We finally arrived in Panama yesterday afternoon. It was great to finally be starting our Peace Corps adventure. The weather here has been much cooler than we expected. It's not overwhelmingly hot. Today it was around 85 or so with not a lot of humidity. They have warned us that it will get hotter, but for now we are enjoying the moderate temperatures.
Half of the group (the English teachers) are staying at Ciudad del Saber, which is an former US Army base, on the outskirts of Panama City. Now it is home to Florida State U extension campus, and a number of NGO's including the Peace Corps. The environmental volunteers are staying in a small hotel in Panama City. For four nights we will have air conditioning, hot showers, and internet access. On Sunday we will move to our training site where we will live with our host families for nine weeks.
The peace corps staff has been really friendly and helpful, and we have been impressed by the training we have done so far. We continue to have a great time getting to know our fellow volunteers, who are quite an interesting group.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
A great group!
We finally met as a whole group today. There are 54 of us in total, which includes 3 people who were switched out of Guatemala a short time ago, as Guatemala is not taking any new PC volunteers. There are 3 married couples, including us. There are 13 men and 41 women, which is more balanced than we thought it might be. There are 29 of us doing English teaching and 25 doing environmental work. All of the group is under 30 except Heather, one other woman who is about our age, and me. Most are just out of college this year or last - we have a number of 22 year olds.
We have really enjoyed meeting our fellow PC volunteers. It is a really fun group and I know we are going to have a good time in our training sessions for the next ten weeks.
We have really enjoyed meeting our fellow PC volunteers. It is a really fun group and I know we are going to have a good time in our training sessions for the next ten weeks.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Two days to go!
It is hard to believe, but the day is almost here. We have been waiting so long for this to happen. We started our Peace Corps application in August of 2010. We had our interview in October, and then got our nomination in December of 2010. At that time we were scheduled to go in August of 2011. As we were going through our very lengthy medical clearance, we got a notice that we would be delayed until January of 2012 due to budget cutbacks. So, 16 months after we started the process, we are finally on the verge of actually going. We are very excited about starting our Peace Corps training, but of course we are nervous too about leaving everything we know behind and starting anew. It would be helpful if we knew where in Panama we will be spending our two years, but we have to wait another six weeks or so to find out. The climate can vary quite a bit from one part of Panama to another, but we are pretty sure that hot and humid will be the case.
We are pretty much all packed. We are leaving valuables behind, including our wedding rings. We will get cheap replacements to wear while we are there. We are taking electronics: one laptop, two kindles loaded with books, two smartphones (which will work down there), and a camera. We will be keeping them in ziploc bags while they are not in use. We even have rechargeable dessicant packs which contain silica gel to put inside the bags. Evidently the heat and humidity can be pretty hard on electronic devices. They are also hard on leather goods - mold forms quickly. We are not taking much leather - just some shoes.
Monday afternoon we fly to Miami. We have a half day of training on Tuesday, and then we are on the plane to Panama Wednesday morning. We can't wait to go!
We are pretty much all packed. We are leaving valuables behind, including our wedding rings. We will get cheap replacements to wear while we are there. We are taking electronics: one laptop, two kindles loaded with books, two smartphones (which will work down there), and a camera. We will be keeping them in ziploc bags while they are not in use. We even have rechargeable dessicant packs which contain silica gel to put inside the bags. Evidently the heat and humidity can be pretty hard on electronic devices. They are also hard on leather goods - mold forms quickly. We are not taking much leather - just some shoes.
Monday afternoon we fly to Miami. We have a half day of training on Tuesday, and then we are on the plane to Panama Wednesday morning. We can't wait to go!
Monday, December 26, 2011
Training Site
We have found out where we will be for our training in Panama. For the first four nights we will be in Ciudad del Saber, close to Panama City, as one group. For the next nine weeks we will be in the La Chorrera region, about 35 miles west of Panama City. In La Chorrera, we will be in a home stay with a Panamanian family. The English teachers will be in one town, and the environmental volunteers will be in another town close by. As Heather and I are each each a different sector, we will be together in one of the towns to be decided later. After six weeks or so, we will find out where our site is for the two years of service.
We have added a "Follow by email" box to the blog in case you want to get an email each time we make a blog entry.
Two weeks from today we are on the plane to Miami!! We have two nights there, then fly to Panama on Jan 11th.
We have added a "Follow by email" box to the blog in case you want to get an email each time we make a blog entry.
Two weeks from today we are on the plane to Miami!! We have two nights there, then fly to Panama on Jan 11th.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Gender Balance?
There are 22 people in our Facebook group of people about to go to Panama. Of those, there are three men (counting me). The whole group will number around 52, we've been told. It will be interesting to find out if there are a greater proportion of men in the whole group. I think that one factor may be that there is a large number of English teachers in the group, and language teachers in general are more likely to be female.
As far as age is concerned, Heather and I are the only baby boomers in the group so far. Everyone else seems to be under 30, with most of the group being under 25 years old. There is one other married couple. It should be a fun group!
We're looking forward to meeting everyone in January!
As far as age is concerned, Heather and I are the only baby boomers in the group so far. Everyone else seems to be under 30, with most of the group being under 25 years old. There is one other married couple. It should be a fun group!
We're looking forward to meeting everyone in January!
Monday, December 12, 2011
Frequently Asked Questions
There are a few questions that we have been asked quite often in the past few days:
When are we going?
We have an orientation session in Miami in the afternoon of January 10th. We fly to Panama City the next day.
How long will we be gone?
We have 10 weeks of training (in Panama) and two years of service. We will return in late March of 2014.
Where will we be staying in Panama?
We won't know where we will be staying in Panama until we have been through 6-8 weeks of the training. They want to get to know everyone before placing people in specific locations. The Peace Corps tells us that we will be in a "rural, semi-rural, or semi-urban community between 2 and 16 hours from Panama City".
What type of accommodations will we have?
We won't know that either until we get our assignment. We could have a small building with cement floor, cinder block walls and a tin roof. If we go to an indigenous area we could have a wooden structure with a dirt floor. We have requested running water and electricity, but we don't know if we will get it.
Will we have internet access in Panama?
We will definitely have access to email in Panama, but we don't know how often we will have it. We might have to hike an hour or two to get to an internet cafe, or we might have something close by. Once again, we will know more when we get our assignment.
Can we have visitors?
Yes, but not during the first six months that we are there. Since we have no idea of where we will be, it's best not to make any plans until we at least know that.
Can we get packages by mail?
The postal system in Panama is not very secure and it is not recommended that people send us anything of value. We will have a generic address for mail during training, and then a specific one once we move to our site. Email will be the best way to communicate with us.
Can we visit the US during our service?
Yes, we do get vacation time and can return to the US. Miami is only 3 hours away by plane. We are planning on coming to the US for a family wedding in October 2012.
What is the climate like in Panama?
It varies tremendously from one part of the country to the other. In Panama City the highs are close to 90 degrees, with lows around 75. There is not much yearly variation in temperature. In the highlands it is cooler. The mountains in Panama go up to 11,700 feet. From the top of the highest mountain you can see both the Pacific and Atlantic. The Caribbean coast gets around 120 inches of rain a year, and the Pacific coast about half of that. The dry season is from mid-December to mid-April. The rest of the year is the wet season. There are many microclimates in Panama, so we really won't be sure of what we face until we get our final assignment. It's a pretty safe bet, though, that hot and humid will be the case.
What will our duties there be?
Steve is a "Community Environmental Conservation Extension Agent". His duties will to be to promote environmental awareness among school children and the community at large. There are many possibilities for projects. One of his first jobs will be a community assessment, where he gets to know many of the townspeople and finds out what they think the highest priorities are. Then he will try to get them to come together and carry out a project to address those needs.
Heather will be working with English teachers in the local schools through teacher training and co-teaching. Her job is to promote the effective teaching of English both in schools and in the larger community.
In addition to our primary responsibilities, we will also be doing projects of our own design. We are free to try whatever we like during 40% of our time. This might include ESL classes for adults in the evening or helping set up a computer network in the town library.
Are we excited?
YES!
When are we going?
We have an orientation session in Miami in the afternoon of January 10th. We fly to Panama City the next day.
How long will we be gone?
We have 10 weeks of training (in Panama) and two years of service. We will return in late March of 2014.
Where will we be staying in Panama?
We won't know where we will be staying in Panama until we have been through 6-8 weeks of the training. They want to get to know everyone before placing people in specific locations. The Peace Corps tells us that we will be in a "rural, semi-rural, or semi-urban community between 2 and 16 hours from Panama City".
What type of accommodations will we have?
We won't know that either until we get our assignment. We could have a small building with cement floor, cinder block walls and a tin roof. If we go to an indigenous area we could have a wooden structure with a dirt floor. We have requested running water and electricity, but we don't know if we will get it.
Will we have internet access in Panama?
We will definitely have access to email in Panama, but we don't know how often we will have it. We might have to hike an hour or two to get to an internet cafe, or we might have something close by. Once again, we will know more when we get our assignment.
Can we have visitors?
Yes, but not during the first six months that we are there. Since we have no idea of where we will be, it's best not to make any plans until we at least know that.
Can we get packages by mail?
The postal system in Panama is not very secure and it is not recommended that people send us anything of value. We will have a generic address for mail during training, and then a specific one once we move to our site. Email will be the best way to communicate with us.
Can we visit the US during our service?
Yes, we do get vacation time and can return to the US. Miami is only 3 hours away by plane. We are planning on coming to the US for a family wedding in October 2012.
What is the climate like in Panama?
It varies tremendously from one part of the country to the other. In Panama City the highs are close to 90 degrees, with lows around 75. There is not much yearly variation in temperature. In the highlands it is cooler. The mountains in Panama go up to 11,700 feet. From the top of the highest mountain you can see both the Pacific and Atlantic. The Caribbean coast gets around 120 inches of rain a year, and the Pacific coast about half of that. The dry season is from mid-December to mid-April. The rest of the year is the wet season. There are many microclimates in Panama, so we really won't be sure of what we face until we get our final assignment. It's a pretty safe bet, though, that hot and humid will be the case.
What will our duties there be?
Steve is a "Community Environmental Conservation Extension Agent". His duties will to be to promote environmental awareness among school children and the community at large. There are many possibilities for projects. One of his first jobs will be a community assessment, where he gets to know many of the townspeople and finds out what they think the highest priorities are. Then he will try to get them to come together and carry out a project to address those needs.
Heather will be working with English teachers in the local schools through teacher training and co-teaching. Her job is to promote the effective teaching of English both in schools and in the larger community.
In addition to our primary responsibilities, we will also be doing projects of our own design. We are free to try whatever we like during 40% of our time. This might include ESL classes for adults in the evening or helping set up a computer network in the town library.
Are we excited?
YES!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
House of Mercy
In November we flew to San Antonio to see Steve's dad and his brother Ted. On the weekend, we went with Ted and his wife Colleen across the border to Piedras Negras, Mexico. Ted and Colleen go there most weekends to help at an orphanage (House of Mercy - Casa de Misericordia) and a nearby church.
The orphanage was very well run by a very dedicated couple who have three children of their own. Although each child had a sad story of why they were there, it was a place where they could feel safe and well-cared for. The children were always eager to talk to us and play games.
This was a good preview of Peace Corps work for us, as we will be working with people in Panama who are similarly poor and disadvantaged. It also gave us a chance to sharpen up our Spanish skills, as we had to speak Spanish all the time.
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| Birthday party with piñata |
The orphanage was very well run by a very dedicated couple who have three children of their own. Although each child had a sad story of why they were there, it was a place where they could feel safe and well-cared for. The children were always eager to talk to us and play games.
This was a good preview of Peace Corps work for us, as we will be working with people in Panama who are similarly poor and disadvantaged. It also gave us a chance to sharpen up our Spanish skills, as we had to speak Spanish all the time.
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