COWS

Coming from a high school where I was constantly ridiculed by for being known as a "hick" and holding events like cow pie bingo, and then continueing at UC Davis, where I lived closer to the cows pen then my classes...you would think i would have had my fill of cows. 
Clearly not. Throughout the mountains where I live, there are various cows that roam the land.  But these aren't just ordinary cows, they're Panamanian gigante cows. Some are with horns, some have big humps on their back, and all constantly look angry. Naturally, they freak me out, considering I used to be scared that the chickens we're going to attack me all the time.  Recently, I've had some great encounters with these cows.

#1  Awhile back I was going on a long hike to another community by myself to meet new people.  During the hike I passed a Ngabe woman who I stopped to greet and talk to.  After discussing the weather and getting asked the usual questions (mostly: why aren't you married?, where are your kids?, how come you're so tall?, and why are they're brown speckled dots all over your face and arms?) She asked me if i was scared of cows.  Trying to be tough and not wanting to seem like a sissy gringa, I lied.  "no, no me molesta," I say.  She replies, "oh good...because there is a HUGE herd of them blocking the path up ahead...and you're wearing red, which makes them angry." As she turned to leave I interrupted her and shouted, "I lied!" I'm actually terrified of cows.  She laughed and then ran into the forest with her machete.  A few minutes later she returned with a freshly made spear (because everyone can make spears out of machetes)and said here, take this to protect you, you'll be fine.  And she went on her way.  So there I was, alone in the middle of a mountain range walking on a path holding a spear out in front of me waiting for something to charge.  As I turned the corner a few minutes later I indeed came across about 15 to 20 cows just hanging out.  With no way to pass them and no better idea of what to do I just started waving the spear around crazily and yelling.  Right then, the campesino who owned all the cows popped up from the other side and asked what i was doing. I'm sure my face immediately matched the color of my bright red shirt.  I said, oh you know...just dancing." Confused, he moved the cows for me and I awkwardly thanked him and continued up the mountian laughing at myself.  However, I still walked holding the spear straight out in front of me for the rest of the hike. 

#2 So I just recently moved to a new host familly.  For my first 3 months I'm living in 3 different host families in order to get to know more people.  My new family is incredibley sweet and welcomed me into their house by having a midnight meet and greet/induction ceromony with all the neighbors (which consisted of 20 Ngabes in a dark room sitting on a bench and staring at the the white girl sitting in front of them).  This family lives on a compound a good 30 to 40 minute hike away from the center of town and has quite possibly the best sunsets I have ever seen.  I love it.  I sleep in a bed that they made for me in their kitchen, which has no doors, which is somewhat common for Ngabe houses.  On my first night there, I went to bed and fell asleep immediately, exhausted from all the commotion of the induction.  A few hours later I woke up to some sort of crunching noise. Because we live in the mountains with no electricity for miles, it is pitch black at night, to a point where you cant see your hand in front of your face.  Just thinking it was a chicken, I turned over and went back to sleep.  Then the noise got louder.  So I fumbled for my head lamp, sat up, and flashed on the light to find 2 massive white cows standing right in front of me chewing on my mosquito net!  Thankfully my high-pitched girlish scream scared them just as much as they scared me, so they ran from the house...breaking part of the panka roof on their way out.  Of course word that Melidi is scared of cows spread like rapid fire around the compound and it has been a running joke for the past week. 

Often times I just feel that I'm in the Peace Corps simply to provide comic relief to the people in Cerro Banco.  I love it. If I can make someone laugh or smile during the day, I feel like thats a success.

In other news, as promised to many, here is my address in David where I can get mail.
Kayla Howard-Anderson
Cuerpo de Paz
Entrega General David- 0426
Provincia de Chiriqui
Republica de Panama 

I hope everyone is having a great holiday season so far and singing lots of Christmas carols.  I am currently teaching the 6th grade class how to sing jingle bells for Christmas.  It's still a work in progress. Until next time...

Paz,
Kayla/Melidi