Hasta Luego

I am writing this post from a small house in Panama City and today is my last day in the country.  Let me remind you that my Close of Service date was for April 29^th.

Today is March 22^nd and I left my community of La Mina on March 8^th.  

The followers of my blog know that I had a security incident back in September. Peace Corps and I filed several restraining orders through local and provincial authorities.

Unfortunately, the incident became more complicated and on March 2^nd I was asked to attend a mandatory meeting in Panama City with the Peace Corps security department and the country director.

Due to recent events, they explained to me that the recent security plan needed to be updated (it has been 6 months) but since I had such little time left and for the sake of my safety and security, I was asked that I do an Early Close of Service. I would not be penalized for an Early COS and would receive all of the benefits of a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer. But I would be leaving my community March 8^th.  I had 5 days to tell my community, pack my things and leave.

I would not have the awesome despedida (good bye party) that I had been dreaming about for a year. Several mini-projects would not be finished. I would not have the “last times” of doing this or doing that that I had planned with several community members. I would not see the kids in the school plant in the garden.

The next 4 days were some of the most stressful days I have ever had in my life. But the day before I left, several members of the community pulled together and made a goodbye ceremony. It was not the grand extravaganza that I dreamed of. There were no drums or music and I did not wear a traditional pollera. But there was my favorite traditional food and lots of love. People shared their experiences: from work to community events to even having coffee at their house. I tried everything I could to hold the tears back (crying in Panamanian culture is a no-no) as people expressed their love and gratitude for me as a volunteer and as a person. I realized that I did not need all the fancy party things that I had dreamed of, because I received expressions of love, friendship and gratitude.

Final Community Meeting

Lined up at the Despedidia

I spent the next week in the office doing the COS process (medical appointments, dental, administrative paperwork blah blah). From there I asked PC to postpone my flight because I needed time to finish the paperwork to bring Oreo home with me. Meanwhile, I thankfully know a family in the city who was willing to take me in for the week and were just wonderful- fed me, washed my clothes, and showed me some areas of the city I had never been too.

As I look back on these past crazy two years, I don’t ask myself if it was worth it. My motive for why I applied for Peace Corps and why I was able to finish my service are worlds apart. I tell myself that I am a stronger and changed person. Living and coexisting with people who are completely different has made me reflect on world problems such as poverty and governmental corruptness, but I have also changed my values on family and my own culture. I have planted seeds in individuals that I will never see grow. That is what Peace Corps is about and that is why I did it.

 

The Gong Ringing- I am officially a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer!

 

Visiting La Mina- a different perspective

  I recently had the privilege of spending a week visiting and volunteering with Christina in her community of La Mina. My employer gives employees about one week per year of time off to do volunteering, so I took the opportunity to go Panama and volunteer in the community!

I began my trip in Costa Rica (where I studied abroad), visiting friends and host family. From San Jose I bussed south to David, then met Christina in Panama City. We grabbed lunch and left for La Mina.

I wasn’t completely sure what to expect in the community - I’d been told there wasn’t electricity, but I’ve never gone more than a few hours without electricity, so it was a bit of a foreign concept. I’ve traveled through a lot of Central and South America, and had been to some pretty rural places, but still didn’t know exactly what La Mina would be.

The first thing I saw was that La Mina is beautiful. We arrived around sunset, and the surrounding hills and brush was lit with the dying light of the day. Walking around the community close to sunset was one of my highlights of being in La Mina. The scenery glowed.

After arriving, we set up my sleeping arrangements. I met Mama Chana, the owner of the house and a matriarchal type, and went to bed. For the rest of my time there I had the pleasure of meeting Mama Chana’s family, Christina’s host family, and many other warm and welcoming people in La Mina. I speak decent Spanish, but the local accent and vocabulary took a bit of getting used to. Despite this, everyone was very accepting and friendly. We spent a lot of time “pasear”-ing in the village: chatting and catching up.

During my time in the village I had the chance to learn more about the campo lifestyle, including the work, the customs, and the food. I saw the ecological stoves Christina had helped build, and helped her conduct surveys and followups regarding those. Later in the week, I helped teach the English class, and got to meet some of the younger students in the village. Everyone was very friendly, and by the end of the trip I was able to understand a good number of the jokes they made.

One of my favorite moments on the trip was during the trip out of the community to get to the provincial capital, Penenomé, for a regional Peace Corps meeting. We weren’t able to find a chiva (pickup trucks that serve public transit needs), but we were lucky enough to catch a ride with her friend… in the back of his pickup truck which was full of lumber. The ride out of La Mina has some fairly steep points hills and sharp turns, so we hung on tightly to the sides. What the drive lacked in safety it made up for in fun! (For me, at least)

I met Christina’s fellow Peace Corps volunteers (all of whom were friendly and funny as well) and saw the administrative side of the Peace Corps. I heard more about the other communities in Panama (and how they compare to La Mina), and we went to an awesome bioluminescent beach after the meeting.

The following day Christina and I returned to the village and discussed plans for ecological stoves in a nearby community with another volunteer, and I enjoyed my last night in the village.

The entire experience was amazing! The hardest part about not having electricity for me was changing my sleep schedule. I’m more of a “late to bed, late to rise”-type, but in such a setting people wake and sleep with the sun (more or less). During my downtime I would read with my headlamp, listening to the sound of the bat that lived in my house flying into my mosquito net.

I’m extremely grateful for Christina and the people of La Mina for welcoming me and allowing me such a unique opportunity.  A week can only offer so much insight into the experience, but I definitely gained an appreciation for the difficulty of the life of a Peace Corps volunteer. I have  much more respect for the volunteers who spend multiple years of their lives working in these communities.

The most surprising thing about the trip was probably the offer of a free mason jar with the purchase of seco (Panamian vodka). I suppose it beats drinking straight from the bottle :P