Moved in with my first host family in a small town outside of Panama city. While no one really has a lot of money here, they are extremely generous and nice. They make me breakfast, lunch and dinner and the food is not so different from what I am used to at home. Breakfast usually consists of pancakes, bananas, and an omlet with cheese and ham. I usually eat chicken with lunch and dinner and often have beef or pork chops. Rice and beans are served with every meal. The house I am living in is small but the family has given me my own room. Other volunteers are not so fortunate! I have a bed with a couple of matresses and a light and sleeping under a mosquito net is pretty cool. Many of the other volunteers live within a short walk of me. Our backyard has lemongrass, coconut trees and parrots.
After breakfast, CED meets for our technical training in a thatched roof hut behind one of the houses, sorrounded by jungle. Talking about development theory, techniques, and strategies for increasing a communities capacity with chickens and other animals running around can get a little distracting, but its always interesting. After lunch, I meet with two other trainees for a daily 4 hour language session.
On the weekens, we take trips out into the field to visit other volunteers sites or the City. This weekend, we are going into Panama city to practice using the local transportation and later this week we get to go out and visit another volunteer at their site. Another trainee and myself are going a few hours into the country by ourselves to visit a site. This will be interesting.
Today, we are in a town down the road from ours for a conference. We met in a pretty big room, complete with AC, breakfast, lunch, coffee and dessert to discuss gender issues, medical stuff and security. I got a typhoid vaccination and talk on tropical diseases. I also bought a machette and a guitar - at the same store. (Imagine 20 gringos getting onto a bus with new machettes and having no idea how to use them. EVERYONE thinks we are crazy buttt i guess we are). We take a trek out into the jungle tomorrow to learn how to use them, about some plants and a project to learn how to poor concrete. This is really for the EH group ("shit-diggers" as they are affectionaly known") but CED trainees are allowed to participate.
Dont know the next time I will be able to use a computer but will try to get some pictures up. Hope all is well back home and email to let me know how you all are doing!
Hey Ian this is the first time I've seen your blog and everything sounds so cool. I'm pretty jealous that your going bush wacking through the jungle haha! The whole thing sounds like a great adventure.
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