4 Weeks In... Spiders, Latrines, Infections, and the Well Running Dry

Hi Everyone! Apologies for not being able to post since I was in orientation, but training weeks are jam-packed and when I get a chance to get to the internet cafe, I barely have time to check my emails, let alone update this blog, because the buses take so long to get here and back and the computers are slow. BUT, I am doing well, and today I have some time to let all of you know what I have been doing for the past 4 weeks here in Panamá!

First of all, let me say that I am doing my very best to post some additional pictures, but something is wrong with my jump drive and until I can figure that whole thing out, pictures are out of the question... sorry!

We arrived in Santa Clara for training and were basically dumped off in front of each of our houses, suitcases and all. My family is a very nice one... an older couple (the mother is 60 and the father is 71). They have lots of children and grandkids that live in the houses around us, so our house is always open and they all come and go. Our house is a typical house for the Latino areas here... cement floors and walls with a zinc roof. Our ¨windows¨ are basically cut-outs in the walls, and there is about a 4 inch gap in between the roof and the ceiling... both allow wonderful access for all kind of insects to come inside! No, but seriously, I am very lucky to be with this family! I have my own room that locks and everything. You enter it off of the porch before you go into the rest of the house, so I have TONS of privacy, which is much needed after a long, stressful day of training, followed by grandchildren running around the house yelling ¨hola, kreeeesta!¨Don´t get me wrong, they are VERY cute kids, but time to yourself is both limited and PRECIOUS here!

It took me a week and a few emotional breakdowns, but I am officially getting relatively comfortable (as comfortable as one can be in this insane situation) with the daily bucket baths, lack of running water, and latrine usage. It is getting easier, but I still have to laugh at myself on a daily basis when I walk half asleep in the middle of the night to the latrine, headlamp on and TP in hand, dodging bugs, dogs, and roosters along the way... if I don´t laugh, I´ll probably cry, so it seems better this way!

Training is going well. My days are completely full... I have technical class in the mornings, a break for lunch, and then Spanish class in the afternoons, or vice-versa, depending on the week. My Spanish is improving, and I have to remind myself CONSTANTLY that I haven´t been here that long and that I will only continue to get better. Keep crossing for your fingers for me though! By the time I get home in the evening and do some studying, I am usually completely worn out and head to bed around 9, do pilates in my room, and journal every night. Yep... pretty lame life, I know!!!

Last Thursday we all left Santa Clara to visit different volunteers in their sites. I´m not sure that I can tell you where I went, but I can tell you that it was AMAZING! I was in heaven on the beach for 4 days... the people were friendly, the small town was beautiful, and the volunteer and I had a great time together. I was sad to come back to the reality of training. BUT... *** We find out our site placements this coming Wednesday, May 20th!*** So, in 3 days, I will know where I will be living for the next 2 years beginning in July. Crazy! All I know right now is that my APCD is in between two sites for me. Both are Latino communities +/- 10 minutes from the beach, have running water and electricity (THANK GOODNESS), cell phone service, and are either 30 minutes or an hour from a major city. One is about 1000 people and needs help developing tourism because they want it and tourists are starting to trickle in, but they need help actually developing it from the ground up. I would also work in the secondary school in town teaching English classes. The other site is bigger (about 2500) and already had a lot of tourism, so in this site I would be working with business professions that are already working on tourism in their community, helping them to further market their town, etc. I keep flipping back and forth on which one I think I would like better, so I am just going to see what happens! Wednesday will be a fun and exciting day!

Ok, so I will leave you with a few general descriptions and facts about my life for the past 4 weeks...
1) I have officially become a MASTER cockroach and beetle killer. I am no longer afraid of them. In fact, I welcome them in my room, because they just piss me off, and I can kill them regardless of how quick they think they are. I am not, however, as good at this as my host sister´s 5 year old son. He is insane! I love him, because he kills any bug that gets near me with him BARE FEET! It´s hilarious!
2) I saw my first ¨araña blanca¨ in our house a few weeks ago... basically, the biggest, ugliest, white tarantula you have ever imagined in your nightmares! My host brother tried to kill it with his machete but missed. We have no idea where it is now. Lovely!
3) I have painted my toes twice since I have been here. Both times, it takes between 1 and 3 hours for them to completely dry. Yep, the humidity is something special here. And you guys think Nashville summers are hot... ha ha!
4) I have discovered that baby wipes are the greatest invention EVER. I use them for everything from cleaning the cement like mud that is caked on my feet as soon as I walk out the day to wiping washing my face with them when I get home too late to go get water from outside. They are amazing. Who invented those?! I hope they are super rich, because they deserve it!
5) The well runs dry... yep! Here it does! Not the well, literally, but we rarely have water on the weekends for whatever reason. The day I left for my volunteer site visit, we were down to about 4 gallons of water left. Needless to say, bucket baths aren´t even an option those days. Another time when the baby wipes come in handy! Ha ha! Remember to think of my when you take your nice, hot shower tonight. I´m jealous, don´t worry!
6) I fell on my site visit and infected my knee. It is really something very special. I even took a picture because it is THAT BAD! But I went to the doctor, and he put me on 4 different medications. It is startiong to scab finally, but a lovely side-effect of the meds is that my foot and ankle have gone numb. It will come back once I am done with the medication, but for now, I am carrying my 500 pound foot around with me, clunking my happy butt around town.
7) During my site visit, the neighbors killed a snake in their house. We went to look at it... pretty much something I can go without seeing again, especially in MY house. Earlier that morning there was also a scorpion in the latrine. Good times.
8) I have been called ¨gringa¨ so many times that I think I am finally used to it... it´s just what I am here.
9) Panamanians love their novellas. I mean, I thought that my family was obsessed with All My Children... ha! It totally doesn´t compare to their love of Doña Barbara here! Even the kids watch it at night.
10) I might be technically living in the campo, but there is definitely not a shortage of stereo systems here. They LOVE their music, and they love it loud. Loud is actually the biggest understatement ever. You don´t even know!

I think that´s about all I can say for now. Life here is a roller coaster every single day, adn my emotions are up and down throughout, but I am getting adjusted slowly. I miss you all very much. As I leave this internet cafe, let me just say one more thing... CONGRATULATIONS, Mommy Jennifer and Daddy Denver! Annabelle is precious, and I cannot wait for more pictures. She is a lucky little girl!

Pictures to come as soon as someone helps me figure out my jump drive! Much love, Kristin