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Friday, April 29, 2011

A Quarter of My Way Through Service...

It has occured to me that I have been blogging about interesting or ridiculous stories that I have experienced here, but I haven't really explained who the Ngabe and Bugle people are, whom I live with, and what sort of Peace Corps projects I am working on.

Let me start out with a little history of my people. The Comarca Ngabe Bugle is the most recent formed indeginous reservation in Panama. There are approximately 12,000 Ngabe people and 4,000 Bugle. They have been fighting their physical and cultrual survival since the Spanish Invasion in 1501. Unfortunately, it is easy to see parts of the ngabe and bugle culture dying out, for instance when younger kids do not speak the language or have a lack of interest in traditional activites.

The land of the Ngabe originally extened from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea, but the conquistadores and later on lations forced the ngabe people far into the mountains. The Bugle, was once a large population as well that lived in provinces closer to Panama City, but were forced along the the ngabes as well. The Comarca, or reservation, is the result of 100 years of fighting for independence. They finally won in 1997, when over 400 men, women, and children marched 400 kilometeres to Panama City and the Panamanian nation law which made the Comarca official was signed.

Originally the Ngabe and Bugle were hunter-gatherers spread out apart form other families. Recently, since the 1970s, they have been beginnning to form communities surrounded by school and churches. However, some communities, like Cerro Banco, are still very spread out. The culture here is based around a socialist feeling and collective work. Farm work is done and shared in groups, which is generally the extended family. Some comarca communities are becoming more and more modern, especially with newly formed roads, schools, and other new additions to communities. My community is farther out into the mountians and still does not have much access or influence from the outside. With the lack of a road it does make relationships with outside agencies and developmental work difficult.

Currently I am working on organizing the community to achieve a latrine project, mini acueduct project, and I am starting to talk to the school director about starting an eco-club in the community.
First, my latrine project. This is going very slowly as Cerro Banco is so spread out. I am electing leaders who I can work wiith in each sector of my community. In each sector we are developing a census of people who need latrines. Most people in the community do not have any and are using either the fields or streams to go the bathroom, which can contaminate crops and water cuasing sicknesses. This is an important need that I am stressing to the community that most understand. From here I need to stress the idea that this project is not an governmental or politicion gifted project. We, as a community, will be organizing, gaining funds, and constructing all the latrines. This is a very hard concept to get across, as most are used to projects simply coming to the community and not being achieved by themselves. I am estimating to construct about 70 latrines and teach health charlas along with it to explain the importance and use of each one. Also, in one sector of my community, where about 60 people live, they have an organized mini acueduct committee. I am working with them to teach them how an acueduct can be built and managed. The other day we measured the water flow from the spring, which will be the source of water for this system. This is done to see if there is enough water coming out of the spring to be sufficient for the number of people in the system. Next we will be measuring the distances and and altitude difference between the houses the the tubing will go to to see exactly how much PVC we would potentially need and if a reserve tank is necessary.Additionally, I want to start working on starting an eco-club in the community. There is a lot of need here with environmental education and trash management. I figure this is some way I can get the kids involved in a fun activity as well as teach sustainable living.

These are my current general projects. As the next year and a half goes by, I'm sure I'll pick up other work and peace corps activities. I also worked in another PC community the other month helping facilitate a project leadership management seminar for a week, which was very successful and tons of fun. I should be doing the same seminar in my community in the future. But since development work is slow and I work at the pace of my community, I generally pass the days by planting or harvesting food, visiting community members, creating innovative receipes with rice, and hours in the hammok. Not too shabby.

Thanks for reading. Miss you all

paz, amor, y dios,
Kayla



Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Viene Bechi y Hedi

AAAOOOOOAAA! AAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAA! An introduction to Salimaring

This is basically a specific type of yell, almost a tarzan like sound, that is a way of life in Panama. You salimar when you want to greet people, sigh, work in the fields, check if anyone is in the latrine, or pretty much anytime you want. Generally one person starts it and it is followed up by anyone who wants to answer. It can be done once or continue for quite some time almost as a competition. Salimaring is almost only done by men, especially in my community. I am absolutely terrible at it. It is not on my official list of Peace Corps Knowledge, Skills, or Attitudes. But of course, I continue to do it no matter how much I sound like a "Chui" -meaning foreigner in ngabere. Everytime I salimar, it is more than likely followed up by muffled giggles from all who are around.
A few nights ago, as I was just getting into bed around 9:30, my neighbor decides it was time to salimar the loudest he could. This was of course followed up by someone from another hill answering him back. Usually this goes back and forth just a few times, but this time they didn't stop. People from all over Cerro Banco were joining in. After 20 minutes of listening to the howling, I decided to get up, since I wouldn't be sleeping anyway, and join in. We continued to salimar for another half an hour; it was ridiculous. I was pretty sure all my yells were drowned out by everyone else, per usal. But the next morning as I was lying in my hammock my neighbor from way down the road came over with a bowl of rice and about 10 guavos. He said he heard me salimaring last night and then declared, "ya. tu eres ngabe" Meaning: now, you are Ngabe.

Although I have been feeling more comfortable and integrated in Cerro Banco for the last few months, it is such a relief to hear that I am accepted in the community. Even though I may hover over everyone of them with my 5/10 stature, fall on a daily basis, refuse to put baby oil in my hair, fail at cooking over a fogon, and still have language difficulties, they see me as part of their community.

The last month in Panama I was so fortunate to have my parents come visit me. We caused a minor scene at the gas station on the side of the highway where I met them with all the excitment of finally seeing each other after 7 months. After a relaxing 3 days on the beautiful, coconut filled beach, we made the trek into my community.
Feliepe gave my parents the names Bechi, or as we like to say bitchy, and my dad the name Hedi. The 3 of us slept in my tiny little house, with my mom and I in my bed, and my dad in the hammock.

After my site adventure, we made our way over the hills to Bocas del Toro, which is another tourist area of Panama. It is basically a bunch of islands, with restuarants right over the water and great beaches. It kinda has a Santa Cruzy/Key West sorta feel to it. We spent a few days here kayaking, snorkeling, and exploring. On our way back to Panama City we stopped by my friend Adam's peace corps site. Being in the Economic Development sector of Peace Corps Panama, he has helped his community develop an organic chocolate tour for locals and tourists. Here we got to see how cocao is grown, harvested, and grinded into pure cocao. It is definitely the best chocolate i've ever tasted.

After a few adventures in Panama city, touring the canal and old town Panama, it was time to leave my parents and head to my Peace Corps In Service training. It was so nice to have visitors here and share a little bit of my life with my family. Pictures are posted on facebook, feel free to check them out.Miss you all!

Que te vaya bien,
Kayla