More from week 4

A few days have passed since site announcements (see previous entry) and I while I should be packing for the next two weeks in Bocas, I am plugged into my computer and listening to the music that I already miss (there is too much reggeaton here). Beyond the fungus-turn-rash, training is going very well, and things like latrine smells don’t bother me so much anymore. And yesterday when I poured milk into my ‘corn flas’ (every cereal in Panama is ‘corn flakes’), no less than 20 ants floated to the top. I hesitated for a minute debating my next move, and then picked up my spoon and dug in.

My fellow trainees marvel over the Panamanian diets in our training community, where in most houses there exist only two food groups: fried and starch. Sometimes these overlap (i.e., fried plantains). Some host moms take their frying creativity to new levels, by frying bread, hotdogs, corn patties (lovingly called hockey pucks by the trainees), etc. If Panamanians ate vegetables, they would fry those, too. But according to Panamanians, they do eat their veggies: yucca, otoe, ñame, and other root tubers. As for more examples of starch affinity, my fellow trainee Julliette offers a meal she was served a few days ago to illustrate: spaghetti with a side of mashed potatoes. Luckily for me, I rarely encounter these food woes. My food always tastes good and is generally nutritious. Even if there are ants floating on top.

Technical training classes are the highlights of my days here. We spend much of our time doing hands on activities, and my machete swing is finally getting dangerously good and new blisters are forming on top of the old ones. In previous weeks of training we have made lots of compost, organic fertilizers, and organic pesticides. Organic production techniques are stressed in training because the farmers volunteers work with often do not have the financial resources to buy chemical fertilizers/pesticides, which hopefully will make promoting organic alternatives that much easier. And this week, thanks to training with a level A frame, I can now define contour lines (without a laser level) and can tackle the basics of hillside soil conservation.

I am growing more excited about site placement, and I am looking forward to my first visit to a Naso community this coming week, culture week. For which I should be packing.

Hasta luego!