Today was our second day in Panama and like any typical
morning some of us awoke to Panama’s national songbird, the rooster, as well as
some curious lizards.
Not your typical morning? Yeah it was pretty new for us too,
but it is also a great safety net to ensure we actually get up, since the
rooster does not believe in snooze buttons. I like to think of it as nature's very own alarm clock.
After our morning wake up call, we stopped at a local
restaurant and stuffed our bellies full with a traditional Panamanian
breakfast. This consisted of foods such as: cow liver, corn tortillas,
empanadas (dough filled with meat and sometimes fruit), chicken, and “Bollos”
(Similar to tamales but without meat).
With full stomachs, we gathered our gear and headed out
towards the town of Tanara, where we would begin our first day of work. We
first stopped at an elementary school where we met up with the Principal and a
“maestra” (Female teacher). I learned
that the principal spent 20 years in school where he has obtained about 4
professional degrees. What surprised me was the fact that even though he has
dedicated a large portion of his life to school, the degrees have no affect on
his paycheck. Essentially, to be hired for jobs such as a Principal, you are
expected to be very established, which makes obtaining multiple degrees
necessary but does not ensure a higher paycheck. While I am sure the Principal
would appreciate a higher salary, I could tell that this was more than a job
for him; education is his passion. I have always been told that if you are
truly passionate about doing something, you’ll do it for free, and that is the
vibe I felt while speaking to him.
We also spent some time leaning about some of the economical
problems the school and families faced in the area, for example, families here
are typically larger with anywhere from 3-4 hijos (children). With low wages
and many mouths to feed, it can be extremely difficult for mothers and fathers
to provide food for their children. As the teacher explained, many children
will come to school having not been fed beforehand and this then reflected in
their ability to work and pay attention in class. Hearing this only increased
our want and need to help the people in this community any way we could.
After leaning a little bit about Tanara, we began surveying
the water filters in some of the homes and making sure they were up to code.
While doing this, we were greeted by a passing car filled with 3 local
Panamanians, one with a microphone shouting “Sandías!” (Watermelons), and other
locally grown fruits. We noticed this and decided we couldn’t pass up the
opportunity to try some local fruits and bought a papaya. One of the men so
kindly sliced it open and handed us all a slice. Of course being the Americans
we are, we then immediately got into formation for a necessary selfie. Not too
long after we were given koolaide and pineapple “Duros” which are similar to
popsicles, delicioso!
After surveying, the Fire department of Chepo so graciously
cooked us lunch, and like everything I have eaten so far here, it was nothing
short of perfection. After lunch, we began assembling water filters to be
transported later this week. It felt great to be able to do more hands on work.
For dinner, we stopped at a local restaurant where we were
served what looked like fried chicken, only to find out it was most likely
squirrel. Hey when in Panama, right?
Amber Craig
 |
| Breakfast was heavier than we were used to. Pictured is cow intestines, an empanada and delicious fried dough hojaldre. |
 |
| Water filter checks. |
 |
| Team assembling water filters to be delivered the next day. |
 |
| Gathering and cleaning walkers and cruches to be delivered the next day. |
 |
| Eating papaya from a street vendor |
