A Whole New World...

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving to all!  I am so thankful for all of you who are taking the time out of your day to read this. It´s so refreshing to know that people are interested in what I´m doing here in Panama. Since I´ve last posted, I´ve finished training, met the president of Panama, swore-in, and have been living in Cerro Banco for the past month.

I live with a family of 13 kids for now, which is at times insane, but it´s been great learning the Ngabe family dynamics.  The women, who are typically extremely shy, finally started talking to me a few weeks in and now we can laugh at how terrible I am at weaving chacaras (traditional woven bags), pilaring rice, or using my machete.  For the next 2 months, I´ll be living with 2 different host families and then moving into my own house, which I am currently in the process of starting to build.  Yes, I am building my own house...who would have thought that would even be possible?

I´ve done so much, and sometimes it feels like so little, in the past month, it´s hard to sum things up. But here are a few things I´ve learned while living in The Bank
1. I LOVE BANANAS
-Ok, I always knew that. But little did I know that if you boil them while they are unripe and green you can eat like 9 or 10 of them for a meal, which I eat at least every other day flavored with Salt or Tang.  Also, banana tree leave are used for everything! paper towels, toilet paper, plates, bowls, tops to pans, and they make excellent make-shift umbrellas.
2.You can pretty much do anything you want, as long as you have your machete.
-This includes- making spears, digging holes, planting anything, killing snakes and other unwanted insects, mowing the lawn, and much more.  I never thought I would be a proud owner of a machete, but it definitely comes in handy.

3. Silence is Golden.
-Other than librarians, I think ngabes follow this rule more than anyone else. It´s extremely common here to pass the day going to another persons house to visit with them.  However, for about 80% of the time no one says anything, which is considered polite. The other day I ate dinner with 8 men after a work party, and for a half hour no one said a word.  For someone who loves to talk, this has been quite the adjustment.  But I´m definitely coming to enjoy just passing the time with someone in silence.  I think it means your comfortable with them.
4. "When a women thinks too much, she dies"
-My host dad told me this the other day and I thought it was kinda funny. At first the feminist in me was initially offended, and I protested.  Then I thought about it for a while and realized, yeah, when I think too much, I go crazy.  
5. You can kill 2 birds with one stone if you wash your clothes the same time you shower.
-Since there is currently no running water in my site, I bath in the nearest stream.  Although it´s refreshing, it´s not very private. So generally I wash the clothes that I´m wearing the same time I wash myself- it´s genious.
6.Skin infections, giardia, blisters, and barbed wire hurt.
 -Enough said.
7. It´s totally acceptable to have 7 cups of coffee a day.
 -If not coffee, then some sort of juice...possibly made from corn, banana, or pifa.  When people go visit friends around town, it is culturally appropriate to give them either something to eat or drink.  Although the people do not have much to give, they are very generous with that they do have. This is something I respect lots about this culture.

Although I have TONS more to say, I´ll keep this blog short and sweet as I will be blogging again in a few weeks.  Alsol I ´ve posted a few pictures on Facebook...so check it out. 
As always, thanks again for reading!

Paz,
Melidi