eye of the storm

There were 2 deaths in my community on the same night. Rosa, a devoted Christian and family woman of 52 and Juan, the elderly botanical medicine man, both passed on January 15^th at 11pm. Both were terribly sick but we were not expecting such a tragic ending. I was at Rosa’s 3 hours earlier, helping the family out with whatever chore I could: fetching water or cooking soup. I returned home to rest and that evening I was awoken to screaming neighbors outside of my door; she had passed. My immediate reaction was to run. Run to the families. Run to the kids and spouses. I stayed with them all night as they screamed, wept, and even fainted.

The community stopped at a standstill for almost 2 weeks. No one went to the farm, no one left to sell cocoa; the only movement was coffin making and visitation to the families. Hundreds of people came from neighboring communities to pay their respect to the families and Santa Marta.

The death I have experienced in my life as always been somewhat removed- whether it be by distance, time or association. Death is always a sensitive subject and never easy, but I was especially uncomfortable in a culture and country not of my own. I felt like a huge storm was blowing all the trees in different directions, and I was the only non-native species that didn’t know which way to sway. I tried to follow everyone’s example and visited the families, always bearing gifts or helping out with some chore. During moments of long silences, I thought it best to be myself. I once broke a long silence by asking, “Hey you want to learn a funny word in English? Hippopotamus” –which was immediately followed by an uproar of laughter and gestures of gratefulness.

However, as much sympathy as I had for these families, I could not get over my own feelings of loneliness (I am even embarrassed sharing this to the public). During the burials, (mind you in a culture that does not publicly show affection) family members were holding each other, bracing each other, wiping each other’s tears, while I was just… there. That night I went home alone and cooked dinner for myself and ate by myself- a routine I do every day, but was tattered by the absence of my biological family.

What I really want t get across in this post is that Peace Corps is not a fairy tale of successful development work and happy children and beautiful pictures. Life is happening, and it can end at any moment. Cherish every day and call someone you love after reading this.

Trash Talk

Here is a crude metaphor: Trash is like HIV, it’s all over the world and is impossible to cure. The only feasible answer? Prevention.

 In the past few months I have visited several communities to discuss trash management. Most communities burn or bury their trash and since there are very limited alternatives, we discuss ways that burning or burying could be done in a more environmental and health conscience manner. Some examples:

Don’t burn your trash at the hottest part of the day or when kids are close

Don’t bury trash close to the river

It is important to separate your trash before burning to avoid hazardous chemical reactions

We also talk about trash incinerators- large tin cans where trash can be burned. It traps in toxic smoke and burns trash at a faster rate. 


 I have visited 4 different communities but what has sparked the most interest in every community has been recycled artisan. We have made bracelets and purses out of plastic cookie wrappers and soda pop tabs. We have made jewelry out of magazines, and purses out of plastic bags. Panamanians are very talented and have a natural hand for artisan work (most souvenirs are handmade) so it was easy for them to pick up. PLUS there is little to no cost since we are just reusing our own trash! When  I made the recycled artisan charla in Santa Marta, I expected it to last no more than an hour. But surprisingly, people stayed for over 5 hours, men women and children practicing. What I was most proud of was when the trash I had brought ran out, kids when running to voluntarily look for more trash to keep practicing! There was an artisan group in the past, but due to corruption it no longer exists. Who knows if Santa Marta will start a new group or even continue thinking about trash. However, I can say that during this day I saw collaboration and heard ideas of team work and participatory action. I cannot force the community to have a group but I hope to inspire them to continue thinking about trash management and artisan work

bracelet from cookie wrappers

jewelry from soda pop tabs

purse croched from plastic bags

Travelin Band

After 7 months in my community, it was time for a much needed vacation. I crossed the border into Costa Rica (not realizing I only live 2 hours from the border) and met with one of my best friends, Paz.  We went to Manuel Antonio National Park which lies on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.  The park consists of a few trails in the jungle but is most popular for its beaches. There are tons of guided tours that are available but it is also possible (but not very honest) to just follow a group  to check out the hidden animals and hear some cool facts. We saw plenty of monkeys, snakes, crabs, bats, frogs and raccoons…hungry very raccoons which will steal your lunch on the beach if you’re not careful. After checking out the park we spent 2 days (including Christmas) on the beach. For any interested travelers, we stayed in Hostel Plinio right outside of Quepos. We loved it! It was a very clean, tranquil hostel with a pool and full stocked kitchen.



The country of monkeys!

 

Manuel Antonio National Park

 

Can you see the frog?

Costa Rican Sunset

 It was the first time I had felt genuinely relaxed for a very long time because I was away from everything PC related. I was away from Panama, Panamanians, Panamanian food, PC paperwork, Ngäbere language, meetings, complaining community members and other volunteers. Don’t get me wrong, I love being here and sharing my experiences and support with other volunteers. However when PCVs get together, there’s always the pressure to talk about work or drink our livers off.

We returned to Santa Marta so Paz could get a hint of Peace Corps life. I have my eco-club every Saturday, so she was here to help me facilitate a recycling sessions. We made paper snowflakes and shared our American traditions of Christmas and cold weather. It was very refreshing having a non-PCV visitor. Generally when PCVs visit each other it is because a very exclusive English-speaking only mental break is needed. However Paz  was generally interested in meeting my community members. Her positive commentary on the beauty of my community and welcoming hospitality of the people make me stop and recognize the gratitude I had started to lose. She was a great inspiration when she was exposed to some of the challenges I have had to face (community specific and PC generally)

We also celebrated my birthday and New Year’s Eve in Santa Marta. A few fellow PCVs came to visit. We started the morning with a very successful soap-making class (It can be made out of used-cooking oil; since Panamanians fry everything is a great way to re-use the oil they would just otherwise throw out!). During the class the participants sang (very terribly but whole heartedly) Happy Birthday in English. We spent the rest of the day eating until we were going to explode.

Scuba diving

After visiting Santa Marta, we continued our vacation to Bocas Island where we got scuba certified (any visitors wanna come down to dive, I am all in!) then returned to Costa Rica on the Atlantic side. We visited the Sloth Sanctuary in Cahuita… sloths are actually really cool animals (despite that they spread leishmaniasis, a skin eating bacteria.. my heart goes out to the PCVs in Panama who have suffered from this)

Some awesome fun sloth facts:

They live in trees, but go on the ground once a week to poop/pee

There is no physical evidence of pregnancy; once birth is happening the female just reaches around her backside to catch the baby

Babies are born with a full body of hair and claws

Although slow, when necessary (like defense mechanisms) they can move as fast as a cheetah

The only known species of pygmy sloth lives on an island off of Panama!

Broken bones mend 7x faster than human bones

There is evolutionary evidence that suggests sloths were once the size of t-rexs

 

Buttercup, world's oldest captive sloth

 

I really enjoyed my time in Costa Rica and hope to see more of Latin America while I am down here. Thanks to Paz and the PCVs who joined me for this refreshing vacation!