Well, I wouldn’t call myself a blogger per se.

I mean I certainly enjoy a good blog, pondering thoughts of others then moving on with my day. But as the last 7 months have proved with my own little blog, I don’t have what it takes to upkeep one. 

My apologies to those who want to see and hear more from me in Panama, I have no laudable excuse. I'm sure I lost all of my followers months ago, or even several blogs ago. 

What can I say, I’ve tried a few posts, I’ll try a few more.

 The good news is that I plan to set up blog deadlines for myself starting...sometime in the next month or so. 

Here's to trying!

From December to April of this year, as per usual here in the 8th latitude, it didn’t rain a drop. It´s true, verified, bonafied, I set up a home weather station at my cabin and the science confirms it. As nice as it is to be mold-free, it takes its toll on people’s crops no matter how hard they try to avoid the devastation. Some crops die in a matter of weeks while others come out almost unscathed. Many folks will take a risk by setting up their 2-20 acre subsistence farms with corn, rice and beans and then take off for 3 or so months to work in large, export-scale coffee or teak tree operations elsewhere to make some actual money. Those who do stick around, mostly women and children, tend their farms as much as one can, catch up on household maintenance, hunt and fish… and pass the days in a hammock soaking in the sunshine and swinging in the breeze. Here´s a few photos during that time.

 

This snare-caught skunk is one species among many ’conejos’ of the jungle that provide a little tasty addition to the largely veggie diet

Scavenging for oranges and mountain summits with Sito and Jon

                                  After school kidding around

Roaming the hills














                    Summatime and the livins’easy


           

As the dry season continues the water flows decrease from the local springs. Everyone is aware of this annual problem but few address the issue until it is in full swing. Out of sight out of mind, I suppose; we are all culprits.

After a string of some thirsty days we finally convinced each other to get to work and fix some leaky pipes and prevent some potential future damages. Since the men typically rush through the crafty work to get to the digging (and drinking), a fellow volunteer Peter and I realized that the women were the best folks for the crafty job of fabricating pipe connections over the fire. Though a few from each gender were hesitant, most were pleased with this division of labor. Typically, work on the water system is done by the men.

Some gals really enjoyed the new activity and made it into a pipe beauty contest of which only top quality pipe unions (those with the best seal) were chosen. If that ain’t sustainability I don’t know what is! HA! Maybe not, but they at least had some fun with their important contribution to their water system.

At my little cabin, I tend to keep things tidy, work on my master’s research, read, talk with neighbors, and play with my little one-eared puppy, Olo. Life’s just better when she’s around

After months in my community working on the water system and assessing various water issues in other nearby communities, I took a nice vacation. In May, the whole Van Sickle family including Adam’s girlfriend Poa came down to visit!!!!

We toured all over the country from the beaches and luxury of Bocas del Toro to the mountains and poverty of the Comarca.

Of course first we checked out the locks of the  Panama Canal

then headed to an island retreat

where we found some good waves

                         sailed by some dolphins

passed a mossy three toed sloth

 was graced by radiant sunsets

humbled by machetes and coconuts

                      relished in the delectable food

aprovechared an impromptu barrio baile

just relaxed and took our time











After some great exploring and unwinding in a tropical paradise with amazing people and tasty food, we continued our journey over the continental divide and into the indigenous state where I live.

The arrival of not just one but SIX gringos definitely did not go unnoticed















As a Gringo herd we made our way down the 
steep valley trail to my community of Candela.

We spent the evening hanging out with my neighbors translating, laughing and sharing things about our different lives.

It was such an INCREDIBLE experience to share my life here with my family and for my community to see my own people and where I came from.  I was so impressed with my family making it to the village and sharing their time with them, especially my mom who made an enormous impression on my community members. Mom was an instant hit!!! Many had never seen a Caucasian woman so it was an eye opening experience for everyone. I´ve got such incredible people that surround me, I feel so blessed to be apart of this world! I love you guys!

Looking ahead, we begin the bulk of the water project where we are going to build tap stands, stretch pipe to include more people and build water tanks and natural spring catchments. Some buddies from AK and CO are making their way down here too for some river adventures so stay tuned!