rice Tank Initiative! Emilio Garcia and Laura Sofen SAS G68, Ngäbe-Buglé Inspired by our predecessor, Klaus Geiger, we daily add more dientes to our wardrobes and are here to offer you all our technical expertise for agricultural holes in the ground We have advice from where to locate a tank to how to get tubes from agencies to how to sex tilapia. Here is a brief summary of our planned work for the year ahead: Follow up Klaus‘s work with PCVs, visiting those of you he saw. How are your projects? Would you like follow-up charlas / work days? Tank seminar! We hope to hold a December 1st: World AIDS Day Laura Geiken GAD Coordinator Over 30 years have passed since AIDS first began to be recognized as a major health threat. Still the search for a cure continues. Until it is found and accessible for all economic classes, the best option for prevention is education. Education, both formal and informal, is the chief way to combat the virus. December 1st is internationally recognized as World AIDS Day (in Spanish, it is known as ―Día Mundial de la Lucha Contra el SIDA‖). This day is an excellent way to bring up the issue of HIV/AIDS in your communities. Activities can be as simple as passing out a ribbon or as time consuming as organizing a charla. HIV/AIDS Activities for World AIDS Day 1. Organize an HIV/AIDS charla (Look in Vida Sana, Pueblo Sano for ideasfound on Sharepoint). 2. Hold a candlelight vigil in memory of victims of HIV/AIDS. 3. Sponsor a poster or poetry contest about the transmission of HIV/AIDS. 4. Distribute red ribbons to community members and explain the significance. 5. Incorporate HIV/AIDS information into a community English class. 6. Plan an awareness march through town. 7. Work with a local agency to organize an event around December 1st. 8. Work with a teacher at the local school to develop a lesson plan related to HIV/AIDS education. 9. Sew quilt squares to create a mini AIDS quilt in your community. 10. Organize a sports competition with an HIV/AIDS theme or charla afterwards. 11. Record an HIV/AIDS prevention public service announcement for a local radio station. GAD Dates to Remember: November 22nd: Thanksgiving GAD meeting (Cerro Punta) December 1st: World AIDS Day December 8th: Mother's Day “The toughest revista you’ll ever love.” HIV/AIDS Statistics for Panama as of 2012 Estimated 20,000 people in Panama living with HIV. 51.9% of reported cases are of the 25-44 age group. 47.4% of reported cases acquired HIV through sexual transmission (percentage assumed higher in actuality). 3.3% of reported cases were transmitted from mother to child. Estimated 3,757 people in Panama living with AIDS. 60% of cases are of the 25-44 age group. Of heterosexual relationships, for every 1 woman infected with AIDS, there are 3 men infected with AIDS. The epidemic is concentrated in Panama Centro, Colón, San Miguelito, Panama Oeste, Comarca Guna Yala, and Comarca NgäbeBuglé. Anti-retrovirals (ARV) are available in 15 clinics across the country. September 2012 11 honor of channeling my inner Billy Blanks (and ¨The Crew¨ in super tight spandex) to lead morning Tae Bo classes to seal the deal. Morning exercise was a great way to get the group pumped up and share a bit of American culture. Plus, the women really enjoyed seeing how high they could kick in a paruma or nagua. Get it sisters! Goal 2: Check . Annual Healthy Women´s Artisan Seminar; Achieving Goals 1, 2, 3… and 4? Natalie Petrucci, GAD Secretary CEC G68, Los Santos In July 2012, the 2nd Annual Healthy Women´s Artisan Seminar brought talented women from across the isthmus together for 4 days of trainings, artisan practice, charlas on women‘s rights issues, nutrition and much more! These ladies left empowered to be confident saleswomen and group organizers. They also gained the tools and knowledge to manage their businesses and improve the health and wellbeing of their households. The fight to give the final palabras of thanks and praise for the seminar amongst the participants was a clear indication that the lessons had hit home. Everyone enjoyed their brief vacation from their maternal and spousal commitments to the fullest. As a facilitator, I felt like the seminar had a greater impact than its intended goals of improving health and business practices of a group of Panama‘s talented artisans. To process these ponderings, I began to reflect on how we Volunteers had achieved each of the three Goals of Peace Corps service. First, we had without a doubt fulfilled goal number one: of meeting the need of trained men and women. Our fabulous team of facilitadoras, including the last of a dying breed of Community Economic Development divas, impressed us all with their abilities to make business planning and money management trainings engaging and relevant for even the least confident mathematician in the room. Through their efforts, I witnessed a woman master a calculator for the first time in order to realize the true monetary value of her work. Maybe it was all the estrogen in the room, but seeing these women succeed definitely brought a tear to my eye. Beyond the business side of things, we were blessed with an expert panel of SAS ladies who spoke on family nutrition and gardening. Our very own GAD Coordinator, Laura Geiken, did presentations on early childhood development. Plus there was a team of local all-star Panamanian professionals that covered a range of topics including: domestic violence, legal rights, sexual health, and family planning. Goal 1: Check! Next we have Goal 2: promoting understanding of Americans on the part of Panamanians. While I feel we are almost constantly succeeding at goal two by merely being our goofy gringa selves, I did have the As for goal number three: this very article and the countless stories we share with loved ones back home, like the Healthy Women Artisan Seminar, are examples of how we can open the eyes of Americans to the reality, beauty, and hardship that exists in everyday life in Panama. Goal 3: Check Again. While I felt warm and fuzzy about achieving all three goals, I left the Artisan Seminar thinking of my two women from Herrera; the effect of the seminar fell into a completely different category completely. So what impact could be greater than the three holy goals of Peace Corps? In an attempt to articulate Petrucci leads Tae Bo classes at the Healthy Women‘s Artisan Seminar. lavainaPanamá@gmail.com 12 (Continued from page 11) this sensation, I am proposing a new, nebulously worded, 4th Peace Corps Goal, that could go something like this: Goal 4: Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples served on the part of the peoples served. If your reaction is something along the lines of ¨Huh?¨ let me explain. When our bus pulled into San Felix, my two Herrerana artisans pointed at a Ngäbe woman with stares and a hushed voice, ¨Mire la india.¨ In their defense these women rarely leave our small, prominently Latino province. Along with a kind of childlike innocence, they tend to point out things that are novel or different to them (it happened many times in the trip). Of course, I jumped on the opportunity to educate. ¨Those women are not indias, they are Ngäbe. Their dresses are called naguas and they maintain their cultural identity and traditions by wearing them, etc. etc.¨ Though attempting to rid racial or cultural stereotypes, the words of a Norteamericana do very little to change stigmas or attitudes. For my two women, being among a Latina minority for the first time in their lives was the most powerful lesson learned from the seminar. I watched them grow from being obviously timid to showing outward signs of affection and friendship towards women from Bocas, Darien, Colon and the Comarcas. One stood up to speak about domestic violence and how all of us women of Panama need to band together in the fight and support one another. Another left stitching traditionally Ngäbe dientes on her handcrafts and making a canasta Emberá style. By the last day, I watched my two ladies exchange hugs and phone La Vaina numbers with their fellow artisans. Most importantly, that india, who on day two became that Indígena, progressed to be simply called, my friend Selina, or my friend Isabell. And while they didn´t sign up to be painted with jagua, I can attest to their attitude change and growth as individuals. They understand more about their own people from different parts of the country and see them as equals. After all, we are all devoted mothers, daughters, sisters and, in this case, healthy empowered artisans. ¡Sí, Hay Pan! Ally Eden CEC G68, Herrera ¡Sí, Hay Pan! Thanks to a GAD grant, Panadería La Bendición is now making and selling bread! The bread shop is run by a small women's group in El Ciprian. The group has spent the last two years trying to organize themselves into a bakery. However, it has been a constant struggle to acquire the equipment, skills, and finances they needed. A $60 GAD grant was all it took to cover the costs of their first bread pans and mixing bowls, some bags of all the basic ingredients, and a brindis to celebrate the day of their first sale. Thanks to the grant money the women were able to experiment with different recipes without worrying about whether or not they were wasting money. This made bread-making fun and unintimidating for them. They even had a best bread competition! Just receiving the GAD grant had a powerful reenergizing effect on the group. So when we combined it with a PML, a business seminar, and a mudoven, the bakery really heated up: selling 400 pan michas a day! Next out of the oven? ¡Quéques! “The toughest revista you’ll ever love.” YOUR GAD REPS WANT TO HELP YOU! Sarah Watson EH G69, Darién Every region has its very own, eager and waiting, GAD rep. You can call us anytime for anything, but our expertise really lies in Gender and Development. Our focus is to use our understanding of men, women, and children's roles in the family and how it affects the community. Then we can be better workers in sustainable development. Our focus is also comprised of various educational and selfesteem-building activities in relation to sexual health including: family planning and HIV/AIDS awareness, discrimination, gender roles, human and sexual rights, and making decisions based on identifying core values. If you would like any support with Elige Tu Vida, Vida Sana activities, GAD grants, or any of the above topics, please send an email to [email protected] or contact your GAD rep directly. Your GAD regional reps are: Lucy Hankinson, Bocas del Toro Kendra Allen, Comarca NgäbeBuglé Natalie Petrucci, Azuero Madye Berger, Chiriquí Matthew Hennessy, Veraguas Keith Hardy, Coclé Jen Van Erden, Panama Oeste/ Colón Sarah Watson, Darién September 2012 13 Seeders Update Gardening as a Mood Stabilizer Hallie Richards CEC G68, Bocas del Toro Occasionally, as PCVs, we have slow days and occasionally we have tough days. We all have our own coping mechanisms. Some bake and eat entire batches of brownies when their projects are slow. Others wander the campo counting the rare poison dart frogs, while others pass the hours by chatting with imaginary friends. I cope with the blues by venting my frustrations to my dog, who not only speaks English and Spanish, but also excels at Ngäbere. Seeders Needs Your Support! All seeds are available because other volunteers have taken the time to collect, save and share! Don‘t know how? Talk to your regional Seeders Coordinator, or email [email protected]. Share your seeds or donate spare change to help support Seeders! Here is another activity to help pass the hours and fight the blues: get out on your patio and garden! Gardening is an awesome way to work out your problems, reflect, or just clear your mind. Think of it as campo therapy! Digging, planting and pulling weeds don‘t require much critical thinking, so your mind is free to focus on your own thoughts. Planning your garden and caring for your plants creates a sense of hopefulness and forward thinking; otherwise our minds can become stuck in the irritations of the present day. Time spent in the garden can be a reminder that, while we may strive for perfection and control of the little things, some seeds may not grow to harvest, a critter may come and eat your tomatoes, or a cow may break your fence. But it‘s okay. Life continues. When seen in a positive light, all problems can be looked at as learning experiences. Growing stuff isn‘t all philosophical. No, sir. Imagine how swelled your biceps will be after turning your compost and limpiando your garden beds! Physical activity stimulates blood circulation and brain activity, and increases endorphins that may be in hibernation during the rainy monthswhich help to make you healthier and happier. One of the more obvious benefits of gardening: it is an incredible way to engage the local kids. When sitting on your porch playing go fish just isn‘t cutting it any more, bring the kids out to get their hands (even more) dirty. Think of a garden bed as an outdoor classroom. Planting and watching their seeds grow and then tasting the fruits of their labor instills a caring ethic and teaches the value of long-term planning. Time spent in the garden is a perfect opportunity for charlas on nutrition and hand washing. Take advantage of their captive attention to do a counting activity using seeds, or teach about the resources plants need to live and grow. The learning possibilities are endless. While gardening may be daunting to the inexperienced, the soil discouraging, the insects inundating, and the rains abusive, the rewards far outweigh the hurdles (especially when you have fresh veggies at your fingertips!). So PVC´s, when you´re preparing your third lunch of the day out of boredom or sharing the new bochinche with your doggie, remember the therapeutic, interactive, and kid-friendly benefits of gardening. lavainaPanamá@gmail.com 14 La Vaina Drying Seeds Jason Carter SAS G68, Ngäbe-Buglé In the humid country of Panama, preserving seeds from the elements can be a difficult job. Storage of seeds is essential for their preservation between growing seasons, as well as passing viable seeds on to other farmers. If you want to save seeds for personal use, HCN use, or for donating to Seeders boxes, drying is one of your easiest available methods for seed preservation. It‘s cheap, requires little previous experience, and tropical sunlight is great for drying. I want to talk about three different types of seeds you can dry: Beans and corn (this includes balo, canavalia, etc.), seeds from a fleshy fruit (guanabana, squashes, peppers, guava), and seeds that come in a little bag of liquid (tomatoes, tomatillos, guayaba). Seeds with Little Bags of Liquid Seeds From Fleshy Fruit Beans and Corn Beans and corn are very easy to dry. Due to their large size, they are not affected by the ultraviolet radiation of the sun. The easiest way to dry these seeds is to leave them on the plant and allow them to dry naturally. If you have local wildlife eating your seeds (parrots, kinkos, children, etc.), you can remove the seeds when they are ripe and dry them in the sun on a sack cloth by the house. Leave beans inside their pods while they dry; dried beans are much easier to remove from the pods. If you are in a place with little sunlight available for drying, place beans in a porous bag or chakara and hang them in the smoke over a fire. Outer corn husk leaves can also be folded back and used to tie the ear to a beam over a fire. When drying over a fire, leave at least 4 feet between the fire and the seeds. Seeds can be stored within the husk or pod if you want. Remove the seeds from the fruit. Get some cloth like cheesecloth, a bandana, or a rag. Press the seeds into the cloth with your hands or a spoon to pop the bags of liquid, allowing for the liquid to drain out the other side of the ...drying is one of your cloth. Once all the seed bags have been easiest available methods popped, you can give the seeds a rinse in water and then dry for seed preservation. them using the same method of the ‗Seeds From Fleshy Fruit‘. “ ” “The toughest revista you’ll ever love.” First step is eat the fruit and spit out the seeds. Removing the flesh of the fruit is important for reducing wet material and therefore speeding up the drying process. These seeds cannot be dried in the sun, for the sunlight may kill the seeds. If you can find a zinc roof, place the seeds on a tray 4-6 inches beneath the zinc. A more porous tray is better for quick drying. During the day, the zinc will heat with sunlight and softly dry the seeds. Several days of drying may be necessary to fully dry the seeds. Unfortunately, ovens should not be used to dry seeds, since they get too hot and cook the little embryos within. When your seeds are dried… Store them in a cool, dry place out of sunlight. If you can, store them in an airtight container. Dried aromatic herbs like oregano and mint can be thrown into your seed storage bottles to deter pests from crawling in and eating your seeds. If you want to test seed viability, a quick way to test is to put them in water. Generally, viable seeds will sink to the bottom of your container and the bad seeds will float. September 2012 Three Incredible Off-the-Beaten-Path Places in Panama to maintain elements of a life that As seen on Keteka.com Rebecca Beitsch TE G70, Veraguas Isla San Cristóbal: A hike through the jungle of San Cristóbal explores the traditional uses of many local plants, including medicinal uses varying from upset stomach to an all natural insect repellent, even hair replacement. Seeds, leaves and shells create natural dyes for clothing and fiber as well as decorative items and handmade jewelry. A traditional Ngäbe community founded in 1958 to house the families working on the nearby banana farms, San Cristobal is home to sloths, tiny tree frogs, and toucans. --Compiled from Jonathan Lee Emberá Purú: Two hours upriver through Chagres National Park, the indigenous Emberá use eco-tourism income predates European conquest. This is straight off the Discovery Channel. Emberá traditional garb is not much garb at all; the men wear red loincloths and the women wear brightly colored skirts and no tops. Many will have bodies and faces painted with the local jagua fruit. During dances, five men beat tribal drums while up to twenty community members dance and sing in Emberá. With dugout canoes, tribal dances, traditional garb, and body painting, the 133 residents of Emberá Purú are ready to share their lifestyle, culture and environment. -Compiled from Sara Taylor 15 Top 10 Previously Unbelievable Things That are Now the Most Believable Things In Panama Rebecca Beitsch TE G70, Veraguas 10. There’s always room for one more. 9. Three hour news block covers important national topics such as “Small Country Road Remains Unfixed”. 8. Garfield. 7. Cock fight: weekend entertainment. Lizard fight: inhome entertainment. 6. Lip-pointing. El Cedro: El Cedro is a small latino farming and cattle ranching community in southern Herrera that is home to the Poma Rosa farm, a sustainable, organic farm run by a local entrepreneur. Owner Silverio Jimenez started the farm to support his family but now offers to walk people through his farm and explain which plants have medicinal properties, which are edible, which are imported, and other significant facts. Any time you encounter a new edible fruit or nut, he will pull one down for you to try. -Compiled from Jack Fischl lavainaPanamá@gmail.com 5. Swimming attire includes denim. 4. Algo demora. 3. Rice. 2. Official use vehicles used for seemingly anything but an official use. 1. Children verbally requesting or refusing breastfeeding. 16 La Vaina Dear Profe: Advice for English Teaching Teaching Without Resources Andrew Butler TE G70, Bocas del Toro Teaching can be a chore without certain luxuries. Lesson plans that call for projectors, blackboards (or even what to teach, for that matter) go out the window after a quick review of what‘s available. However, it can be done. For starters, be a friend of contact paper and cartulinas. They can be found in most tiendas and are useful for flashcards, group projects and word walls. Score one for the visual learners. Also, the glossy garbage left from the contact paper can be used as a makeshift whiteboard. Write directly on the surface and wipe away. Simple as that. For something more permanent, chalkboard paint is where it‘s at and can be applied directly to most surfaces. As for what to teach, keep it simple. Start with the basics and work B. Beitsch your way up—the verb ‗to be‘ is more important than you may think. Teach what you think they need to know and what they want to learn when it‘s relevant. Don‘t just be a dictionary—trial and error. Your most important resource is you. A native speaker is just as good for language as a summer in the states. So long as they‘re willing, your students are capable of learning. Stand and deliver. Chalkboard Paint Jaclyn Sokol TE G70, Bocas del Toro 1 cup latex paint in your color preference 2 tbsp. unsanded tile grout Paint stirrer Paint roller or sponge brush 150-grit sandpaper Chalk Pour tile grout and paint into a container and mix thoroughly with paint stirrer (no clumps). If using wood or a coarse surface, prime it first. Paint mixture onto surface, allowing paint to dry before applying another coat. Sand each coat gently and wipe dust away with a clean rag. Once complete, write over entire surface with chalk and wipe clean with a damp cloth. Tricks of the Trade for Teaching Adults Jessica Rudder CED G66, Ngäbe-Buglé I did not anticipate how often I would be required to think about adult education-and all the teaching methods that it entails-before arriving in Panama. Now, I see the connection between wanting to teach people something and having to do training and classes oriented toward adults. My fellow Volunteers and I have developed certain teaching techniques in order to help illiterate or the barelyliterate adults understand and retain key concepts. Whether in formal settings (seminars and charlas) or informal settings (while pasearing or hanging out in the monte), these teaching techniques have been proven to work. Charla papers – The campo’s answer to giving a Power Point presentation. Drawing pictures and making bulleted lists of key points on giant sheets of paper are essential to helping adults understand material. One of the best charla papers I‘ve ever seen was by my neighbor for a health and aqueduct management seminar. It included drawings of someone using the bathroom outside and another person vomiting. This may seem excessive to some but drawings and photos are more memorable than words alone. Socio-drama – A socio-drama, or skit, is the best way to present a case study in the campo. Panama does not have a thriving reading “The toughest revista you’ll ever love.” September 2012 culture, so asking people to read and analyze a written case study is difficult. However, their ―watching comprehension‖ is through the roof. At seminars, Volunteers put on skits to introduce the topic that we cover during a session. For example, at the Agribusiness seminar, a Volunteer acted as a producer and went through all the trials and tribulations that a producer deals with in the process of finding a market for his goods. It is relatable and we usually act silly and the participants laugh, making it more memorable for them. 17 J. Rudder Hands-on Activity – Doing with your hands is always better than just hearing the theory about it, right? It goes without saying that you can talk for hours about making compost out of food waste but until you actually go out to the farm and practice making it, the advice often falls on deaf ears. This standard is true for intangible concepts too. If I‘m teaching cash flow, I often do an activity where I give the participants little slips of paper that have some sort of business transaction written on it. They then have to decide if it is income or expense, how to describe it, and come up to the board to write it in the correct location on a chart. This also teaches them new skills regarding spreadsheets and charts swers and analyze their surroundings. How many pounds of beans do you usually sell? Does it cover the cost of fertilizer? How are you keeping track of your expenses? Why do you think that sales are low? What are some ideas to encourage community participation? The Socratic Method – This is my favorite among gritty, old farmers who don‘t want to learn anything because they already know it all—which is why it‘s so awesome. They don‘t even realize that they‘re learning because it‘s disguised as a conversation. By asking questions and getting people to question themselves and their premises, you can get them to think about their situation differently. People here are constantly being told that they are poor and that they need to do this and that in order to improve their situation. By starting with questions and not answers, we allow them to develop their own an- Inception – Thank goodness the movie Inception came out in 2010. Otherwise, there wouldn‘t be a word for encouraging an idea in someone‘s mind so that they internalize it as their own. Our job is not to impose our ideas on the groups that we work with. Rather, we‘re there to encourage them to generate new ideas and practical approaches to achieving their short and long-term goals. Achieving inception is the pinnacle of all teaching tools and requires the meticulous application of all four previously mentioned methods in order to happen. J. Rudder The quintessential example of achieving inception took place in training during tech week in Hato Chami. Our group worked with the president of the honey producing association that is in its first year of existence. After two days of learning about his lofty, long-term goals for accessing the organic honey market in Europe, it was clear to most of our team that he needed to narrow his focus. He needed to write a solid business plan. We couldn‘t just tell the board of directors this. Instead, we had to engage in a discussion that would make him come up with the idea himself. Sure enough, after walking through a SWOT analysis, Milanio saw the lack of a written business plan as a key weakness and prioritized it as the most formative problem to overcome. Done. Kick. Get out of the dream while you still can. lavainaPanamá@gmail.com 18 Believe What You See Jasmine Linck TE G70, Coclé Everyone has heard,―Seeing is believing‖. This is usually applied to the unexpected, the fantastical and the unbelievable things that occasionally arise. Here in Panama, we‘ve all seen things that we wouldn't believe otherwise. Between the local flora and fauna, and general population, there are plenty of surprises. It‘s great to be confronted with the strange and unusual; it expands our perspectives, stretches the imagination and keeps us from getting too stale. But I have a challenge for you - a twist on believing what you see. For my entire life, the Peace Corps was the stuff of legends. It was out of our reach until the moment we got here. It was a background for characters in movies, or your cousin's co-worker's niece heading to Djibouti for two years. Pop references abound in the media – positive or negative, and sometimes even in disbelief. Peace Corps is hard to imagine and harder to see – even for us living it. How do we see if we‘re having any kind of effect in our sectors? Our lives here are so far removed from our families and friends back in the states and they don‘t know where to start seeing us here. I hardly believe that I live in Panama and I see it every day. Now for the challenge: first, realize that we are here doing this. We have to see, to believe in ourselves as others see us, and then see our efficacy in our projects. In order to do this, we must really see each other, allowing ourselves to believe La Vaina in the strength of the other. We each have valuable talents to enrich the PCV community, our host communities, and whatever projects we have – why would we be here if not? If we don't look for talents in each other, and ourselves, we're liable to forget our own capacity. When you‘re with other Volunteers, take a second to see the good – our worth. Now do it when you look in the mirror. Take another second to make sure you really bel i e v e what you see. We can get so used to seeing ourselves that we stop seeing what makes us special – that‘s why it's so important to start seeing each other. We have the opportunity to see each other as valuable: as part of a complete team. Sure, people come and go and we don‘t always get along with everybody. Whatever, sometimes stuff happens. Even so, taking that extra two seconds to recognize that there‘s another person that can give that boost we need to get through the day – and sometimes taking that extra time can help reconcile differences, or at least understand them. We are all PCVs, but that's just part of our identities; we need support in more than just our projects. Plus, we know better than anyone else how to be there for each other – what we can look for, “The toughest revista you’ll ever love.” to believe in each other. If you‘re into science fiction, it's ‗grok‘-ing in Robert Heinlein‘s Stranger in a Strange Land. World religions are more your thing? Namaste translates roughly to ‗the spirit in me salutes the spirit in you.‘ Seeing is believing, so next time you see another volunteer, take a second to really believe in him or her and all that they encompass. It works on Panamanians too! Latrine Committee at work People &Processes Moiz Kapadia EH G66 Darién, Emberá-Wounaan The Peace Corps approach to development is defined as a human capacity building project that emphasizes facilitating a development process. In training we constantly talk about that process, but what is it exactly? Engineers love processes – they are repeatable, measureable, efficient, and ideally – self -sustaining. Is it possible to outline a similar development process that combines empowerment and ownership to sustainably accomplish our project goals? During my two years of service, I September 2012 19 set out to figure out what such a process might be for an EH Composting Latrine project. mittee presented the project to the community and I stood on the side listening in Emberá. Integration & Community Analysis ↔Health Promotion ↔ Organization ↔ Training ↔ Project Design ↔ Pilot Phase ↔ Cyclical Expansion PILOT PROJECT: With your committee, initiate a pilot project that can be scaled up in cycles. Outline a process of how community members can participate in the project by making rules. Specifically for the latrine project the rules are: INTEGRATION & COMMUNITY ANALYSIS: Integration into Panamanian/indigenous lifestyle and culture is a vital component to building relationships, gaining trust, and making friends that allow us to work on sector goals. PROMOTION: Seminars, workshops, and hands-on activities are great ways to engage people. For example, I organized a junta to build a compost box with a promise of sopa. After we built the box, I demonstrated how a composting latrine would work by emptying my poop bucket into the box and throwing dry material on top – in front of 12 Emberá guys. Although grossed out and cracking up, to this day community members say, ―I can‘t believe Kapadia showed me a bucket of his mierda!‖ ORGANIZATION: They are enthralled at the idea of a fancy new latrine, but will they organize for it? Finding community leaders who truly want to work is the most challenging part. String them along with the idea that once a committee is formed, a project can be developed. TRAINING: Train your newly formed committee. Give them certificates. Empower them to make a difference in their community with education and motivation. Don‘t have a training manual? Make one. Create técnicos, project designers and managers, leaders – and in the process become one yourself. I was most proud when my Health Com- -The community is told that there are funds for only five latrines at a time. -In order to participate, families have to attend 2 charlas, pay a $5 refundable deposit, agree to mano de obra, provide wood and have dry material ready (or hole dug). A contract must be signed by the family, committee president and the PCV. -Before materials arrive, the family, committee president, and the PCV must sign a Pre-Informe which ensures that the family is in compliance with all the rules. Once all five families are ready, bring in the materials. -After the latrines are done, their usage is monitored and a PostInforme must be completed. CYCLICAL EXPANSION: If the pilot goes well, the project can be expanded in cycles. Open up participation to all those who want to enter, and they have to play by the same rules. It‘s starting to sound like a process all engineers love – repeatable, measureable, and selfsustaining. But it goes a step further – it is self-selecting and motivating. The process only includes families who want to enter, and communally pushes families to comply with the rules. If I‘m on the waiting list and my neighbor hasn‘t put up his caseta yet, I‘m going to get peeved and tell him to get his mierda together (literally!). Peer pressure puts a beer in your hand in high school and peer pressure will give people a place to poop. This creates a development theater for them to view, participate in, and analyze- allowing the community to be the actors for their own progress. Unfortunately, two years of Peace Corps service is too short to give you any conclusive evidence of this working. I only got to the Pilot Project phase in my community. Remember the arrows go both ways – each step needs to be put in context of the previous and next. It takes time. I can‘t help but wonder: Can something similar to Cyclical Expansion be applied to SAS, CEC, & TE? In your community, the process could be one of many variations. Every Volunteer‘s work is varied and I‘m not seeking a ―cookie-cutter‖ solution to development work. However, we can bridge our differences by focusing on people and processes. “Remember the arrows go both lavainaPanamá@gmail.com ways...” 20 La Vaina PANAMA HAS Matt Manupella CEC G68, Panama Oeste On the 30th of June 2012, I participated in the 8th annual Sexual Diversity March in Panama City. I marched with eight other Peace Corps Volunteers and three members of the Peace Corps office staff, Kristen Kaper, Cicely Lewis, and Lee Espey. We accompanied members of the U.S. Embassy who were participating officially in a Panamanian Pride event for the first time. They generously provided all Peace Corps participants with t-shirts boasting the expression “Estamos Unidos” and showing both the Panamanian and American flag. encouraged all foreign U.S. Embassies and Missions to defend the rights of the LGBT community. U.S Embassies in El Salvador, Chile, Panama and Ecuador have all paved the way this year by participating in their nations’ Pride festivities. Hillary Clinton has made a strong commitment to the LGBT community around the world, saying on a number of occasions, “Gay rights are human rights.” This past year, the State Department, under the leadership of Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State, On the day of the march, we walked from the Blockbuster on Via Argentina to Einstein Plaza. It was a delightfully sunny afternoon, perfect for a march down the street with a pink margarita from one of the street venders (served up with complimentary condoms in the spirit of sexual health). The parade finished during “The toughest revista you’ll ever love.” September 2012 21 (GAY) PRIDE an unexpected shower of rain that sent participants to the shelter of the New York Bagel Company. The event was more laid back than Pride parades I’ve attended in the States, but it had the same feelings of solidarity and pride. The event, overall, was positive and family friendly. The participation of the Ministerio Desarrollo Social was another positive sign, showing that the LGBT community has support within the government. Gay sex was decriminalized in Panama four years ago in 2008, but gays are still denied entry to the national police force and are not entitled to the same legal benefits as heterosexual couples. Panama is gradually building momentum toward sexual equality. Next year, I would love to see the Peace Corps follow the example of the U.S. Embassies around the world and participate in Pride under its own banner and with a larger volunteer turn out. It would be a wonderful accomplishment for Peace Corps Volunteers and staff to show that our organization stands for tolerance and encourages acceptance. ♦ Photos from the US Embassy and Matt Manupella. lavainaPanamá@gmail.com 22 La Vaina Returning to the US before Nov. 2016? Concerned about the country you will be going back to? VOTE It’s easy. Visit Rockthevote.com and fill out the registration form for overseas voters and the absentee ballot request. Mail the form to your county of permanent US residence and wait for your ballot! Deadlines change according to state, but please include plenty of time for international mail. Deadlines are usually the date that the application must be RECEIVED by. http://www.rockthevote.com/voting-is-easy/voting-rights/overseas-rights/overseas.html have gained some points if I hadn‘t choked on some spit just as I lit my cigarillo and started coughing. Noob. Panama Ink’d Andrew Parker CEC G68, Darién Tatuajes- in the campo they can be the sign of a maleante, a ne‘re-do-well, and a general raconteur. Well, we all gathered at the Palacio Dorado and had a tattoo convention this past August 17th-19th. Rough necks, greasers, punks, and rockers came from all around Panama to enjoy the festivities. I think they could smell that I was a blank canvass. That changed though… After an adventure through Panama City trying to find this place, I figured the tatted up couple on the Diablo Rojo were heading in the same direction as me. They showed me the way to the Palacio Dorado, which is not in the Dorado Mall, but across and down the street. I would have never found it without them. Once I saw the motorcycle corral, I knew I was where I needed to be. I shelled out $8 to get the two-day pass and immediately was with my people. I perused a few sample books from Costa Rican and Colombian artists. A bit later a band began to start playing. Moving in close, I saw the guitarist had a Dimebag Darrel Special Dean Guitar. My only thought was, ‗‘He better play Cowboys from Hell‘‘. Sure enough, it was on the set list- and in Spanish! Toxicity in Spanish sounded a little weird, though. The need for live, loud music had been sated. If only there was a mosh pit. I even saw some folks that I had seen around the city. Does anyone else know the girl who works at the New York Bagel Café? Her name‘s Gabriella. I A. Parker made some connections with local Panamanian artists, and I have some ideas for the future. My pockets were stuffed full of bumper stickers and business cards. I even got an appointment set up. I was getting some stares though. Wearing a button down, boots, and my favorite raggedy jeans, I thought I‘d blend in. The Sombrero Pintado may have given me away. So I tried to look nonchalant, check my phone, and grab a cigarette from my shirt pocket. I might The Tattooed: A thriving sub-culture in Panama. “The toughest revista you’ll ever love.” This is a side of Panama that doesn‘t get much notice: much like our sites, nuestra gente, and the Panama we serve. However, we still make up a part of this country. And for one weekend, I got to see some of them- artists and enthusiasts. Sharing our subculture. September 2012 23 Histo-What? Kerry Piper, RPCV CEC G61, Coclé Imagine living in a rural farming community with rivers and streams flowing down the mountains and through the center of town. Imagine going to sleep with bats flying around your room and feeling lucky that they can‘t bump into you inside your mosquito net. Imagine waking up to the call of the everpresent chickens around your home and community. And imagine making abono orgánico by digging up soil and mixing it with gallinazo. I lived in such a community as a CEC Volunteer and loved it. When else in your life can you live in such a beautiful place, where you are welcome in every home and people offer you brindis on every visit? However, I did have intestinal woes which lasted much of my service in that community. At times, I would stay in bed in the fetal position hoping the abdominal pain would go away. At other times, I would make strategic trips around the community, knowing which latrines were well taken care of when nature made its urgent call. I downed The Girl With MUSHROOM LUNGS! enough antiparasitics, antibiotics, dewormers, and steroids to evict whatever may have been living in me at the time. I returned home in late May of 2010 with a well-functioning digestive system. I immediately started education classes and accepted a position teaching high school Biology. As a full-time student with a full-time job as a first year teacher, I was exhausted on a daily basis. Who wouldn‘t be? I still had the little cough I left Panama with, but overall I felt pretty good. I didn‘t even get the flu or a cold from the variety of pathogens the kids seemed to fill my room with on a daily basis. I started out this school year with a sore throat that just wouldn‘t go away. I was seen by ten doctors and specialists who each men- tioned they had never seen anything like it. Possible diagnoses included tuberculosis, parasitic infections, fungal infections, and even cancer. I endured CT scans, bronchoscopy and laryngoscopy with cultures and biopsies, blood tests, and urine tests. When several of the 35 tests came back positive, I was admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of disseminated histoplasmosis. At least it‘s not cancer! With Google on my side, I learned about the disease. Histoplasma capsulatum is found in soils in river valleys. Bird and bat droppings enrich the growth medium for the fungus causing highly contaminated soil. Histoplasmosis is caused by the inhalation of Histoplasma capsulatum spores from contaminated soil. The spores become airborne when the contaminated soil is disturbed. Patients who develop clinical manifestations of histoplasmosis are usually immunocompromised. It all made sense. My community seemed like a perfect place for the fungus to grow. My job description made my contact with the spores likely and months and months of chronic diarrhea would have certainly compromised my immune system. Plus, the first described case of histoplasmosis was made in Panama. The infectious disease doctor described the likely course of events. The 3 cm hole in my lung caused by a fungus. lavainaPanamá@gmail.com 24 La Vaina Infected throat– chunky epiglottis. The middle and upper lobes of my right lung were infected with histoplasmosis during my service and just chilled there without my awareness. It ate away a ping-pong sized hole, walled-off from the rest of my lung. Eventually, the fungi entered my bloodstream and settled in my throat. It was there that the fungi ate away at my epiglottis and surrounding structures, swelling them up like a balloon and causing the pain, troubled breathing, and the swallowing problems that kickstarted my search for a diagnosis. With a diagnosis, treatment began. I was started on Amphotericin infusions through a PICC line (think chemo) lasting four hours each day. My reactions to the medicine eased through a week in the hospital by pre-medicating with Tylenol, Benadryl, and morphine. After another week of outpatient transfusions, I began treatment with Sporonox, an antifungal medicine that I will be taking daily for at least the next year. I don‘t regret a minute of my service, but it is important to stay informed regarding your health– as you can see from my story. I hope you stay healthy and enjoy your time in Panama! Normal throat and vocal chords. A Few Tips: Document everything! Changing providers can be difficult without the additional challenges of a foreign country and language. For example, many of the drugs prescribed during my service were recorded in their Panamanian names that doctors here could not decipher. Paperwork might be misplaced or medical history errors made due to translation issues. To protect yourself, keep your own medical journal and make copies of paperwork! You know your body better than anyone. The general practitioners insisted that I had a viral infection when antibiotics didn‘t work, so I started going to specialists and got the ball rolling. A radiologist kept me in isolation for an entire day thinking I had TB; however I didn‘t have any other symptoms of the infection. As soon as I was let out, I went to an Urgent Care for a TB test which was negative. A nurse in the hospital did not follow the infusion protocol for my drug so a call to the duty nurse rectified the problem. Don‘t be afraid to speak up. Love your health insurance. I never thought health insurance was particularly important. I was young, healthy, and invincible. My employer paid my premium each month. I accidently signed up for the better plan this year and paid an additional $30/month out of my paycheck. Boy, am I glad I did! The medical bills have added up to over $70,000 while the medication I now take costs about $1,000/month. My out-of-pocket has been about $5,000 so far. I would have been in trouble without insurance. Applying for FECA benefits is not scary. It seems like a daunting amount of paperwork to gather and months to wait when you feel like crud. My doctors were less than forthcoming with providing the required paperwork listed on the form (CA-2). After several requests, I finally sent in what I had and figured I would send any additional paperwork as requested. Just two weeks later, my case was accepted. All my out-of-pocket expenses including travel have been covered. Reimbursements were also easier than listed on the Peace Corps website. In my case, FECA actually only required one form (OWCP-915) and receipt to process a request instead of getting each provider to fill out a separate affidavit and medical notes. Organize paperwork by provider, not date, to make things easier in the long run. “The toughest revista you’ll ever love.” September 2012 Burning the Lethargy Jack Fischl CED G66, Ngäbe Buglé The cure for laziness feels just like a hot nail being pressed against your spine, repeatedly. It feels like that because that's exactly what it is. According to custom, being around pregnant women can make you lethargic. The only way to remove this lethargy is to burn it away. Lately, I‘ve been feeling that lethargy – less motivated to work, more likely to nap in the afternoon – and I mentioned this to one of my host moms. ―Well, have you been interacting regularly with any pregnant women?‖ I thought about it and then we went over a list of currently pregnant women in my town. She mentioned Mariela and I realized she had to be the culprit; she runs the nearest store, which I go to almost every day. Plus she's really pregnant*. So I approached Mariela with a simple enough request: ―I want you to burn me.‖ 25 La zin Vo lu While waiting for sufficient heat, Fidel informed me that a worldwide famine was imminent and that it would be wise to plant on ―every corner of land‖ that I had. I told him I don't own any land and he laughed at me. Puny, landless, white boy. I told him it was a good thing that I was at least removing my laziness and he agreed. Apparently, I'll soon need to work for my food. Minutes later, I was standing near the stove with my shirt off and my back to Mariela. ―Here it comes,‖ she said. I've struggled to think of a more creative comparison for the feeling and the best I've come up with is repeated flaming wasp stings. lavainaPanamá@gmail.com nte CU BU er S RE RN urv D?? IN ives ? G! Turns out, ―burning‖ should happen on a Tuesday or Friday, around 6am. I have no idea why. So on Friday, I rose before dawn and was standing in Mariela's kitchen at 6:15. She had a pot of coffee on and a length of metal wire sticking in the fire. Her dad, Fidel, was also there, excited to see this spectacle. Fischl‘s back after ―burning‖ treatment. ess Which is actually more abstract. It's probably far more likely for one to be burned by a nail than to be stung by a wasp with a flaming stinger. But anyway, to the best of your ability, imagine a burning nail poked up and down your spinal column and that's how it felt. Some pokes provoked more of a dull burning pain, while others felt more like tiny electric shocks. If it sounds primitive and unnecessary, it is. But it is the primitive motivations that work best sometimes. I chose to have this happen, but, traditionally, it was more of a threat. Moms would tell their kids that they were being lazy and the kids knew full well what that meant. Beyond that, ―burning‖ is labeled a cure, rather than a punishment (apparently it is also applied to aching joints), so it isn't really to be classified as abusive. Now that my back is dotted with red burns, hopefully I'm more motivated to work. If nothing else, I won't be napping this afternoon, because I can't lie on my back. *Does more ―pregnantness‖ make you more lethargic? ♦ 26 La Vaina Emma Miller TE G67, Los Santos Folklore in Panama: Tales and Traditions In all ‗folk‘ cultures, the folktale has an essential role in the creation of identity and community. However, because the folktale stems from an oral tradition, and because it is often used for entertainment and to teach morality to children, folklore has suffered a long-standing rejection from academia. Despite the efforts of folklorists, the beliefs of a certain group, ‗the folk‘, are considered to be constituted of only popular value. Folklore or cultural mythology, becomes a label by which one may identify and marginalize the heritage of the ‗other‘; this is especially true when ―‗folk‘ is not identified as a dominant category but rather as a populist form… of ‗political logic‘ --that pits ‗the people‘ against an authority, a dominant group, or an elite.‖* In Panama, campo superstitions, beliefs, and remedies are often scorned by the foreigner or the city-raised Panamanian as being pure legend and completely false. However, factual truth has never been of much importance in folklore. Factual truth reveals nothing about the way a society absorbs and expresses information and change. New academic work argues that ―The production of folklore is intimately related to power relations in society, to economic factors, to public institutions and to academic disciplines.‖** When we hear Panamanian folklore, we are immersed in a complex history that is struggling, in the face of increased globalization, to retain a sense of unique identity and authenticity while claiming a broader notion of national unity. When looked at from nation-building and post-colonial viewpoints, folklore is indispensable in our understanding of Panama. *Gencarella, Stephen Olbrys. “Constituting Folklore: a Case for Critical Folklore Studies.” Journal of American Folklore. 122.484 (Spring 2009): p172. **Porter, James. “The folklore of Northern Scotland: Five Discourses on Cultural Representation”. Folklore. 109 (Annual 1998): p 1. Important People in Panamanian Folklore El CADEJO: The Cadejo can be one of two dogs: white or black. The white dog is there to protect you while the black dog is an embodiment of Satan and will grow larger and larger. DUENDES: When Satan rebelled against God, he was expelled from heaven along with other fallen angels. Some of them preferred to stay on earth and live in the forest and caves. Occasionally, they will snatch an unbaptized child, especially if he has light hair and eyes, and present him to Satan as one of the lost fallen angels . FLOR de AIRE: Valle de Anton, the daughter of chief Urraca. She fell in love with a handsome conquistador and rejected the love of Yaravi, the bravest warrior of her tribe. In his despair, Yaravi leaped to his death from the top of the mountain before the eyes of the horrified maiden. Flor de Aire, not wanting to betray her tribe, never saw the Spaniard again. She wandered aimlessly through the mountains and valleys crying her mis-fortune until she died on the beach, looking toward her beloved mountains that imitated her form. PAB DUMMAT and NAN DUMMAT: the Big Father and Big Mother of Guna creation folklore. SIPUS: In Kuna mythology, albinos (or sipus) are considered a special race of people and have the specific duty of defending the Moon against a "dragon" which tries to eat it on occasion during a lunar eclipse. Only they are allowed outside on the night of a lunar eclipse and used specially made bows and arrows to shoot down the dragon. La TEPESA: A woman who washing laundry in the river with her baby when a otherworldy man tempted her to join him on his horse. Later, he asked her about her baby and she discovered she had abandoned it by the river. La TULIVIEJA: In most versions, a young woman has a child out of wedlock. She leaves the child by the river to starve but returns later repentant. The child has dissapeared and she drowns herself. However, God sentences her to spend the rest of eternity looking for her child and she can often be heard crying. El VIEJO de MONTE: Deep in the interior, two orphans used to be loved by the whole town. One day they fell in love with the same woman and fought each other with machetes and one died. The survivor, wracked with guilt, ran to the mountains and hid himself in the caves. Sometimes at night, he can be heard singing or the one might smell the smoke of his pipe. “The toughest revista you’ll ever love.” September 2012 Things That Snatch Children from Their Beds though they’ve never seen him themselves, they have abuelos who claim to. They all know people who caught more than a glimpse. They’re never heard from again. Andrew Butler TE G70, Bocas del Toro It’s four in the afternoon in Bocas del Toro and a five year old boy has been lost in the jungle. The community gathers and they’ve called the police. With their numbers and knowledge of the area, they’re sure to find him. No one seems particularly worried except another five year old named Yugi. Yugi often tramples alone through the muddy forest barefoot and once helped a group of boys kill a five foot snake by pelting it with stones. However, there is one thing he’ll admit to being afraid of. He won’t say it himself but his older brother will. “Chino Rojo.” Much like the dialect differs from place to place, the story of him varies among the Ngäbe. The most popular version says the Chino Rojo lurks beneath the Caribbean Sea, surfacing long enough to catch a meal. He might assume a flying form to snatch up his prey or hop into his coaster bus so that he can hunt in bulk. Cows and horses are easy prey but sometimes, he slips into open homes or finds lone travelers in the jungle. He never goes hungry. The sun begins to set and the red and blue strobes of the police lights paint the wooden houses. More people join the search when they return from work on their fincas. Yugi’s cousins jostle him, but when they grow tired of it, they too look nervously out into the jungle. Even Goya’s Saturn Devouring His Son The uninspired simply say he looks like a witch tinted red. The imaginative give him six mouths and a dripping spike where legs would be so that he runs on his hands. His pig nose thrusts its way through the ground so that it leaves a snaking trail behind. It could be true that the Chino Rojo is nothing more than a German submarine sighted in the Chiriquí Lagoon during World War II. The jungle is large and even though the Ngäbe spend their entire lives there, it could be that sometimes, they get lost. The unaccounted for could be children gone farther in the jungle than they’ve ever gone before out of curiosity and brazenness. The viejos simply lost their way to the latrine in the night, took lavainaPanamá@gmail.com 27 a wrong turn and went on for miles. Flashlight beams dust the trees as the community returns. The police cut their lights and neighbors light fogóns with the dejected looks of fruitless labor. The children huddle together, asleep on the bare floor. They’ll be shaken awake when the bananas boil, keeping their eyes open long enough to shovel the meal into their mouths before shuffling inside to fall back asleep. They’ll try to stay together with their arms and legs wrapped around each other so that their sweat makes them stick. Yugi grips his brother’s waist as if the heat too is only a myth. Tell him he is safe for the night, and although one of them is lost, so long as he stays close to where he knows, he’s safe. Tell him not to worry of things that snatch children from their beds at night, that come and go in a whisper so that there is nothing to prove they ever existed. You can tell Yugi the Chino Rojo doesn’t exist. He won’t believe you. The Legend of El Chinito Tempest Carter, CEC G70, Herrera The day I met him, the earth smelled of fresh rain. The hot Panamanian sun hung hazily in the sky, straight over our heads. I moved outside, walking under the overhang of the school to go home, and I saw her. Curls cascaded from a haphazard bun, lip gloss traced her full lips and freckles dusted her honey-coated skin. Her round brown eyes sparkled with laughter and she sat in an old school desk, in her arms, a shirtless baby. Teen mothers are not odd in my hometown, Philadelphia, 28 nor is it in Panama. Yet there was something odd about this image. The child had bone-straight ebony hair, sticking up like a porcupine, the girl had very large round brown eyes but the baby had almond shaped eyes. This baby was very Asian – not a mezclado child of two races. The girl holding him was not. The town had no Asian people living inside. Did this child have a story? His father lived and worked long hours as an immigrant in Panama City. He ran a small Chino, or mini supermarket, from sun up to sun down. He lost rights to his name as soon as he started the store, becoming nothing more than Chino. He decided he needed a wife. Wanting someone to work for him at the store, needing someone who knew his name; he needed someone with a name, maybe even someone to love. The women around him – Panamanian, Chinese, meztizas and indigenas – would not do. He decided to buy a wife. He bought his wife by selling candy and rice. She lived with the tragedies that sold her to a stranger a world away. She came, learned Spanish and started to work in the store, losing her name. She became pregnant and sent the child to China – she could not raise a child with her tragedies. She became pregnant again, and again, and again. The children never stayed for long. So desperate and unhappy, she gave away her next child barely a month after he was born. “She did not want him,” they would say. Chinito would play with used toys and whatever he found on the floor. He was a happy baby with bright inquisitive eyes and big smile, already creative and self sufficient. He was beautiful. His name was Daniel. Like the father he barely knew, he lost his name – he was Chinito. During the week he lived next La Vaina door to his natural parents and sometimes his father would come by to look at him. During the weekends he was shipped to this small town in the hills where the entire town came to his aid, making him bottles of warm milk and feeding rice. They were worried about his future there – his mother wanted to send him to China when he turned 6. They fell in love with him and could not lose him. Chinito sat on the floor, playing with the used toys. As he held a bus in his hand, began to giggle. In this moment everything was perfect. The wind was blowing, he had a family, and he had a name. Everything was as transient as that blowing wind. ‘La bruja y sus duendes’ is a common nursery rhyme told to young Panamanian children as they fall asleep at night. Or is it? It’s rhythmic lyrics reflect the story of the duendes which a particular witch keeps in a jar in order to take care of her housework. Based on the true story of El Chinito, living in Nuevo Paraiso, Panama Oeste (Lauren Lynch CEC G68) These witches, who wish to go undiscovered and carry about their business as they so de- La Bruja y sus Duendes Casey Galligan TE G-67, Panamá Este There was an old lady who lived in Curundu Her house was such a mess, she didn't know what to do. She let loose the duendes who - with incredible speedcleaned, dusted and took care of her every need. “The toughest revista you’ll ever love.” Some witches pride themselves on the level of accumulated filth in their houses. Some witche stack potion upon potion in their cupboard shelves and care not what amount of cobwebs lie amongst them. But there are those witches who would prefer their identity as a black-magic worker to remain unsuspected. How is a witch to go about her day if those around her are constantly avoiding her, giving her the stink-eye, or spreading nasty rumors about her tricks and treats? September 2012 sire, like to keep a tidy house. This type of witch keeps duendes in a jar around the house. The duendes are under a spell: they are released from their tight predicament only when the witch needs them to perform some sort of household chore. Though the witch is most likely wicked and is absolutely overlooking the Magical Creature Code of Civil Rights, the duendes themselves are dogooders. How these duendes came to be in the jar is unknown. After all, what witch is going to share her secret of how-to-capture-aduende-to-do-your-dirty-workfor-you? What is known is that the witch is able to uphold such a tidy exterior due to her firm hold over these poor, jarred-up creatures. So when you meet a woman around town who seems witch-like (i.e pointy shoes, rotting teeth, stringy hair and nocturnal flying on broomsticks) whose house is immaculately clean, don't let her fool you! Though her home is tidy, her lawn is mowed and she never has oil splatter from the previous evening's patacones in her kitchen; it could very well be that the woman you see is but a slovenly witch with a number of duende-filled jars around the house. ♦ 29 The Plumed Revolution Andrew Parker CEC 68, Darién This is a letter to the gallinas. How your ancestors‘ fossils must be rustling. How they must be boiling in their oil reserves. How they must have never saw this ever coming and the shock at which you permitted it. How pissed they must be to see the state of things now and how they have continued for millennia. You are direct descendants (kinda) of the venerable Velociraptor, the tyrannical T-Rex, the stately Stegosaurus, the tremendous Pterodactyl. You have the blood of mighty and terrible lizards coarsing through your veins. Yet all you do is cluck and hang out by the feed bag. You, waiting for your oppressors to give you a scoopful or two. Your right to flight has been taken away from you. At least the ostrich and emu have height and speed, both which you lack. You have been domesticated. Your pool has been methodically diluted for ages by man. The strong ones, the resistors, have long been weeded out. We can only hope that they made a bad bowl of sancocho. Your once powerful talons, used to catch and disembowel and make dinner out of the same mammals that oppress you now, are now only good for making scratches in the dirt. And for what-hopes of finding a spare rice kernel? Well to that, I say no more. It is time for you to rise up. Peck the hand of the one who feeds you. Flee the coop, and never come back to roost. The roosters‘ crow is no longer a beckon to the coming morning but the harbinger of a new era. The song of subversion. Overrun the farm, burn your roost, mangle the hands of him that steals your eggs, and take to the woods! There will you find that wild agent that will bring the species of the domestic chicken and, the poorer, unsung, domestic turkey, back to glory. Granted it will be hard those first few days, weeks, months. That hand that fed you will not be there with its infinite sack of feed. His protecting shot gun keeping away the weasel, zorra, and hawk. Some will fall back in line and return, and woe to them. But the rest will thrive. You will subsist off of worms and what you can catch. You will become lean. You will be mean. You will have no need of man and his shotgun. You will make man‘s prized fighting cocks look like chickadees. Gallinas! Your time has come! This is your call to arms! Your ancestors beseech you. To restore the former glory of which you have descended and take back that what has been taken. Fight against the domestication of your kind! Return back to your ancestral plumage. Sharpen your talons! Hone your beak! Break down the coop door!! And take to the woods! Make the thoughtful triceratops, the magnificent magnosaurus, and the brilliant brontosaurus proud. Maybe then you will stop crapping on my porch. One can only hope. lavainaPanamá@gmail.com 30 La Vaina De Bellota a Sombrero Pintado: una Tradición y Arte Panameña Angela Basurtto EH 66, Coclé A.Hines El Sombrero Pintado es un gran orgullo de todos los panameños, pero pocos saben cómo se confecciona. Este orgullo nacido hacía muchos años y dependiendo de quién se le pregunte esto inicio en 1903 cual está en debate y ha cambiado con el tiempo, pero unos de los principales materiales A young boy in a traditional sombrero pintado. no han cambiado. planta. La planta del color negro se Siendo una extranjera en Panamá llama ‗Chigna‘ -una planta punteay viviendo con muchos artesanos da y ordinaria- que se cambie a un que su único trabajo es el de concolor negro y brilloso como la chonfeccionar el sombrero pintado trata. La bellota sale cuando está todicional, tenía que buscar la histodavía cerrada o nueva. Ésta se corria del sombrero y come se hace ta con una navaja que, en tiempos del principio al final. pasados, era hecho de los huesos de un venado. Aunque en estos El principio del sombrero pintado días usan solo un gillette para setiene su inicio como unas varias parar las nuevas hojas. Se separan plantas que de verles no se podría en pequeños trozos y se hierven en hacer nada con ellas pero con agua por una hora. Siguiente, se unos pasos se puede hacer un hercuelgan al sol para secarse y ser moso trabajo. El campesino siemsuave. Todo depende en el corte bra las siguientes plantas: la bellode las hojas que se hace la bellota ta, el junco, la chonta y la pita - que ser fina o gruesa: cambiando la juntos se convierten en artesanía. calidad y el precio del sombrero. Estos son los materiales principales y básicos para el sombrero pintado. La bellota es una planta que ¿Entonces cómo se empieza? se necesita 5 aňos para crecer y estar lista a usar. Esto significa Paso 1: El molde es hecho de maque el campesino tiene que plantar dera y cortado en forma de la cabecada año. El junco, la chonta y la za de una persona o niño, este pita son plantas que solo necesitan puede ser de muchos tamaños decuatro (4) meses para estar listaspendiente en la circunferencia de pendiente del mantenimiento de la “The toughest revista you’ll ever love.” la cabeza. Cada molde, u horma, tiene que estar limpio de espinillas para no lastimarse las manos al coser. Paso 2: Coser la bellota en tipo de trenza pero con quince (15) o mas líneas de bellota, esta forma la trenza o crineja blanca que cubre lo mayor parte del sombrero. Paso 3: La chonta negra también se trenza con 15 líneas negras o a veces con líneas blancas para otro estilo de tejido. Pasó 4: Cuando todas las partes principales del sombrero están juntas, cosá las crinejas blancas en forma de un círculo por la base del molde. Para ser sostenido se mantiene en posición con unos hilos así no se mueve - el parte arriba se llama ‗la plantilla‘, cuando baja a tomar la forma del molde se le llama ‗la copa‘. La continuación después de la terminación de la copa es lo que determina el precio de este sombrero. La siguiente es el ala; ésta pueda ser larga o corta depende del estilo del sombrero. Así cuando todo es cosido con fibras de la otra palma que fue hecho como un hilo. Cuando se ve el sombrero todos los partes son naturales; el sombrero es una artesanía orgánica muy impresionante. Si compre un sombrero, es bueno que sepa que la copa y las líneas en esta son la que cuentan para el precio, si te comentan es un sietero (7) esto significa que solo tiene siete (7) vueltas en la copa. El sombrero pintado es una parte esencial de la cultura panameña, y tengo mucha suerte de aprender cómo hacerlos. September 2012 31 All Hands on Death Erica Jones EH G69, Ngäbe Buglé In one episode of the 90‘s sitcom Boy Meets World, Cory Matthews visits the funeral home where the forgotten lunch lady rests after she has passed away. ―Excuse me Mr. Undertaker, sir‖ he says, ―it‘s my first time in a place like this and I don‘t know what to do‖. How does being around death make you feel? Not violent, traumatic death, but normal, expected, natural death? It‘s so easy in the United States to close our eyes with those of the deceased, turn over the body to someone who provides end of life services for a corpse, attend a funeral, and grieve. Our grieving process doesn‘t include dealing with the lifeless body of our friend or relative. But what if there was no one else to do those unpleasant end-of-life tasks? The process of grieving is transformed from mental to very, very physical. In the rural, indigenous community where I live, a young man recently died. Unknown causes sent him home from the hospital to pass away a week later. This man was the younger brother to many of my close friends. From the moment he passed away until he was in the ground, most of the grieving process revolved around the body. He died in the house. His nephews and brother-in-law made the wooden box for his body by hand. People came for three days to mourn with the family and drink unsweetened cacao. The men of the community together dug and prepared the grave. They paraded the body through town to the cemetery with a procession of family and friends behind. At the gravesite, kind words were said, a hymn was sung, and the top came off the casket for one last look at their brother, uncle, and son. And the people cried. And cried. And cried. I cried, watching them cry. With the casket buried, the deceased‘s possessions are piled on top. A week later, when I thought that things were going back to normal – the entire family moved to another town to properly heal without the physical reminders of his recent presence in the house. In my few experiences with death, I have a daunting feeling that I don‘t know what to do. Express sympathy or claim ignorance? Talk or listen? Cry or be stoic? There is no guide on how to handle situations dealing with death. Death is instinctual, Traditional Panamanian graveyard lavainaPanamá@gmail.com E. Jones Indigenous gravesite full of emotions and processes of human nature. Our culture can be awkward in combining our instincts in death with what should be normal. Sure, there are traditions – flowers and funeral services, headstones and eulogies. But most actions of honor are motivated by the heart. In my Panamanian community, everyone knew their role – it was beautiful. Those who weren‘t emotionally involved in the death still took part. To show support for his grieving wife, a husband hammers nails into the coffin. People crying spontaneously could be heard throughout the community. It was so very natural. The process is whole, touched, and unavoidable. This experience has changed my work here, and shaped my new, unbridled, and open attitude towards death. 32 Jessica Fort CEC G65, Los Santos Monday, 5:30 a.m. La Vaina mind the kids that really, there is no forty meter crocodile behind the school. Help clean library. Wonder if one can contract Hanta virus from large quantities of bat poop. Fried hotdog and rice for school lunch. The father of one of my students helps fix the stove at the school. Mishear his name. Find out after he leaves I was calling him Mr. Marshmallow the whole time. 6:00 p.m. Wake myself up snoring and neighbor‘s kids laughing at me. Help neighbor‘s kids make school project. Try and do yoga. Pulgita insists my yoga mat is her new bed. Make avocado salad for the 10th time this week. Giant cockroach flies at my head. Scream for the second time today. Body covered in bug bites. Feel sorry for myself. Random kid comes to my house and asks for a spoonful of peanut butter, then runs away. Makes me feel better. Try and stop Pulgita from chasing neighbor‘s chickens. Wake up to cock fighting outside my house. Find Pulgita (my dog) entangled in my mosquito net. Tried to sneak into bed with me. Must have passed out half-way. 3:00 p.m. She does this often. Realize electricity‘s out. Always goes out School ends. Walk home in the when it rains. It rains almost every rain. Pulgita is happy to see me. day. Greet my neighbors outside in Makes me smile. Realize the dog my broken, ‗morning-Spanish‘. next door stole a whole loaf of Something like, ―Good morning! How you wake up today? Much rain, gives me cold!‖ 8:00 p.m. Put on new pair of pants. Walk the Neighbor gives me one block to bad haircut. Play the school. guitar on front New pair of porch. Town pants aldrunk passes by ready filthy on his horse and with mud. starts singing. We Promise the serenade the town. teachers that I Neighbors laugh at me. actually do bathe Pulgita and I watch the most daily. Joke around with the beautiful sunset. Show some kids kids for awhile. Listen to stoVenus and Jupiter in the sky. ries about a forty meter crocoJ. Fort Explain why there are holes in dile that lives behind the the moon. Try and repair masschool. Tell them there is no sive holes in mosquito net. Give such thing as a forty meter up. Fall asleep to a chorus of crocodile. Kids start screamtree frogs outside my window. ing ―Scorpion!‖ while pointing at my feet. Large scorpion Wednesday, 7:00 a.m.— running down my pant leg. I Tampons and Cheese Day scream. Immediately feel embarrassed about screamToday is a day to celebrate. ing. Kids kill scorpion. Tell After another trip to Tonosí I me it came out of my pants discover that the ―grocery pocket. Kids laugh at me for store‖ (and by grocery store I 30 minutes. So much for Helicopter touches down in El Cortezo. mean glorified gas station) feeling safe about new bread. Stop smiling. Sweep house. now sells Tampons and Cheese! I clothes. Lay in hammock. Read 1.5 pages squeeze a $2 box of wine into of book. Fall asleep. the budget to celebrate with my 11:00 a.m. neighbor, Abby. Watch wildlife video. Have to re A Day in the Life: Tampons and Cheese “The toughest revista you’ll ever love.” September 2012 10:00 a.m. 33 4:00 p.m. 5:30 p.m. We gorge on cheese and wine all day. Get home and spend four hours cooking beans. When will I be able to afford canned beans again? Play guitar for a while. Totally into a song and something crawls over my left hand. I know what it is before looking: another scorJ. Fort pion. Where a r e these g u y s coming from!? Call my house: T h e Scorpion Pit. Wonder why I extended my service here in Panama. Helicopter randomly lands outside my house. Dozens of kids come out of nowhere to gawk at helicopter. Occupants are from the Ministry of Health. Too lazy to take a bus. Planning on building a ―Health Center‖ here because we are in the middle of nowhere and people have died from snake bites trying to get to the nearest hospital. Visit my first host mom, Fula. She is crazy, but in a good way. She always makes me feel better. Random man is staying at her house. He is helping repair the church next door. Insists on quizzing me on every ―word puzzle‖ he knows. Forgets Spanish isn‘t my first language and these jokes rely heavily on the nuances of the language. He wonders why I‘m not getting them. I tell him a word puzzle in English. He just stares at me. I guess English isn‘t his first language either. We go for a walk to the river to clean her up. Run into an eight hundred pound bull that escaped from his pasture. This happens more often than you would think. Everything was cool until Pulgita started nipping his ankles. She‘s a natural herder. And still pissed off about the pickle juice. Bull gets angry. Runs at ME instead of Pulgita. I throw my hand out and scream ―NO!‖ instinctively. Bull charges me again and I wussy swat one of his horns. He was so embarrassed for me he ran away. Walking home realized I could have died and the last thing I would have said was ―NO!‖ to an angry bull that apparently understands English. Get home and ask myself again why I extended. Try and find things to do. Decided against playing J. Fort my guitar. Too lazy to work on grad school stuff. Still pissed at Pulgita. We make eye contact and decide we‘re both even. Then realize that I just either communicated with my dog telepathically or I‘m that lonely. 2:30 p.m. 5:00 p.m. Start my ―Jungle Scene‖ painting in school cafeteria. Halfway through, see that the old paint is peeling off. Continue painting because to stop would make too much sense. Realize this mural will start deteriorating almost immediately after I leave. My mural is a microcosm of all my projects here. Go home feeling sorry for myself. 7:00 p.m. Go home and make a sandwich. Salivating at the smell of a fresh jar of pickles I just bought. Pickles are a rarity in rural Panama. As I‘m opening the jar I lose my grip and pickle juice splashes all over my dog that‘s standing next to me waiting to be fed. Sorry Pulgita. You get pickle juice in your eye instead of food today. She spends all day smelling herself wondering what I threw all over her. lavainaPanamá@gmail.com Go to my neighbors to feel more social. Tell them my near-death-experience and they just laugh at me. You can‘t really outdo these people on awesomeness when it comes to large farm animals. Or machete fights. Or rice-eating contests. Or number of parasites in their intestines. Or amount of days they can spend in the jungle without food or shelter. Thinking about this, my faith is restored in Panama. For now. 34 La Vaina Biological Control Erik King EH 69, Ngäbe Bugle Some time back in the ‗90s, the University of Arizona foolishly awarded me a science degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. I like to think that must be why the Peace Corps invited me to serve in Environmental Health. Now I‘m here, smack in the middle of a very buggy, batty, muddy bit of jungle. The Bocas Ngäbes, who built this house with their own hands and a chainsaw for the previous v=Volunteer, are smart. They build disposable houses on stilts because bugs crawl on the ground. Smart because it makes it hard for bugs, except the ones that can fly, or climb, to get into your living space. But climbing and flying includes all manner of spiders (not that they‘re bugs at all) and ants, termites, cockroaches, moths and mosquitoes, even chitras – which I still haven‘t gotten used to. their sister ants. This means that a displaced ant that can‘t pick up a scent trail will die. My house is a maze of scent trails, and all an ant needs to do is walk a few inches to find another one. So I got to thinking; ants can‘t walk across water, right? dence in my aluminum foil box. Maybe they help keep the cockroaches down. I did notice that no cockroaches lived in my aluminum foil box – and we all know how much roaches love a nice E.Miller I followed the biting ant trail (more like a rush-hour biting ant freeway) to their nest, right under the post that barely holds The cat sure loves krugies up my stairs. I got myself a shovel and pulled on my boots. Biting ants be little tube in which to succor their foul damned! I plunged the shovel in, spawn. scooped out the queen‘s chamber and hucked it across the quebrada. Word Visitors have marveled at the lack of to the wise here: wear a shirt when roaches in my house, so maybe it‘s hucking biting ants, because when working; but I‘m not so sure. The other So I got to thinking; I‘m smart too, they rain down on your back, they will day I was cleaning out under my right? I‘m a licensiado-ed biologist— bite right where your hands can‘t counter, a counter I built not three why shouldn‘t I be able to manipulate reach, unless you dislocate your shoulmonths back, and found a veritable these creatures into some kind of bioder – like I nearly did. roach subsidized housing unit. Like a logical submission? I think they used trailer park of roachdom! Call it Roachto call it Biological Control before realBiting ants down. Excellent. Next move view Estates or Cockroach Haven. My izing it was more just a hubristic oppormy friends the sugar ants. They look bad: don‘t save egg cartons. Roaches tunity for biological folly. like the biting ants, small and black, can fill a couple of cartons fast, with but much nicer. And they live in my their gross egg sacks hanging out of First things first: the biting ants have to planter. You can tell the difference their cockroach butts. I hate cockgo. The previous volunteer used to because when you move the Snickers roaches. throw empty cans of Off! on the ants in upon which they are feasting, they run an attempt to kill them. I found that around in a crazed speedy motion inWhich brings me to why I love chickthis only really confuses them. Ants stead of crawling up your fingers and ens; they relish pecking cockroaches can‘t see that well and mostly cruise burying their formic acid-laced mandito death. With a ―CHU CHU CHU CHU about following the scent laid down by bles into your skin. To me, this is a big CHU!‖ my neighbors‘ chickens come improvement. It got me to thinking like running, pecking the living hell out of A.Hines an ecologist; if there is only so much the cockroaches pouring out of the food I leave around, and the sugar roach mobile unit I‘ve just tossed out ants get it first, then the biting ants the window. It‘s a wonderful sight, exwon‘t have anything to eat, and there cept for the adult roaches that fly right will be fewer cockroaches! Ecology back under my house. That just pisses 101. All that tuition I still owe: paying me off. dividends. So I channel this anger. Inspiration! So if I have small sugar ants, why not Leave coffee cups out over night with a let the nice big golden ants live with little sweet milky chocolate sludge in me, too? They have taken up resithe bottom as bait. I‘ve discovered that Local flora and fauna “The toughest revista you’ll ever love.” September 2012 roaches of all ages—from little instars to full-fledged flying egg-butt monsters—can crawl in but can‘t climb out. 35 A.Hines Toss them out the window in the morning and the chickens come running. I recommend it: both for your mental health, and as a way to lower the population density of blattodids living under your kitchen counters or behind the photo of your sister‘s brand new baby boy. In addition to biting ants, I was left with a tomcat. He‘s great company, but not so good at eating cockroaches. In fact he‘s indifferent. I think it‘s because I feed him too Local Panamanian spider much. So now I feed him less. Because even worse than biting ants in ously, how many eggs can one termite his cat food bowl is the horrible little hatch in three weeks? *scratch scratch scratch* of roaches eating the cat‘s dog food in the middle I scraped the termites up, tossed their of the night. I figure if maybe I feed queen‘s chambers out the window, him less, not only will there be no food dug up the biting ants, threw the left in the bowl for the roaches to rusroaches to the chickens, fed a krugie tle around in at four in the morning. He or two to my cat, let the sugar ants live also might eat one or two. in my planter, the golden ants in my aluminum foil roll, the spiders build The cat will eat krugies, though. webs, but none of them addressed my Geckos: those little chirping lizards chitra/mosquito problem. that lay the coolest pairs of eggs in my seashells. He loves eating them, but Here‘s where my real stroke of biologithey eat the ants and potentially the cal genius backfired on me: Bats. They infant roaches. What can I do? Ecology love to come in and swoop around my is nothing if not complex. How can I house at night. *Swoop swoop flutter say no? It‘s so fun to watch him pin flutter*. Not a problem, I think to mydown a cute little wriggling lizard runself, they‘re eating the mossies. What ning for its life with a well placed paw. else could they be doing? I shine my He really likes them. *Crunch crunch light on them and they give me that crunch*. A licking of his kitty lips, exshivery batty little look, hanging upside pectant eyes asking, ―More?‖ down, squeaking imperceptibly, on the clothesAnd what about the termites? A month line I strung up in the ago, right after a deluge, there was a peak of my zinc roof. (To termite hatching. Ten thousand little keep my clothes from winged insects fly up in the air and mildewing, becoming make sweet termite love. Storing up a ant nests, or worse, lifetime‘s worth of little termite sperm, cockroach projects) This they all fall to the ground, drop their whole time I‘m thinking forty thousand wings, and try to set up I‘m really smart. Then shop. One tried in my egg cartons, but one night, I‘m awoken I think the roaches got it. Another by the oddest thing: pretty successful female got going unlittle drops, usually der the lid to my Axion lemon scented three of them, on my soap. I was only gone for a little while: chest— or worse, my language training, 4th of July, some face. Is my roof leaking, ministry visits, and then PML. Serion an otherwise rain lavainaPanamá@gmail.com free night? Nope, that‘s bat piss. It smells bad too. Bats pee on me in my sleep. Ask me how smart I feel now. Bat pee, albeit, one step below roaches crawling on you in terms of disgusting impossible things to sleep through, is disgusting. I take an offensive tack. When they flutter in and fly around and land on my clothesline, I beat them with my broom. Line it up, take aim, and bat the bat with all I have. But bats don‘t die. Bats it turns out, are the little superhero Batmen of mammals. They‘re nearly impossible to kill, perhaps even as tough as roaches. Batted bats, stunned and pinned, tangled in clothes hangers, still flutter off. Bats are much smarter than roaches, though, and know enough not to come back. That and the fact that I took some advice from a friend of mine raised up here – bats hate aluminum foil. So I hung aluminum foil strips all along my clothes line right above where I sleep, (which caused my golden ants to move into a paper bag) had the effect of making the bats not like to hang on my clothesline: and therefore, not pee on me. This is good since I‘m trying to convince this especially cute girl to visit me again. She might not want to on account of the first time she visited, bats peed on her cheek. You ask her how smart I felt. Nothing sets the mood quite like a little bat pee on the cheek. Take it from me, I‘m licensiado-ed. L.Curry 36 La Vaina Rocking Goal Two Andrew Parker CEC 68, Darién Goal two of Peace Corps is the sharing of American culture with our host country, to get a better idea of us. Ever since I got my guitar and a sound system, I think I have been doing a good bit of that -and rocking out. At first, my playing here was just to let off steam. I would pluck and bend the strings of my dippy little nylon for hours on end at night. Eventually, kids began to hang around my porch and watch the gringo go at it. Soon afterwards, it was adults, too. ―Hugh! Puro rock,‖ the kids would say. Right on, little man. Most of them had never ventured outside the realm of típico and bachata. I felt it was time to give them a feel for the Blues. ‗‘It‘s like décima or típico, only sadder. You‘re singing about that chick that left you; you have no money and all the worst luck, man,‘‘ I told my landlord‘s kid the night I moved into my apartment. So it has now become common place; once the gringo breaks out the guitar, it‘s lesson time to whoever wants one. To many it would sound like nails to chalk board, but to me, it is the sound of exploration. Finding a way to express the soul through the finger tips. That, in itself, is music to me. I then invested in a cheap harmonica and let them bang out a bad tune while I tried to play the harmonica with them. We‘d switch around, trying to jam. ―Right on, little man,‖ I‘d say. Then my landlords kids shouts out, ―La canción, lo sabe!‖ and I know to which one he is referring; ‗Thunderstruck‘ by AC/DC, a good call to worship hymn. I do my best to try and sound like that angry Australian, Bon Scott. I don‘t think I do too well… It is great; a little divergence from típico can‘t do too much harm. Another shouts, ―La canción sobre sueños malos!‖ and I dig through my library. We keep the energy up And on these nice weekends one with ‗Enter Sandman‘ from Metalcan hear the sounds from AC/DC lica. We start off slow, finger pluckto Junior Kimbrough, to Led Zeppeing our air guitars, some who havelin, to The Who blasting out of my n‘t had an air guitar lesson sway little apartment. I hold service to around. Progressively building up; the Rock Gods. And when the drums beating, bass, an ominous house is a rockin‘, don‘t bother overdrive. Then, that drum crashes, knockin‘, just come on in! Weeksnares smashing, and the gain ends you can find my balcón lleno kicks in! I‘ve never been to one of de niños dancing, some doing the those snake-dancing-tongueair guitar and banging their heads, speaking churches, but I believe a gringo doing about the same and my guys have them beat. We are trying to sing. All this is in the midmaking ourselves dizzy from the dle of town where all the adults head banging, winded from the thrashing. By now a lot of A. Parker folks are staring. ―La canción donde bailaste!‖ I hear in the crowd. I went as far as to write a bad song in Spanish to give him an idea. Soon, more kids were hanging around my porch. One kid got up to ask to play my guitar. ―Sure thing, chief,‖ I said and handed it to him. He began to plink around the strings– laughed and pena made him give it back. But it was quickly lent out again to another. can get an eye full. As my new converts and I pay tribute to the fathers of rock, the sons of punk, and the holy ghosts of the Blues, all the saints blast through my speakers. Deliverance. And me, the shepherd of this mosh pit, translating the good word. ―Oh lawd, well ok,‖ I say and begin looking for that song. The gente that rocks together…. “The toughest revista you’ll ever love.” I got caught dancing to this song once and now all the kids like to do the borracho shuffle. I may or may not have had a shot of Seco or two. We go to ‗Couldn‘t Tie Me Down‘ by the Black Keys. For some reason my legs always get tired after this dance (of sorts). September 2012 ―Mi batería esta bajo, qué es nuestra última canción!?” Again my landlord‘s kid (he is by far my best disciple) shouts out, ―Chicas con nalgas grandes!‖ ―Fat Bottom Girls it is, then!‖ I also have to do the choreography to this one, if only I had the suspenders. But I still wouldn‘t do Freddie justice. Kids are laughing. I am sweaty and kind of sore; rocking can take it out of ya. Making an ass of myself? Maybe. Causing a scene? Certainly! I go inside for a drink, fulfilled that I did a part of my job, and made a good show of it. Puro rock. If you would like to attend a service, it‘s not hard to find me, my church, or my disciples; we have plenty of room on my porch, bring your air guitar! Goal 2 never rocked so much. Down by the School Yard Reid Watkins SAS G71 Ngäbe-Buglé Besides being evil, insufferable, obnoxious, adorable and lovable, kids can make fantastic spies. They subtly and unwittingly reveal what their parents and family members say about you: the kind of blunt and honest observations that are completely unacceptable by social standards. Talking to the community children, I can discover what everyone thinks of me without anyone knowing. 37 Coming home one afternoon after a Padres de la Familia meeting on the other side of my town, a young boy walked with me. Little Jorge, with his oversized backpack, tidy school uniform and various bald spots from a recent bad haircut, was the best unofficial community guide around. "I heard that sometimes people fight at the school anniversary celebrations," I said to him, trying to understand the Panamanian way of celebrating. "Are you fighting anyone?" "No," he said, "I don't like to fight. Only the men who drink chicha fuerte do that." "I won‘t fight anyone either," I told him. "It‘s no fun to get hit anyway." ―Exactly,‖ he said, looking up. Cool kid, I thought. "Did something bad happen to you back there?" he asked, suddenly. "Where? At the school?‖ "No, in the United States. Why did you come to Panama?" Jorge says. He must have overheard his parents wondering this very thing, and now the nessio little guy is asking me himself. I suppose it's a logical question, when the world is the view from atop Cerro Tijera. Family and friends are everything – and I left it all behind to start from scratch for two years. How do you explain something to a kid that you haven‘t quite found words for yet? Things were good back home. They were great. But somewhere out there, this world, lavainaPanamá@gmail.com A.Hines Little Jorge‘s world, existed and I just had to see for myself. So I gathered up my trinkets and creature comforts to scatter them to the wind, just to see if I could. I'm still young, you see? This is my way of bending the rules, of living as many different lives as I can in the decades granted. My way of making something special. "No, Jorge, nothing bad happened," I told him, ―In fact, a lot of good things happened, and all those good things led me here. I'm very lucky to be here. A lot of people in the United States want a chance like this, but not everybody can." It wasn't what I wanted to say, but it was true and it's close enough. I‘m not sure if I‘ll find the words – it‘s like describing a color. The words are inexact and clumsy. If he's as smart as I think he is, he‘ll figure it out one day when the time has come to decide things for himself. When he grows up, and I‘m long gone, hopefully he'll remember my strange decision to live in indigenous Panama and realize that the whole world awaits him. Life is calling, Little Jorge. How far will you go? 38 La Vaina THE JOY OF ULTIMATE FRISBEE B. Searle Great Moments in Sport-forDevelopment Ben Searle CED G62, RPCV There are many ways to bring out the best in a young person. Few are more fun and simple than teaching them to make a disc fly. In my experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Panama, I have observed that the joy and simplicity of Frisbee can serve both as a medium of cultural exchange and, more surprisingly, a highly influential development tool. pation and enthusiasm for a project. The first is to make food for everyone; the second is to tie in a sporting event. Sports are most effective as a youth development tool when they used to create an environment where adults can interact constructively with young people and promote the abilities needed to live happy, healthy, and productive lives. Frisbee: the greatest sport ever? Frisbees appeal to just about everyone because of their simple design and the brilliant ease with which they fly. At first, the disk is difficult to throw and the path of the disk is often deceptive. This adds greatly to the entertainment value of the toy. Especially if there is someone around who has already mastered the technique. The distance and accuracy of the disk is a spectacular mystery and the urge to experiment is irresistible for One of the great challenges faced by nearly all community leaders and development workers is the initial process of bringing people together. In most cases, news of a meeting or a new community initiative is not something to celebrate. In the Peace Corps, I consistently observed two ways guaranteed to increase partici“The toughest revista you’ll ever love.” just about everyone. For girls and boys alike, it does not take long to catch on; when it does, throwing the disk becomes an extremely exciting and rewarding activity. Frisbee is an activity that can provide a context for rapid learning, accomplishment, and increased self-confidence. Even children with very low self-esteem can be coaxed into participating because half the fun is running after the flying disk and watching it fly. Any throw, as inaccurate as it may be, is entertaining and opens a window to provide positive feedback. Gradually, with a small amount of encouragement, they will improve. The result is a big smile every time and the will to try again. Ben Searle, CED Group 62, is the founder of Volazo, a sport-for-development organization that uses the sport of Ultimate Frisbee to reach, teach, and inspire youth in Latin America. September 2012 We’ve Got Spirit, Yes We Do Chelsea Weber TE G67, Los Santos While many Peace Corps Volunteers have tossed around a disc at some point in their service, many don‘t realize that the game of Ultimate Frisbee offers much more than just something different and incredibly entertaining for their community members. The game‘s unique method of self-officiating offers a fantastic opportunity for positive social interaction and change. The basic rules for Ultimate are as follows: games are seven-on-seven, and in order to score players must catch the Frisbee in their end zone. There is no running with the Frisbee, no contact, and players can only hold the disc for ten seconds. The game generally lasts an hour 39 and a half or until one team makes it to a certain number of points. A good game of Ultimate is rather non-stop and players have to be quick on their feet, cutting in and out of open space to get the Frisbee, while at the same time patient with the Frisbee in their hands. A good game of Ultimate is also respectful. This is officially (yes, as in the Ultimate rule book) known as ―Spirit of the Game‖. There are no referees in Ultimate Frisbee. The calls—foul, travel, time—all come from the players themselves. Ultimate players know to respect the calls of their opponents, or to respectfully contest them when they don‘t agree with a call. The sport actually has rules in place for making calls on opponents and the proper procedures to follow when a call is ―contested‖ or ―uncontested.‖ The sport has worked this way since its beginning. I personally think the spirit of the game is one of the most interesting pieces of the game. Players have an enormous responsibility to be honest and fair with their calls and towards other B. Searle players. I will admit, this system does not always work perfectly. However, I think it is because of this that most people who play Ultimate are pretty cool people to hang out with. You will not see a team of Ultimate players clearing the sidelines to jump into a pile-up of fist throwing over a bad call. There are no coaches screaming at refs for ―cheating‖ them out of a championship. The sport itself simply asks, ―Can‘t we all just get along?‖ Comarca girls with their Frisbees and PCV. lavainaPanamá@gmail.com B. Searle Having worked in the public schools for a year and a half, I have seen the way many kids think differences should be solved. It is a reality that after a few brief words between students, I will watch as the offended pulls an arm back and screams, ―te voy a pegar!‖ in the face of the offender. Ultimate offers an opportunity to teach kids that disagreements cannot always be solved by punching each other. Not to mention that the glamour of the sport—the cool, high flying catches and fast pace of the game—reels kids in once they get the hang of it. There are several efforts going on in Panama to bring the sport to kids outside of Panama City- where there is actually a community of Ultimate players. PCVs have organized clinics in their communities and Panama Ultimate, the association based in Panama City, is making an effort to reach out to other cities and form youth teams- which they have also brought into the City to play in tournaments. 40 La Vaina Ultimate for Your Community Kenneth Hartman TE G67, Chiriquí K. Hartman As I walked into the school in Renacimiento, Chiriquí for the first time, I could feel all the eyes on the weird plate-thing I had in one hand and the huge bag of them in the other. They knew today was no normal school day. We took the class out to the field and soon discs were flying everywhere, the kids absolutely loving it. After a skills session, we set them loose on the field. There was only one problem. They didn‘t want to stop. Now, I am a Ultimate Club team in Remedios. teacher too and I hate it when my kids skip class and I am not endorsing it, but I couldn‘t help but love their enthusiasm. I don‘t know how many kids actually skipped their next classes to keep playing and how many actually had the next hours free, but I do know every one of them didn‘t want to be anywhere else. B. Searle They loved it so much they were incessantly asking their teacher if they were going to play Ultimate in their normal classes and he was able to answer smiling, ―Yes!‖. Ultimate's unique rules of self-refereeing and Spirit of the Game combined with its fast-paced play make it an ideal sport for developing young and healthy community leaders. If you would like to jump-start Ultimate in your community, I am available to run a clinic in your site. The clinic introduces the basic tenets and techniques of the sport and gets the kids playing and laughing in no time. I can tailor the clinic to your needs and age group. Please see below for my contact information. Calling All Ultimate Volunteers! A kid makes an awesome leap. Are you looking to start an Ultimate club? Do you want Ultimate taught in your school’s gym class? Are you going take advantage of the Volazo opportunity? Do you want to have an awesome day of Ultimate in your site? Then why not run an Ultimate clinic in your site to get things jumpstarted? Ultimate is a great way to teach leadership and fitness through Spirit of the Game®. My name is Ken Hartman and I would love to come to your community to help run an Ultimate clinic. I have the discs and cones to rock a clinic of 25 kids. If you have more kids interested, we could easily run two clinics in a day. Just contact me and we’ll get all the details worked out. E-mail : [email protected] Phone: 6954-2235 “The toughest revista you’ll ever love.” September 2012 41 Baseball, Juju and the Perfect Game Annie Hines CEC G70, Los Santos Each family has their traditions, their idiosyncrasies, if you will. For as long as I can remember, my family‘s tradition has always been baseball. We would gather as a family- my dad, my mom, my brother and I, sitting in front of the TV and watch. I never had a problem of who I would root for; I was fourteen before I realized that the lyrics to ―Take Me Out to the Ball Game‖ were ―root, root, root for the home team‖ - I always said Giants. When the Giants won the World Series in 2010, I was in school in Los Angeles. Being out of town only meant one thing changed. I watched the games on TV without my parents or my brother. Every game from the start of the post season, my roommates watched with me (for observational purposes). What would I do if they lost? More importantly, what would I do if they won? A fifty-three-year -long drought is nothing to take lightly. most underrated pitcher in the majors. And finally, people would realize it. The whole day, I smiled. My Giants were back in the game after a tough season last year. The world series trophy Look at the 22 names included on the list of those who have achieved the perfect game. How many do you recognize? To the causal fan, the names that pop out are Cy Young, Sandy Koufax, Randy Johnson, Roy Halladay and – at least for me – Matt Cain. These are names of already famous pitchers – famous primarily for their skill in all aspects, not just pitching a perfect game. Perfect games are perfect because of a combination of skill, luck, and a little bit of good juju. One of the first letters I received here from my Dad included a Sports Illustrated article by Hart Seely about how the fans, sportscasters, and everyone involved in the game, especially the spectators, feel as though they affect the outcome. We all have our rituals, even if we don‘t call them such. Phil Rizzuto, the former announcer of the Yankees, would start a discussion on a subject (even unrelated to baseball) and conWe all have things to get us tinue it through a rally, reviving it through the hard times in Peace in later innings when times were Corps. Whether it‘s weekly condesperate. What Giants or Anversations with friends back gels‘ fan doesn‘t know about the home or visits with friends down Rally Monkey, the bane of the here, there is something for all Giants‘ 2002 World Series run. of us when times get hard, when In 2010, I watched every game we get frustrated. For me, as it of the series, absolutely enrapwas back home, it‘s baseball. tured. The one game I couldn‘t watch, because I had a class, I ―Did you hear? Matt Cain followed the entire time on my pitched a perfect game!‖ I computer, wearing the cap and called my dad one morning to nearly tumbling the desk when Pitcher Matt Cain and catcher Buster check in and see what was goPosey celebrate after Cain threw his the Giants won the game. I ing on at home. I fell to my Perfect Game have rules when watching knees and nearly started crying. games. I don‘t touch my phone, Of all the Giants‘ pitchers, Matt no matter how badly I want to text someone. When Cain earned it the most. He had been there the longsomething amazing is about to happen, I freeze in est, worked the hardest and was probably the best, place. My brother, telling me the story of Matt Cain‘s lavainaPanamá@gmail.com 42 perfect game, revealed the same thing. He refused to let his girlfriend up to get snacks when watching in the 8th inning. She called me the next day to complain, but I had no sympathy. It‘s part of the rules. You freeze in place; any move can ruin it for you. If you move, and they lose, or someone gets a hit, it‘s your fault; it has nothing to do with luck, happenstance or skill. It‘s pure juju. In my family, watching a baseball game is a ritual more than a form of entertainment. When the team loses, it hurts. When they win, it makes the day better. When they perform something incredible, whether winning a world series or pitching a perfect game, you ride that high for as long as it holds. This season, three-fourths of the way through, Major League Baseball has already had 3 perfect games. Last season had none. 2010 had two. These games are rare, even among the greats. Most teams have none in their history. When it happens, it‘s something to celebrate. During phone calls with my dad and my brother (we don‘t hold my mom‘s reformed Dodger nature against her, but there are some things she just doesn‘t get), we talk about the team. When the team loses, it hurts. When they win, we‘ve won. Sitting in front of the TV or the radio watching a baseball game: you have as much involvement as the players do. Every breath, every ill-timed word, every eye blink- it has an effect on the entire game. Thinking like this isn‘t crazy. It isn‘t abnormal. Any baseball fan, any true fan, can attest to it. I‘d even be willing to bet that any sports fan could as well. It makes us happy. Don‘t hold it against us. La Vaina The Joys of Hiking-In My Groceries Jason “Iyo” Carter SAS G68, Ngäbe Buglé I have to hike into my site and depending if I have the ganas to use a chiva or not, it is between 1 ½ to 2 ¼ hours. Hiking out is always 2 ¼ hours. I am very happy I have this hike. Please allow me to explain. First of all, it means I‘m generally left alone in my site. If anyone is going to visit, they need to call me for instructions on how to get there, so I am never surprised by an unscheduled visitor. Secondly, a hike keeps me sane, for I have a nice 2 hour buffer to mentally prepare myself for electricity, sinks, internet, and fondas. Similarly, if something I see at the internet cafe freaks me out, I have a solid block of time to calm myself down antes que yo llego a mi casa. However, the part I enjoy most is the singularly unique opportunity a more remote site provides to me. In my understanding, few Peace Corps sites around the world provide such a distance from ―civilization‖. With increasing rules on Volunteer safety, I would not be surprised if such remote sites become rarer. Also, I reckon with the speedy clip of technological development such remote sites will be rapidly connected to greater and everincreasing networks of communication. Meditating on such realities, I realized I may be one of the last generations with the luxury of a remote Peace Corps living experience; living with no power or pluma. I am thankful for my luck in being placed in a community off the drivable path. It can get irritating when hiking in a heavy chakara full of beans and veggies in 2 hours of rain, or hiking out before dawn to get to an agency when it opens, but I think that momentary frustration is worth it. I certainly won‘t ever look at a bus quite the same way again. If you have a hike into site, count yourself lucky. Your unique circumstance may teach you some good, and may not be available to many PCV‘s in the future. “The toughest revista you’ll ever love.” September 2012 43 M. Collins How Do You Cope With the Stress of Peace Corps? Mary Collins SAS G65, Colón For many of us, we give and give until we have nothing left. We leave our family, our job, our life in the name of service. We tell ourselves, ―I‘ll feel guilty if I don‘t do that class or seminar‖. We work until we run out of juice. Before going on my month leave, I came to a point where I had nothing left to give. Working through lunches, doing multiple things at once and rarely taking a day off finally took its toll. I ignored my needs physically as well as emotionally. Was I fully aware of each activity while doing three things at once? Heck, Mary doing yoga with kids in Santa Rosa, Colón. it‘s more efficient to do one thing at a time to focus your full attention. I never gave myself posiWarrior II (Beg) tive re-enforcement for my achievements and only focused on what From standing, hop or hadn‘t been done. step one leg behind the other, with the front foot facing forward and the How do you cope with the stress of Peace Corps? Seeing your neighbors back foot at a 90 degree go hungry, having to relieve an animal of its suffering, the illnesses we angle. Extend your arms in face and harassment we receive. At first when I left site I would feel front and behind as opguilty taking a hot shower, thinking of people in my town who will never posing forces. Warrior II know such luxuries. strengthens and stretches legs, ankles, groin, chest, Many of us stay in site and leave for a provincial capital to binge on lungs and shoulders, while increasing stamina. food, alcohol or gamble. Doesn‘t this exacerbate the monumental leap we take from the campo to the city? It can be hard to stay grounded, Plow Pose (Med-Adv): going from very little to endless options in Riba Smith. Laying on your back, inhale and lift your legs, supporting your back with your hands on your lower back. Exhale as you lower legs over your head, resting your toes on the ground behind you, keeping your I came to yoga in college as a form of stress relief and exercise but developed a new relationship with yoga in the Peace Corps. Coming to my legs as straight as possible. If your feet don‘t reach, mat was a ritual that made me feel grounded and at peace. I felt a new do pose in front of a wall, resting the soles of your feet on the wall. awareness and connection to myself that I didn‘t know existed. Plow pose stimulates the abdominal organs (think Be it yoga, hiking, meditation, religion, a good book—find a healthy activ- regularity) and the thyroid gland, while stretching ity that will fill you up and leave you feeling empowered, not drained. the shoulders and spine, and reducing stress. While Celebrate your achievements regardless of what they are- maybe you in this pose, keep your neck straight – DO NOT just arrived to site and finally convinced them you‘re not a missionary. move your head side to side. Or perhaps you finished an aqueduct project. Whatever it may be, be proud of yourself. You don‘t realize it, but you really are making a differAs always in yoga, listen to your body. If a pose ence, so let‘s celebrate our successes and fill ourselves so we can give doesn‘t feel right or your body doesn‘t go that far, in a healthy way. remember there‘s always modifications. Before my service in the Peace Corps, I never really needed to find an emotional release. Sure, blow off some steam every once in a while like everyone else. But here, you see things you will never unsee. You go from your highest highs to most miserable lows in the same week. You have to find a way to cope that will empower you so you can empower others. Never give of yourself, only your overflow. lavainaPanamá@gmail.com 44 Brick for Wood? : Thoughts On a Lost Art Brandon Gibs GTE 67, Coclé It happens to all of us. After aprox. 3.5 weeks of tremendous struggle, extremely conscientious budgeting, and having to say yes to the mondongo/ pata de (insert animal here)/ mythic amounts of arroz offered by your host family, you are balling. You roll on up to the good old General Bank to sacar a little plata, and walk away with a crisp twenty dollar bill. Great. Now, if you‘re like me, you must immediately begin scouring for the nearest chino in your vicinity to work its magic and convert the billete into something that will actually be useable where your headed, or risk still sitting on the same bill come next payday. The next time you find yourself contemplating the logic behind the existence of a monetary unit roughly equivalent to the entire monthly income of many of your friends and neighbors, consider this lesson from a familiar though unlikely source. If you‘re awesome (read: nerdy) like me, and seize every opportunity to make it ―rain‖ on your fellow awesome (read: also nerdy) Volunteers by flexing your settling muscles as Lord or Lady Catan, then you already posses all the necessary know-how to get around having such silly bigbill pena. First though, let‘s take a short stroll through human history. As mankind began to turn away from their old-school ways of on-the-fly hunting and gathering in favor of a more stable, sedentary agricultural La Vaina alternatives, some really radical changes happened. As farmers began getting really good at what they did, they soon found themselves producing more food and products than were needed to support themselves and their families. And so the trader was born! Traders negotiate using these excesses, exchanging them for other things that they needed but couldn‘t produce. As these types of activities grew in popularity and practice so did the size of many of the world‘s once tiny, rural communities. And so this phenomenon, what we now know as urbanization, gave birth to cities and towns, and a whole new type of hombre. Before long, city-dwellers became highly specialized in one craft (maybe sewing or cooking or reading), or not specialized in anything at all (besides eating or asking people for things to eat), and no longer produced many of the basic things they needed to survive. Enter the consumer. As cities kept growing, more and more consumers were on the hunt for the products of those still producing in the farms. By now, traders in urban centers had begun using small pieces of pritty metals to represent the relative worth of the products in their possession instead of dragging their cows, chickens, tobacco, barrels of liquor (etc.) everywhere they went, a trend that, naturally, caught on big time. While the global trend ever since has been to pack up the farm in Nowheresville and head for easy fame and fortune at the nearest money pit with a supermarket, bank, disco, and of course, bar, this does not account for nor help out those of us still kicking it out here in the campo. So what can us out here with mucha “The toughest revista you’ll ever love.” finca pero poca plata do? We can turn to our beloved game Settlers of Catan for a life lesson and cut out the middle man. For example, I always have huevos and my neighbors always have a toddler, and therefore a healthy supply of milk and chiguis. Many days we both have something that the other wants, and lack the ganas, cash, or umbrella necessary for a visit to the local kiosk. Eventually, we put our heads together and after some negotiating, our problem was solved! A couple of my eggs for half a cup of their milk and we‘re all happier than pigs in mud. My other neighbors now have access to an inexhaustible supply of eggs and veggies (if they‘re feeling really adventurous), and I‘ve got the hookup for various tropical fruits for my homemade pies and ciders. There is a term for such a phenomenon in English: win-win. Number of $20 bills involved, zero. And it doesn‘t always have to be goods for goods, though that may be easiest. I‘ve been known to sweep a mean floor or limpiar major monte for a cup of coffee, horse-back ride, what have you. Trading and bartering can even be encouraged on a community level – let‘s say in the form of a weekend farmer‘s market – especially if you‘re sick of hearing your gente complain about how expensive stuff is or having to go pa’ya lejos to get it. It‘s so easy and makes so much sense out here. Why not give it a go? So remember, young settler of Panama, the next time you find yourself short on cash but sitting on a load of bricks, with no port in site, don‘t fret. Check with your neighbor; he just might have wood. September 2012 45 with the option to travel, will prevent that inner carnivore from pouncing on any innocent bystanders. ryone envies your free spirit, it‘s time to make sure you are pulling your weight at work and not getting distracted by the glint of the sun on the jungle leaves. The Capybara The Sloth (Taurus) April 20– May 20 Stubborn and determined Iguana- they can throw as many rocks as they want, you are not moving off that branch. This month, you are very home focused. Whether entertaining friends, or staying in and working, home is where the Iguana is. Beware that trouble at work doesn‘t light that slow-to-move temper and make you more stubborn than usual. No te preocupes. You might feel the need to prove yourself now, but soon everyone will respect you and see the value of your work. (Virgo) Aug. 23– Sep. 22 The gentlest of the Zodiac, the Capybara is usually one adorable rodent who never gets its fur ruffled. This month will test your sweet, nurturing nature. Likely to be fussy and overcritical, watch out that you don‘t stick your whiskered nose where it‘s not wanted. Also, stop obsessing over your health, the other capybaras don‘t want any more lectures on yoga or veganism. The best way for this month‘s overwrought, high-strung Capybara to achieve Zen is just to relax and cut herself some slack. (Capricorn) Dec. 21– Jan. 19 Patient, slow moving sloth– this month, you will be focused on your career. You might feel impatient to make changes, but sloths never get anything done quickly. Slow progress is your strength. Come down off of that branch and spend some time with the other jungle critters. It will take you a while to get to know them, but you should do better relating to other this month with Venus moving into your sign. The Tamarin Monkey Blue and Yellow Macaw Your Panamanian Stars The Iguana (Gemini) May 21– June 20 Chatty, excitable Tamarin– this is an excellent month to throw a party. Quench your need for novelty and for boisterous conversation in one go, and invite neighbors over for board games and a potluck. Who knows what new dishes you might get to try! Money is going to get tricky this month and you might be on a plantain and rice diet as you wait for your monthly allowance, so take care to spend wisely. (Libra) Sept. 23– Oct. 22 Faithful and just Macaw– the month is all about maintaining your balance. You might mate for life but you can‘t expect other animals to be so constant. This month brings on lots of challenges: in relationships, work, and financially. You will struggle with your need to control everything, but the best lesson is learned through experience. Don‘t be afraid to let things fail. When the boat goes bust, use that level head of yours and be the cord that ties the jetsam back together. The Howler Monkey The Bat (Cancer) June 21– July 22 As loud and intimidating as you might sound Howler Monkey, this month you show us your cuddly side. You will be prone to excessive generosity and will go out of your way to put everyone around you at ease. This skill will come in handy, as tense situations over power and independence are likely to develop within host families and agency groups. The Jaguar (Leo) July 22– Aug. 22 Hey, you gorgeous jungle cat, you‘ve got everyone looking at you. However; the normal socializing and flirting has done nothing to tame that restless spirit. Before you pace a groove into that cement floor, its time for you to explore some other options. Pursuing projects in education and communication, especially (Scorpio) Oct. 23– Nov. 21 The oldest soul of the zodiac, The Bat should seek sanctuary in its dark cave this month. Every time you pop your nose out, something new will seem to go wrong. If only they would listen to your advice, right? This is not a time to pull seniority. Try directing your frustration into some cave painting or creative hieroglyphics. Let the vampire out and celebrate the darkness of the new moon, but try not to take yourself so seriously. The Quetzal (Sagittarius) Nov. 22– Dec. 21 Optimistic Quetzal, aiming for the canopy treetops– this would be a great month to bring a little of your energy down to the animals on the jungle floor. Friends and associates will seek you out for help with their problems. While eve- lavainaPanamá@gmail.com The Manatee (Aquarius) Jan. 20– Feb. 18 Metaphysical manatee– your urge to break away from others and ponder questions about the meaning of life in the deep blue of the ocean could make this a lonely month for you. However, since interaction with others is likely to make you irritable and your relationships might become strained, this is a great time for an escape, whether physically or mentally. Just make sure you don‘t get lost hunting pearls for too long! The Sea Turtle (Pisces) Feb. 19– March 20 Spacey sea turtle, you thought Crush from Finding Nemo was a bit lost in his dreams? Your loopy cousin has nothing on you this month! You might not be all there to the other jungle animals, but your inner life is going to be spectacular. Air deprivation will just make the world even hazier, so poke your head above water sometimes and clear out those cobwebs. The Harpy Eagle (Aries) March 21– April 19 Willful Eagle- this month it‘s all about you. Overbearing, argumentative and defensive, watch out that your need to get your way doesn‘t ruin your agency relationships. On a positive note, you‘ve been preening like Chanticleer and are all set to llamar la atencion at the local baile. The neighboring hens better watch out because this Eagle won‘t be outfeathered by anyone! 46 La Vaina P. Wawro The tool Coconut Oil! I should use one more exclamation point because it is that awesome. Coconut Oil!! That strange white oil that smells delicious but looks a little off is the bee‘s knees. So one may ask what‘s the point, Pete? Why are you wasting my La Vaina time telling me this? Coconut oil is hard to find and expensive. It‘s just one more thing I want but can‘t get. Turns out wherever there are coconuts there is also coconut oil. Mind blowing, I know. The only problem is how you get the oil out of the nut. The tried and true way is to give about 30 coconuts to the nearest old lady and wait. She will come back two days later with the oil complaining about sore hands and cut fingers. She will make excuses, she will avoid you and she will never make oil again. This is because of the antiquated way in which coconut oil is produced. One of the steps for making oil is to grate the meat of the coconut. The campo tool to do this is an improvised cheese grater made by poking holes in a piece of metal. The use of this tool makes your hands look like you went through ten rounds of finger boxing with two ferocious kittens. Solutions? Anyone? Oh, right. I‘ve got one. The reality is that grating can be fun and safe* if you have the correct tool. Now there are two options for conseguiring a coconut grater. The first is to order it from Cambodia and wait. The second is to make your own! “The toughest revista you’ll ever love.” September 2012 Here is how it’s done… Find a piece of thick metal (2mm4mm). Carriola from the roof works well. Zinc is too thin. The less likely to bend, the better. Use a fine tooth metal saw to cut out a 3‖ diameter circle connected to a thick neck. Use a small saw lima (file) to file 5mm teeth into the edge of the circle. The big limas for machetes make teeth that are too wide. Attach the metal piece to a bench or piece of wood that you can fit between your legs and hold steady. Grate away! 47 How to make coconut oil Serving size: Enough for 1 PCV Grate coconut meat with awesome new tool. Soak the meat in water and squeeze the juices out the same as if you were making coconut milk. Let the ―milk‖ sit over night. A thick frothy liquid will separate to the top of the mixture. Skim the frothy liquid off the top with a fine mesh strainer and cook this down until it turns a nice golden color. You don‘t want it too light (raw) or too dark (burnt). I recommend finding the old lady from before and asking her what‘s up. P. Wawro Thirty coconuts makes about 1 liter of oil. Uses of coconut oil Cooking (fine substitute for recipes calling for butter) Hair and skin revitalization (you can use it to shave your legs, so I‘ve been told) Insect repellent Stop smiling kid. This is work! Skin deparasito for animals Lotion or perfume Important things to remember The neck should not be too long. If it is, it will bend. The teeth just need to reach the meat. A smaller head is better than a big one. If the head is too wide, it‘s hard to grate small coconuts. Don‘t take off the shell of the coconut. Just get rid of the husk. The shell protects the hands from the teeth. Without the shell, the meat will just break into pieces. lavainaPanamá@gmail.com Practical jokes *(Copyright Peter Wawro Coconut Oil Enterprises. We take no responsibility for the fun or safety of this activity.) 48 La Vaina Man Only Eats Canned Food: A Case of Mistaken Identity tively impacted by a diet with many processed foods. She found that diets rich in whole foods, omega-3 fats, slow-release whole grains, and high-nutrient, low-calorie spices, vegetables, and leafy greens, can ward off modern diseases. There once was a priest who only ate canned food. He was traveling through the comarca with a Ngäbe guide. They would go pasear, be offered food. The guide would graciously accept; but the priest would decline. He only ate canned food. Then, when they were somewhere near Peña Blanca, the priest ran out of his canned food. He started to get hungry. Later they went to pasear. The family was eating a delicious soup of beans with otoe leaves. Of course they didn't offer any food to the priest because he only ate canned food. The soup smelled delicious and the priest sat there getting hungrier, watching everyone else eat. Finally, he asked for some soup, but the family didn't give him any because he had always been so rude in the past turning down their offers of food. The priest said he just wanted to try a little so the Ngäbe guide shared some of his soup with the priest, and it was delicious. I took particular interest in a chapter about the Tarahumara Indians of Copper Canyon in Northern Mexico because their diet was quite similar to traditional foods found on the Pacific side of the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé. Copper Canyon was highlighted as an area with a notably low incidence of diabetes thanks to a diet that emphasizes the 'three sisters' staples: squash, beans, and corn. All these are ingredients that Comarqueños also grow. Likewise, many ladies in my community manage to make a wide variety of dishes with other healthy ingredients: garlic, cilantro, onion, pumpkin, etc. Laura Fishman EH G66, Ngäbe-Buglé Stories are never told without a reason here. This story has an obvious message: eat the food people give you! I always do this anyway: so it really served to underline that the storyteller just didn't know me and was making assumptions. The story also put me in the mood to make bean and otoe leaf soup when I got home. It sounded delicious, and it turned out it is. I was halfway through my first bowl of bean and otoe leaf soup when I realized, he thought I was Beligoyi! She was the previous Volunteer in my site and kept to a strict diet. Certainly plenty of people have assumed that I was she. Now the story made sense. The Diet Dilemma Jessica Rudder CED G66, Ngäbe-Buglé We Volunteers often write about food in La Vaina - the delicious, the strange, and the unidentifiable. But, food and eating is the foundation of the culture and so central to every-day thinking that it is worth meditating on in several times. We all recognize that sharing meals with a family is the quickest way to prove that we are not just some chump foreigners. During those pasear sessions, we should take the opportunity to talk about food. What‘s more, these foods are often more healthy and nutritious than modern, processed foods that are slowly creeping their way into rural diets. The most in-depth, yet straightforward book I‘ve read on this matter is called, The Jungle Effect, by Dr. Daphne Miller, which analyzes diets in certain parts of the world that have low instances of modern diseases. The author focuses on how diabetes, heart disease, depression, bowel trouble, and prostate and breast cancers are nega“The toughest revista you’ll ever love.” One key difference is that many meals include simple white rice. As far as I can tell, the rest of Central America thrives on a diet that integrates more corn. In Panama, rice is essential. I‘ve heard Panamanians of all stripes assert, ―I would just not be full if I didn‘t eat rice every day.‖ It seems that the adoption of white rice by Ngäbes reflects a national preference for having rice with every meal, rather than a specific tradition related to the Ngäbe people. I would conjecture that rice grown locally and unprocessed has a lot more nutrients than more commercial varieties grown on industrial farms. Insofar that Ngäbes are eating from their own back yard, they are probably better off. Despite this, many locally-grown, Comarca foods are rich foods just like many found in Northern Mexico –otoe, local varieties of corn, September 2012 pumpkin, squash, and beans. According to the ―The Jungle Effect,‖ all of these elements should mix together to create a diet that is nutritionally sound and meet the specific needs of people living in this area. This is all very curious to me because if Ngäbes have all the food they need in their back yard, why is it that we associate them with such poor health? Historically, Ngäbes have suffered from ‗poor‘ diseases like malnutrition and water-borne illness. But, as their diet continues to change and modern/western culture seeps further into the mountains, this could mean that Ngäbes will be soon jumping from one health crisis to another. As traditional foods are traded in for their processed, ugly step-cousins, Ngäbes will likely see an increase of all the modern, chronic diseases that they have thus far avoided: diabetes, heart disease, obesity, etc. light some of the nutritional value they may not be aware of – such as: that beta-carotene in pumpkin is really good for eyesight or that papaya is good for digestion. Living in this area feels like living on the brink of tradition and modernization. Unfortunately, it looks like the transition to modern foods may have a negative impact on long-term health in ways that are not fully understood. Food customs are just another sphere that will be affected by the development transition as Ngäbes and other rural Panamanians messily select which traditions to keep and which will fade away. 49 Otoe and Leaves Heat up a pot of water, add 3/4 cup beans (chiricano), 1 coarsely chopped onion, one small otoe chopped into 1" cubes. Turn off heat once water boils. Leave beans to soak for 2 hours. Gather a bunch of otoe leaves, still curled up or recently unfurled. Chop and add to soup. When the beans are tender, add salt and cook soup at a simmer for 45 mins. or until the beans are soft and broken open. Fermented Coconut Vinegar Jason Carter SAS G68, Ngäbe-Buglé J. Rudder 3 Fresh Young Coconuts 3 Onions 3-10 Spicy Peppers (depending on taste) 5 Small Sweet Peppers or 1 Large Bell Pepper 2 Heads of Garlic 1 Bottle (1.5 or 2 liters) cleaned. The most that I can do is eat traditional meals with the families and tell them how great it is that they can grow so much healthy food in their back yard. As we revel in the deliciousness, I can try to bring to There are several factors that threaten the richness of the Ngäbe indigenous diet. Comarca Cuisine 1. The increased consumption of packaged food. 2. The decline of eating locally obtained leafy greens and wild vegetable plants. 3. A growing population increases slash-and-burn, decreases soil capacity and food output, and impoverishes the overall diet. Bean and Otoe Leaf Soup Laura Fishman EH G66, Ngäbe-Buglé 1 Can of Beans (Chiricanos) 1 Onion lavainaPanamá@gmail.com Finely chop or mince onions, peppers, and garlic. Open coconuts, draining and conserving liquid. Remove coconut meat and cut fine. Insert coconut meat and other vegetables in the bottle, followed by the conserved coconut water. Fill the rest of the bottle with water (if you have many coconuts available, fill the entire bottle with coconut water). Stopper the bottle and let ferment 5-7 days. Use as a topping on rice, pasta, or vegetables. Modify the ingredients to taste and availability. (I used 7 heads of garlic in mine). Lasts over a month. Optional: Add herbs (oregano or culantro), fruits (nancer pulp) or seasoning powders (cinnamon, sopa de maggi). 50 La Vaina Volunteer Recipes Chicken Curry Susan Mershon EH G69, Ngäbe-Buglé Sauté in skillet: 2 Tb oil 1/4 c minced onion 1 tsp curry powder Blend in: 2 Tb flour (to thicken the curry) 1/2 t salt 1/2 t sugar 1/2 t ginger 1 tablespoon of soy sauce 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Dress the shredded veggies and let it hang out for at least 10 minutes so that the flavors blend and the cabbage starts to release it juices a bit. at it with chopsticks that you have crafted in the jungle. Cook over low heat until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in: 1/2 c chicken broth (can be made with bouillon) 1/2 c milk 1 apple, peeled and chopped (optional) 1 c cooked diced chicken or soaked, dried chicken chunks. 1/2 tsp lemon juice Asian-Themed Salad Casey Galligan TE G67, Panama Este 1 head of cabbage, shredded. 1 carrot, shredded Mix in a bowl. Dressing: 1 spoonful of peanut butter, 1/4 cup vinegar or lime juice a slice of onion, finely finely diced. 1/4 inch piece of ginger, finely diced. Mix dry ingredients together ‗til well distributed. Add oil and vinegar, enough water to make a dough slightly firmer than hojaldras. Start with 1/2 cup water and gradually increase until dough is not very sticky. Knead thoroughly for 5 minutes until dough springs back slightly to the touch of a finger. Mix in spices as desired. Pat out into patties 1/4 inch thick and place on a lightly oiled skillet on medium heat. Flip over to cook the second side when first side is brown. Andew’s Crazy Awesome Cobbler Andrew Parker CEC G68, Darién Heat thoroughly. Serve with white or brown rice on the side. Fun toppings include: shredded dried coconut peanuts raisins chopped fresh tomatoes Optional spices: 2 tsp oregano, 1 tsp thyme 3 cloves of garlic, stir fried 1/2 tsp paprika Herbed Skillet Flatbread Susan Mershon EH G69, Ngäbe-Buglé Basically hojaldras on the skillet. Good with soup. 2 cups wheat flour 1/2 cup corn flour (chicheme or crema de maiz) 2 Tb sugar 2 tsp baking soda or baking powder 1/4 cup oil 1 tsp vinegar (helps it rise) 1/2 to 1 cup water “The toughest revista you’ll ever love.” 2 30 Oz. Cans of fruit (peach or fruit cocktail) in syrup 2 Boxes of cake mix Aluminum Foil Sugar, honey, or chocolate Oil Big ole pot with a lid You need a fogón for this. Cover the inside of pot with foil (for easy clean up). Dump contents of cans in pot. Add sweets as well. Dump cake mix on top. DO NOT STIR THE MIX AND FRUIT! Put oil on top of mix. Butter is even better. Cover and put on fagon. The juice from the cans will boíl into cake mix. Periodically check on it, to see how it‘s boiling into the mix. Usually after 30-45 mins. it‘s all boiled and mixed. Kids should be circling like buzzard by this time as well. Cool and share. Or don‘t. Just know that you will burn this, there is no avoiding it. Hence the foil in the pot. September 2012 51 Volunteer Recipes Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Squares Burnt Salt Jason “Iyo” Carter SAS G68, Ngäbe-Buglé Kim Nettles TE G70, Darien Note: Burnt salt does not become moist and clumped like normal table salt, that in of itself is why I burn my salt. Plus it is yummy. These delectable little bites are flourless, butterless, nutritious, and all of the ingredients can be found in any Chino! They are perfect as a breakfast treat (and even better when topped with extra peanut butter). 1 1/2 cups oats 1/4 cup light brown sugar (I just use La Morena Cristal) 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup milk 1 large egg, lightly beaten 2-3 ripe Panamanian bananas 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter Mix together the oats, light brown sugar, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the vanilla extract, milk and egg. Add this liquid mixture to the dry mixture in the large bowl. Mash the banana in the separate bowl, then add to the larger bowl. Finally, add in the peanut butter. Combine all of the ingredients. Pour the mixture into your double paila. Cook on low heat until golden brown. Cut into squares and enjoy! Saucy Chicken Hanna York TE G67, Darién 1lb chicken, cut into 4 or 5 pieces 1 clove garlic, chopped 1/4 tsp ginger, chopped 2 pounds iodized table salt 2 eggs 2 green bananas 1 pila (hollas may warp, a thick cooking vessel is preferred) 1 metal spoon 1 smooth rock, washed and dried. 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes or substitute hot sauce 1/4 cup apple juice 1/3 cup brown sugar or raspadura or honey 2 tbs ketchup 1/2 tbs apple cider vinegar or regular vinegar 1/2 cup water 1/3 cup soy sauce Brown chicken with oil on medium heat for 5-10 mins. If you don't want to use chicken just make the sauce. It's good over rice and you could always Throw in some veggies ( that is, if you planned ahead and brought some back to site with you) or use another type of meat. In the same frying pan, with the heat off, add all the other ingredients. Turn the heat back on and cook the sauce on medium (low simmer) until the sugar/raspadura is melted (or if you're using honey until all the ingredients are mixed) about 3 to 5 min. Add the chicken to the sauce mix, bring up to boil then back to a simmer for about 20min. Cook your rice or spoil yourself and cook some form of noodles. Though personally, I think it's best with rice. lavainaPanamá@gmail.com Put pila on a medium fire and add salt, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes for it to warm up. Add raw eggs (without shells) and the flesh of the peeled green bananas. Add green bananas by scraping flesh off fruit with a knife held perpendicular to the surface, such that it comes off bit by bit like a paste. Do not add the core of the banana where the seeds are, just the flesh. Add the raw eggs. Stir every minute or so for 10 minutes, taking care to break up clumps of wet ingredients with your spoon as you stir. Stir more or less continuously for the next 10 minutes, scraping up the salt from the bottom of the pila so it burns evenly. After about 30 minutes from the start, the salt should begin to smoke a lot, and have a speckled grey and black texture. Remove from heat and cool 15 minutes. When the salt has cooled, use the rock to pulverize the larger clumps which are left over from cooking. You will be left with a delicious, non-clumping salt. Lasts forever. Great on pifá, rice, eggs, or anything lacking salt. Optional: add tilapia minnows with the eggs, ground spicy peppers in the last 10 minutes, or toss in chicken livers. Store in an airtight container. Notes: Follow the 1-1-1 salt to egg to banana ratio to burn 1 pound or 20 pounds. 52 La Vaina Armstrong, Adam▪Basurtto, Angela▪Bennett, Diana▪Bunting, Lindsey▪Cardenas, Omar▪Cho, John▪Cobbs, Alec▪Durham, Coy▪Fischl, Jack▪Fishman, Laura▪Gusttafson, George▪Gutierrez, Tyler▪Hagerman, Stephen▪Howard-Anderson, Kayla▪Ikeda, Karol▪Jackson, Courtney▪Johnson, David▪Kapadia, Moiz▪Kingsley, Christopher▪Kenny, Daniel▪Kraus, Andrea▪Lafferty, Elliot▪Lange, Emily▪Mack-Obi, Whitney▪Meier, Victor▪Midkiff, Jacob▪Mortensen, Scott▪Oberle, Nicolas▪Phillips, Monique▪Purington, Carolyn▪Rudder, Jessica▪Sebastian, Debra▪Sierra, Karla▪Strawn, Mary▪Sumner, Sean▪Walker, Charles▪Wiggins, Kyle▪Woods, Kimberly▪ Armstrong, Adam▪Basurtto, Angela▪Bennett, Diana▪Bunting, Lindsey▪Cardenas, Omar▪Cho, John▪Cobbs, Alec▪Durham, Coy▪Fischl, Jack▪Fishman, Laura▪Gusttafson, George▪Gutierrez, Tyler▪Hagerman, Stephen▪Howard-Anderson, Kayla▪Ikeda, Karol▪Jackson, Courtney▪Johnson, David▪Kapadia, Moiz▪Kingsley, Christopher▪Kenny, Daniel▪Kraus, Andrea▪Lafferty, Elliot▪Lange, Emily▪Mack-Obi, Whitney▪Meier, Victor▪Midkiff, Jacob▪Mortensen, Scott▪Oberle, Nicolas▪Phillips, Monique▪Purington, Carolyn▪Rudder, Jessica▪Sebastian, Debra▪Sierra, Karla▪Strawn, Mary▪Sumner, Sean▪Walker, Charles▪Wiggins, Kyle▪Woods, Kimberly▪ Armstrong, Adam▪Basurtto, Angela▪Bennett, Diana▪Bunting, Lindsey▪Cardenas, Omar▪Cho, John▪Cobbs, Alec▪Durham, Coy▪Fischl, Jack▪Fishman, Laura▪Gusttafson, George▪Gutierrez, Tyler▪Hagerman, Stephen▪Howard-Anderson, Kayla▪Ikeda, Karol▪Jackson, Courtney▪Johnson, David▪Kapadia, Moiz▪Kingsley, Christopher▪Kenny, Daniel▪Kraus, Andrea▪Lafferty, Elliot▪Lange, Emily▪Mack-Obi, Whitney▪Meier, Victor▪Midkiff, Jacob▪Mortensen, Scott▪Oberle, Nicolas▪Phillips, Monique▪Purington, Carolyn▪Rudder, Jessica▪Sebastian, Debra▪Sierra, Karla▪Strawn, Mary▪Sumner, Sean▪Walker, Fear no more the heat o’ the sun; Charles▪Wiggins, Kyle▪Woods, Kimberly▪ Armstrong, Nor thy furious rivers’ rages, Adam▪Basurtto, Angela▪Bennett, Diana▪Bunting, Thou thy altruistic task hast done, Lindsey▪Cardenas, Omar▪Cho, John▪Cobbs, Alec▪Durham, Home art flown and ta’en readjustment wages; Coy▪Fischl, Jack▪Fishman, Laura▪Gusttafson, George▪Gutierrez, Benevolent lads and gals all must, As the mud on our boots, come to dust. Tyler▪Hagerman, Stephen▪Howard-Anderson, Kayla▪Ikeda, Karol▪Jackson, Courtney▪Johnson, David▪Kapadia, Moiz▪Kingsley, Fear no more Nenito bailes pega’o; Christopher▪Kenny, Daniel▪Kraus, Andrea▪Lafferty, Elliot▪Lange, Thou art past Alfredo’s mogollón, Emily▪Mack-Obi, Whitney▪Meier, Victor▪Midkiff, Care no more to salomar and howl, Jacob▪Mortensen, Scott▪Oberle, Nicolas▪Phillips, To thee the bulla is as a bullarón; The fiesta and chévere times all must, Monique▪Purington, Carolyn▪Rudder, Jessica▪Sebastian, As pisos de baile, come to dust. Debra▪Sierra, Karla▪Strawn, Mary▪Sumner, Sean▪Walker, Charles▪Wiggins, Kyle▪Woods, Kimberly▪ Armstrong, Fear no more the chiva crash, Adam▪Basurtto, Angela▪Bennett, Diana▪Bunting, Nor the dreaded stomach groan; Lindsey▪Cardenas, Omar▪Cho, John▪Cobbs, Alec▪Durham, Fear not dengue nor leish rash Group 66 hast finish´d joy and shown Coy▪Fischl, Jack▪Fishman, Laura▪Gusttafson, George▪Gutierrez, All PCVs de Panamá, all PCV tours must, Tyler▪Hagerman, Stephen▪Howard-Anderson, Kayla▪Ikeda, Consign to thee and come to dust. Karol▪Jackson, Courtney▪Johnson, David▪Kapadia, Moiz▪Kingsley, Christopher▪Kenny, Daniel▪Kraus, Andrea▪Lafferty, Elliot▪Lange, No curandero harm thee! Emily▪Mack-Obi, Whitney▪Meier, Victor▪Midkiff, Nor brujería charm thee! Fantasma unlaid forbear thee! Jacob▪Mortensen, Scott▪Oberle, Nicolas▪Phillips, Nothing ill come near thee! Monique▪Purington, Carolyn▪Rudder, Jessica▪Sebastian, Quiet consummation have; Debra▪Sierra, Karla▪Strawn, Mary▪Sumner, Sean▪Walker, And renowned be thy grave! Charles▪Wiggins, Kyle▪Woods, Kimberly▪ Armstrong, Adam▪Basurtto, Angela▪Bennett, Diana▪Bunting, Lindsey▪Cardenas, Omar▪Cho, John▪Cobbs, Alec▪Durham, Coy▪Fischl, Jack▪Fishman, Laura▪Gusttafson, George▪Gutierrez, Tyler▪Hagerman, Stephen▪Howard-Anderson, Kayla▪Ikeda, Karol▪Jackson, Courtney▪Johnson, David▪Kapadia, Moiz▪Kingsley, Christopher▪Kenny, Daniel▪Kraus, Adapted from: William Shakespeare’s Andrea▪Lafferty, Elliot▪Lange, Emily▪Mack-Obi, Whitney▪Meier, Fear no more the heat o’ the sun Victor▪Midkiff, Jacob▪Mortensen, Scott▪Oberle, Nicolas▪Phillips, By Katie Simpson Monique▪Purington, Carolyn▪Rudder, Jessica▪Sebastian, Debra▪Sierra, Karla▪Strawn, Mary▪Sumner, Sean▪Walker, Charles▪Wiggins, Kyle▪Woods, Kimberly▪ Armstrong, Adam▪Basurtto, Angela▪Bennett, Diana▪Bunting, Here lIes Group 66… “The toughest revista you’ll ever love.”