Mi primer dia en el CAMPO!!

So if you are wondering how my Saturday went, YOU WON'T BELIEVE!
By 6:30 We were driving over to Chorrera (about 1 hour from where we are staying right now). 10 of us squished into a little white van. First cool thing on the trip was crossing over the "Puente Centenario".
I was tired but i didn't want to fall asleep cause I just wanted to see everything there was to see. As we got further and further from the city, the mountains and the countryside became more beautiful and filled with cows and horses and goats. So much so that we actually had a road block of cows!!By 8 we had arrived at Stephanie's Site. A little boy greated us at the front. When I got out of the car, all my senses were attacked. It smelled SOO different. It smelled GREAT! It smelled like NATURE....it smelled like sancocho!
We walked around the whole farm through little trails, over creeks on these little bridges that weren't really doing much. I got to eat mandarina, naraja, tamarindo, mamey. (all of which i cut with my cool multitool!) I cut my finger a little by the way...ooopps =)I got to play with chickens, goats, and most especially I GOT TO RIDE A HORSE!!At Lunch we ate sancocho! with freshly squeezed orange juice...i cant explain how good it was. I took a little nap under a tree for about 20minutes. BEST nap ever. After that great power nap. It was time to get DIRTY.
We took our shoes off and got into a pool of mudd.

1. we stomped all over for 10 minutes
2. then we got out and pulled out some rice seedlings from the rice bed in the parcel to the right of the mudd pit
3. then we came back to the mudd put and spread the organic fertilizer (made at the farm) out around the mudd.
4. then we lined up a string from one end to the other and started planting the rice seedlings that we had pulled out of the other bed.
5. 
   In the Picture above, you can't really see it but I CAUGHT my first FISH!! I was so happy. Rice in my right and fish in my left!!
   

It was a slow tedious process but I had a great time.Surprisingly, i didn't get that dirty =)
We washed up at the creek and walked back to Stephanie's house (1 mile). We we got there we got Pina juice...it was delicious!! and it was COLD! We did a little activity with groups and we headed home.

BUT...
on the way home we stopped at a shop and GOT: A MACHETE and BOOTS!!!Now i'm the real deal. I even have a sharpener for my machete!
(boots are in the the red BAG...and I had gatorade...it was delicious!)

Tomorrow we leave to Santa Clara (a little town) where we will be training for the next 10 weeks. I will be moving in with a HOST family. From what i have heard, these families will not have phones and I don't know how far I will have to travel for internet either. =(
As soon as i can i will put up my next post. At Santa Clara we will be getting Language training and technical training. I am excited to see what we will be doing and learning. Today after dinner i had to take a Malaria Pill (which I am going to have to take once a week for the remainder of my trip here in Panama). Im a little scared cause one of the sideffects of these pills is crazy nightmares...I guess we will see how tonight goes.

I miss you all and hope you are enjoying these little snapshots of my life NOW....

What i find amazing is how these people don't care to leave more than 20miles from their house. They grow their own food, live with the people they love, and know how to love their life. Why do we, who apparently have it all, find ourselves always looking for something more, something else to make us happy?

MUAHH!!

Viernes

Today was a beautiful DAY!! It started with a nice 40 minute stroll through Cuidad del Saber.The whole color palette was visible today from blues, to fuchsias to greens to whites.
Breakfast was pancakes, eggs, cheese, and fruit! Then I had meeting all morning and afternoon so I am drained and my arms hurt cause I had 2 shot today: yellow fever and Hep A1.

I am really excited about tomorrow. At 6:30am we leave our site to visit a PCV's site. We are gonna get down and dirty in RICE fields! Im wearing my jeans with my mutlitool on my belt, my hiking shoes, and i still havn't decided on the VEST....we will see in what mood i wake up tomorrow!!

Food for thought for the day:
So many times, our desire to do good and help others impairs our judgment. How do you determine is your help is actually beneficial to someone else or if infact you are causing them more harm? This is a problem that I am going to be contronted with throughout my time here in Panama. I don't know the answer but I plan on finding out.

Goodnight friends and family...i miss you all.
PS I have started reading some notes from my notebook. They make me so happy as i imagine each of your voices as i read the words.

MUAHHH CHAO!

"Development is Love in Action"

Day two in Panama!
We got our Pananamanian Bank accounts today! along with ATM cards!!! ( no money on them though...hahaa). I had a swim test which consisted of being able to swim for 10 minutes (however you could) and then jumping in with jeans into the water and turning them into flotation devices. I also has my Spanish Placement Interview(SPI) in which PC Panama realized that they were going to have to give me a special schedule since they didn't want me taking 4 hours of spanish classes EVERYDAY. I am excited to see what I will have to do in that time. After the SPI, I had a meeting with the Sustainable Agriculture System (SAS) Program Coordinator. That went really well. She told me that I was selected for the Animal Husbandry program which made me really Happy! She was really excited about my qualifications and being able to put me at a site where I will really be able to make a difference.

Lunch and dinner were rice, chicken, veggies, and platano maduro!
After dinner a few of us went on a walk (where we got eaten alive by bugs). I found out that some of the other girls that live with me also have boyfriends in the US. It's interesting to hear the different ways that the male counterparts are having with this change. We walked by this party/concert that was going on in the middle of the soccer fields. If we hadn't been ithcing so much, i think we would have stayed. On the walk we were talking about how many times during meetings and presentations we have heard how this will be a "life changing experience". We came to the conclusion that it is because people come open to the idea that it will be and are ready for it. It's like your birthday. It's just a regular day until you decide to celebrate it and make it special. Same with experiences in our lives. We have to decide that people we meet and things we do will be special and life changing. We have to open ourselves up and MAKE opportunities for ourselves;Not just wait for them to come knocking on our door. As we walked around the campus here at Cuidad de Saber, a couple days away from the start of training, we realized that the one thing we all had in common was that we were looking for an opportunity that would give your life PURPOSE. We know it is not going to get easier but it's easier to work through the down days when you know that in the end, at least ONE person will benefit from your hard work.

Enough chitchat...hahaha, Now I'm watching Premios Billboard on TV. I had to play with the antena until we got a clear image. I guess i am the house bug killer and cable woman...so proud.

We will see what adventures come my way tomorrow! we will be driving into the city in the afternoon for dinner...ooooolala. UN BESOTE!!!!

Hola! Ya llegue a Panama!!!

Yesterday I left Miami and flew to DC for Staging. At staging we filled out papers and met the other 47 volunteers going to Panama. From 3-7 we had a meeting, then we went to dinner at LOS CUATES mexican restaurant. When i got back to the Hotel, I reorganized my bag and made some good night phone calls (PIRI...=) Then i took a nap.
At 2am I woke up, showered, and headed downstairs for checkout. Whil everyone was fast asleep or getting home from partying in DC, we were driving to the airport to embark on our "Life CHanging Experience". For 3 hours we sat on the airport floor waiting to check our bags. Some PCV (peace corps volunteers) ate, some slept, some made small talk, one guy stuffed himself into a bag, another tuned his guitar, and others like me started writing in their journals.
By 10:45am we were in Miami (again). I had never seen Miami look so beautiful. The ocean looked an unrealistic clear blue, and the sand looked whiter than ever.
By 1:30pm the swuertess said "Bienvenidos a Panama". Through the airplane window i could see the ocean and a country that looked a lot like Colombia. There were little run down houses lining the runway. It was raining and cloudy.
By 2:40pm we were on the Bus to Cuidad de Saber. Driving through downtown Panama you could see high rises like in brickell and south beach on one side and rundown homes, with tin roofs, clothes hanging outside to dry, and little kids running around barefoot.

By 3:15 we were pulling into Cuidad de Saber where we are staying until sunday. It is a former military base right across from the Panama Canal. There were two cruises infront of us when we got here this afternoon. I am staying at a super cute villa with 5 other girls- Kitchen with a refrigerator and microwave, living room with TV, a phone, dining area, 3 rooms (each with 2 beds) and a bathroon with hot and cold water!
At 4pm we had a medical meeting where i got some blood drawn and got some goodies:
a FIRST AID FIT, a BINDER with lots of info, a bug net for sleeping at night, and a water purifier!
At 5:30pm I went on a jog with my roomate and then I went on a run by myself on the grounds!! It was awesome.The campus is beautiful. It has a running path that goes around sand volleyball courts, basketball courts, soccer fields, baseball fields, tennis courts, and swimming pool. There is a little grocery store, pharmacy, gym, and cafe on this "campus".
At 6:30pm we ate dinner: arroz frijoles, pollo, platanos maduros, y ensalada!

I still don't feel like Im in the Peace Corps. I am sweating a lot. It is super hot and humid. I showered with cold water cause I was so hot!
I've been working on some spanish homework with some of the girls and now I got online to write to you all. (did i mention we have wireless here hahaha)
I am loving this place. I've killed 2 roaches already...my housemates think i'm a hero...lol.

Tomorrow....wake up: 6am: Run, 7am:breakfast, 8am-6pm: Meetings! 7pm: DINNER!!!
LOVE YOU!!

To all my friends:

So here I am, less than 24 hours away from leaving. I'm not nervous, I'm not sad, actually I'm not sure what it is exactly that I am feeling. I know i'm excited, hopeful, focused, and mentally prepared (emotionally prepared... we'll find out).

I will miss you all. I have packed some reminders to show the people I meet in Panama just how cool my friends here in "LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS" are. I have notes and pictures that will accompany me on nights that are lonelier than expected. I have paper to write to you about my adventures and discoveries. I have memories that will provide hours and hours of storytelling.

I propose that in the next two years you TOO try to do something you never thought you would do. Pick up a new hobby, take a trip, do something spontaneous, or COME VISIT ME!!!!
A friend sent me a quote today that is so true: "You will always have time for things you put FIRST". Too often we are tempted to fall into a routine or live vicariously through others (T.v. Shows, movie characters, books, friends). Remember--YOU ARE THE MAIN CHARACTER in the story of your LIFE!!

The other day Peter told me that the best complement i've recieved was that I was crazy for going to the Peace Corps. I hope that when we are all old and tailgating at some Gator game, we can talk about how CRAZY all our lives were =).

I love you all & am really going to miss you!

Importnant Information

I updated the side columns with my address and some phone numbers.
If I call you PICK UP!!! It's LONG DISTANCE!

Written Communication:

• Mail in Panama isn't as efficient as in the US; It can take from 10 days to more than a month for mail coming from Panama City to arrive in the US via the Panama Postal System. From my site (where i'll be for 2 years) it can take 1-2 months...HAHA funny right.
• Try numbering the letters so that I know if I've missed one.
• Post cards should be sent in envelopes
• PLEASE make copies of the letters you send incase I don't get them...I do want to read them one day =)

Sending mail:

• Care packages are nice but it can be frustrating due to the high incidence of theft and heavy customs taxes. There is no guarantee that the items will arrive.
• It is recommended to send padded envelopes!

Telephone Calls:

• Phone service in Panama is relatively good and service in and out of Panama to the US is mostly reliable
• During training, I will have scarce access to email and host families will not have phones... BUT don't worry, I WILL TRY TO CALL AS OFTEN AS I CAN!
• During my service, acess to phone and email will be different, so I will update you on that as time goes by.

Emergency Info:

• Office Phone number: 011-507-317-3300
• General Emercency: 011-507-6676-3131
• Medical Emergency: 011-507-6671-2547
• US Embassy (only in case of an emergency): 011-507-207-7000

5 Days..

Actually...4 days 14 hours until I on the flight to Washington DC, my first stop before heading to Panama.
On my bed right now I have all the possible things I’m taking. I’ll have to started slimming down some stuff because I haven’t even put my running stuff in…which will be the bulk of my luggage =).

This morning I printed out my running schedule for the next 16 weeks. I plan on doing the Panama City Marathon August 9th. I think that having that goal, and a running schedule will help me cope with all the changes that are coming up. Having something to train for will keep me grounded and focused.
http://www.marathonpanama.com/

Going Away Parties

The past two weeks have been filled with encouraging words and support from family and friends. The weekend before last, I had a Going away dinner at my house with some family and Family friends. My parents and my sister made shirts that said: SOMEONE I LOVE IS IN THE PEACE CORPS. I loved the shirts;everyone was wearing them. We laughed about the past and inquired about the future and simply enjoyed each other’s company.

This past weekend Peter came to visit! The weekend flew by but we got to celebrate in the Keys with a “friend’s going away party” . Anthony, Peter’s Brother, also celebrated his going away to Afghanistan (with Marine Corps). We played volleyball and ate burgers but most importantly, I got to hang out with people that I will miss dearly. Sunday I was able to spend some time with Peter's Family for Easter which was also very nice.

I’ve tried to see, talk, and hangout with as many people as I could in the last couple weeks because I don’t want to find myself sitting in Panama sad or wanting to be here. For the next two years I want to live the moment and enjoy every part of my experience. I will miss everyone here but I also know that 2 years will fly by. Before we know it, I’ll be back =).