The Walk to Alanje

There is more to learned in one day of discomfort, poverty and anxiety than in a lifetime of apparent happiness, security, riches and power.  -Anonymous

Last Friday I moved my feet, one in front of the other to a town called Alanje.  It was in celebration of good Friday, and in return all my sins have been cleared and I am forgiven.  Ahhh feels good! Actually, not that good because of the blisters I accumulated on the 17 hour, 50 mile walk from my town of San Andres to Alanje are pretty gnarly.  People walked there from all over the country, and it felt great to arrive and be part of something so big and so profound.  Although I don´t know if my reasons for doing it was the same as the rest of the country, but it definitely helped me integrate into the culture more and was great exercise.  Above is a photo of me at sunrise, about half way there as we walked through the night to avoid the heat. 
Once we arrived at the church the walkers, bikers, bus riders and everyone waited in a line for 2 hours to ask a mannequin dressed up as Jesus to forgive them for their sins.  I opted out of that process and instead laid on the grass and enjoyed a green mango salad.

Life here is good, its moving fast and I am keeping busy.  My schedule consists of working in the elementary schools every morning from 7am until noon, observing and teaching a mix of English, Environmental Education and gardening.  Then I escaped the heat in front of a fan after lunch until about 3, where I then head out on the town to pasear (literally means to pass by, but in Panama it means to visit families house by house trying to get to know everyone in town).  This is a good way to know who´`s related to who and all the local gossip.  I also attend meetings with the youth led Eco Club who is responsible for the recycling program in town, which I will inherit the responsibility of when the current volunteer leaves in June.  I am working with a local group who makes goat cheese and yogurt to prepare a business plan in order to get a brand so they can sell their product in stores, etc... This is a lot of fun, and yesterday I learned to make yogurt and cheese, mmmmmm!  Tomorrow I am heading to the Frontera (the Costa Rican border) to help translate negotiations between tourists passing through and the goat group in an effort to sell some of the product we made yesterday.  I am excited, the Frontera is supposed to be really cool, and its a tax free zone so I plan to buy a bicycle. and a helmet of course!
Tonight my town is having a baile (a dance) where Panama`s most famous Tipica singers are performing.  I am quite nervous and excited to learn the Tipica dances but am just going to go for it with my lack of rhythm.  Vamos a Ver, we`ll see.
My Spanish is improving daily, my tolerance to the heat, and my suntan as well.  This weekend I will spent hiking with youth from the Eco Club as we will head out for an overnight backpacking trip to try and view some of the most endangered and beautiful birds in the world, the Quetzal.
Hopefully I can catch a photo of one for the next blog.

Adios from this little isthmus, missing you all, and thinking about you daily!

Love, Sina