Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Volunteer Visits and ETs

Peace Corps Panama Group 60 has incurred two fallen soldiers. They have swiftly and effectively ETed as it were (ET stands for early termination). This is when one decides "i´m going home, this awesome 2 year, fully paid gig in paradise is not for me". Now, it is not considered ETing if one leaves due to medical reasons or being kicked out. Medical reasons is known as Med Sep (medical separation) and being kicked out is known as Admin Sep (administratively separated). I feel compelled to spell this out for you. Ok, so the past two weeks have been way different in terms of comparing it to my last blog. I´m fully submersed and totally grooving with my host family and the facilities, etc. Latrines are my friend. Well, at least ours is. I still don´t go in other people´s latrines because the comfort level isn´t there just yet. Yeah, so my host family is really cool. They are way cool and open about things. Some other people got placed in stricter families (of the evangelical nature) and aren´t allowed out past a certain time. Ok, so somehow it´s the 1950´s again because we all have to be in bed by like 10pm. well, de don´t HAVE to but we all wake up at like 0630am so go to bed early. And you can´t really hang out with anyone in private cos the family´s there too. AND all the girls are walked home just to be on the safeside. All, we´re missing is grabbing a few shakes at the peac pit or something. ok, boring blog so far. Let me tell you about my Volunteer visit. I went to visit this duderino in Valle del Risco. The travel itinerary went a little something like this: Hop on a bus for 6 hours then switch up in David which is in the Chirriqui province then take another bus (smaller... more van really) for another 7 hours until i get to smaaall town named Almirante. That´s where my volunteer met up with me. At this point i´m far from Panama City and essentially in the middle of nowhere. That was fun. We get in a pickup and go offroad for like 45 mins up and down mountain sides unti lwe get to Valle Del Risco. This is like an indigenous metropolis. Maybe a thousand of them. They are living in the mountains. No electricity but they have an aqueduct system. Thing is, it works for like 2 hours a day. So I had to bucket shower which was an experience. So, this volunteer built an aqueduct system in the neighboring town. i don´t remember the name but i remember laughing inside. it sounds funny. the indigenous people in valle del risco are sports crazy. not much water, no electricity but they have one hell of a volleyball court and soccer field. the way life should be. anyhow, we hiked and hiked for a while looking to meet up with this man who was going to take us to the "ojo de agua" (water source) that could potentially lend itself to an aqueduct. After hiking for a while in the blistering heat and crossing two rivers (one wide and with pretty serious current) we get to the dude and he´s like "not gonna make it... got a meeting with some corporationg.. peace". so that was a shame cos i wanted to hike more and see pcv things. the next day my volunteer had a meeting panama verde which seems to be some agro group involving kids. they never showed up. that seems to be the biggest obstacle in getting things done in the peace corps. that and trying to convince them that you have their best interest in mind. but overall it was great to get out there and see the way a pcv lives. it could have been much worse. i could have had an experience like jacob wieland (6 foot 8 inches blond norse god from north dakota bachelor´s of science in civil engineering... loves penguins) who had massive diarreah the whole bus ride up to meet his volunteer. he was sweating a lot and didn´t even wait to pay when he got there. just jumped off and ran for the nearest latrine. apparently it was locked when he got there. i don´t know the rest of this story. So on Sunday, most of the volunteers and trainees that were on the far west side of the country got to together at this beach town and went at it. It was a lot of fun. i woke up with waves crashing on me while the sea surreptiously stole all my clothes. I won´t say too much more but i had a great time. Thanks EH volunteers! you´re the greatest. a special thanks to my valle del risco pcv for letting me sleep in his bed and to his girlfriend cos she´s nice and helpful and fun. and also because when i talk about her on my blogs she gives mad props.
hasta la vista,
franco.

4 comments:

Keesler said...

So there is a little red dot on my visitor map and it looks like its coming from Panama!!! =)

Anyways, keep up the posts. I'm jealous of your travels. And post some pictures!!!

moodyinkorea said...

Dude you and I must have similar writing styles because I seriously dreamed that I got shipped out to a place to do some EH (Environmental Health) work somewhere undeveloped.

My father called me and said I had to come home. I immediately took a plane back, and he showed me in the contract I had left home that Good-day Korea had the right to send me to any country they wanted.
I don't' remember what country they sent me to. Maybe it was Afghanistan to replace the hostages.

It was a nightmare but only because I fell in love with a British girl.

Unknown said...

Franco! It sounds like you're having a great time. Can't wait to hear more.

Unknown said...

Sorry, that was me, heather, I've had to change my google name because it fascilitates some TA work....