May - Peace Corps Panama Friends

Transcription

MAY 2013
Pgs. 18-23
Pg. 25
Pg. 29
PLUS
Goodbye to Brian Riley
2
La Vaina
Notes on bringing Earth Day to Panama.
A. Boeckmann
A book club project with great success.
A. Ramsey
Volunteers share their creativity.
A. Butler, A. Eden & C. Cousar
Combating domestic abuse in Panama.
A. Eden
L. Curry
A. Parker
A. Butler
LETTER FROM CD…………..4
SEEDERS……………….…...8
ADMIN…………….…………..6
ASK PROFE…………….…..11
VAC ATTACK………………...7
GAD…………………..……..11
Cover: A. Parker
Contents: E. King, A Parker, S. Watson
“The toughest revista you’ll ever love.”
May 2013
3
From the Editor’s Desk:
Rice, pollo, and típico. Panamanians like their rice white, their pollo fried, and their típico loud. I know from experience. Here at La Vaina, we are celebrating music. Good and bad, rock and típico, guitars and accordions. It is by
far the easiest means to achieve that lovely Goal Two. I love sharing my music library with my gente, and they love
sharing with me the same Prince Royce songs I‘ve heard 100+ times already and the ‗Choque Song‘. I‘ve yet to get
tired of that one. But as we all have different tastes I will never go out of my way to listen to Ballenato or típico just
as my friend Velesario won‘t go out of his way to listen to Thrash Metal. We meet halfway and share. We share music, share culture, share understanding. And I feel that is how all this is supposed to work (Peace Corps, projects
and culture sharing). We meet halfway and we both pitch in. My time is almost up and I can say that my ears have
been assaulted by Panama‘s perpetual Top 40 and my own bad tastes in music. But what I take away from all this
is a better perspective on my culture and Panama‘s- and a few completed projects to add. And my gente wondering
whether or not that sound is the Gringo singing in his hammock at eight o‘clock at night or a dying cat caught by a
culebra.
Mahalo,
Andrew Parker
G68, Editor-at-Large
“Every time I leave site, I tell my gente I’m going to China.‖ Do you
have a secret? It’s time to confess. Bats that made you girly scream, eating roaches out of your oatmeal , a secret love of mondongo. Just a sentence or two can be enough.
Submit anonymously or with your name. The choice is yours.
Send to [email protected]
Deadline: August 19
La Vaina is looking for a few
good men (and women). Can you
read English? You’re hired. Send
an email to
[email protected]
with qualifications and a writing
sample. Scrubs need not apply.*
*We don’t want no scrubs.
From Left
Andrew Butler
G70 TE
La Gloria, Bocas del Toro
Editor-in-Chief
Annie Hines
G70 CEC
Isla Cañas, Los Santos
Managing Editor
Andrew Parker
CEC G68
Barriales, Darién
Editor
[email protected]
4
La Vaina
From the
Director
Brian Riley
CD PC Panamá
RPCV Ecuador 1985-89
generosity are the reasons
I have spent the majority of
my adult life working for
Peace Corps. I have loved
working with you and for
you.
-Peace Corps Panama is a
team. Together, we are all
Peace Corps Panama. Not
just PCVs and the office.
Dear Panama PCVs and Staff,
I have been reflecting on the past
4 years in Panama and I am struck
by many thoughts and emotions:
-My family and I love living
here. I don‘t think we will
ever be really ready to
leave. This feels like home
now.
-I am humbled and honored
that I have been able to
serve as your Country Director. I do not take it for
granted.
-I am amazed at the dedication
of our staff. Peace Corps is
the kind of job where there
isn‘t much of a divide between personal and professional life. Thanks to all of
our staff for your unrelenting support of our PCVs. I
am so proud and thankful
to call all of you colleagues.
-For our PCVs: Your commitment, sacrifice, dedication,
persistence, curiosity,
toughness, stubbornness,
flexibility, idealism and
-Panama is a stunning, beautiful and diverse country. It is
also an outstanding post
for Peace Corps to continue working for many
years to come. Although
the country is on the cusp
of developed nation status
in many ways, I believe our
sector areas are an excellent fit to assist Panama in
its continued quest for development. Your work as a
PCV or staff member does
have a development impact on Panama!
-A special thanks to our Regional Leaders. We are
known throughout the PC
World as the country with
the most successful Regional Leader program. You
are key members of our
management team!
-Our VAC, GAD and La Vaina
teams are the best I have
ever worked with. Your contributions greatly enhance
our mission.
-Thanks to PCVs and staff alike
for your service to Panama
and the United States. We
are all privileged to work
for a government agency
like the Peace Corps. Make
no mistake…. there is no
other agency like the Peace
Corps! We get paid (not a
lot…) to provide service to
“We are all privileged to work for
a government
agency like the
Peace Corps.”
others and build our own
resumes at the same time.
We get to live and work
with people from a different
culture. We get to learn
new languages. We get to
have constant adventures
in new and exciting places.
We all understand that it
isn‘t always easy, but at the
end of the day, we love it.
-I hope that you have enjoyed
serving as a PCV in Panama. I know that you will
always carry this experience in your heart and
have pride in the fact that
you served here. I wish all
of you the best and great
success in all of your endeavors!
I will be departing Panama at the
end of June and moving to my
new post in Washington D.C. in
mid-July. I am looking forward
to working for Peace Corps with
a Regional perspective, but I
know what I will miss the most.
I will miss the day to day contact with the Volunteers. Therefore, please drop me a note
from time to time or come see
me in DC. My new email address: [email protected]
I look forward to seeing each
and every one of you at the upcoming round of Regional
Meetings.
Saludos y Buena Suerte!
Brian
May 2013
5
Brian during service in Ecuador
Now that‘s it‘s time for you to
COS, we hope that you accomplished all that you set out to do
before moving on to bigger and
better things.
Thank you for your excellent service to the country of Panama.
Your support and dedication has
benefited each and every Volunteer‘s life that‘s served in the
country in the last four years.
¡Vaya con Dios!
Riving crossing with B. Riley
Volunteers give Brian a push
[email protected]
6
La Vaina
Notes from the Administrative Office Staff
From The Medical Office
Peace Corps Hotel
Policy
ENCOMIENDAS:
A reminder to all Volunteers: we will receive encomiendas request for the week until Wednesday at
noon. This has a valuable reason: since we do not
have a large pharmacy supply any more, we need to
ask our local provider for the supplies. We need time
to do that. Raymond will be taking the encomiendas
packages on Thursday mornings every week.
From Cicely Lewis
Hi Volunteers! Just a reminder
of our new hotel policy that was
shared at the January regional
meetings, as shown by fabulous clip art.
Need to stay in Panama City, David, or Changuinola for
a Peace Corps-authorized reason? (Examples: medical,
VAC, La Vaina, PST facilitation, RL training).
PC will make the reservation with the hotel & send you
a confirmation email. We then pay the hotel directly,
which means you don‘t
have to wait for a reimbursement! Happy Face!
HOWEVER! Some caveats
to our bold new plan include:
Circumstances where the
Volunteer will be responsible for the cost of a room:
If they are making a
hotel reservation for lodging for personal reasons.
If a Volunteer doesn‘t show up to an authorized
lodging location without any communication to
the office of a change of plans, etc. or cancels
too late for the hotel to give the room to another client.
If a Volunteer stays over the approved amount
of days. (if more days are required, a new letter
must be written, or email provided).
**Funds will still be deposited into your accounts in
order for you to
make your own
reservations for
Mid-Service
Medicals
and
COS week lodging.
The encomiendas email address:
[email protected]
Please do not call the medical duty phone (66712547) to request supplies.
Either send an email or call Rosemary at 3173309 for this purpose. When you leave a phone
message, please do not use nicknames.
Here is the list of the authorized supplies you can
ask for:
1. Malaria prophylaxis (when you ask for this,
please state which one you take)
2. Condoms
3. Epi-Pen (only for those Volunteers who
have it authorized by OMS in the medical
record)
4. Oral rehydration salts
5. Pepto Bismol (liquid)
6. Multivitamins
7. Water filter parts (candles)
8. Sunscreen
9. Insect repellent
10. Prescription medications (stated in your
medical records)
MEDICAL PROBLEMS DURING VACATION AT HOME
When you are in the USA or third country on vacation
and there is a health issue, remember you need to
call PEACE CORPS WASHINGTON, OFFICE OF MEDICAL SERVICES. Phone: (202)692-1500. The nurse
in charge of Panama will send you the authorizations you need. Always call before going for medical
evaluation unless it‘s an emergency. If that‘s the
case, ask one of your family members or friends to
call Peace Corps Washington.
May 2013
7
VAC ATTACK
Greetings from your new VAC (Volunteer Advisory Council) Board!
We‘d like to give you some insights into the wonderful folks who
will be deciding on grants, communicating with the Peace Corps
office, and most importantly, planning Thanksgiving.
Nick Duckworth
President: Nick Duckworth
Sector: CEC
Region: Herrera
Site: La Canoa
Group:70
Nick earned a BA from UC San
Diego in International Studies and
Linguistics. In Peace Corps as a
Masters International student
studying for his MA in International
Administration, he might be the
most over-qualified VAC president
in recent history.
Medical, (Cont.)
Kimber Suzuki
Sally Alsup
Vice President: Kimber Suzuki
Sector: TE
Region: Ngäbe-Buglé
Site: Alto Caballero
Group: 70
Secretary: Sally Alsup
Sector: CEC
Region: Los Santos
Site: Guánico Arriba
Kimber is a bad mama-jamma who
studied Multimedia Art and is super creative, so keep an eye out for
cool new VAC merch and a ballin‘
2014 calendar.
Sally studied International Affairs
at the University of Colorado. Her
interests include trees, cats, knitting, eating and Texas.
Group: 70
CONTINUOUS MEDICAL EDUCATION (CME)
Your PCMOs will be in the Regional PCMOs meeting (CME) in Orlando,
Florida from July 29th to August 2nd. During that time, our credentialed
back-up PCMO Dra Yadis De Leon will be coming in the afternoons to
the medical office. Also, she will be answering your calls on the emergency medical cell phone. Dra Yadis De Leon is a very knowledgeable
General Practitioner and she work at the Social Security Hospital in Panama City. This is not the first time that Dra Yadis De Leon has covered
the medical office.
MEDICAL SITE VISITS
Your PCMOs will continue with the medical site visits. We will let you
know in advance if you are one of the lucky ones we‘ll visit. Here is the
nearest planned schedule (it could vary):
May 6 – 10
May 13 – 15
May 22 – 25
June 3 – 7
Veraguas/Kadriri
Colón
Sambu
Chiriquí/Nedrini
Eduardo
Lourdes
Lourdes
Emilia
[email protected]
Harrison Milne
Treasurer: Harrison Milne
Sector: TE
Region: Herrera
Site: Ocú
Group: 70
Harry studied in beautiful Monterey, California where he developed his talent as a guitarist and
earned the nickname The Ethnically Ambiguous Jimi Hendrix. His
professionalism and skill with numbers were inherited directly from
his supportive grandmother.
8
Meet the
New Boss
of Seeders!
Same as the Old Boss
Hallie Richard
National Seeders Coordinator
Beginning in August, I will be the National Seeders Coordinator. If that
sounds like old news, it‘s because it
is! I spent the second year of my service as the Seeders Coordinator for
CEC, organizing the seed boxes for
the regional meetings, traveling to a
few sites to do seed preservation
charlas, and hosting a really awesome Seeders Training Seminar. For
those of you who don‘t already know
Seeders, we are a Volunteer supported and operated seed bank that
provides seeds to volunteers at regional meetings and in the office.
As many of my G68ers are preparing
to return to consistent running water
and contiguous sidewalks (a.k.a.
America), I will be staying on in this
mango-rich, típico-filled country for a
3rd year dedicated to making Seeders a more efficient resource for Volunteers and their seed needs. As
the Seeders Coordinator last year in
Bocas del-the-middle-of-nowhere
Toro, I was limited in the amount of
time and electrically-supported effort
I was able to focus on Seeders. Not
so anymore. As a Coclésana based
at the CEDESAM office in Farallon, I
will be able to support volunteers of
all provinces with charlas, trainings
and resources.
Partnering with CEDESAM, Seeders
will have the resources to better support PCVs‘ communities, schools,
and family scale agriculture and reforestation projects. I will be working to develop a relationship between the CEDESAM team of experts
La Vaina
and your campesinos, A Parker
identifying and exchanging sources of
seeds and building
technical seed preservation knowledge,
which will result in
more sustainable and
effective community
projects.
What does this mean
for Volunteers?
It
means that you will
have access to an
improved resource for
your communities.
Take advantage of it!
Seeders will provide better variety
and quality of seeds at regional
meetings and be able to fill specific
seed requests with the help of the
CEDESAM lab. As the Seeders Coordinator, I‘ll be available to do in-site
charlas on topics from vegetable
seed preservation to vivero management for reforestation projects, designed specifically for the community‘s needs. The Seeders team will
be working to organize regional
based trainings on everything from
seed identification and harvest to
propagation and marketing for
viveros.
I‘m dedicated to the goal of seeders:
increasing local knowledge and practice of seed preservation thereby
increasing sustainability in garden
and reforestation projects. If your
community is interested in seed
identification, harvest, preservation,
propagation, or anything similar,
Seeders is a resource you should
use!
Papaya Seeds
Jaclyn Sokol
G70 TE, Bocas del Toro
It is common knowledge that intestinal parasites are rampant in Panama. Whether we are the victims
or we see a child with a protruding
belly, those little suckers are all
around us. But did you know a
natural cure is growing all over the
place? As it turns out, those beautiful, slimy papaya seeds we all unthinkingly toss after eating the fruit
may be all it takes to change a
child‘s health for life.
Intestinal parasites in children can
cause malnutrition, either by reducing appetite or by stopping proper
nutrient absorption. They can also
result in stunted physical growth,
decreased mental skills, and/or
weakened immunity (WormFree
World Institute, http://wfwins.org/
effects-on-children). The worms
can also make children fall ill,
which can bring them to skip
school entirely, or be less productive when they do show up.
Contact me for more information:
[email protected].
Hallie Richard
National Coordinator, Seeders While pumpkin seeds are a traditional treatment for human intestiCel: 6502-0112
nal worms, the seeds from papaya
fruit also have anti-helminthic and
anti-amoebic properties, meaning
May 2013
they kill intestinal parasites in our
digestive system. In a 2007 study
of sixty Nigerian children with
strong evidence of intestinal parasites, 75% of infections cleared in
just seven days after receiving a
20ml dose of papaya seed extract.
And side effects are minimal!
Riiiidiculous.
Instructions to kill off your new amiguitos:
-Cut the papaya open and scoop
out the seeds.
-Crush the seeds with a meat
cleaver, mortar and pestle,
rock, or whatever you got.
-Mix 1 Tbsp. of crushed papaya
seeds with 1 Tbsp. of honey.
-Eat the seed and honey mixture
on an empty stomach each
morning for seven days.
Chew the papaya seeds thoroughly before swallowing.
-Drink one glass of water after
eating the papaya seeds.
Drink several glasses of water throughout the day to
help clear out your system.
-One and a half to two hours after
ingesting the seeds (before
eating), follow up with a natural laxative, such as castor
oil, to give those bad boys a
final push to their doom.
Antibacterial Properties: Papaya
seeds can also fight E. coli, Salmonella, and Staph infections.
Treatment for Liver Cirrhosis: When
someone has had way too many
Sunday afternoons with their two
best buds, Balboa and Seco, papaya seeds also treat liver cirrhosis. Crush up around five seeds
and mix them with a tablespoon of
lime juice. Down this twice a day
for a month. For the occasional
partaker, a small amount of papaya seeds taken regularly is said
to help with liver detoxification,
which your body will always like you
for.
Natural Birth Control (taken from
Natural News, learn more at
www.naturalnews.com/029126_bi
rth_control_papaya.html#ixzz2E0iP
Q1uI): ―Papaya seeds have been
found to completely remove the
sperm from a male monkey's
ejaculation. Rats have also been
tested with a compound from papaya seeds and found to have
‗significantly reduced‘ sperm
counts. At higher levels of ingestion, the rats became completely
infertile. The researchers then declared the long term, daily use of
compounds from papaya seeds to
be a safe and effective male contraceptive.
-Repeat the process after 3
weeks, even if you feel
better. Then do it again 3
weeks after that. This is
to coincide with the
breeding cycles of common parasites, such as
tapeworms, hookworms
and pinworms.
In addition to slaughtering
parasites, papaya seeds also
have other uses and benefits:
9
Rabbits have also been studied
with extracts from papaya seeds.
After three months of daily use, the
rabbits were found almost completely infertile. The extract showed
no effect on their libido or organs and the contraceptive effects were
completely reversible after fortyfive days.‖
Traditional cultures in Pakistan,
India, Sri Lanka and Southeast
Asia have long eaten papaya
seeds as an effective and safe contraceptive. It appears a teaspoon
of the seeds per day is what traditional cultures use - and it takes
three months of use to be fully effective. Papaya seeds have been
studied more frequently on males
than females as a form of contraception, but traditional cultures
have used papaya seeds for both
male and female contraception.
Great Taste: You can also add papaya seeds to your diet by using
them as you would ground pepper.
They taste somewhere in between
your everyday pimienta and mustard seeds. To dry the seeds out,
roll them between paper towels to
pop the juice sacks. Once all the
juice sacks are popped you are left
with a black seed kernel. Place the
seeds between dry paper towels
and set aside to dry out for at least
a week. Grind them up or stick
them in a pepper grinder and voila!
You have a new ingredient for
all your favorite campo cooking!
Try out this salad dressing recipe I jacked from the internet
2 Tbsp papaya seeds
1/4 cup plain low fat yogurt
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Papaya: The Swiss Army knife of fruit
[email protected]
10
La Vaina
George Place
G71 SAS, Ngäbe-Buglé
G. Place
Worm composting is an additional resource to improve soil fertility for small
scale gardening. Of course lombricultura
can be used on a larger scale but the infrastructure and labor required is often
prohibitive. The traditional worm composting methodology requires the construction of a box, which calls for good
quality boards and an hour or two for
building – both of which are often prohibitive for the small amount of benefit that
comes from that tiny amount of compost.
An alternative to that pesky box is to put
your worms in one of the ten thousand
plastic bags that you have accumulated
during your service due to the fact that
any item purchased requires at least eight
plastic bags. Here‘s one way to do it:
Step 1: Buy a piece of candy from a store.
Step 2: Take the eight plastic bags that
they put the piece of candy in and fill each bag with some soil,
some animal manure, kitchen scraps (no animal parts, avoid
too much oil, and keep citrus to a minimum to avoid an environment below the tolerable pH), leaves, and newspaper if
available.
counted (186 worms was the largest population achieved). If
you work with a school this can be a great way to introduce
experimentation. Measure the effect on worm population
growth from differing bag mediums (soil, manure, kitchen
scraps, oily food scraps, etc.), differing light environments (full
Step 3: Insert a handful of worms and eggs (if you don‘t have sun, partial sun, shade, total darkness), size of the bag, or a
the red wiggler worms typically used in lombricultura try some multitude of other treatments that encourage curiosity and
of your local worms).
critical thinking.
Step 4: Hang your worm bag on the shady side of your house
or school (worms don‘t like light so wrap the inside of your bag
with large leaves to minimize light penetration into the worm
soil/compost medium).
“An alternative to that
Step 5: After two months, dump your bag contents (worms and pesky box is to put your
compost) into your garden bed.
worms in one of the ten
If you want to build up a worm population to share with
neighbors just make two worm bags every time you dump one thousand plastic bags
bag in the garden. We also do this with buckets, cubos, bottles, sacos, or anything container-like.
that you have accumuWorm re-population of the worm bags is rapid. Ten sexually lated during your sermature red wiggler worms (I checked!) added to a bag of soil
and scraps (there were no worm eggs present) resulted in a vice.”
population of over 100 worms in nine weeks in all bags
May 2013
11
Chelsea Weber
TE Coordinator
Azuero
I remember the first time I skyped with
an elementary school class back in the
United States. Third graders were
seated in a clump in their carpeted,
enclosed classroom, questions prepared and rehearsed, hands held in
the air as they waited for the teacher
to tell them they could talk. After mentioning that classrooms in Panama
didn‘t have A/C, the class erupted in a
series of astonished gasps and, ―Oh
mah gods!‖ as they imagined the end
of an Oklahoman summer without the
blessed cool air pumped into their
rooms. The teacher quickly calmed
them down with an, ―Ok guys, let‘s
remember our video manners,‖ and
they returned to the blob staring at the
camera. ―Sorry, we‘re a little misbehaved today.‖ I sat dumbfounded,
barely able to squeak out, ―No, it‘s ok,‖
as I processed the fact that this was
misbehavior. What we see here on a
daily basis makes an outburst like the
Oklahoman one I witnessed look like
tea with the Queen of England.
Regardless of your sector, chances are
that you have had to enter a classroom during your service and you can
understand my astonishment. I have
seen kids in full sprints in my classroom, punching one another, drawing
on the board on top of a teacher´s
lesson, and screaming all at once.
How is it that the kids who are so
sweet when we see them at the river
are so maniacal when they get into
those blue-and-cream buildings?
I could break down the reasons for this
phenomenon, but what I‘d like to do is
address what we (and the teachers we
work with) can do to make our lives
just a bit easier when we face the
class (or GAD camp group or sports
team or community English group)
from the black lagoon.
The answer is simple but is perhaps
one of the most challenging things to
apply: simplicity and directness. Think
about what you hear from teachers
you have had or worked with. What
does portarse bien mean? What does
mantener orden look like? What about
hacer silencio? These are nebulous
terms and we use them often. Kids do
not come to us with one single definition of what these things are. It is our
job to define them for them and help
them remember what we mean.
Establish simple procedures for small
tasks/behavioral ideals. Take for example, the process of answering a
question. How should a kid who wants
to speak in class look? Establish those
qualities and teach them to your kids
in a step-by-step process. They should
be concise and straightforward, expressing exactly what you want to happen. Here‘s one for speaking in class
that a G67 PCV swears has been one
of the most effective things she‘s
done:
Sit down
Lips closed
Hand raised
Sounds too easy, right? She coaches
her students to do it and reminds
them with a non-verbal signal to do it
anytime they get out of hand. Why
does this work? Simple. Because she
does it every time there is an opportunity for students to talk. They like the
challenge of being the best at the
question-answering procedure.
Another PCV established a procedure
for the way the class had to look before she crossed the threshold into the
classroom. She said this worked wonders and eventually the teacher she
worked with picked it up as well. Again,
why did this work? Because she did it
every time she had class with these
kids.
Establish a short signal to trigger a
certain behavior. I had one of these. I
taught students that when I said, ―Be
beautiful,‖ it meant that they were sitting bottoms on their chairs, feet on
the floor, hands folded on the desk
and eyes on me. After a while they
started saying it to each other as I encouraged them to keep doing it better
and better.
[email protected]
Congratulations to GAD Panama
for being among the final twelve
posts to win the International
Women‘s Day competition for
Ally Eden‘s women‘s baking and
gardening cooperative. The second rounds of GAD camps are
coming up May 24-28th for East
(Coclé) and May 27-31st for
West side (Bocas) thanks to the
lovely Sonia Esquibel, Chelsea
Mackin, Tricia Wilbur, and Jacy
Woodruff. The 3rd annual
Healthy Artisan Seminar will be
June 3-7th in San Felix. Thanks
to all Volunteers who are sending ladies and youth to these
seminars, as well as facilitating.
You all are what keeps GAD going! Lastly, GAD would like to
thank group 68 GADers and
GAD Coordinator Laura Geiken
who all will be COSing in June
for all of their hard work, dedication, and love that they put into
making GAD awesome! Laura
Geiken, Natalie Petrucci,
Kendra Allen, Madye Berger,
Keith Hardy and Ally Eden will
be missed. Good luck in your
future endeavors!
12
La Vaina
Training of Trainers and Awkward Felt
Genitalia
Natalie Petrucci
G68 CEC, Herrera
―A teacher affects eternity; he can
never tell where his influence
stops.‖
-Henry Books Adams, American
journalist, historian and academic
―I am just dying to give this charla,‖
Rosalba pleaded desperately.
―I feel like it‘s inside me, and I
just need to get it out!‖ I
paused to take in this remark
for a moment. We were in the
middle of a Project Management and Leadership training
and my often indifferent student was suddenly spilling
over with enthusiasm. ―HIV is
soooo important.‖ She emphasized her words in the way
only a determined seventeen
year old can. ―We have to
teach more people, Natalie!‖
huge group of GAD campers,
adorning a lovely, hand-crafted felt
penis with felt sexually-transmitted
infections. ―Yes, this one will burn
a bit,‖ I explained in Spanish, and
with a straight face (if you have
seen these notorious felt genitals
in GAD‘s possession, you will understand why this last part is a
huge achievement).
―Ok‖, I said, still in shock, ―I
agree. Let‘s make a plan.‖
Yes, these are a bit awkward, aren’t they?
When I arrived in Panama, I
At the time, I was amazed by how
had no prior experience teaching
cliché this moment seemed as far
sexual health. I scoured the interas ―typical‖ Peace Corps experinet for videos of Peace Corps Volences go. I also realized how far I‘d
unteers and routinely came across
come since the days of my preclips of eager Volunteers teaching
service insecurities. What I admita class of youngsters or a group of
tedly didn‘t consider in that moadults huddled under a shady tree
ment however, became far more
with familiar diagrams of reproducimportant. I didn‘t think about the
tive systems behind them. This is
great and unexpected impact my
how I imagined a PCV. Yet, I could
boldness would have on my two
NOT imagine myself teaching ‗The
campers.
Birds and The Bees‘ and proper
condom use, especially in Spanish.
Since Gender and Development
It just seemed way beyond my skill
Youth Camp concluded in January
set; I was convinced I lacked the
2013, Rosalba and Oliver, both age
KSAs.
seventeen, have partnered with
Muchachas Guías to deliver HIV/
Jump forward a year and a half
AIDS presentations using Vida
later and you find me in front of a
Sana, Pueblo Sano materials to
two neighboring communities and
their schools, with plans to cover
even more territory in the near future. They have mobilized a group
of their friends, family and their
profesora to assist in these interactive trainings. They have organized
transportation and once when it
proved unavailable, they walked
two hours and crossed a river to
give their presentation.
With practice, they have overcome
fits of giggles and learned how to
successfully facilitate a
N. Petrucci sensitive topic to audiences young and old.
The moral of this story
is profound. To make
our work as Volunteers
sustainable, we need to
think of every charla or
deep conversation with
an attached lesson as
an opportunity to become a Trainer of Trainers.
Sometimes we
may not feel up to this
challenge and our insecurities about not being
―experts‖ seem insurmountable. Despite
this, we forge onward,
we make grammatical mistakes
and we hope that some seed of
knowledge sticks in fertile ground. I
couldn‘t be more proud of Rosalba
and Oliver. I feel even prouder to
be able to witness their accomplishments as young leaders and
educators and share them with the
Peace Corps Panama community.
So the next time you think you
can‘t teach or train future trainers,
remember this: you never know
who you may empower to invoke
personal behavioral change, and
better yet, become a teacher to
inspire others to do the same.
May 2013
13
Condom Use and Behavior Change
Laura Geikin
GAD Coordinator, Chiriquí
As GAD coordinator, I think about
sex a lot. As part of my job, I explain how sex works, how STDs are
transmitted, demonstrate how to
use protection, research condoms
(check out the origami condom),
and just plain talk about sex and
our approach to it as development
workers. During the last Elige Tu
Vida I helped facilitate, I began to
ponder the barriers that exist in
consistent condom use and how
much larger the challenge is for
Panamanian teenagers and adults.
Many college-educated, independent Americans frequently have sex
without a condom. How can we
expect under-educated teenage
girls in a machista society to make
the decision we do not always
make ourselves?
In March, Whitney Mack-Obi and I
were invited to an HIV behavior
change seminar put on by the
global health organization Population Services International (known
as PASMO in Panama). PASMO is
based in Panama City and the bulk
of its work focuses on direct outreach with the most at-risk population, i.e. commercial sex workers,
men who have sex with men, high
risk men (construction workers,
taxi drivers, etc.) and the transgender population. Through ten
minute outreach sessions in bars,
on the street, or in taxis, PASMO
health workers strive to encourage
condom use among the aforementioned population.
The approach to dangerous behavior reduction used by PASMO is
based on Prochaska and DiClemente‘s Stages of Change
Model (often used in public health).
In this model, there are seven
stages of behavior change, beginning with pre-contemplation (when
an individual begins to think about
their risky behavior) and ending
with termination (meaning the desired behavior change has been
permanently adopted) as well as all
of the transitional stages in between. Along with the stages of
change, there are twelve educational processes that health workers can use to encourage positive
behavior modification. The processes focus on the outlook and
feelings of the at risk individual
and encourage different strategies
which can aid the individual in his
or her process of change. A few
examples of the processes are: self
-liberation, stimulus control, social
support, etc. Accompanying the
process are concrete examples of
activities which can be used to
help the individual achieve behavior change (i.e. role playing, pros
vs. cons lists, peer counseling, selfcontrol calendars, analysis exercises, etc.).
L. Geiken
The most interesting aspect of the
model is that education and raising
awareness are only small aspects
of behavior change. There are so
many examples of educated individuals who have engaged in dangerous behaviors even when the
risks are known. How many of us
have smoked cigarettes or had sex
without a condom even though we
have been educated otherwise?
[email protected]
The most important aspect of the
Stages of Change model focuses
on listening to the individual and
allowing him or her to learn from
his/her own voice. The Guatemalan psychologist Karla Oliva who
facilitated the seminar made an
excellent point which I believe is
true of Peace Corps service: ―Our
job is to be mirrors for the people
we work with. They learn more from
their own reflection than from us.‖
There are many ways in which
PCVs can encourage self-analysis
among our community members
but one of the most basic is to listen and ask thought provoking
questions: ―Have you ever…? Why
do you feel this way? What would
you do if…?‖ Many times during my
service, I have thought that I could
scare people into making good decisions through fear and education.
―People die because of HIV! Use a
condom!‖ But people learn to live
with fear (even the most educated
of individuals), therefore our response to HIV and other dangerous
behaviors cannot be fear driven.
More often, we learn more from
ourselves and our own realizations
than we do from those who force
knowledge upon us.
Although PCVs rarely work with the
most at-risk populations for HIV/
AIDS, I have begun to think that
aspects of the Stages of Change
model can be used by PCVs in Panama, whether our focus is hand
washing, waste management, condom or latrine usage, etc. As
change agents, it is important that
we evaluate our own efficacy with
regards to behavior change and
that we are willing to change our
approach to education and behavior modification. Because after all,
if we are unwilling to transform our
own practices, how can we expect
others to change theirs?
14
La Vaina
An HIV/AIDS Gira
Erik King
G69 EH, Ngäbe-Buglé
The funds for this grant were provided by PEPFAR. Kristen Kaper solicited the funds and with Laura Geiken, we
wrote a proposal for a team of thirteen health care professionals to offer free rapid HIV tests to an indigenous
community without ready access to prevention basics like
condoms and education. This is the story.
On the 14th of March, in Kusapin, I got an email from Dr.
Jurado at Fundación ATENAS. He offered a thousand discuplas, but the boss was traveling overseas and had not
authorized the use of the lancha for the ten planned days
of our HIV tour. Could we reschedule? I thought not.
The alcalde had offered his
lancha in service to the project, so I knocked on his door
and told him I‘d lost my boat
and he recommended another community member,
Mendez. On the 15th, I met
with Dr. Jurado in David. He
did not look well. I asked him
if he‘d been out all night—a
joke. He said he hadn‘t, he
had a cold, a fever. He said
he might not be able to go.
He‘d find the people. His boss
was new and mixing things
up. On the way to buy the
medical supplies I made
small talk, asked of his family.
He told me he rarely gets to
see his wife and kids because
she works in Colón. Later, I asked him what the chances
were that he would make the gira. He said, 50/50.
I could respect that.
In the morning, I got an email that said that he couldn‘t
make it. Neither could any of the other nurses or public
health workers or doctors. In fact, nobody would come.
On Monday the 18th—the MINSA office alive inside the
dark painted walls, the hum of an air conditioner. People
coming and going. Dr Gantes pulled us all together and
we sorted out all the particulars: transportation, supplies,
reorganized schedules. We were down to one doctor,
Jenny, for three days starting tomorrow, one nurse,
surely, and Uriel, the lab director for the Comarca, for four
days. And four cases of Rapid HIV tests. Each worth
$6000 wholesale.
That‘s all that really mattered I suppose.
Bucori. Rhian was waiting in the drizzle. The local médico
in the Puesto de Salud seemed happy to see us. We
stashed the boxes in the backroom, carried our bags to
the office where we‘d stay, rolled out our sleeping mats,
hung the hammock and went back to give a quick charla.
Later, laughter, stories over a huge plate of chicken and
rice cooked by the médico’s wife.
In the morning we tested more women than men. Rhian,
from Detroit, lives in Bucori. He explained what Adquiera
means, the A in SIDA. It was a tough task. Men asked
questions, he put a condom on four fingers. Showed
them how to pull it off, tie it up, not throw it on the ground
where anyone might find it. He‘d use that joke again.
We tested 77 people that first day. The tests were run
inside the puesto, results read in private, with follow-up
counseling and questioning. This would have been the
task of the doctor, psychologist, or nurse. But it
E. King fell to us, a huge learning moment for us and
them. If they didn‘t have a question, I would ask,
how can you guard yourself against HIV? Answers were mostly half condoms, half fidelity.
The women said they were faithful, but only one
said she knew that her husband was too. Most of
the women would take some condoms.
For dinner we had lobster and daichin, a delicious purple tuber that eats like a lavender potato and tastes delicious. With lobster.
La Ensenada. In the morning, Whitney left us. I
was worried that we would be short handed for
the rest of the gira. We PCVs were covering a lot
that had been intended to be covered by the doctors and psychologists.
La Ensenada would be the worst turnout. My own
site!
First thing in the morning, Anesio brought in his three and
a half year old granddaughter to get tested. Her mother
had died of AIDS related complications soon after she
was born. The little girl had been getting treatment ever
since.
She tested negative.
I read the test results to Anesio and his wife. She put her
arm around my shoulders and pulled me in and said
softly to me in Ngäbere, what you have done is good. Very
good. Ka koin. I felt the wave of love pass through her
embrace. The little girl held the cotton ball on her pricked
finger.
More good news. Another young man that has been
struggling with an unknown disease very similar in symptoms to tuberculosis brought his wife in. Both tested
negative. He told me his brother had died of AIDS in Bucori and that he had lived a very reckless life a few years
ago. Now he was one with God, and gracias a Dios we
May 2013
had come with these tests.
Other members of my community let
me down. Refused to get tested. Hid
behind a door in the new school. A
couple of the other young toughs got
tested though.
We ate granja chicken and fried
yucca for dinner.
Guacamayo. A rollicking good reception! We set up in the Puesto de Salud and Alexi was there waiting for
us, with a crowd. We had hiked up to
Guacamayo from La Ensenada and
weren‘t there for fifteen minutes
when Osi (aka Maggie from Playa
Balsa) showed. I put her to work immediately reading results and asking
folks if they had any questions.
I was extremely pleased that she
came out. It was difficult to fill out
the forms, run charlas and give results with only two Volunteers. And
now the balance was back, two
women, Mysha and Maggie, and two
men, Rhian and me. I remember
feeling that now, for the first time,
that it was all going to work out.
We had an excellent turnout. Many
of which were in the 15-40 year old
range, muchachos. Laughter and
attention paid to the charlas, running
smoothly. Gave out more than a hundred condoms, kept Tito busy. Had a
wonderful walk home, a beautiful
day, Tito and Mysha taking photos
along the way. It was his first time
out here on the Peninsula.
Tobobe. Our last stop. Rain squalls
in the morning, Julian spotted
Mendez racing out front of the line. A
great boat ride, stormy, Mysha grinning, a solid swell running.
Another Red de Oportunidad day,
lines down the sidewalk, people
standing, mired in mud. The crowd
awaiting us at the puesto larger than
any we had seen. Dora, the doctora,
smiling and waiting for us. We tested
over a hundred people throughout
the day. There had been concern
that HIV had reached Tobobe.
Our first positive midday.
Tito called me in, showed me a result, a small red line next to the HIV
mark. I called the young man‘s
name, after a few other negative results. I told him he would need to get
his blood drawn.
He hung his head.
He said, I knew it.
Tito took his blood during a break in
the testing, no one the wiser, and the
handsome young man walked off
down the sidewalk. He would be the
only positive of the entire gira.
I bought Mendez the last lunch, and
he broke out into a grin. A plate for
his son too. Sweet buns and Jonnie
Cakes for us. We worked late,
Mendez whistling and hooting for us
to mind the time.
The sun sets fast in the tropics.
*
Epilogue. Maggie and I returned to
Tobobe a couple of
weeks later to find
our young man. Lab A. Hines
tests had confirmed his
HIV
status. We talked
with Dora and she
said she had a boat
but no gas. So I
bought five gallons
of gas and the corrigedor drove us.
We motored across
incredibly clear water, glass and a low
swell. Once we‘d
managed to locate his house, his
sister told us he had paddled to Tobobe. We found him on the sidewalk,
right where we‘d put the boat in. He
had a huge smile when he saw me.
He said he had seen us pull out but
didn‘t think it was for him. He said
thank you for coming. I told him the
lab test had confirmed his status,
and he told me again that he had
suspected as much.
He told me he understood the treatment process, that a friend in
[email protected]
15
Changinola was getting treatment.
He told me he was waiting to get
paid so he could go to San Felix and
start. He said he would go Monday, if
he could.
Incredibly sweet. A magnetic personality. I told him we would help him,
cover his expenses to San Felix this
one time so he could talk to the doctor, the psychologist—figure out how
to get his meds in the future. He
smiled his handsome smile, sitting
there on a beached dugout canoe.
I gave him $60, boat and bus fare
round trip. Directions to the clinic,
phone numbers.
He said, thank you. Thank God you
came.
I shook his hand. Maggie shook his
hand. I think he would have hugged
us.
Mil gracias, he said one last time, A
thousand thanks.
On the negative results of
the little girl:
October 6, 2011 (Chicago, Illinois)
— The loss of HIV-specific antibodies can lead to false-negative results on rapid HIV tests in children
and adolescents after successful
long-term antiretroviral therapy,
according to results presented
here at the 51st Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents
and Chemotherapy (ICAAC).
16
Earth Day
Addie Boeckmann
G68 SAS, Veraguas
When I reminisce on my elementary school years, I‘m amazed at
how very little I truly remember. I
can picture myself as a curious,
bright-eyed, tomboy-type with an
unfortunate mullet-like haircut and
toothless smile. But, I can picture
this because for my high school
graduation my mom made a gigantic mural of photos of me from my
birth to my 18th birthday and there
is hard evidence of my awkwardness. However, when I think about
elementary school and what I actually did during those years, I find it
difficult to produce any hard evidence or memories. I know my
mom and dad have a box of all my
old assignments hidden somewhere in our storage closet but I
haven‘t searched through the cobwebs in quite some time.
Okay, so I suppose it‘s not completely true that I don‘t have any
memories of my primary years but I
La Vaina
have discovered there is a common denominator in almost all the
memories. I remember playing hide
-and-go-seek tag in the park, racing
to the ―safe base‖ and gracefully
landing face first into the jungle
gym equipment and knocking out
five teeth in one clean swoop. I
ended up losing 8 teeth all together and receiving a mouthful of
stitches in return. My mouth tasted
like blood for weeks and I fought
my mom with every force in my little body to not take my medicine
because it meant I had to swallow,
which meant I had to taste blood.
Ew. I remember decorating old
shoeboxes with red and pink
hearts and flowers, which would
later hold all my Valentine‘s Day
notes and candies from my classmates. I remember learning the
alphabet and each week having to
make a little poster board covered
in things that started with the
week‘s assigned letter. I remember
at around 11 am the little cartons
of milk, that were so annoying and
difficult to open, would arrive to our
classroom and whoever‘s turn it
was to bring snack that day would
distribute whatever sweet they
chose to share with the class. I remember keyboard-day in music
class when we were actually able
to create music rather than listen
to the teacher talk about it. I remember every Halloween the gym
would turn into a big, dark,
haunted house maze-ish thing with
cobwebs and flashing lights and all
the teachers dressed up. And I remember Earth Day. This was a day
when we were guaranteed to get to
go outside during class and plant
flowers, clean-up garbage in the
park or plant little bean seeds in
the leftover milk cartons from
snack time. One year we made a
big mural with finger paints and
wrote our promises we made to the
earth that year. I promise to turn
off the faucet while brushing my
teeth to save water was mine one
year. I remember because I patrolled my parent‘s water use as
well. Anyway, what I‘m getting at is
pretty much every clear memory I
have of elementary school is of
some sort of activity we participated in, some sort of art project,
some field trip, something we did
outside of sitting at our little desks
with the tiny chairs.
A. Boeckmann
It amazes me how rare it is to see
the primary school kids in my community carrying artwork or some
other hands-on project home with
them from school. And when I
started thinking about my first experiences in school, those are the
only things I really remember how
proud I was to bring something
home to hang on the refrigerator.
Creativity is so important to express during our early years and I
do not think that the kids in my
community are given enough opportunities to use their imaginations and express their individual
ideas that I know they all possess. I
have listened to my neighbor kids
screaming and giggling over some
game they invented that involves,
sharks, bears and elephants. I
May 2013
A. Boeckmann
“ratoncitos”
don‘t even bother asking the details, but it makes me smile every
time because it amazes me the
things they come up with. Kids who
don‘t have Gameboys (or whatever
the current version is called),
iPads, XBOXs, let alone a Frisbee or
soccer ball (that is actually full of
air) are even more imaginative or
more easily amused (whichever
you choose to believe) than the
kids who have all the newest gadgets. Unfortunately, they spend the
majority of their day in the classroom copying off the blackboard
what the teachers have written for
them, rarely being asked to give
their opinions on any given subject.
Therefore, as it was one of my
fondest elementary school memories, I decided to organize a handson activity filled Earth Day for the
primary school kids in La Honda.
of that insatiable energy all young
kids contain. After, I brought out
the art supplies. The 33 sets of
eyes lit up like a Christmas tree
and they started hurling questions
at me, ―Adi, que es eso?‖, ―Adi, y la
pintura?”, “Adi, los ojoitos? Porque
tiene estes?” I had decided to
make this year‘s Earth Day theme
recycling. In order to initiate the
process, I bought the school four
large Rubbermaid bins. One for
plastic, paper, glass and metals to
slowly get them started and to
plant the seed. I brought all of the
recyclable items I had been hoarding in my house to the school and
explained the process, along with
the assistance of two ANAM workers who were also present. Together we answered questions and
made bien clarito the question of
what kind of garbage is recyclable
and what is not by means of an
interactive game I created. The
kids spent the afternoon making
flowers, worms, spiders and what
they decided to call a ratoncito
(even though the model I made
was supposed to be a ladybug) out
of egg cartons, paint, tissue paper,
pipe cleaners and googley eyes.
We also made pencil holders or
17
“I decided to organize a hands-on activity filled Earth Day
for
the
primary
school kids in La
Honda.”
piggy banks out of old cans with
construction paper. The kids absolutely loved it and they proudly
showed me their unique final products. We also made Earth Day
Promise posters and hung them
throughout the classrooms. I ended
the day by giving each family a reusable grocery bag along with a
healthy serving of dirt cake I had
whipped up the night before. The
33 bright-eyed kids with chocolate
stained smiles ran home with egg
carton bugs in hand to proudly
share with their families. I hope
that these kids will, like me, always
remember Earth Day and that they
will not only remember the gringa
bringing them chocolaty dessert,
but that they hold the power to
help save the planet.
A. Boeckmann
With the help of a GAD grant, I was
able to make the day both educational and fun. We started by cleaning the community‘s public spaces:
around the church, soccer field,
school and tiendas. We filled ten
large bags of garbage and even
though they were picking up soggy
trash, the kids loved being able to
leap through the school gates and
run around while burning off a bit
[email protected]
18
La Vaina
Alfredo Escudero’s “Tierra de Mis Sueños”
Alyssa Ramsey
G67 TE, Coclé
Típico guitar is a bit different but it‘s not so hard to learn! Just follow these tips and soon enough you‘ll be able to play all
those great típico songs you hear no less than five billion times a day!
Here‘s a tab of the melody Alfredo plays on the accordion:
(All the notes are on single-digit frets. For example, where you see ―13‖ it‘s actually 1 and then 3)
high E
13
B
13 1
G
X 33
3
1113
4 14
3
2
D
3
3
13 1
3
X3
1113
3
4 1
2
3
2
3
003
4
0
One thing about típico guitar that makes it fairly easy to learn is that everything
is played on the bottom 3 strings (high E, B, and G). For that reason, all the
following tabs use only those three strings.
Here’s an example of the strumming pattern for the guitar:
1+2+3+4+
E
X66 6 X6 6
6
X66 6 X6 6
6
X77 7 X7 7
7
B
G
Here’s an example of the picking pattern for the guitar using the chord changes in the eight bars of Part B of this song so you
can get an idea of what the rhythm is like. Beat one is usually muted and the 3 rd note of every measure (the note on the E
string) hits on the ―and‖ of beat 2 and is sustained till the ―and‖ of beat 3. Another note: Alfredo‘s guitarist tends to change to
the next chord on beat 4 of the preceding measure instead of on beat 1, so it sounds like this:
E
B
6-X8
G
8
7
E
B
G
6-X8
77
8
7
8-X8
X8
8 8
X7
77
8
X7
77
X7
7 7
88
7
7
5-7
7
5-8
5-8
8
6--
6-7 8 8
X8
7
88
7
7
And here are the chord changes for the four parts of the song. Notice that Part A is the only part that’s strummed, while
Parts B, C, and D are picked. This means that you play each chord in Part A using the strumming pattern shown above, and
you use the picking pattern for the chords in Parts B, C, and D.
May 2013
19
Part A Chords, Strummed: (play through three times, then go to Part B)
E
6
5
8
6
6
5
5
6
B
6
6
8
8
6
6
7
8
G
7
5
8
7
7
5
7
7
Part B Chords, Picked: (play through five times, then go to Part C)
E
6
6
6
5
8
5
5
6
B
8
8
8
7
8
7
7
8
G
7
7
8
7
8
7
7
7
Part C Chords, Picked: (play through five times, then go to Part D)
E
6
6
6
5
8
8
8
6
B
8
8
8
6
8
8
8
8
G
7
7
7
5
8
8
8
7
Part D Chords, Picked: (play through five times, then go to back to Part A)
E
6
5
5
6
6
5
5
6
B
8
6
7
8
8
6
7
8
G
7
5
7
7
7
5
7
7
To end the song, play Part A over and over again for no less than five minutes straight. Then, for the last two minutes or so,
play only the first four bars of Part A over and over again. And that‘s it- you‘re basically a típico guitarist*!
*Well, sort of. This is not the ―typical‖ way to play típico guitar. From what I understand, típico guitarists re-string their guitars
so that there are actually two sets of thin strings tuned to E, B, and G. And this is kind of a pain since it not only leaves you
with a guitar on which nothing but típico can be played but it also makes típico guitar playing too expensive for your average
campesino guitarist. Furthermore, if you‘ve got a good ear and you‘re diligent about playing the rhythms correctly, this method
for playing típico (using normal tuning) is practically indistinguishable from typical típico guitar playing. So go ahead and learn
it, play it, and maybe even teach it to some of those guitarists in your site who thought típico guitar could only be played by
those with plata! Típico songs get easier to figure out after learning the first one or two. If you want tabs for more of Alfredo‘s
songs, I‘ve got a few I‘d be glad to send your way!
For the newbies, the unwashed, and those who probably already
know...
Site rat (n.)- A volunteer rarely seen out of their natural habitat (aka The real world (n.)- The place we all will return to
community) except to forage for choice morsels and attend office mandated events.
Fulana: Have you seen Mortimer?
Fulano: Not since swear in. Dude‘s such a site rat.
after two years. Or three. Or maybe an office position
will open up…
Kip: Did you see who won the Super Bowl?
Shep: Don‘t bother me with that real world malarkey.
Salomar (v.)- A howl often heard while trekking in the monte, listening to típico, or passing reputable drinking establishments.
Estephanie: I‘ll tell ya, that Mateo‘s got some salomar.
[email protected]
20
La Vaina
STRANDED:
A Meditation on Rock Music for a Deserted Island
While at my cousin‘s wedding, my Dad handed me a book. Stranded, it read. A compilation of essays
about rock‘n‘roll music. What album you would take with you if ever you were stranded on a deserted
island. It got me thinking. What album would I take with me if I wouldn‘t be able to listen to something
else, until I‘m rescued? Would it be an album by one of my favorite artists? Would it be something easy to
listen to, with a wide range of sound? Would it be something attached to an important memory? Would
it be something pure and clean and easy to hear? Who would I chose?
Who would you chose?
can listen just for the lyrics, you
can listen to it all and it never gets
old.
Brothers, The Black Keys
Annie Hines
CEC G70, Los Santos
When I saw The Black Keys live, I
was at a concert festival with my
older brother, his girlfriend—before
they started dating, and before she
and I became friends—and a group
of my brother‘s friends who
adopted me at various points in
time during my life. Every time I
hear anything by The Black Keys, I
instantly think of that friend-typefamily that is important, because
you chose it.
They‘ve been a staple in my ―top
five favorite bands‖ for years now.
The sound is endless, timeless, big
and small at the same time. Most
people don‘t really choose their
favorite band as their desert island
album. Mine fluctuated between
Arcade Fire‘s The
Suburbs, another
one of my favorite
artists, Brothers,
the album that
combines classic
rock and contemporary soul, and
R.E.M.‘s
Automatic for the People. The last one
is
my
dad‘s
choice, mostly because it reminds
―I wanted love, I needed love, most
of all,‖ they wail in ―Tighten Up‖,
the 3rd song on the album.
―Someone said, true love was dead
and I‘m bound to fall for you.‖
Love songs you can listen to without being in love. The guitar sound
almost harsh, and the drums are
relentless. Tune out the lyrics and
you have pure classic rock.
him of when my brother and I were
little and he was teaching us how
to ski at his Dad‘s house in Twain
Harte. Better, simpler, younger
days, when everything seemed a
bit easier.
That‘s the beauty of music. Albums
can remind you of beautiful things
and when the melancholy wears
off, you‘re left with a beautiful
song. A desert island album can‘t
be something that
just tears at the
heartstrings.
It
must be something
you can listen to,
over and over,
without stopping,
and each time you
hear it, you get a
different message.
You can listen just
for the music, you
“And stuck on a
desert island,
who can‟t relate
to „I wish loneliness would leave
me, but I think it’s
here to stay‟?”
The first time I heard ―Howling for
You‖ on the radio in Southern California, driving my grandpa‘s beat
up old Hyundai, complete with
handicap plates, I turned the radio
up, roared down the PCH with the
windows down and sang along with
the lyrics. It was as though I had
heard this song before but I hadn‘t.
The sound is at once old school
and contemporary, and can fill
many musical cravings. So long as
you‘re craving something loud,
lovely and musical.
Then there‘s ―Black Mud‖, the instrumental blues piece that you
can‘t help but close your eyes and
rock your head to the beat. Close
your eyes and the Panamanian
heat grows more intense and bearable because you‘re immediately in
the South, fifty years ago, in a
smoke filled bar with blues playing
May 2013
on the stage. ―Too Afraid to
Love You‖ follows in this
same vein. A sad, slow love
song, ―The never ending mile
after mile. I just don‘t know
what to do. I‘m too afraid to
love you.‖ What is a rock album without the song of unrequited love? And stuck on
a desert island, who can‘t
relate to, ―I wish loneliness
would leave me, but I think
it‘s here to stay‖?
Back in college, my first Black
Keys experience was through
a ski movie. I‘m sure my
brother played them for me
before – most of my new music comes from him or his
friends – but the first time
they resonated, was watching
a skier turn in slow motion as
―When the Lights Go out‖
played in the background. I
know that song isn‘t on this
album, but the memories are
important.
Desert island playlists can go
two ways. One: picking an
album that reminds you of
better times, better people,
better memories – better
than being stuck on the island. Two: picking something
that reminds you of nothing.
I‘ve got the best of both
worlds in this one. Fifteen
tracks, going through all the
different kinds of rock from
the ages.
I have classic
Black Keys, innovative Black
Keys, reminiscent of old rock
and blues while continuing
forward in the musical time.
Give me Brothers, a notebook and an endless supply
of water and I can survive the
desert island. I‘ll just close
my eyes to the music and I‘m
by myself, surrounded by my
friends.
21
Lonely Asteroid: Warp Riders, The Sword
Andrew Parker
CEC G68, Darién
It seems we all march to beats of different drums. Or some saying along that ilk.
And this album hits mine, from the ―Tres Brujas‖
piece to my favorite, ―Lawless Lands‖ to ―(The
Night the Sky Cried) Tears of Fire.‖ This album
bangs my drums.
I love metal. As some wrinkle their noses to the
genre and all its illegitimate rocking bastard subgenres: thrash, speed, death, black, Viking, the
list goes on and I love them all. Metal is my ‗turn
to music‘ to calm me down when I‘m riled up,
pummeling my brain into submission. It was
tough to pick just one album. The finalists were
Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden, Surtur Rising by Amon Amarth, and Warp Riders by the
Sword.
The Sword won.
But if I were stranded on an asteroid, why is this the one album I wish to listen to
for all eternity, hurtling through space, until I fall into the oblivion of a black hole?
First, the whole album is a story. If you ever saw the movie Heavy Metal, that is
how I envision this story unfolding. We have our protagonist-an exiled alien archer
seeking redemption. A Chronomancer, the antagonist- an entity of evil with the
powers to bend time to his will- and his Warp Riders wreaking havoc throughout
the Universe. And an ominous Orb, which I can only imagine all are in pursuit of for
various reasons-good and evil. All this is revealed in the first four tracks. When my
computer is dead, it‘s midnight, and there is nothing to think about, this is a pretty
cool scenario to half dream about in my hammock.
Next comes the rhythm, beats and the overdriven guitars. It feels euphoric, sort of
prurient, all around awesome to me. The bass automatically begins to make my
head bob back and forth. Crashing cymbals, rapid fire snares and the ever present
thud of the floor tom. The guitars do so much with so little, driving riffs and minimalist solos. I can feel myself slipping between the dimensions of space.
And then the second and third acts: ―Lawless Lands‖, ―Warp Riders‖, and the dénouement of ―(The Night the Sky Cried) Tears of Fire‖. We get introduced to the
‗Archer‘. It starts off with a war-path beat and begins to build up to a strong gallop.
Again we have those driving riffs and wailing singular solos. But this is only the
sound. The lyrics: ―No woman will have him, no man calls him friend. Exiled and
outlawed by his only kin.‖ We find out our protagonist is in the pursuit of redemption. And we see our Chronomancer in bloody pursuit of power. But this is one story
that will not end happily, as our hero will die long before his redemption. And then
we listen as the inevitable black end envelopes us all as the night weeps freaking
FIRE!? Brutal.
So, stranded out in space, exiled to a lonely asteroid, this would be my album to
rock to for the eons to come into the oblivions of space.
[email protected]
22
La Vaina
Baby, I’ll Teach You to Play the Blues
Starvin’ Parker and the Callejeros
CEC G68, Darién
Are you low? The world got you down? I know it can get lonely in that mosquitero in the middle of the night out on the East Side
of Nowhere.
To me, we Volunteers have some things in common with the Holy Fathers of the Blues. We‘re all broke. They were making their
ways out to Memphis, Chicago, or west to Texas looking for work and money, usually striking out on foot and hitchhiking since
taking a Greyhound was a luxury. We hike out of site for hours on end for just a bit of internet and real food but can‘t afford the
fare to take the chiva. We get paid and hardly know where all of it went or when it all got spent. We‘re all starving. Buddy Guy
got lucky and got a salami sandwich from Muddy Waters after out-playing a random gig with Otis Rush one Chicago winter. I
feel I hit the damn lottery whenever my community guide or landlord gives me a second bowl of rice. Someone has usually
done us wrong. Most blues ballads have come out of relationships that crashed and burned harder than the Hindenburg and
Ballers and Rollers who are less than faithful and have only now learned their lessons. And if you have/had an interest down
here did he/she not have some other in the neighboring town? Bummer. Or maybe you just got stood up by a counterpart on
an important work day. That sucks, too.
And there are just those days. Your only good flip flops break. Your cornflakes are stale. That damn rooster won‘t shut up.
You‘ve eaten all your food except that bag of rice and you need to stay in site for a few more days until payday so you can buy
more and the only other thing you have is mustard. I did that once. It didn‘t taste good and I ate it for a week. You just can‘t get
comfy in your hammock. The lady standing in the aisle of the Coaster is using your shoulder for a butt rest and the guy beside
you has a bad case of gas that can choke an outhouse krugie. And no hay señal so you can complain to other Volunteers.
To make matters worse, everyone else seems to be having a good ol‘ time in Paradise, Volunteers and Panamanians alike. Oh
there is just nothing wrong—happy parejas, clear skies and green grass and they‘re rubbing it in your face. Oh, they are all just
freaking beams of sunshine. They can‘t feel your pain. They don‘t see why you just can‘t eat a mango and smile.
Can‘t find a way to let it out? Got a guitar? I wanna teach you the blues. There is so much I want to explain but due to space
reasons and other nagging editors, I might have to keep this short.
If you know the basic chords of: A, A minor, B, C, D, F, E, E minor, and G, you are on your way as these fit nicely in the following
scales. I have chosen three pentatonic scales to work with. Meaning that there are only 5 tones per scale- so less stuff to remember when you‘re getting ready to set your frets on fire and start melting faces or start riffing out some 12 bar blues...
C major/ A minor is an easy scale to practice on seeing as all the major chords one first starts off learning fit on this scale—as
well as A minor. The grayed dots are called the ‗blue notes‘. In this case it is D#. They add an extra effect to the sound one is
trying to evoke. Basic chord progressions one can practice with this one are A7-D7-E7 or B minor- E7- A.
F major/ D minor is another pentatonic scale where some basic chords fit in along with a D minor chord. With this one the blue
notes are G#s. Basic chord progressions one can practice are: D minor-G7- C and D7-G7-A7
May 2013
23
This one is G major/ E minor. Here some basic chord progressions can be E7-A7-B7 and F#minor- B7, E
If you are starting to notice a pattern on the fret board, good for you! You can move this pattern up and down for any of the
pentatonic scales.
Blistered fingers yet? Are your feet in the
Azuero but your head in Mississippi? Is the
sky cryin’ yet? Class is still in session. And
our next lesson is….
Here I want to discuss open tunings. It‘s a nice deviation
from the standard EGBDAE setup. All the blues men of old
played in these tunings. Lightnin‘ Hopkins recorded in open
A. and Hound Dog Taylor did a lot in open A and G. Keith
Richard loves to play in open D. And George Thorougood did
―Bad to the Bone‖ in open G. They can allow for greater
creativity. You can bar entire frets to make a major chord.
You can get a hold of an old soda bottle and play some
woozy slide guitar. And sometimes, you can just blindly flail
about on the frets and it all sounds good.
I want to share my favorite: open C. It has a nice low bass
tone good for setting up some droning riffs. The high strings
are tuned just as the low strings so the scales are easy to
remember. Here‘s how to get there from standard tuning.
First put your finger on the 4th fret of the B string, now pluck
it and the little E string, tune the B string UP until it sounds
like an E. It is now a C. The G string doesn‘t change. The D
string does. It is to be C as well. Pluck both the C string and
the D string together and tune it down until you can hear
them as the same note, only they are in different octaves.
Do the same with the G and A string tuning the A string
down to a a G. Lastly, pluck the middle C string (formally
known as the D string) and the low E string and tune the E
string down until it is a nice bassy C. So now we have, from
little string to big string, ECGCGC- where it used to be EBGDAE.
Play around in the areas of the 3rd, 5th, 7th and 10th frets for
the C minor pentatonic scales. You can bar these whole frets
and make them chords.
For some low down and dirty groovin‘ I would recommend
open D: DADF#AD. Here is how to get to it from standard tuning. You tune the low E string two steps down to D, put your
finger on the 7th fret of the low E and pluck it and the A string
and tune it until they both produce an A note. Repeat this with
the high E string using the same D string. Now pluck the A
string with the B string and tune the B string to an A. Now put
a finger on the 4th fret of the D string (the one that you‘ve been
using as the reference tone) pluck it and the G string and tune
the G string to F#. Find an old soda bottle and start rockin‘ the
slide.
Keep practicing and maybe everyone will start to see why a
mango won‘t make your woes go away. Maybe even Fat Possum Records could come knocking on your hut door.
E7
[email protected]
G7
D7
A7
Suggested summer reading:
Fretboard Logic
24
La Vaina
The Indigenous Perception
Erica Jones
EH G69, Ngäbe-Buglé
their dialecto? The dark skin is the
giveaway that everyone in Panama
is but a few generations removed
from being indigenous. Yet Latino
identifying Panamanians
are much more proE. Jones
gressed in civil development.
I walk through the streets of Panama and often I
don‘t feel very Panamanian. It might be
my blondish hair,
light freckled skin
After being here for over
and blue eyes like a
half of my service, I have
muñeca. That can‘t
encountered Latinos of
be it, because when I
every school of thought
don a nägua and hike
concerning the indigethe hills of the Conous. First, there was
marca Ngäbe-Buglé, I
the woman seated in the
feel like I could be
rear of a car that picked
painted into the envime up to drive down the
ronment. My close
road to the beach at
A
humble
meri
friends and neighbors
Juan Hombrón to meet a
don‘t stare anymore.
friend.
The
two Panamanians in the
I‘ve morphed into not one of them,
front seats and I chatted graciously
but this weird creature who they‘ve
during the bumpy ride. Eventually I
all come to accept. Yet I must grip
told them what I did, working with
every culture of Panama as part of
water and sanitation in the Comy holistic experience here.
marca. That is when my seat partner set into a tirade about what
T h e ind i ge nous a nd non lazy, disgusting people the indios
indigenous relationship is complex
were. The government just gives
in every formerly colonized or acthem land, while other Panamaniquired country. The relationship is
ans have to work for what is theirs.
apparent in the US: struggling indiI wanted to give her a quick history
genously-identifying groups of
lesson about land rights but didn‘t
Americans are a norm. Barely culwant to spoil the free ride. She
pable latter generations of Ameriended with, ―Soy racista, no me
cans of European decent offer critigustan los morenos ni indios‖.
cism but no solutions. How do we
get along in the, ―my great-greatNot long ago, I was in the bus tergreat grandfather killed your greatminal in Chitré with a friend visiting
great-great grandfather and took
from the states. We bumped into
his land now poverty and genetic
another Volunteer a week away
disposition have you jobless and
from COSing. I went to use the restaddicted to alcohol but we‘re all
room and when I walked up to my
Americans as I cheer at a Chiefs or
friend and the Volunteer after, I
Braves or Redwings sporting
overheard him telling her about the
event‖? Somehow we sleep.
Guna Yala and pointing to a
woman in a nägua. At first I was
It‘s different in Panama, but with
confused, and then I realized he
the same undercurrent. What are
didn‘t know the different appearcampesinos in northern Coclé but
ances of the two indigenous
indigenous who have forgotten
groups. Granted, this Volunteer
worked in the Azuero – but two
years in Panama and he didn‘t
know the difference between a
fierce looking little Guna woman
and a humble Ngäbe?
Finally, during another trip in the
Azuero, I met a young man who
owned a watermelon farm (Sandy
the Sandía he told me) and employed many Ngäbes. He immediately commented on what hard
working people they were and had
many stories about how he treats
them fairly and compassionately. I
told him what a relief his perspective was for me to hear, and he reasoned that many Panamanians
have forgotten their true heritage.
Everyone has an opinion about the
protests concerning the mining and
hydroelectric projects. Some are
sympathetic and say that it is right
for the indigenous to protect their
environment. Others think that the
indigenous should take advantage
of their fortunate pot-of-gold and
use it as leverage. Still others think
they are wild and misbehaved and
nothing else.
Of course, I have a soft spot for the
indigenous because I understand
them. I see their struggles up
close. I laugh with them, they are
my friends. I shake my head at
their backward behavior and pity
the rut that is caused by lack of
education. But I also see their lucha to feed their children, develop
their society and yet preserve their
culture. Development has forced
so many indigenous groups around
the world to leave their culture behind. Sustainable development
that preserves culture and makes
technological advances is being
fleshed out in this moment with us.
I hope as the indigenous here in
Panama become increasingly developed they can cultivate their
strong roots and grow respect from
their paisanos and the world.
May 2013
EMBERA
FASHION WEEK
Sarah Watson
EH G69, Darién
For those of you that have never
dared cross the Panama Canal going east (except to go to the office),
there is a whole world out there of
haut couture fashion, Darienta
indígena style.
A djaba-wera (Embera chick) has
GOT to be bien pintada for a big
party. But first, you‘ve got to get
your jagua prepared. Find some
kiddies that are good at climbing
trees to tumbar some jagua fruits
that are verdecito. Then, you‘ve got
to peel it like an orange, rayar it
like a coconut and cook it for a bit
on the fogón. Afterwards, you
squeeze the juice out y ya! Listo.
Your painting tool is the hard part
of a ramita de coco, a small stick.
There are various designs that
range from a quincinera design to
the one that means you‘ll get
drunk, fall in love, and get married
all in the same night to a witch
equis snake.
A fly indigenous girl‘s gotta have
some big jewelry. You could spend
a few weeks or months before an
event tejiendo your entire collection of chakira…after all, you will
need at least eight necklaces,
enough to, por lo menos, cover
your tetas. Some of these babies
are actually made with about a
hundred quarters on them. And
more earrings and bracelets…
don‘t forget the pulseras de plata.
Anything that suena duro, mas vale
for the dance and general attention
grabbing.
What kind of princess would you be
if you didn‘t have a crown? If you
are bien preparada you have a
25
crown made out of chakira or
some carne de monte (with your
woven out of chunga (the same
bow and arrow, of course) and still
material that makes the baskets
impress a pretty lady all at the
and some Latino sombreros) but a
same time. You‘ll need a very
last-minute
sharp lanza and a
braided crown
to get the best
“A fly indigenous chuso
out of woven
presa you can get.
palm leaves will girl‟s gotta have
That‘s not all you‘ll
do. Just look
eed
though—the
some big jewelry.” ndudes
around town and
are painted too!
within a minute, you‘ll probably find
The guys are painted in a more baa bush of hibiscus to fill the crown.
sic fashion… mostly just filled in
solid with a giant X across the
Most importantly, PARUMAS. A
chest. Pero cuidado! You‘ve got to
fashionable Embera-Wounaan lady
paint in the morning and let it set,
is always dressed to the T for a
bathe in the river in the afternoon
party in her finest paruma, which
and sleep super still so you don‘t
means she is up on the latest fashmanchar yourself.
ion. These are hot commodities.
They only come out once, maybe
Once you are dressed for the party,
twice a month. On top of that,
you‘ve got to put on a show. I hope
someone has to go to the city to
you brought your dancin‘ shoes
pay for them beforehand (a typi(bare feet) because there‘s a lot to
cally non-Panamanian concept).
learn. If you are an hembra EmThe person with the ticket saying
bera, you will be showing off the
that they paid for ten cortes de padanza, which consists of countless
rumas has to be there the day they
dances based on animal or nature
come out, or they might just sell
themes with some indigenous spothem all. And forken song accompaniment.
get about getting
S. Watson Once the girls and/or lathe pretty colors!
dies are done it‘s time for
You will be left
some parejas. Like the
with ten lime
camponia (Latinos), there‘s
green ones, que
a cumbia, but played with
va. Some people
the indigenous instruments,
travel 12+ hours
which consists of a turtle
for these pupshell, a homemade drum,
pies. Within an
and a flute. These same
hour, all the good
instruments are also used
colors are gone.
for the main Embera
Within a day or Those parumas are looking dance… Chim Bon Bon.
two, they are all
This is the easiest dance in
good!
gone. Within Volthe world, but you should
unteers, we are always trying to
probably be bien borracho to be
find the cool old designs… elethe best you can be. If you‘re lucky,
phants, roosters, and probably the
someone will have been fermentmost coveted one of all… a djabaing some chica fuerte for at least
wera brava—or the topless lady.
three weeks beforehand. If you‘re
even luckier, it will be from fresh
The men aren‘t dressed as bien
sugar cane or above all… borojo.
prity as the ladies (con razón,
This fruit is rumored to be an aphpues). You may be wary of the buttrodisiac. It‘s all downhill from
floss-like clothing, but the loin cloth
there!
(guayuco) is an integral piece of
clothing. You can ford rivers, hunt
[email protected]
26
La Vaina
If You Give a Kid a Kindle…
A book club project aims to empower Panama’s next generation of
thinkers (AND YOU CAN TOO!)
Alyssa Ramsey
TE G67, Coclé
―What the heck was I thinking?!‖ I
thought to myself, ―Giving out a few
Kindles to a handful of teenage campesinos who‘d never read an entire
novel before? Telling them to read
Chapters 1-4 of George Orwell‘s 1984
(in Spanish), ponder over a set of discussion questions, and show up at my
house Saturday afternoon to talk about
what they‘d read? As if they had nothing
better to do! Of course they‘re not going
to show up! This is Panama after all…‖
I frantically mixed the last few ingredients into the fried rice for the brindis
and whipped up some chicha. I noticed
that it was already 40 minutes past the
time when I‘d told the kids we would
meet. Maybe I‘d temporarily forgotten
what punctuality means in this country,
or maybe the guilt I knew I‘d feel about
letting my uncle donate three Kindles to
a failed project started to weigh on my
mind. In any case, I was beginning to
think it was too late, that all hope was
lost…
Then Abadias showed up, with his
brother, Ariosto. Didimo, a bright but
quiet former student of mine, arrived a
few minutes later. Even Betzaida made
it, despite having to hike 30 minutes to
get to my house. I served the brindis,
and braced myself for yet another moment of truth: ―So… did you guys do the
reading?‖
They did! Didimo even read double the
amount assigned, and a couple of them
started reading some of the other books
I‘d put on their Kindles (such as Harry
Potter, Frankenstein, and Cat’s Cradle).
Part of the deal I‘d made with them was
that they could keep the Kindles for the
next couple months and read whatever
was on them, so long as they also read
what I assigned, showed up for our
weekly meetings, and participated in
our discussions.
Which brings me to that day‘s third moment of truth: were the kids willing to
engage in a discussion, or did they just
show up for the snacks?
Well, even if the snacks were a factor,
the four of them didn‘t hesitate to
share their thoughts on the beginning
of 1984. The magnitude of their participation even impressed a visiting
PCV who sat in on the meeting. In the
school where he worked, he didn‘t
often see students be so forthcoming
with original opinions and arguments. I
would‘ve been more surprised too, if it
weren‘t for the fact that I‘d known all
along that I had essentially picked out
the AP or Honors Lit class of Calabazo.
I knew these kids could do this and I‘d
suspected they would want to do this,
even if both the carrots and the sticks
appeared to be rather small. They
weren‘t being graded and the only immediate reward for doing the reading
was simply the opportunity to read
even more. Now, several meetings
later and a few chapters shy of finishing the book, these kids have yet to
prove me wrong.
But you might ask, why did I bother
doing this project in the first place? It‘s
obviously great that it gets a few kids
to read more, but is this little book
club really worth the nearly $300 it
took to get it off the ground? Yes, I‘d
say it definitely is, for two reasons: the
project can now be taken up and continued by other PCVs, and most importantly, it has the potential to inspire
and empower Panama‘s next generation of thinkers.
To elaborate on my first point: I consider the abovementioned book club a
mere trial-run for a longer lasting and
potentially larger project. Now that I‘ve
seen for myself that the idea can workand that it can work really well- I want
to pass the project on to another PCV
shortly before I COS in June.
On agreeing to partake in the project,
you would receive the handful of Kindles (yup, for free!) that already have a
set of books on them. You could
choose to use one or more of those
books for your book club, or you could
buy others on Amazon and add them
to the Kindles‘ library. What‘s neat is
that you‘d need to buy only one copy of
a book for it to show up on all the Kindles, since they‘re all registered to the
same account. It‘s also important to
note that this project doesn‘t require a
long-term commitment: you can read
as few as one or two of your favorite
books in your book club, then pass the
Kindles on to the next interested PCV.
Now, here‘s my second and final point
about why I‘ve started this project and
why you should contact me if you‘d be
interested in taking it on too: we Volunteers (and those in the TE sector in
particular) are often charged with the
vague but prudent mandate to, ―foster
the development of critical thinking
skills‖. To be honest, that mandate‘s
vagueness made me doubt its importance at first. After a while though, and
thanks to my experience here, I began
to see what it means to live in a country where there is a purported lack of
critical thinking going on. There are the
inefficiencies and the mistakes whose
prevalence and magnitude are unheard of in the developed world. There
are the bright minds whose drive and
ingenuity are continually stifled by lethargic institutions. Perhaps most disconcerting, there are the people who
truly fear authority and have too little
faith in their ability to think for themselves.
You might argue that that‘s just Panamanian culture and there‘s nothing we
can do about it. But I would disagree. If
there‘s anything I‘ve learned working
in the schools here, it‘s that culture
and education are inextricably intertwined. A school system that encourages original, critical and rational
thought churns out adults who have
confidence in their intellectual capacities, people who tend to value reason
over authority and innovation over imitation. Likewise, a school system that
does the opposite tends to end up with
the opposite result.
―But what was it that taught me to
think critically?‖ I asked myself late
last year. I sat in my hammock, simultaneously combing my memories of
high school for clues and comparing
them to my Panamanian surroundings:
both had computers and textbooks,
May 2013
and many of the same subjects were
taught. There were no AP or Honors
courses in Calabazo, however. (I could
be wrong, but I‘m pretty sure nothing
like a program of courses for advanced
or gifted students exists in any Panamanian public school.)
Upon reflection, it seemed that my
Honors and AP English classes were
the ones most responsible for pushing
me to think in this way, but what was
the difference between those classes
and the Spanish classes kids have
here? Why did I come out of those English classes with a healthy dose of
skepticism, confidence in my intellectual abilities, and a desire to learn
more about the world while many
Panamanians leave their Spanish
classes bored and still barely able to
spell? In my mind‘s eye, I took one
more glance around the Panamanian
classroom, this time happening to note
just how few and how empty the
shelves were… and finally I figured out
what was missing: ―Of course! It was
the books!!‖
To Contact Alyssa regarding the book
club, please email:
[email protected]
The Devil’s Horn
Andrew Butler
G70, TE, Bocas del Toro
Along the Pacific coast of Chiriquí,
there was a village where the people
never looked one another in the eye.
This was because of a painting. In it
was a landscape of wildflowers, eyelash kissed over flickering strokes of
stark green grasses. Bouquets of blue
and red nestled at the foot of sparsely
grown pines. Rolling hills topped in
brushfire brown. A sky of the kindest
azure. It was tradition that the description of the painting be passed down in
detail, down to the petals of each
flower to whoever the previous keeper
deemed most worthy. With downcast
eyes, the keeper gave his account
over however long it took until the new
keeper could recite it back without
mistake. It often took years. This was
because there was no painting.
The only thing known for certain is that
it came from a horn.
Where Juan Felix Quintero‘s horn
came from is where the story first
muddles. Some say that the horn fell
into his lap in the early morning while
he slept on his haunches. Others say
he simply found it while lost in the
highlands and hollowed out a proper
hole to sound off from so that he could
be rescued. Still another version says
that he stole it from a Marquez brother
in a bout of drinking and that the
brother didn‘t realize it was gone until
after the festival and by then, was
happy to be done with it.
However he came about it, it was Juan
Felix‘s to hold during the harvest feast.
The yields of corn and rice were good
that year and the fogones were lit before the sun came up. There was
dancing and the horses of the town
circled barebacked at the foot of the
hill to create such a commotion that
the ground beneath them shook. The
Marquez family brought gold idols and
guacamayas that recited The Lord‘s
Prayer while they preened their feathers. However, they were quickly forgotten for the spectacle of the horn of a
mollusk that Juan Felix Quintero held.
Juan Felix led the drummers with the
ho rn,
ne a rl y
twice the size of
A Hines
his head with the
weight of a sand
dollar. Anytime
the band hit a
refrain,
the
horn‘s
melody
swept down the
hill,
gathering
momentum as if
carried on horseback. The party
went on and so
too did Juan Felix
with his horn,
blind to his wife‘s
narrowed eyes as
the women of the
town
gathered
closer.
The
drums beat furious and he blew
louder.
[email protected]
27
When the drummers stopped, Juan
Felix continued alone. He blew short
bursts, sporadically building until even
the most skilled dancers couldn‘t keep
up with the blare. As the crowd departed to escape the racket, another
horn blew in the distance. With each of
Juan Felix‘s blows, the sound was returned with the same power. They
thought perhaps it was only an echo or
a local boy playing tricks. However, all
the people of the town were accounted
for and the nearest town could only be
reached along the rocky coast where
they would see the boat approaching.
As for the echo, the return was delayed as if the other gathered breath
to best Juan Felix and the sound of it
muted into nothing after a single report like a slap across the back.
Some of the townspeople grew wary
and locked themselves indoors. They
tried to stop Juan Felix as the sound
came closer. He refused to be bested.
It wasn‘t until they saw the man on the
horse that Juan Felix stopped and everyone ran for their homes to hide.
Some say the man‘s horse blended
into the air so that he seemed to float
across the grasses. Others claimed the
horse and the man‘s coat were so
black that a child was turned blind
28
after looking into the contrasting daylight. Still, others simply called it a
creature of the sea.
The horses scrambled into the ocean
and drowned. The birds thrashed in
their cages. No one heard the man
when he called to the village and so he
rode up the hill to the house of Juan
Felix.
―You have called me,‖ he said, ―and
here I am.‖
The man beat at the floorboards below
Juan Felix‘s stilted home, rattling his
riding crop through the open spaces in
the wood. As the sound crept closer to
the family, Juan Felix rushed to the
front door and thrashed against the
wood until it was the only thing he
heard. He pushed his weight against
the door until it cracked open. Waiting
below were the eyes of the devil.
―I cannot enter,‖ the devil said. The
reasoning here is varied whether it be
because he was not invited in or the
fact that the house was elevated and
the devil is not allowed to leave the
earth as he was cast down from above.
Whichever it was, he said, ―But I cannot have come for nothing and since
you had no reason for calling me, then
I will give you one.‖ And so the devil
gave to Juan Felix Quintero eyes of
flame with which he could never look
upon another person again without
casting them in fire. In some stories, it
was first that he burned down his
house with his family in it. Fanatical
versions say he followed by destroying
the Marquez family for their unmerited
wealth and over breeding.
La Vaina
Felix closed his eyes, he was tortured
with the image of where the horn came
from. He saw a flowered pasture of
which there were many in the surrounding areas. It was a call to return.
Juan Felix spent his last years searching for the exact place where the horn
was meant to be, for the mirror image
of what he saw in his mind‘s eye. When
he was restricted to a bed, with a dim
flicker in his drowsy eyes, he recounted
the place to a beneficiary of his pigs
just as he saw it, to every detail as if he
had created it himself. From this, the
story of the portrait came.
“You have
called me,”
he said, “and
here I am.”
The other version goes that through his
heightened senses, Juan Felix wished
to put to canvas what he couldn‘t see.
If he could paint the people he knew
only as he could remember, he could
once again look upon them. However,
when he went to work all that came to
him was the meadows and fields that
he spent so much time gazing into as
he spoke with his neighbors and
friends. One after another, he created
the same image.
This is a wonderful Tamborito about
environmental conservation to sing
with a tamborito group at a fería, campamento, día ecológico, or any other
conservation activity you might do in
your community! Have fun with it!
LA NATURALEZA
QUIÉRELE AHORA VIVA DESPUÉS
DE MUERTA PARA QUE
Quiero que me quieras ahora viva después de muerta para que. Después de
muerta para que, si entonces ya no
estaré.
CORO
One story goes that whenever Juan
Quiero que me quieras ahora viva después de muerta para que.
La naturaleza que la cuiden, si tu la
contaminas para que.
Y ya je uje uje después de muerta no
estaré y sin naturaleza para que.
Sin naturaleza no existe la vida después de muerta para que.
Si siembras árboles, cuidas las especies, tendremos agua y aire puro de
verdad.
Cuídale, protégele, ámale ahora viva,
después de muerta para que.
Quiero que me quieran ahora viva,
después de muerta para que.
Y ya je uje uje, después de muerta no
estaré, y sin naturaleza para que.
*Based on folklore heard in Peace Corps Response Volunteer Kenneth Hartman‘s
previous site of Remedios, Chiriquí.
Elaborado por: Lic. Elicenia Magallón
de ANAM-El Copé, Coclé
The rest of his days, Juan Felix could
not meet the eyes of another person.
He didn‘t dare even look at their faces.
It was in this that he developed a great
ear for voices and smelled the townspeople as they approached.
This is where the greatest split between the stories occurs.
One day, a neighbor happened to catch
a glance of one of his works and unable to put a single word to it, could
only weep and say the name of the
village atop the hill. The ending of this
story often goes that after the people
of the village named this one painting
such, they locked it away to keep Juan
Felix from staring into his treasured
work and pondering the neighbor‘s
words. Even so, he eventually found it.
The edges were already smoldering
before the townspeople arrived. By the
time there was water, there were
flames.
May 2013
Stranger in a
Strange Land
The Girl in the
Santiago Terminal
Catherine Cousar
TE G70, Panama Oeste
Ally Eden
CEC G68, Herrera
very journey has its price
Paid once and twice and thrice
et us count together:
one, two, three, four...
her name is my name
her name is yours
thirteen, twenty-five, thirty-nine
years old
and five
blue bruises
around her wrist,
the imprint of a fist
on her left shoulder.
Her thighs
wider than wanted
Her eyes
louder than no
NO
please
go
too many ears gone deaf
too many mouths stay
closed.
frequency makes normal.
Frequency
makes
Three in five
women accosted over
course of her life
Normal.
29
When you turn your sail
To the indifferent winds
You surrender all that would
have been
For the sake of what might be
You leave certainty
With hearth and home
And voyage forth
Into the unknown
Stranger in a Strange Land
With each new experience
You learn and grow
Changing little pieces
Of your soul
the
Scars are just three, two, one,
maybe none.
Quantity
is not what counts, when
words, too, leave wounds.
The girl in the Santiago terminal.
Everyone you meet is a stranger
Until you ask their name
All paths are un-trodden
Until you walk down them
Her name is your name,
her name is mine.
six, seven, eight and nine
million.
The toll keeps rising
like grass
over unmarked graves.
Let us count them,
together.
[email protected]
No matter how far you wander
No matter how far you go
Whether you walk the earth
Or barely set foot outside your
door
The person who leaves
Is never the same
As the one who returns
*
30
La Vaina
This is Not a Story About Isaiah...
Ally Eden
CEC G68, Herrera
Isaiah lays his rice to dry on a
stretched cow hide. I remember
being impressed by this the first
time I visited his home—it makes
perfect sense, after all—cow hides
don't blow in the wind the way that
nylon tarps do. Isaiah is my
neighbor, a friendly man, a father
to nine children, and in my journal,
his name occurs many times, including at the top of a list entitled
―Things I hate about machismo
culture.‖ This, however, is not a
story about Isaiah.
―It's Isaiah. He's drunk again. He
wants to hit me.‖ I motioned her to
come farther in and invited her to
sit down. ―He hit Meylis yesterday
with a stick. He was sober, but he
hit her anyway.‖
Meylis is their 13-year-old daughter, a beautiful young woman with
an all-too common affinity for
house chores and making babies.
She's one of my youth club members, and she recently wrote me a
letter saying that she loved me like
a sister and hoped I'd never leave.
―Dios. Does he know you're here?‖
One Tuesday night, just after I
I asked, concerned for her wellclosed my door, I heard the shufbeing. She assured me that she
fling of feet and the silencing of
had sneaked away before he arvoices outside on my patio. I recogrived at the house. The three older
nized one of the whispers as Meykids stepped out from the rancho
lis,
Isaiah's
and continued
daughter, and
tending the fire.
A. Eden
asked
from
I wanted to tell
inside
my
them to stay
house, ―What's
put, that he was
going on, Meysure to see
lis?‖ No one
them, but I held
answered so I
my tongue for
opened
the
fear that I'd give
door. Standing
away
Maria's
in front of me
hiding place. I
was
Isaiah's
stood outside
wife, Maria de
my
rancho
La Cruz, two
where light of
babies in her
the fire fell
arms and three
upon
me,
other children
scared to beh u d d l e d
come involved
around her in
in
something
Melixa, one of Isaiah’s daughters,
the darkness.
potentially
danmight be in for the same fate as her
There was a
g
e
r
ous
but
mother.
trash fire burnwanting
to
ing on the hill
stand
guard
between my house and theirs and
and bear witness, just in case he
the light from the flames illumitried anything. Behind the silhounated them from behind. ―Maria,‖
ettes of the children, across the
I said, ―What's going on?‖
flaming trash pile, I could see
Isaiah, fully illuminated by the flickering light of the roaring fire, machete in hand, drunk, raging, and
terrifying. He was threatening to
find Maria, to kill her, repeating
over and over again that he didn't
love the old woman and she didn't
love him, that those damned kids
were hijueputas, and that the negrita wasn't his to begin with (talking
about 3-year old Melixa). I looked
back towards my rancho and could
make out her sweet, doll face as
she played with sticks in the dirt,
completely oblivious to his remarks.
Finally, another neighbor by the
name of Kenny came by on horseback and convinced Isaiah to go
home with him. One of the kids,
Joseito, scrambled up the side of
the hill through the shadows of the
brush and grabbed the machete
from the tree trunk where his dad
had last hucked it and the whole
family reunited with their mother in
the rancho. By this time, other
neighbors had arrived to watch the
spectacle too.
―I'll leave tomorrow in the morning,‖ Maria assured Yamileth.
―Where will you go? Will you take
the children?‖
―We'll go to my sister's house in la
Yesca first thing tomorrow. Tell the
teachers why the children won't be
at school.‖
I rested my head in my hands,
sighed, and stared at Maria. ―Why
don't you report him? Do you want
to report him?‖ She nodded her
head and replied that yes, she
does and will but not until she
moves away. ―Sure,‖ I said. ―I'll
come find you in la Yesca and help
you. Just go.‖
Isaiah stared down at me later that
day as I washed my dishes. I
May 2013
waved, nicely, but he did not wave
back. I wondered what would happen should Maria file a police report. But Maria never filed a report.
In fact, she returned, kids in tow,
just two days later.
According to the experts, this is all
part of the cycle of domestic violence: escalation, explosion, and
forgiveness. It is a difficult cycle to
break away from, especially for a
woman who has only a 6th grade
education, no job, and a family to
feed. For Meylis, however, escape
was easy. Hers came in the form
of marriage. Less than 24 hours
after the incident, my newest little
sister was grown up and gone. I'd
like to think she's at least safe
from violence but I can't say that
for certain. Her new hubby has
already taken an unhealthy liking
to alcohol and exudes adolescent
machismo. It's very possible he‘s
picked up a few bad habits from
the suegro. After all, people mark
each others' characters in the
same way that machetes leave
scars in the trunks of trees.
What do I do then as a neighbor
and a Peace Corps Volunteer? I
can't report Isaiah and I can't harbor Maria and her children, or any
other women. In Panama, 95% of
domestic violence victims are
women whose abusers are known
men, most of which are husbands
and boyfriends. Between the years
of 2008 and 2009, the number of
instances resulting in femicide
nearly doubled from 42 to 80, and
according to a survey of Panamanian hospitals, most cases are reported on Sundays or Mondays,
usually in association with male
alcohol consumption. The gravity
of this reality has been bringing me
down for some time now, which is
why I've done the only thing I know
how to do: a charla.
This month, I coordinated with
31
Meylis' bruises disappear. No, the
A.Eden reason I want to share this story
with you is because I know I'm not
the only Volunteer who has experienced something similar and felt
overwhelmed by an inability to
help. Yes, we are completely powerless when it comes to domestic
violence. No, we aren't going to be
able to save any women or bring
them any closer to safety without
A skit about domestic violence, complete
potentially endangering ourselves
with chicken hats and props.
or further endangering the victims.
APLAFA (Panama's Planned ParentHowever, I think a charla at least
hood) and my school to organize a
opens up the doors for thought, if
mandatory Padres and Madres de
not discussion, about some of the
la Familia meeting in which the
negative ramifications of gender
topic was education about domesinequality. It puts a name to the
tic violence, masculinity and gencommonplace tragedy of domestic
der. While the Licenciada (a proviolence, shedding light on what
fessional in domestic violence)
normally goes unseen, amplifying
taught the mothers, Whitney Mackwhat normally is just heard at a
Obi, Tempest Carter, Kendra Allen
whisper, and bringing people toand I worked with the children.
gether at least long enough to conThe women learned about the cycle
template ways to combat this injusof domestic violence, different
tice through community solidarity
kinds, legal stipulations, and how
and women's empowerment.
to be an ally both on an individual
and community level
If you're interested, here are a few key
while the children
learned about genpoints from APLAFA's charla:
der equality.
The reason I want to
share this story with
you is not because I
am seeking applause or proclaiming that this was a
successful intervention. It wasn't, and it
does not merit applause. A charla is
in no way close to
being a remedy for
what is a very large
problem here in the
Azuero (and perhaps
across the entire
country). A charla
won't stop Isaiah
from being a violent
drunk, and it certainly won't make
[email protected]
There are 4 types of domestic violence:
sexual, physical, psychological, and economic.
Under Panamanian law, attackers may
be sentenced to 2-4 years.
The most important thing an ally can tell
a victim is that, “It is not your fault!”
Denuncios must be made in the corregeduria
Before making a denuncio, victims
should have an escape plan that includes gathering money and choosing a
safe place to go where the attacker will
not suspect to find her/him (it should
not be a family member's house).
32
La Vaina
in the morning? Alarms were set for
5:15 and we were back at our Quetzal
spot an hour earlier the next morning.
My dad had taken to attempting communication with the Quetzals by reLucas Curry
peatedly whistling their tune regardEH G71, Ngäbe- Buglé
less of my mom's constant, "Shut up,
Kevin." Around 8:30, we stopped our
It began about fiftteen years ago. The
incessant strolling for brunch, feeling
Curry family was traveling to Costa
hopeless and on the verge of giving
Rica for Fall Break and we ended up
up. The sandwiches were good but
on a guided rain forest tour. It was
emotions were down. My dad finished
there that we found out about (but did
eating, stood up, and continued his
not catch sight of) the Resplendent
whistling. All of a sudden a large bird
Quetzal. Our guide had gotten very
flew into view and perched on a
excited when he heard the bird's call
branch right above him! Another Troand led us scrambling along the path
gon. By now we were
to try and witness the awesomeness of
all knowledgeable enough to recognize
this feathered creature. The day ended
it. But strangely, the bird seemed to be
in disappointment when we finished
responding to my dad's call. He would
the hike with no success.
whistle and the bird would whistle
back. My mom and I looked at each
The Resplendent Quetzal is a brightly
other with wide eyes. The
colored species of bird
Trogon took off and my
L.
Curry
L.
Curry
found in Central America
mom hissed, "Kevin!
that inhabits tropical cloud
Keep whistling!" Not five
forests from Mexico to
minutes later the unbeWestern Panama. The Quetlievable happened. We
zal has been hunted
all saw it at exactly the
throughout history for it's
same moment as a full
astonishingly long and
grown male Resplendent
beautiful tail feathers and is
Quetzal swooped by and
currently facing near threatlanded sixty feet away
ened/endangered species
from where we were
status (depending on the
seated. Dear Lord. This
source) for this reason as
bird was magnificent. On
well as local deforestation.
second thought, magnificent probably isn't a
Flash forward to March
strong enough word to
Trogons:
Wanna-be
Quetzals
The Resplendent Quetzal
20, 2013...
describe it. Its size, colors,
grace
and
beauty left us with jaws
Mom and Dad have come to visit me
At 6:15 the next morning, we were up
dropped. We jumped to our feet and
and we chose to spend a few days in
and ready to go try again. The Curry
quickly started taking pictures and
Boquete after the adventures of
family
would
not
be
defeated
that
easstaring in awe through binoculars at
pasearing to my home in the Comarca
ily
and
we
would
take
every
opportuthis incredible creature. After posing
Ngäbe-Buglé. The first day in Boquete,
nity we had to witness this avian legfor us for several minutes it took flight
we decide to go on a hike in the local
end
in
the
wild.
Another
two
and
a
half
again and we hurried to maintain visrain forest along a path called "Los
mile
hike
out
and
we
slowly
wandered
ual contact as long as possible. Our
Quetzales." Our failure to see the Quetthe
path
where
we
thought
the
Quetzal
friend didn't go far and was soon
zal fifteen years ago had not faded
would most likely be. We were prejoined by a female who helped him
from anyone's memory but no one was
pared.
We
had
done
our
research.
We
hunt insects out of a dying tree stump
getting their hopes up after speaking
knew
its
call.
Around
ten,
we
parked
for the next twenty minutes. It was an
to a fellow tourist who had hiked this
ourselves
down
for
brunch
and
at
ethereal experience for all of us and a
trail five times before and never seen
twelve we realized the morning was
moment that I'm sure none of us will
the bird. Two and a half miles in we
gone.
The
opportunity
had
passed
and
ever forget. We hiked back to the enstopped for lunch and turned around,
we
were
still
Quetzal-less.
trance feeling deeply satisfied and
pleased with the peaceful walk
lighter than a Quetzal's tail feather.
through nature filled with sounds of
Like I said, the Curry family would not
hundreds of different birds and anibe defeated so easily. Is 6:15 too late
Mission Accomplished.
mals. Hiking back to the entrance, we
Quest for the Elusive
Quetzal
came across the same gentleman we
had met earlier but apparently his luck
and attitude had changed. He claimed
to have seen multiple quetzals and
gave us details of where they could be
found along the path. We immediately
set out with one goal in mind: see the
bird. A short while later we approached
the spot indicated by our friend and
after a few minutes, sure enough,
there appeared a large but slightly less
colorful than expected bird. We were
excited but something wasn't right. I
knew deep down that that hadn't been
our Resplendent Quetzal. Upon arriving back to the entrance we showed a
local ranger the photo my dad had
snapped and he told us the bad news.
It was a member of the Trogon family
and related to the Resplendent Quetzal. But it wasn't a Resplendent Quetzal. We all knew what this meant.
May 2013
Busted Ribs of Service
Andrew Parker
CEC G68, Darién
One of the many lessons I have
learned in my time here in Panama
is this: the longer you hang out on
a porch and tell stories, the more
rice and food you get. (The better
the stories, the more food.)
So here is what happened. Back a
few months ago I was invited to a
vacunadera where a bunch of cows
are put in a pen, lassos are tossed
around, brands are heated, cows
are tipped and hilarity ensues. I
was invited and figured, ―Yeah alright, I got nothing going on this
weekend, and they are willing to let
me be the one to tumbar the cows
this time. What could go wrong?
I‘m in.‖
The day finally came. I was stoked.
I put on my ratty jeans, my ratty
button down, my kick-ass cowboy
boots, my hat, and was out the
door, looking good.
You should have seen it. A pen full
of cows, scared and not knowing
what to do. Guys on the fence hooting and hollering as those on
horses wrangled another bovine.
Seco flowing like the waters from
the cleft rock of Moses. A beautiful
day.
And there I was, in the stink of it. In
the pen: a mix of mud, poo and
cow whiz. I was ripe by the end of
the day.
There is a technique to tumbaring
vacas. You have to wait until the
cow has the lasso around its horns.
You come in on the side, grab one
of its ears, one hind leg, heave, the
cow goes down and you put a
Steve Irwin crocodile head lock on
it while one of the other vaqueros
vaccinate and brand it. Then you
have to quickly release the lasso
and run up the edge of the pen
while the cow runs back to the
herd. It sounds like a lot but you
get the hang of it pretty quick. A
great adrenaline rush.
It was turning out to be a great day.
My gente got a show watching the
gringo wrestle with cows. I got to
wrestle cows. Everyone wins.
Then came a lassoed bull.
33
the latter.
My gente cheered.
Once I was up, I faced two more
options: climb the fence, bail out
and lay in the shade and nurse my
wounds or I could take this bull
down. Some were telling me to just
climb the fence, I was done. I
looked at that fence—the easy way
out—then at that bull. That smug
bull, horns barely in, eyeing me like
he got the best of me. ―You‘re beat
gringo, go sit down—if you know
what‘s good for ya,‖ I could imagine
him saying.
No. I came at him from the side,
grabbed his ear- he bucked in protest- I then got his leg, and he was
down. Head locked. How he
snorted in anger. The needle went
in and the brand burned. He was
loosed. Defeated, he returned to
the herd.
My people cheered. ―Ese gringo, lo
tiene.‖
He wasn‘t a full grown bull but he
wasn‘t a calf either. And from the
way he was acting, he wasn‘t too
appreciative of getting his horns
lassoed.
You could say I got careless. Hubris
clouded my sense of caution—and
one could argue my common
sense—my technique got sloppy. I
came in to take this bull down, and
he kicked me.
Kicked me square in the ribs. He
broke several and I was down.
Writhing in the mud and shit for a
breath.
All the while my gente are watching
me, wide eyed, ―Oh man, we just
killed the gringo,‖ I heard one say.
At this moment it seemed I had two
options: lie in the mud and die or
get up and dust myself off. I chose
[email protected]
This story is an extended metaphor
of our service. There are times
when we will get knocked in the
ribs and go down. But what do we
do from there? We could either wallow in the mud and shit or we can
get back up. After that? We could
either bail out or we take down
what got us. To me, it sounds like
wallowing in our mud and bailing
don‘t make for good story telling.
Who wants to hear about that?
Pissin‘ and moanin‘ won‘t get you a
second bowl of rice or a second
pinta, or even invited back onto
that porch with stories like those.
No one ever asks, ―Tell us a story
about how you faced adversity and
gave up and went home‖. Not here
or at job interviews anyway. So
tumba what has knocked you down
and get that extra bowl and that
second pinta.
34
La Vaina
mar if the mood catches me. But this
is where I draw the line.
Please, Stop
Pooping In My
Shower
Andrew Butler
TE G70, Bocas del Toro
I was willing to turn a blind eye to the
naked babies. The chickens wandering into unguarded rooms to drop a
deuce? No big deal. Even toddlers
coddling mama‘s breast before school
only partially bothered me. My only
request? Please, stop pooping in my
shower.
The first few times could have well
been emergencies. Sometimes,
there‘s no time to think where. At
least it wasn‘t on my doorstep, right?
That is, until I was left to clean up. I
don‘t need to know who has worms,
who needs more fiber or who can dislodge half their body weight in one
sitting (I‘m looking at you, Juan Carlos).
A study I just made up ensures that
not pooping in my shower makes you
90% more likely to live longer. There‘s
also my composting latrine to use as
an alternative. Turn you poop to
power! Don‘t defecar in my shower.
The thing is, I don‘t like toilet paper
either. It‘s expensive and the stuff
here is ghostly thin. I want to be fancy
with a campo bidet every now and
then too. So please, stop pooping in
my shower. Because after I try to
change it and fail, my attitude change
might just dictate that I try it too.
Señor
Fly
Everyone poops. I‘m even a little jealous. The last solid thing I dropped was
wooden and almost broke my toe. So
bravo for that. We‘re all very proud.
Dad. Poop Eater.
Bailey Fruit Fly Remedy
Steve and Heather Bailey
CEC & TE G70, Herrera
Have you been getting too many
guineos from your neighbors? Do they
pile up and just get more and more
ripe, attracting a horde of fruit flies
who invade the smallest opening?
There is hope in sight! In the last issue
of La Vaina, we told you how to get rid
of cockroaches. Now it's time for our
fruit fly remedy. We take advantage of
their weakness for all things sweet
and trap them in a liquid tomb. It's
simple: start with a shallow dish and a
few ounces of miel de caña. They love
that stuff. Add a couple of spoonfuls
of water to make it thinner, then one
drop of liquid soap. The little critters
land on the surface expecting to walk
on water as they usually do. To their
surprise, they sink to the bottom,
where they end their short lives. It's
fun to watch the body count adding
up! You can use any liquid soap,
though some have a fragrance the
flies don't like. We get good results
with Axion dishwashing liquid soap.
I accepted the Crocs. I get the shirt
rolled up past the belly button to beat
the heat. I‘ll even reciprocate a salo-
How I Spend My Time In Site
1
2
9
3
8
1
7
4
6
5
5
4
6
3
2
7
8
9
Becca Beitsch
G70 TE, Veraguas
May 2013
odd, like meatballs, think about the
fine line between crazy opportunities
and dangerous situations.
Your
Panamanian
Stars
Gemini (May 21 - June 20)
Did you know that a man in Austria,
trying to display his religious views,
chose to wear a pasta strainer on his
head in his driver‘s license photo.
Why? Because he‘s a pastafarian
who worships the Giant Spaghetti
monster. Take a page out of his
book, Gemini—if you feel the need to
show your views, go out there and do
it.. Wear a pasta strainer on your
head or dientes on your shirt. Just be
true to yourself!
Cancer (June 21- July 22)
Do your campo pets, be they chickens or dogs, speak better English
than you do? Sometimes, when we
don‘t use a skill or talent we used to
use all the time, we forget it. Cancer,
you‘re in luck. This is your time to
relearn an old skill you never had to
think about before. You‘ll be better
at it than ever.
Leo (July 23 - August 22)
When North Korea started making
threats against North America, they
targeted specifically Washington,
D.C., Los Angeles, CA, and Austin, TX.
Why those three? It seems as though
they‘ve developed a missile that targets ironic mustaches. Leo, despite
this threat against facial hair, you
should still cultivate your non-ironic
mustache, whether it‘s a figurative or
literal ‗stache. Your facial hair will
take you places, trust me.
Virgo (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22)
Sheep are wild about Chardonnay
(grapes), Virgo. Why am I telling you
this? Not to take a sheep on a date,
but because this is your chance to
find something new to go crazy for
that no one, not even yourself, would
expect. Whether it‘s a wool cap in
the middle of Panama or that weird
looking food in the local fonda—try it!
35
Aquarius (Jan. 20 - Feb.18)
Why are more Americans walking
away from more car accidents than
ever before? Well, Aquarius, because
Americans are fatter than ever before. So the next time you‘re pasearing, accept those extra plates of rice,
beans and modongo. It just may
save your life.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Now that Trash Island has officially
been recognized as a country by the
United Nations, does that make
―trashy‖ an ethnicity? Think about
that, Libra, the next time you start
bochinchear-ing.
Scorpio (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21)
Do you have stacks of stuff building
up in your house? What about piles
of files on your computer? Don‘t
worry, Scorpio, because such famous minds as Shakespeare were
hoarders as well. Use the piles and
stacks as inspiration for your next
opus.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21)
There‘s a new hit show in Norway,
following wood from tree to the fire.
Norwegians are divided, however, on
the bark of it, some claiming that
there‘s too much, and other‘s that
there‘s not enough. Sagittarius,
sometimes our complaints are like
worrying about what side of the bark
is burning first. So if your projects
are getting done, but not necessarily
the way you want them to, take a
deep breath, and echa pa’lante.
Capricorn (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19)
Earlier this year, horsemeat was discovered in Ikea‘s famous meatballs.
As people wondered how horsemeat
found its way into Swedish meatballs, horses wondered how to protect themselves. Capricorn, in case
you‘re worried about how to save
yourself from ending up someplace
[email protected]
Pisces (Feb. 19 - March 20)
When 87 year old former Prime Minister of England Margaret Thatcher
died earlier this year, twitter caused
a controversy through the hashtag
#nowthatchersdead. As you can
imagine, Pisces, that could be confusing Margaret Thatcher and Cher,
the famous singer. Keep this in mind
the next time you share big news,
good or bad, with your loved ones,
and the rest of the world, on social
media.
Aries (March 21 - April 19)
New Zealand scientists have developed a way to make fabric from hagfish mucus. Whether you find this
fact innovative or disgusting, keep
this in mind, Aries, as you try new
things.
Taurus (April 20 - May 20)
Much like women in the campo, hipsters are now playing Bingo as a favorite pastime. While it‘s not clear if
hipsters are now old women in Panama or if they‘re just trying to reclaim activities the younger generations have previously shunned. Try to
take something back from the past,
Taurus, to see what you might like to
do in your free time.
(Random facts and horoscopes
inspired by
www.freewillastrology.com and
NPR‘s podcast Wait, Wait, don’t tell
me. These are not ―real‖ horoscopes.)
36
Madelyn Berger JasBoeckmann Abigail
Jason Carter Alison
Esquibel Elizabeth
Kaitlin Fredrickson
son Lucy Hankinson
Holden Healy Emily
lie Kyrias Daisy Lee Lauren
Martin Quinn Miller Andrew
Richard Alexander Smith
thew Tansey Rachel Teter
Xochihua Kelly Aho Kendra
Blaine Adrianne BoeckCarle Jason Carter Alison
Esquibel Elizabeth Frailey
Fredrickson Emilio Garcia
son Keith Hardy Laura HaHeller Bianca Kapadia HalLynch Matthew Manupella
drew Parker Natalie
der Smith Lauren Sofen
Rachel Teter Emily Ure PeAho Kendra Allen Madelyn
Adrianne Boeckmann AbiJason Carter Alison Eden
Elizabeth Frailey Rachel
Emilio Garcia Elizakinson Keith Hardy
Healy Emily Heller BiKyrias Daisy Lee LauManupella Clay MarParker Natalie
Alexander Smith LauMatthew Tansey Rater Wawro Ruth XochiAllen Madelyn Berger
Adrianne Boeckmann
Carle Jason Carter Alwards Sonia Esquibel
Frattarola Kaitlin
cia Elizabeth Gibson
Hardy Laura Havenga
La Vaina
In a recent announcement, Group 68
has decided that they will be parting
ways. Official reasons include end of
service but rumors are circulating
that two years is two years and the
U.S.A. is calling.
Known for such hits as “Worm
Boxes”, “Home Gardening Blues”
and “Recycling: Garbage Changin’”.
When Panama asked why, the group
responded, “It’s not you. It’s me.”
Be on the lookout for side projects
and Facebook updates of pining for
Panama and pollo de patio.
Kelly Aho Kendra Allen
mine Blaine Adrianne
Borst Julianne Carle
Eden Alyssa Edwards Sonia
Frailey Rachel Frattarola
Emilio Garcia Elizabeth GibKeith Hardy Laura Havenga
Heller Bianca Kapadia HalLynch Matthew Manupella Clay
Parker Natalie Petrucci Hallie
Lauren Sofen Amy Stypa MatEmily Ure Peter Wawro Ruth
Allen Madelyn Berger Jasmine
mann Abigail Borst Julianne
Eden Alyssa Edwards Sonia
Rachel Frattarola Kaitlin
Elizabeth Gibson Lucy Hankinvenga Holden Healy Emily
lie Kyrias Daisy Lee Lauren
Clay Martin Quinn Miller AnPetrucci Hallie Richard AlexanAmy Stypa Matthew Tansey
ter Wawro Ruth Xochihua Kelly
Berger Jasmine Blaine
gail Borst Julianne Carle
Alyssa Edwards Sonia Esquibel
Frattarola Kaitlin Fredrickson
beth Gibson Lucy HanLaura Havenga Holden
anca Kapadia Hallie
ren Lynch Matthew
tin Quinn Miller Andrew
Petrucci Hallie Richard
ren Sofen Amy Stypa
chel Teter Emily Ure Pehua Kelly Aho Kendra
Jasmine Blaine
Abigail Borst Julianne
ison Eden Alyssa EdElizabeth Frailey Rachel
Fredrickson Emilio GarLucy Hankinson Keith
Holden Healy Emily

May - Peace Corps Panama Friends

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