Peace Corps Panama Packing List

Here is a list of the essentials of what you need to pack:
+ Headlamp. You will use it all the time
+ Tampons. They are expensive here.
+ Make-up. You will use it. They dress up here, it´s not like you permanently live in the jungle. And it´s more expensive over here.
+ Chacos. Bring a pair or two. I live in them.
+ Longchamp purse. It´s made out of a canvas/nlyon/waterproof material. It´s functional, easily cleaned, and fashionable.
+ A sleepsack. Mine´s silk and packs up really small.
+ Sleeping pad. (Unless you go to a ye-ye sight, you will use it alot).
+ Victoria´s Secret Underwear. The underwear is really cheap here.
+ A pair of sheets. (Do you really want to sleep on polyester sheets??)
+ Sunglasses.
+ I-pod
+ Crappy lap-top.
+ I brought a bunch of cds and dvds (I still use them to update my ipod.)
+ A pair of flip-flops, and a pair of wedges. (Don´t bring hiking boots, you don´t use them. I brought a pair of running shoes and they are just molding under my bed.)
+ A pillow. (I love my pillow)
+ Airplane blanket. It does get cold here sometimes.
+ A water-proof, crush-proof camera. Go with Olympus.
+ A thumb drive.
+ Swimsuit. A must.
+ Swim goggles. ...but only if you swim alot.
+ Backpack. I have a Dueter. And I love it.
+ Jewlery. Bring the cheap stuff. Leave the good stuff at home.


+ A couple of pairs of cute clothes, and then just clothes you don´t care about. You will wear your crappy clothes in site, but in the city, you should dress up.
+ I bought a mountain hardware skirt. I practically live out of it. Buy one.
+ Tank tops from Wal-mart. Like 5. You´ll be good.
+ 2 Polos.
+ 5 Skirts.
+ 2 Jeans. (One for when you are skinny and one for when you get fat)
+ 3 pairs of Shorts.
+ One dress. (You will wear it to swear in and that´s it)
+ 3 Long sleeve shirts. I live on the beach and it does get cold.
+ 1 Northface jacket.
+ 1 Umbrella. (Rain jackets are ugly and bulky).
+ 5 T-shirts.
+ 2 pairs of running shorts.

That´s it. Don´t pack a ton of clothes. You will regret it. Mainly cause you will have to haul it all around. In Panama you can buy alot of stuff, so don´t worry. Unless you are a larger person, most clothes will fit you. If you have questions, holla.

True Story of the Ngobe Description Variety

The other day I was at the phone trying to call a friend and make plans for surfing for the millionth time when the phone rang. I answered it and the conversation went something like this....
Jamie: Alo?
Random person: Alo, blah blah blah, spanish, spanish, spanish, want to speak to spanish, the daughter of Adino.
Jamie: Great, wait a minute.

So I put the phone done and go to the nearest house to find out who is Adino and where they live to give the message.

Jamie: There is a call for Adino´s daughter. Where do they live?
Ngobe: Por alla (translation, over there)
Jamie: Where?
Ngobe: Por alla! (followed by a lip point in some random direction)
Jamie: Sorry that doesn´t help. Which por alla?
Ngobe: Pues, por alla, arriba. (translation,¨well over there, up there¨
Jamie: Thanks (for nothing)

So I walk and search for someone else who is more descriptive.
Jamie: Where does Adino live?
Ngobe: Por alla.
Jamie: Can you be more specific.
Ngobe: Por alla. (lip point) alla, alla. (more lip pointing).

Frusterated I ask the person next to them.
Jamie: SO what house?
Ngobe: Por alla, the big house.

Glancing at the houses, none of them look very big.

Jamie: Which big house.
Ngobe: The one with the cross.

Ah finally the answer I have been searching for. Thank you for being soooo descriptive.

Want another example?
This one also happened when I was by the phone.
Ngobe: Jamie, who was that gringa that was here that day?
Jamie: Which day?
Ngobe: You know, that day.
Jamie: Um... what did she look like?
Ngobe: She was a gringa.
Jamie: Ok, was she tall?
Ngobe: No
Jamie: What was her hair like?
Ngobe: Her hair is like yours.

Realizing this isn´t going anywhere because none of my girlfriends visiting me have my type of hair, I end up guessing names. And finally I picked the right one. (The gringa they were talking about has dark chocolate brown hair down to her waist. Last time I checked my hair is blond, shoulder length and curly).

Yay for descriptions

Somewhere in between

Lately I´ve been feeling like Alice in Wonderland who fell down the rabbit hole. One minute I´m eating boiled bananas, chatting in ngobe/spanish with my host mom about my host father´s latest dalience and the next minute my world is transformed into a world of professional surfing and yachts.

Now I really didn´t sign up for Peace Corps for this. No latrines, ameoba ridden water, mud up to my knees...well yeah. I mean it is Peace Corps right? But I didn´t expect the yachts and surfers.

On Valentines day I get a call from some friends who were in the area and suggested that I stop by and see them. ...They just happen to live on a 35ft wide yacht. They are soem of the nicest people I know adn have been more than generous with their cheese platters and sound tourism advice.

On my way to visit my friends in the bay I stop in Nidori and see about 8 surfers and a bunch of of film equipment. Apparently they were making a new surf video. Along with them was some guys from Surf magazine souting the spot for a feature. I guess we are lucky after all.

Holla at your girl

My dad once said that if you never write it down you will forget the experience. So here goes. I got evacuated out of my site due to an earthquake, a hurracane, landslides and flooding. On Monday night a couple of weeks ago Panama and Costa Rica was hit with an earthquake. To be honest, I slept through it and thought my Ngobes were playing a practical joke on me. (Which they love to do). The earthquake made some ground settle...ya, ya, ya. And then the tail end of a hurracane hit. Normally where I live we get 4 days of crappy weather and then it clears up. But after 2 weeks of torential downpoar it tends to effect the land and the ocean. We got up to 10 feet waves and no one could leave the island. To make it even harder the port town where we get our supplies was hit with flooding and collapsed bridges. And to make it even more extreme, the road from the city to the port town was hit with landslides and almost 50 kilometers of road was wiped out.

ANd I do what I normally do in stressful situations, I cook and eat. And it's probably a good thing that I like to cook cause I was stuck in a house with Joanna (my partner in crime), Judy (another partner in crime), a stranded tourist and guide. We rotated cooking shifts and I had some of my latino professors cook. I know, latino men normally don't cook, but my friend JC can COOK.

My friends and I ended up buying a live rooster for a thanksgiving bird. But my cocinero peaced out on the earliest boat (and I have no idea how to kill a rooster, let alone the courage). So for turkey day, we celebrated vegetarian style with mashed potatoes, carrots, gravey, rolls and cookie pie.

Um eventually we all went a little crazy and slightly cracked. We ended up getting off the island through a police boat. (3 girls, 10 police men with machine guns, one messed up ocean and 200 hp boat = good times) arrived on Bocas Island and flew out to Panama City.

I know random and there are more stories to come.

Like a Cuban Refugee

Today as I was taking the boat into civilization I had alot of time to think and ponder about my life. Normally I fall asleep on the boat with the waves lulling me to sleep. However this morning it was raining. I can´t sleep when it rains. So huddled and miserably wet on a boat at 6 in the morning like a Cuban refugee I thought about the following things.

I´ve had a cold for the past couple of days and thus sneeze alot. The first time someone sneezes here in Panama, everyone says Salud (Health). The next time dinero (money). And the last one is amor (love).

Salud:
A couple of weeks ago I walked into an edge of a bed frame and banged it really hard. I thought it was a deep bruise but after being sore for 2.5 weeks I checked it out with the doctor. The sweet MRI machine showed that I have partially tore my ACL, my MCL and my meniscus. So I´m heading to Panama City to determine if I need surgery or some type of voodoo magic.

Dinero:
Same day I found out about my knee I left my wallet on a counter at an internet cafe. I remembered it immediately but when I returned it was gone. Some nice guy returned my wallet with all my id´s in it, but none of my money. Since this is the second time it´s happended to me, I´m more pissed off at myself for letting my guard down.

Amor:
You didn´t think I would tell everything did you?

On a side note I saw an iguana cross the road today. I think that´s a sign of good luck. Or at least I´ll take it as one.

Not your tipico baile

I went to a baile a couple of weeks ago and was pretty surprised. I´ve been to bailes (dances) before in Panama so I thought I knew what to expect and was pretty much a champion at all things baile.

Maybe that´s true for the rest of Panama, but not in the Peninsula. So here are the rules for the baile in my site:

1. They start at 10 or 11, depending on how many more generators we have to scrounge up. Yeah, generators.

2. The guy dancing with you has a bottle of seco in his pants. Or it could be two, you never really know.

3. Fights are normal. They are only really serious when they take off their shirts. The other fights are just playing.

4. The dance will last till 7am. At least that´s when the accordian player stops.

5. It will be fun, with friends, and lots of guys for protection. Just leave early.

Ok, that´s it, I´m out.

Write me folks, send letters and packages. My addy is on the side of my blog. I´ll try to post some photos and surf footage next time. Love ya!

9.01.08

My best friend here is a 5 year old named Aristedes. He thinks that when we die and go to heaven, we´ll eat fruit all the time. I like that philosophy. Plus he hiked with me all the way to Nidori because he didn´t want me walking alone.

¨8.28.08

A woman in my site died from AIDs yesterday. Her funeral was today. And so for two days everyone has been quiet, still, in mourning. Since probably half the town is related to her, everyone is impacted. Her husband died a year ago in a car accident and she was left to raise her 3 children. She was 23. Now the children are orphans, left to be raised by their grandmother. You hear of AIDs, you hear of SIDs, but I never thought I would see the ramifications, especially in Panama.

8.10.08

¨Here I am, between my flock and my treasure, the boy thought. He had to choose between something he had become accustomed to and something he wanted to have.¨* The Alchemist.

Between the normal things we are used to and our desire for something else that will bring change.

My life before Peace Corps signified in one sentance, choosing between the comfortable and the extraordinary life. We choose the comfortable thinking it´s easier because that´s all we know and shy asay from the extraordinary because it´s different, unknown and therefore we believe harder. Each way of life is hard, but our mind tricks us into believing a complacent life is far easier than one necesiting change.

¨When each day is the same as the next, it´s because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day the sun rises¨.

Food for thought 7.21.08

Tortugua.

The words bounced from house to house until finally reaching my hut. Once the word is whispered and passed my family says ¨bru, vamos Chamie a la playa¨ and dutifully I follow. It´s one of those instances where I feel like I should really be excited for someone- like when your best friend told you that she is marrying a moron- and you just fail to feel that same excitement. And so, caught up somewhere between excitement and sadness, you feel nothing. I´m excited that for a week my family will have food to eat, and that I won´t hear them complain about buchu simple. But on the other hand I know this is the 3rd turtle in 3 weeks and the species is slowly dying away. And so, I do what I normally do in akward situations- I joke. It´s either that or be angry at them for following ancient traditions handed down by their forefathers. In the end it boils down to food being food and for one night not hearing a cry of a child´s hunger.

On a more serious note, the teacher gave me the key to the latrine. Now I don´t have to worry aboiut it being open or not. One problem solved and relief definately follows. Now if I could only solve the turtle issue....

She 7.11.08

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of Cloudless climes and starry skies,
and all that´s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes.
*Byron

But strength alone, though of the Muses born,
Is like a fallen angel, trees uptorn,
Darkness, and worm, and shrouds, and sepulchers
Delight it, for it feeds upon the burrs
And thorns of life, forgetting the great end
Of poesy, that it should be a friend
To soothe the cares, and lift the thoughts
Of man.
* Keats

Finally a short time of contemplative silence before it is broken yet again by the quick rapid fire words of an angry Nogbe mama or by the cries of a baby....or the continual questions of what I am or will be doing. I used to take solitude time so much for granted. IF I wanted to get away, all I had to do was head to the closest coffee shop where I could get absorbed for hours in a book or even more so with my thoughts. I find that if I do get up by at least 6 when the air is still cool and slip into my running clothe, I can walk sliently by the sea as much mesmerized by the sand as the stunning view. Those hours I cherish. I am not followed by children who demand money or an English lesson. The bright sun doesn´t bother me yet, but the chitre like always do. And there wandering lost on the beach, I begin to find my self again. Find myself against daily frustrations of language and culture. Finding myself when most things I find that hve defined me are lost in translation across an ocean and most known civilization. The time I have isn´t always amazing, but it is mine alone to wonder and cherish. If you took all your bearings away from you, your house, your car, your clothes, your job, your language, your sports, well what would define you?

It´s all and then it´s nothing

Wow. I´ve been out of civilization for a while and coming back into the world of electronics, lights, internet can be a little overwhelming sometimes. To be honest, I´ve been putting off checking the email and posting random blogs. Overwhelming because it reminds me a different life I had in a country about a million miles and a century of technology away.

My life is different. Not bad different, not good different (Though at times it can be both), but just different, different.

I´m struggling to learn two languages at once and feeling like I´m failing miserably. Yeah I can get by in my site on my Spanish. But, once I hop off my lancha, the people speak faster and I end up feeling that the language will never come and that I will always walk around with a puzzled look on my face. Always listening, trying to catch that one phrase or word I know, and yet somehow not comprehending.

I´m trying to live up to being a Ngobe mari (woman). But my skills fall obviously short. Like coconut peeling machete skills, fish scaling with a machete skills, splitting wood with a machete skills....okay, really it´s my machete skills. As in I don´t have any at all. Yeah, it might help if I actually had a machete and practiced with it, but I don´t. Maybe that´s something I should start with first.

First machetes, then a culture.
Poco a poco
I´ll get there eventually
Some days I just want
to stay inside
Hide in my haven
Of yellow net security.
Listening to familiar
but yet vaguely distant music.
And escaping through
another book of tales
that for a little time
trick me into beliving
that
I am somewhere else.
But on the days
that I do emerge
I am constantly surprised
by the questions
by the food
by the culture
and slowly, slowly
by the hints of friendship
that are being created.
One day I will
be that super Peace Corps Volunteer
not this day,
not the day after
but some day
Two years are waiting.
Waiting to discover all this
and more.

Hasta,
Jamie

Alkaselzter and Lemons

I fell in sewage the other day. See I had to go to the bathroom and there are two options for me in my town. One latrine which is over a stream and you have to walk through a swampy pasture. The other option being the latrines at the school which is just a walk down the beach, but that latrine is not always an option because sometimes they lock it. Going with the for sure open latrine I head toward the stream. Taking the shortcut, I walk through people´s backyards until I come to a quebrada. Which is really a stream where all the sewage goes. It´s larger than it was last time, but since by now nature was really calling, I decided to take the plunge. And my foot went slopping into the sewage about up to my knee. Around this time, I loose my chaco so I stick my arm into the sewage as well looking for the chaco. (Cause, those things are my pride and joy). Looking for the next place to place my other foot, I just plunge it into more mud. And again, lost my other chaco. By this time, I´m pissed, I have to go to the bathroom and I´m covered in raw sewage. So frusterated I head home. My home is on the main path so everyone saw my walk of shame. And laughed.

They do like to laugh. And so I laughed to and tried to give the kids hugs.

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.

Ya.

First of all, it takes too long to post fotos. And since I don´t want to be sitting in front of a computer all day, I´ve decided to borrow other peoples fotos. So for some cool shots, go to http://picasaweb.google.com/mstauthamer/May2008

In other news,
I just visited my site. It´s beautiful. I like to call it Macau. Situated on a random island in Bocas, it´s perfect for surfing. Imagine walking down snow white beaches, seeing a perfect wave break and having idealic huts in the background.

And then if you zoom in your camera just a bit, you might see a gringa that the people there call Chamie. She´s content smiling, eating a steaming bowl of bananas and coconut rice.

Of course it´s not complete paradise. The community of 150 has 1 latrine. It´s situated over a tiny river. It actually has 4 latrines if you include the ones located at the school, but they get locked on the weekend. The site lacks electricity. So there´s no cold beer waiting for you after a long day of surfing. And cows wander and poop on the beach so you have to watch your steps and dodge the pies.

But the people are happy here. They do want to work. They want to learn English because they realize that learning it will increase their job opprotunities. And so for the time being I will be the maestra de ingles in the school. I am teaching the English classes in the school everyday, and classes for adults in the community Monday and Friday for 2 hours each.

Right now the community wants me to help them fix the aqueduct and build the latrines. I´m definatley more than happy to help build the latrine. As for the aqueduct, I´m completely clueless. I´ve never taken a engineering class in my life. But I do know that larger pipes will decrease water pressure, not increase it (like the aqueduct committee thinks).

But it´s peaceful here. I know my neighbors already and I have hours to talk and learn from them each day.

But in the meantime.... Please send me email. I know it sounds like a desperate request, but I only come into town every once in a while and it can be a little disheartening to realize that no one emails. It´s: jamie_konecny@hotmail.com

Peace.

Poverty

These past two weeks helped me question and reaffirm why I’m in Panama. I saw poverty for the first time. When you’re not expecting it, it can definitely punch you in the face. Maybe it’s because I thought that Panama City was a reflective of the whole country. (I guess that’s saying Manhattan represents the whole US). And when you realize that there is such a desparity, it really makes you think.

I don’t need to describe the community much, there were latrines, and running water, but the community was either at or below the poverty line.

I still have a hard time of understanding how some people could be so poor and yet so happy. I suppose it throws the whole money=happiness right out the window And the thought that me helping them “improve” their lives would somehow decrease their happiness has definitely crossed my mind more than once…

They are so poor and I want to help. I want to help teach them what I have learned and I know I’ll be learning a lot in the process. I guess it boils down to that: I have learned so much, so how could I not help others with the knowledge I have??

Panama....the experience

Change seems to be the constant in my life right now. Maybe it’s the slow realization that I’m not in Colorado anymore. And the realization that I’m now that awkward foreign exchange student trying to prove to others that, “Yes, I was actually pretty cool back home”. But it’s hard to express how cool you really are when you are slowly learning their language and when your clothes are not Panamanian style.

It’s definitely a lifestyle change when your host family is worried when you’re not home by nine….and usually that was the time that you left the house to go out.

Poco a poco I’m getting used to grabbing fresh fruit off a tree, riding a pimped out old school bus for public transport, cold showers, and telenovas.

I do like Panama for all of you sitting there scratching your heads and wondering. I like that I live in a really small town. I like that my host family here is so big, so close, and I’m introduced to others as their daughter. I like that I can read a Spanish newspaper and know what it is saying. I like that when I go to tech classes and during break I can go play with Pepe the monkey. And I like that my family is constantly teaching me new things. For example: today I’m killing a chicken for a party. Every day is a new experience and a chance for me to learn something new.

Even though my life is constantly changing, I’ve been struck by one other constant in my life: God. Last night while trying to fall asleep I was listening to a song and I realized how true the words were. It goes something like this:

All the things my feet thought to be firm
Are falling with urgency
Tearing back my false sense of security
Some say, “Things change, nothing stays the same”
But the sweetness in my ears
Safe in your arms
Speak the words I love to hear

You have been more faithful
Than the morning sun
You have been more faithful
Than knowing night will come
You have been more faithful
Than the changing of seasons

All the things I thought
That I used to know
Falling down again
Our disillusionment is how we grow
Some say, “Things change, nothing stays the same”
In a world of inconsistency
Everything’s the now
What causes my heart to believe?

You have been more faithful…..

It;s not official yet

So I talked to my boss, Pablo the other day for a final interview for my site. It turns out (drum roll please) that I will be going to an indigenous site. I¨ll be working with two different communities to develope tourism


....for surfers.

I know. You can all be jealous now.

The only problem is, I¨ve never surfed a day in my life.

It´s not official; I¨ll find out the final say on Wenesday....

But it´s kinda cool.

Malaria Medication Dreams

Last night I dreamt about ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream.

I was in Michelle¨s ice cream shop (which is a 50¨s ice cream shop that is kinda decorated like Victoria¨s Secret) and I was looking at all the ice cream.

And I got 4 scoops of chocolate ice cream. And I remember thinking that that was alot of ice cream.


And then I woke up in 90 degree weather under a mosquito net.

Ah, Panama, I love you and your weather and lack of ice cream

A story that can only be told through Paint

This would only happen to me before the start of a 2 hour bridal shower in front of thirty strangers.....


And yes, girls always talk about rainbows, gumdrops, and stickers when we get together