Site visits

For the past three nights we have been visiting different PC volunteers in their sites.  The object of this is to get a better view of what it is like to be a PC volunteer.  Steve went to a mountain town of 220 people in the province of Coclé.  The only access was a mile and a half walk via a muddy path which is in the process of being made into a paved road.  The countryside was stunningly beautiful, as you can see below. If you hike a couple of hours up into the mountains you can see the Pacific Ocean.  There is also a point along the continental divide where you can see both oceans, but it is hard to get to.

Jake, the PC volunteer on the site, has been very active.  His projects include making clay or brick ovens which are very fuel-efficient, solar panels to bring electricity to the outskirts of the village (the center has electricity), reforestation, and growing sustainable crops.  Jake has done a fantastic job of integrating into the community.  The kids in the village all love him.  It's like watching the Pied Piper when he goes past their houses.

The people in the village were wonderfully friendly and open.  I had a great time swimming  and playing tag in the river with Jake and the village kids.  On my last day there his host mother made "arroz con pollo", the national dish, which was absolutely delicious.  It's not just chicken and rice - there are lots of tasty herbs, veggies and seasonings.

You can see the continental divide in the distance

 One of the projects a few years ago was to raise pet iguanas because they are getting scarce.  Many families still have iguana cages today.  Years ago people ate iguanas but there are too few now.  I was told that "they taste like chicken".

Pet Iguanas

Young ones are green!

The village had the most amazing community farm in the school grounds.  There are 38 houses in the village, 31 of which have kids in the local K-6 school.  They have turned the school grounds into an organic farm which feeds the kids lunch every day.  The mothers take turns cooking, and the fathers tend the crops and guard the chickens, which need to be watched 24/7.  They eat the eggs throughout the school year, and eat the chickens on the last day of school.  They grow just about every crop that there is around here, including pineapples, rice, papaya, bananas, herbs, peppers, beans, plus the usual root vegetables. They also have worm beds to provide organic fertilizer.  When the huge mango tree is ripe, there are literallly hundreds of mangoes to feast on.

Santos, president of the parents association, and Jake on the school grounds

 Jake's house is of dried mud construction, as are most houses there.  It dries very hard and strong.  He prefers not to have electricity even though there is electricity in the house next door.

Jake's house

Heather visited an English teaching volunteer, Kali, in the province of Veraguas near the city of Santiago.  Veraguas gets its name from the fact that it is the only province in Panama which touches both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.  Kali showed her around her village of 3500 inhabitants. On their walk around the village she was introduced to a variety of community members.  She was able to see the local school.  It was set back on a side street away from the main road. They spent a lot of time sharing teaching ideas.  They visited a rural farm where  they visited Kali's favorite family and spent some time in the city of Santiago where the Normal School is located.  This is the institution which trains teachers. She also had a chance to swim at a hotel pool!  On Sunday the village had a festival which provided an opportunity to see traditional dance performed by local children.

A walk in the countryside

Traditional dress for folk dance

This boy reminded me of a Diego Rivera portrait