Boquete

 Last weekend was my first regional meeting and it was in Boquete, Panama.  Boquete is one of the most popular tourist destinations inPanama.  It sits in the cloud forest at the base of Volcan Baru and is home to exquisite, yet quirky gardens, a boat load of ex-pats, the best coffee in the country, a hippy transient community similar to Arcata, fancy hotels, and backpackers hostels.  Spending the weekend there, feeling like a tourist, I had my first experience with culture shock.  It was so strange to not be the famous person, the person everyone wanted to talk to...  It was strange to be commoner, and look like everyone else.  When I walked in to the backpackers hostel I was so excited to learn about all these people and tell them all about Peace Corps and what I am doing, only to find know one really cared.  Everyone just cared about tomorrows next adventure or where they were going to eat.  I felt like a tourist in a hostel, which is exactly what I was...

 As well as quite dissapointed to have lost my fame.  In fact
it took me so off guard I had trouble forming sentences
correctly in English and all I wanted to do was get back
to San Andrés. I will work on getting a hold of myself
before coming back to the states where I am normal once
again!

This week has also been very exciting because my host family's cat had kittens.  They are super cute, but haven't open thier eyes yet and I am afraid to touch them to check if they are male or female.  I get to take my pic for which one to keep, but I think I will have to take a pair to keep them together and then the mama can keep one with her too.  My host family is fine, I really enjoy my 30 year old host brothers company and am starting to feel like I have a social life, accompanying him to soccer games and hanging out with his friends.  3 weeks till I move into my own place!

Well, I am off to go kill my first chicken, we have kept it tied up in the back yard for 15 days fattening it up for dinners this week and I going to help and learn how to massacre then clean it.  Wish me luck!
Also in my near future... horse back riding, getting my own place, San Juan dancing horse festival and so much more.  The time is flying, and I am keeping busy and happy!

Adios!

A quick update and a cute video

Hi All,

To make up for the lack of pictures in last weeks blog I have added a video.
Every Friday night I teach English classes for 3 hours to 3 different groups.  The last one starts at 7, and although is only supposed to last an hour we hang out sometimes until after 10pm.  Last night we practiced English, taught and learned magic tricks and then they wanted to serenade me.  Here is a little taste of how amazing these kids are:

Then I woke up this morning, bright and early after a great nights sleep and was invited to watch a kids Tipico dance class, I am so glad I figured out that I can upload videos to this blog!

  This is me and my



My day continued with a hike through a chyote farm to find a Nobe Indian family who just moved to town.  They live in a one room dirt floor and plastic sheeting hut and take care of the Chyote.  They have 7 kids.  When the kids started school last week none of them had a notebook or paper, pencils, or any other materials to do their school work.  I am very lucky to have the friends that I do, because Haley and Jess sent me an awesome care package with a bunch of stuff for kids, including school supplies.  Y entonces I set forth on my hike this morning to bring them supplies and toys.  The pure joy on these childrens faces was very picture worthy, however in their culture it is a bad omen to have their picture taken and since I am still getting to know the family didn't want to push my luck.  They kids were so happy to have thier school supplies and each one promised me to study hard in English and all their other subjects.  Now if only I could figure out a way to build them a house and buy them shoes.  As you can probably tell my work here is more than fufilling, sometimes tough, but mostly just good.  As much as I really love the moments of instant satisfaction the true test will be if the projects stick around after I am gone.