Let's Talk About Sex....

** Don't worry this is not inappropriate.

I had the amazing opportunity to work with the incredibly talented group of individuals from CDNA Community Development Network of the Americas helping them to translate to my fifth and sixth graders information about sexual education and first aid skills. To say it went swimmingly well was an understatement.

 Amanda the Founder of the organization is a pretty miraculous lady she is studied abroad in Chitre Panama when she was in college, which is where she began to see the need for sex education in Panama and then she came back after she finished her degree to start this awesome organization. She typically invites a small group of medical professionals from the U.S. to come for a few weeks every summer to give charlas (talks/sessions) in schools around Panama and Costa Rica as long as the school permits them to. The minestry of education sent someone to my school in Las Minas but by some miracle Amanda's husband happened to be cousins to the MEDUCA rep that they sent down so they let us continue with our talk and gave glowing recommendations. 

In Panama they don't allow sex ed to be taught in schools, they will typically hold classes for parents of students if they are interested in coming, however they are hardly in depth and are rarely well attended. Basically, what Amanda has done is AMAZING and super radical in conservative Panama, but that kinda makes it all the better. 

We covered emergency first aid techniques like the heimlich manuver and what to do if someone is bleeding from some appendage and about to die, which was necessary and helpful but it got SUPER interesting when we started delving into sex! Most of the students had never been spoken to about sex or anything even touching the subject, so you can imagine they sorts of questions we got during the Q&A portion. The most outlandish that we received was probably when one of the students asked if you could get STD's from having sex with animals..... Wellllll that was interesting, goes to prove that I live in the campo. 

Some of the photos we got were PRICELESS and the students clearly loved the talks and getting to ask questions since we got bundles of them. The next day a bunch of students came up to me asking when the group was coming back,just proof that these kids need and WANT to learn about this stuff, it is imperative that Amanda continues doing what she is doing down here otherwise these kids will never get the information they need. 

My kids and our group... I am the ghost on the right hand side being blocked out by the light 

Seth, Amanda and Daniel answering some more questions 

Amanda being awesome 

One of my students saving Sierra's life with CPR

One of the many fascinating questions we got from my students.... soooo likeeee how can I answer this one..... 

Seth and Amanda being awesome 

My favorite photo: this is the reaction we got from students as Amanda and Daniel demonstrated the proper technique of putting on a condom.... PRICELESS

Six Months in Panama.... sweet jesus

August 20, 2013

We are officially at the six month point. That is six months in Panama. Wild. I can honestly say that it is beginning to show; the honeymoon stage has certainly worn off. Being surrounded by bugs all day and enjoying the life in nature is no longer as mystical and magical as it seemed when we were all living in Santa Rita de Chorrera in our training sites. To be honest if I could live somewhere that bugs didn't exist,  I might be the happiest person in the world... considering moving to Antarctica (sorry mom and dad).

Also  I think all the snide remarks and shocked looks in regards to my legs are finally starting to catch up and affect my self-esteem. I swear if one person looks at my legs and gives me that condescending look whilst saying "AY DIOS tus piernas! Que feas" (OH GOD your legs, how ugly) ONE MORE TIME I WILL SMACK SOMEONE! Really though, they don´t bother me so much, but the fact that it seems to bother everyone around me in turn makes it bother me. I means LAWD they are bug bites... not the plague there is not a whole lot I can do about it... My blood is just sweeter than yours :P 

Also I am realizing that I have to give away my puppy, which just makes me sad in every way. I don´t want to give him away but I don´t have even close to the funds to be able to keep him. Especially when I have to leave for training sessions that last 2-3 weeks and have to pay my sister $2.50 a day to watch him in addition to buying food which is another $10 a week. It doesn´t seem so much but when you get paid less than Panama´s minimum wage ($400 a month is the minimum wage here) then when you add up puppy costs and rent and food and the fact that your puppy will soon be as big as a horse and even more expensive.... it just isn´t going to work. I sad. It feels like giving up a child, also I am kinda angry with myself since I have already put hundreds towards him, but such is life. At least I know that I have treated him better than the majority of Panamanians would treat their animals.


*** SIDE NOTE for those who are reading this and are prospective PCV´s SAVE YOUR MONEY and bring some (LOTS OF)  money from home!!! Especially if you are planning on adventuring at all or living your life in Panam to the max, it is so necessary. Don´t get me wrong you can most certainly live on the PC stipend but if you ever told people here what you were making their jaws would drop because in fact you are living below poverty.


Anyways.... so basically life is hard here and it is just going to get harder, but on the other side time moves so quickly here that I honestly can´t believe I have been here for 6 months already and that I only have 21 months to go. Though when I put it that way it seems like a lot but it isn't really considering I don't know if my teachers will ever get off strike so who knows if I will actually accomplish anything in the schools and that we have month long breaks at times due to training sessions and such. Meh 

Sorry if I seem a bit jaded, but there are some awesome things going on as well. I have started guitar lessons which are going really well I have about 5 students who come regularly to learn new things and I am trying my best to teach them, though I am no expert myself. I have also started mandatory academic support sessions at the elementary school for those students who are failing English, in the hope that they will be able to at least pass English or maybe just find it interesting.... we shall see. 

Aside from being moody and grumpy I do have some good days, I have been spending more time with my host family, so that has been nice. I think that things are going better now because I am giving away my puppy and there will no longer be that awkwardness of having to ask them to watch him every time I leave site. Also the fact that I started crying when I told them that I have to give him away might have helped show them that I actually do care about him and am not the neglectful owner that they have thought I was. OO and I am applying for a position as a facilitator with the Gender and Development camp so hopefully I will get on board with that since that is one of the things I want to get really involved in while I'm here. 

I think that is enough ranting for now.... 

Photos from English Week Primaria

Just a little bit of background because I don't think that I wrote a post about it. English week's 

a big deal here in Panama. It is probably a bigger deal than most anything else in the school year. Each class has a battle of the classes with English competitions and other sorts of contests and then a Rey (King) and Reina (Queen) are chosen from each class to represent the grades and then those two compete to win the title of Rey and Reina of all of English Week!! These aren't all of the photos but they are a good majority of them. Aren't they cute!! 

Cute Armored Creatures

August 5, 2013

My neighbor caught an armadillo today and is going to be selling it for $6 dollars.... I want it... 

However, I do feel that I shouldn't want it so much since it is a wild animal and should be left to the wild where it belongs. BUT it is just so cute I actually have the pictures on here so I can show you, and I suppose I'll post some other pictures of creepy crawlies that I just happen to have on me. 

That was really all I had to say about that, but isn't that cool‽‽ I didn't even know that armadillos were common within these parts. 

Here are some photos of the armadillo and other creepy crawlies near my house. I saw a spider the other day the size of my face but couldn't get a good picture of it, though I wish I had because it was horrifying.