Hurricane Ike

Now is a time when I feel a little homesick. Not because I am having a bad time or can´t hande Panama, but because I feel like I should be home with all my fellow Houstonians going through everything their going though before/during/aftermath of Hurricane Ike. I know that me being home wouldn´t exactly accomplish anything for the city per se but I want to be with the people I love during this time. I feel pretty helpless from Panama and I absolutely cling to all world news I can get (not much) to keep me updated. For all Houstonians out there, know that you´re getting prayers from Panama and I´m glad that from what I hear, my friends and family are safe. Talk to you soon.

Host Family

Here are my host sisters (11, 9, and 6). I absolutely love them to death and they are really getting attached to me. Makes me miss my twin cousins at home. I don´t really have much time to write a lot but I will say that I am slowly but surely introducing them to American food. This past week I made tacos which they had no idea what they were but absolutely loved them after some hesitation in trying them and this morning I made french toast. I don´t really think they liked it but were trying to be nice to me anyway. Thats ok, its not like all the Panamanian food I´ve eated has sit well with me. Till next time!

Hi everyone!

So here are some pics of my time here in Panama. Hope you enjoy! I'm adjusting better and better everyday and I will let you know that I am slowly but surely becoming a better packer than I have ever been. I traveled to another community in Panama for 4 days with nothing but a backpack. For those of of you who are familiar with my packing strategies, you know that it was a small step for mankind but a HUGE one for me. I'm learning more and more about the culture and definitely practicing my spanish but each time I learn a new Panamanian word, I think to myself that all my spanish speaking family and friends are going to laugh when I come back with this vocab! Start preparing, guys!

I love you and miss you all. Enjoy the pics and please keep me updated on your lives back home! Just bc I'm out of the country doesn´t mean I don't think about y'all all the time!

Chao, pues.

This is the house that I live in with my host family (above). The grass is called grama. There are dirt spots because people dig it up and sell it. I makes for a pretty bumpy/hilly walk to the house.

This is the view from my front porch (above). The thatch roof is called a rancho. These neighbors have a hammock hanging under there. Check out the rain clouds in the back. It rains everyday.

This is what packing for 2 years looks like! I actually managed! (above)

(above) We hiked to a waterfall in our community. As you can tell, living in Panama has resulted to me wearing glasses all over again. Feels just like 7th grade again ;)

This is a couple of us with kids from a youth cooperative (above). We took them to a national park where they learned about conservation and protecting the environment. We hiked up to this place where you can see both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Here is a shot of one the oceans, not sure which one but beautiful anyway (below). You can see where its raining.



(above) Don't worry, this tarantula was a lot bigger in real life than in actually looks in the picture. I took this pic just seconds before a Panamanian hacked it to pieces with his machete.

Im Here!

So Ive arrived in Panama and am doing really well. The food and variety thereof is a bit different but Im handling it really well. During these first 10 weeks of training they have us pretty busy and I don´t have all the time in the world to access the internet so I promise to right more soon! My spanish is really improving and its fun to learn all the idioms of Panama. I miss everyone SO much and am constantly on an emotional roller coaster but am overall really excited to be here. This is going to be an experience of a lifetime.