Right now we are in what the Peace Corps calls PST. AKA what they say is an extremely hard 10 weeks. AKA Pre-Service Training. So technically I am not even a Peace Corps Volunteer yet, I am a Peace Corps Trainee. And when, and if, I can make it through 10 treacherous weeks I will become a Peace Corps Volunteer. With my Spanish improving and technical skills coming along I do not see anything stopping me in my future! So what’s my life like right now then
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Since living with my host family I have experienced some major changes in my life. Now that I think of it- there’s been two major changes. Cheese and showers. The latter of which is probably for the best but the first one is taking some time. So I shower three times a day. Three. 3. T-h-r-e-e. Just making sure you understand because if you know me well enough, I usually was able to scrape by with three (okay, maybe four) showers a week max. And in case you forgot now I am at three showers a day. Three. So here’s how that happened. The culture of Panama values cleanliness almost more than they value rice at every meal. Almost. So showers, smelling good, looking put together, and so on are their high priorities. Since I am living here for more than two years I figured that I better try to fit in at least in the ways I could. Our leaders told us that the families would expect us to shower three times a day: morning, afternoon, and night and if you wanted to be a star student- five times, although I do not know how one could possibly fit five in their schedule. When I arrived to my host family my host mom went over all of the rules, including that they shower in the morning and night and afternoon if you feel like it. I took that afternoon ‘shower if you feel like it’ seriously and the next afternoon I came home, ate lunch, took a siesta, and was almost out of the door when my host mom asked if I took a shower. I said no because I had been cool in the room with the oh so wonderful fan she had given me, but I knew that was not enough as I saw the look of surprise and disgust on her face. So much for an optional third shower. But that is not all. Timing of the shower is not flexible either. I was playing baseball with my host brothers the other day and after showing them up came in to the house for dinner. Immediately my host mom said “go wash yourself before dinner”. I was a little shocked but should not be surprised. The same happened after I went to the river and came back starving. No such luck getting dinner unless you are clean and smelling fresh! So that is how I have come to shower three times a day. If you are like me, now you are worried about how much water I am using taking three showers a day. Do not fret my friend. We do not have a shower with running water so we bucket shower! Woo! There are a couple five gallon buckets lined up inside an extremely small wooden shed type thing where I take my lovely three a day showers. I have figured out that if it is hair shampooing time I need about 2 or 2 ½ gallons of water for a solid wash, but if I’m skimping on the hair wash (which is most everytime) a gallon should do. Although the rinse off feels amazing in the afternoon when the hot, humid air is engulfing me, I am still getting used to the cold burst of pouring water on myself in the morning. Close my eyes, hold my breath, pour. Slowly, it is coming along. Now for the sad part: cheese. I have gone from my mornings filled with Havarti, Brie and other scrumptious cheeses that I cannot spell or pronounce to eating packaged American cheese slices. Sometimes my host mom melts it on corn tortillas, and that makes it a little bit better because I do not actually have to take it out of the wrapper and can imagine it is a slightly better cheese. I know the cheese lovers feel my pain. I keep pretending that I am a kid again and love this stuff so hopefully that mindset can last me another two years. However, I do not have much choice either way. Rough life I know. Enough about my newfound struggles here and now some wonderful things about my new life with my host family. I have a host mom, Mima, dad, Elvis, and two brothers, Elvis and Alvin. One would think a family ended there but that is only the beginning of mine! We have two dogs, Ponkie and Bobbie, a parrot (I’m in love!), Luca, a rabbit, Snow, two parakeets, chickens and chicks that we can hold and that sleep in our hand, the neighbor’s cat that sometimes comes for dinner, and I think that is all! My host mom’s cousin lives about ten feet away with two kids, one who is pregnant, and my host mom babysits for a child named Jose every day. Needless to say my house is never boring! There are always dogs fighting around midnight, the parrot flying in the house for his dinner, or Jose running around with the whiffle ball I brought begging for more throws. My family, as every Panamanian family, talks extremely fast making me feel like I have never studied Spanish before, but as I hang around them more I am starting to pick up on the lingo! Just to add to the list of a non-boring household- the other day my family bought their first kitchen table, and it was so exciting to be with them as they accomplished that step in their life. The first thing my host mom said was that the next day we were going to buy a table cloth to protect it! We ate our first meal there of eggs and plantains the next morning, and I am excited to start my day there now! But the new kitchen table excitement does not end there- did I mention Alvin flooded the house the next day after we loaded the table inside? We only have running water for five hours a day and after Alvin had finished the dishes last night, he had forgotten to turn the knob the other way because the water had already been turned off. I wake up on Sunday morning, which was supposed to be my peaceful sleep in morning, to yelling and screaming because there is a foot of water in the house. The water had turned on sometime during the night and the sink had overflowed, and water steeped into the dining room and living room. Thankfully the furniture was fine but let’s just say that my host mom was not too happy to start what was supposed to be a peaceful Sunday morning. Thankfully my family now jokes about that even though it just happened a day ago! Everything here is lighthearted and nothing is taken too seriously. One current Peace Corps volunteer told me, “If you are stressed in the Peace Corps than you are doing it wrong”. Needless to say I think I am going to enjoy these next two years! My new house is bright blue and gives you no choice but to wake up every time you see it. Once you walk in to the house, to the left is the living room and to the right the kitchen table and kitchen. It is just one, big open space! My host parents have their own room and then my two brothers share a room. I think they get their own room when they do not have a Peace Corps Volunteer staying with them, but they do not seem to mind too much! My room is quite big with a queen size bed, a night stand, table sort of thing, and the best part- a fan. I have heard many stories from volunteers who do not have a fan, and every day I am thankful they put one in my room! Life has been full of Spanish lessons, machete training, and mangos, and I can’t wait to share my next post of ‘My Day in a Nutshell’. Right now we are staying in a small town about an hour outside of Panama City called Santa Rita which after a week has already become home to us.
Also, my host family has been wanting me to cook for them so if you have any delicious, easy recipes please email them to me so I can try to impress my family! Just keep in mind that they do not eat a lot of vegetables! Hasta luego! |
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