Limping around Panamá Bored... but able to Post Pictures!

Greetings from Panamá City. I´m here for the next two weeks going to physical therapy everyday. I saw a specialist at the end of last week, and I have some extensive nerve damage in my right foot. Needless to say, I cannot feel anything on the top of my foot (especially my big toe, which you don´t realize how useful that one toe is for walking!) and up past my ankle. I return to see the specialist tomorrow, but for now am hanging out in the city, taking cabs to and from therapy everyday, and trying to remember that, even though this sucks, I have AIR CONDITIONING AND A SHOWER in my hotel room. I haven´t felt this clean since I left the states! Love that!

Ok, so I don´t really have any other news since I was supposed to leave for technical week this past Saturday, and, clearly, the doctor said absolutely not. SO, here are some more long-overdue photos of random things that I feel like might give you all a better idea of my life here in Panamá. A little of this and a little of that, but I hope you enjoy! Sorry in advance for the poor layout... but the internet here is pretty dang slow, and I am growing impatient trying to fix them!



Here is right after the infamous incident when I fell on my volunteer visit. It was still funny at this point. This is one of the ¨tubes¨ where we waited in the pouring rain for a ride home.



The beach during my volunteer visit. It´s the pacific side, so the sand is more rocky and the water isn´t quite as clear, but it was still 4 days of heaven!!




This is one of the tiendas in Santa Clara, where we are training.
There are 3 and they all look more or less the same... I wish
I could take a picture of the meat fridge - you meat lovers might
even throw up! BUT, I don´t think that picture would be
appropriate!





Me with 2 of my friends, Donald and Natalie... relaxing after another long day of training. We kind of love this place!







This is my room! Yes, that is my mosquito net covering my bed, which I love, because not only does it keep the millions of bugs and BATS (yes, that is a new discovery!) off of me when I sleep, but it also is covered in something that kills the bugs that land on it... probably really stellar for my health, but when in Panamá!




These are 4 of the women in my family. The girl on the left is my neice who lives next door... she loves me and I think she is pretty great too! The smaller girl beside her is another neice, but she isn´t over as much. The next is a 16 year old neice... I think she is trouble waiting to happen, but she is HILARIOUS, when I can understand her that is. She talks a million miles a minute. Her mother is beside her in the green, my sister. Very sweet people. NOTE: that is my latrine in the background behind the rancho. And yes, that is one of my 10 roosters that crows at 3 am EVERY DAY!


The rancho where we have technical training everyday. Here we sit for 4 hours, usually dripping with sweat, although it is amazing how the ranchos they build are so much cooler than anywhere else... and they keep out all the rain. Pretty impressive if you ask me! My host dad just finished ours at home (completed in the photo above) - all by himself at age 71! Craziness!!


Long awaited, I know: MY HOUSE! This is where I live in Santa Clara. I am not sure if you can see this on your screen, but there are two doors on the front porch... the one on the left is my room, so that window you can see on the front to the left is my room. I actually have 2 windows, so I get a pretty nice cross-breeze at night. The rest of the house have 2 bedrooms, a large living room, and a kitchen (basically a stove and cabinets, since there is no running water inside and we wash dishes, etc. outside)

I have to give photo credit to my friend, Marin, on this one... this is the inside of a typical ¨dibajo rojo,¨ which is the public transportation here in Panamá. Here´s a better description - just think school bus meets the MTV show ¨Pimp my Ride.¨ I´m dead serious! The buses are airbrushed, named, stickered, detailed, etc. It is great! I´ll get a picture of the outside of a few soon! They are all different!


Hope everyone had a wonderful, long weekend! I didn´t even realize it was Memorial Day until I talked to some of you... not something you think of here! Lots of love from Panamá! Please keep me and my foot in your thoughts :)