A week in Bocas...A week in the Comarca

First of all, I’d like to say that I have very limited internet access and that is the reason for my shotty blogging, as this being the first time since in country…. but so it goes.
The past two weeks have been a long blurr as we were shipped up off to Bocas, the Province of my future home on the beach for a week of cultural immersion, a wacky night off, and then straight into Comarca land of the Nobes in the heart of Panama for a week of technical training in composting latrine construction and aqueduct design….which I am soooo excited about.

I’ll start with culture week. I stayed with an ADORABLE Nobe family in Valle de Riscos whom were totally excited and entertained with hosting me for a week. My 9 and 4 year old host sisters were of the most beautiful and animated kids I’ve seen so far, and just a pleasure to be around. At night we would dance together singing cute little girl songs and dances, and in the spirit of cultural exchange, yes I taught them soulja boy. My meals included rice, boiled green bananas, fried chicken, and hot dogs for breakfast….fried. And this nasty cream of wheat drink that was luke warm, chunky, and tasted like watery bland vanilla oatmeal….as a drink. Aka..not good. They’re house was an elevated Bocas house up on stilts like ones you’d see near the beach. I slept on the hardwood floor with no mattress or sleeping pad….i’m talking floor, one sheet, and me, plus my 9 year old sister right next to me. My parents and the 4 year old Judy were in the other room with the same sleeping on the floor routine…..surprisingly, I slept great. I do think the more entertaining evening was when my host parents said good night to me about 7 different ways in Spanish, retired to the other bedroom, turned the radio up way loud which felt like it was right next to me due to the complete lack of insulation…. and as I laid there in my room with my sister passed out next to me the entire stilted house swayed back and forth for about ten minutes as I witnessed the romance behind Nobe love making. ….two words: cultural exchange. (ps I’m like the millionth PVC whose been in a house when this has gone down)

The food was horrific but the people where amazing. We hiked a huge mountain to get a view of the Caribbean ocean and see the aqueduct system in action including the tank and water source catchment. We took to trips to the finca (the farm) to eat raw Cacao and plant banana trees. Cacao, as in the plant that all of the world’s chocolate come from is actually grown and harvested and is a major source of income for indigenous families like the Nobes I lived with…..Who knew?!? When in the finca, they giant pods that grow from the Cacao trees turn bright orange and red when ripe, and look like something straight from Willy Wonka. The Nobes would cut one down for us, open it, and inside are the Coco seeds that are about twice the size of an almond and completely coated in this white sticky goo that tastes like a wicked sweet, liquid granny smith apple. Out in the finca we would suck on the seeds to get the candy like substance off of them and then spit that actual cacao seed out cause it’s toxic to eat at this stage. The Nobes would then harvest the seeds, dry them, and sell them in masses to huge chocolate making companies in the states and Europe. Pretty cool huh?? Additionally, they would take some of the seeds for themselves, dry them in the sun, toast them, or should I say char them over a fire in a large pot, grind them, and then make a hot drink out of it similar to coffee. Add a little cream and sugar and its some pretty damn good hot coco…..but they don’t do that, that drink it like black coffee and its very cherished and honored up there so adding sugar had to be done in secrecy. I’m definitely gonna be playing around with a lot of Caco come my time on the Peninsula.

In the first 3 months of my service I see a lot a trips to the finca to occupy my time. After getting to know this type of Nobe family, I’m sooooo excited to be living amongst this indigenous group for two years.

Another thing about the nobe women. So there’s the thing called “pena” which is basically shyness, timidness or embarrassment. Bocas Nobes don’t have much of it, except when they’re hair is messy and not in braids. When a girl has crazy wild unstyled hair they call her a bruha or a witch cause they think the old ladies who live up in the mountains are witches who can’t afford mirrors or combs. None the less, as superstitious or silly as this sounds, my Nobe mother made sure I had beautiful braids every morning so that I would not have “pena” about by messy rubia gringa hair (aka bleach blonde white girl is not the norm here at all)

On night in my village my family took me across the street to visit with our grandmother. They asked me to sing for them so for about 45 minutes I would sing, in English, just about any song that could come to mind…..bad voice in all. I think I sang Wagon Wheel, Indigo Girls, Wyclef and even rapped a little Beastie Boys for them. After that the women were talking about my boobs and asked if they could see them. In an area of the world with little birth control and even less understanding of family planning, the fact that I was 23 with no boyfriend, husband or kids kind of blew their mind. I think they women wanted to see them because they're a different color than theirs. In this town women would breast feed all over the place and boobs were completely non-sexual, so naturally they didn’t understand why I had “pena” about showing them. I told them I was embarrassed cause there were men around, including my 29 year old host dad, so the women were like ohhhhh ok it's cool - you don't have to. Still, such little funny things I’m finding myself learning about different cultures. So no, the Nobes never got to see them.

Moving on to tech week. I got sick for the first time in Panama. My stomach was cramping all night and I could not sleep. They pig outside my bedroom was grunting uncontrollably and mice were crawling in the slats above my bed, under my bed and I’m pretty sure through the mattress I was sleeping on too ….that def had about a million bed bugs living in it. I was up in the mountains of the Comarca in a town on top of a hill in the heart of conservative Nobe country. Just like culture week, no electricity, a smelly latrine, and pluma water that was good or bad, given the day. …..so after a sleepless night of sobbing in pain and laying there in terror of the nighttime creatures around me, the sun came up and I went to build the latrine. ….NOPE. in bed I stayed at the Co-op all day. The next day I thought I was feeling ok and went to the job site in the morning. After eating for the first time in 48 hours my sick stomach needed the latrine, and as I stupidly walked by the side of the house we were working at their attack dog scared me and chased me out of his turf. It was not even 9 am and this monster dog left 4 giant teeth marks right on my butt when it bit me as I ran away crying. Annnnnnnnd I screamed like a little girl and then cried for about a half an hour. It was terrible, but it could have been a lot worse. It doesn’t hurt anymore but the scars and bruise still decorate my booty at the moment.

By day three I was fine and was able to join my group in finishing the construction of our latrine as well as the other classes we took during tech week. I met a bunch of other MI students from Michigan who gave us lessons on aqueduct design….something I will be doing in my site.
This week we have been back in Santa Clara for more technical training about aqueducts and I’m proud to say that finally this week I made it to the Spanish level required to be a Peace Corps Volunteer….aka they’re not gonna send me home in two weeks cause I actually can communicate with the people of Panama!! Wooow woooo.

Next week I’m off to my site for the first time! I’m going to introduce myself to the community and see where I’m gonna live for the next two years! I’m very excited but super nervous at the same time. Luckily the group of volunteers, 7 of us, who are going to be in the Bocas region are all phenomenal people that I’m looking forward to working with and becoming friends within the next two years. We will be traveling together for the most part come next week.
So I hope this gives you a taste as to what is going on here in panama. Swear in is less than 3 weeks away where the 35 of us all become real volunteers. I’m so happy I’m here right now and doing this. I really am in such a good mood on a day to day basis….so please don’t worry. I miss you all and love hearing about your lives in emails too! Thanksgiving and Christmas will be heard but know that everyone in my group is in the same situation and we will be celebrating together. Till next time…..love you all, KK