Visited Paradise Gardens Today

Today was a blast! All of the students took a field trip to Paradise Gardens here in Boquete....amazing exotic animals, plants, flowers, the whole nine! It was so beautiful! I kept thinking of my nephews and thought they'd really get a kick out of it. One of the students, Amy, is a volunteer there, so she was kind enough to introduce us to the various animals and told us each of their names and a bit about their history. Because today was the last day of class for a handful of students, they each shared at the end what their experience has meant to them. Their teacher from our Spanish language training school began to get tears in her eyes....wow, this program is really touching and so wonderful! I am gonna be a wreck when I leave. I have really bonded so much with everyone....students, teachers, my family. This is really a special place.

(Mis profesoras)

So tomorrow I decided to head to Bocas del Toro to the island of Isla Colon. A few of my friends left today up there. You take a 4 hour bus ride for less than $10 and then an hour boat ride to the island. I had class all day today, so I am gonna head out early in the morning....around 6am...and meet them up there. We've got an apartment for the weekend. Should be a good time. Heard the beaches and food are great! I'll be in good company, too, so I'll have a great time regardless. We'll head back late Sunday afternoon.

Oh, and sushi night last night was great! A fellow student from Denver (se llama Witt), as well as a few other helpers, prepared some really great sushi for a group of about 20. Thanks, Julio, for inviting us to your home! It was so much fun.

Okay, I'm off to eat a late dinner, do my homework, and pack for tomorrow's trip. Have a great weekend everyone!

Hot Springs Last Night....Sushi Tonight

Last night my friend, Dina, invited Amy (a fellow student in my class from Australia) and I to visit the hot springs with her boyfriend and her brother and friend who were visiting from.....guess where?....the Bay Area! Great group of people! It was fun, although I have to admit that the hike from where we parked to where the hot springs was located was a bit more than I expected. It was pitch dark (and not all of us had flashlights), quite muddy, and lots of slippery stones and rocks. Anyway, we made it and the water was nice and....well....hot. I utilized for the first time my ¨pee standing up¨ thingies.....wow, what a brilliant idea for women! Ladies, check it out.....for all those times you're in the woods, or at a nasty public restroom, or camping, hiking, whatever, and nature calls....¨pee standing up¨ is your solution! It is a cone shaped funnel that allows a woman to....well....pee while standing up. Check out the website sometime - a distant cousin of mine actually invented it. Thanks! Brilliant! Wish I had more with me. Okay, anyway, so the hike to the hot springs was interesting. I enjoyed everyone's company. And it's always great, too, to meet people in another country who happen to be from the same city (or area...in this case, the Bay Area) that you are from. Kinda made me miss the Bay! I will visit there soon, though.

Okay, so tonight I am off with a group of other students here to go to one of the school director´s home for sushi. There are no sushi restaurants here, but one of the students used to be a sushi chef in Denver, so he is gonna give it his best shot with the fresh fish here from the market. I will be sure to take my GNLD digestive enzymes beforehand. Man, I miss sushi!

Not sure what the plan is yet for the weekend. I was hoping to travel with my new friends to Bocas del Toro (northeren Caribbean part), but I may not be able to because I have classes til late afternoon and they will be departing a bit earlier. Maybe next time. If not, I am planning to hike Saturday morning for a few hours with one of the Rotarian ladies and some other women. I also have an accupuncture appointment. If I have enough time, I will head over to the nearby city of David with my host mom to shop for a long formal dress. I need one for here niece´s wedding coming up in July.

Alright, I am off to say hello to ¨mi familia¨ before I leave for dinner. Ciao!

Week 4 Already!

Wow, time is flyin´ by! We celebrated Father´s Day here last weekend. My host mom made a nice traditional Panamanian dinner (a mixture of rice, chicken, and veggies) and invited a few other guests. We bought my host grandfather a couple new shirts and a couple pairs of socks. He reminded us not to purchase him any more pajamas, as he still has new ones hanging in his closet....lol. Apparently, he´s received pajamas many times in the past as gifts. One woman that came to dinner is a beautician and trimmed my hair for a whopping $3! I was a bit freaked out at first because I´m quite particular about getting my hair trimmed....¨only a little¨ is sometimes interpreted differently. But it turned out nice regardless, and I am happy with it.

My days seem to be full every day. I now take 6 hours of class most days, as I am trying to ¨make up hours¨ due to my illness last week. Plus, I will be taking 3 days off in July when my brother comes. We´ll be travelling to another city on the other side of the country called Pedasi. It looks quite beautiful, and I am looking forward to it. I had dinner with a Rotarian on Sunday night (the food was delicious!....I had smoked fish with veggies and cheesecake for dessert....yummy!), and he showed me tons of amazing pics of his ventures to that side of the country. The fishing there looks incredible!

I am SO GRATEFUL that I am feeling better. Man, there were a number of folks at the school and in general that have been getting sick with a nasty cold. The seasons are opposite here, so they´ve just begun their winter. It rains every day (usually in the afternoon until evening), so the climate change may be a factor. I bought a handful of pure essential oils and have been using them daily on myself and have used them on others, too. They are pretty powerful. Yesterday, I went to an accupuncturist again (and will go 2 more times for an immunity boost) and got a 1-hour massage, too. Wow, my muscles have been tight....neck, shoulders, pecs. I was given a handful of stretches to help me out, so I am going to practice those daily.

Here is my typical weekly schedule:

Monday: 7am - wake up
7:30 - breakfast, shower, emails
10:15 to 12:15 - Class
12:15 to 1:15 - Lunch
1:15 to 5:30 - Class
Evening: dinner with my family, then homework

Tuesday: AM - hiking, emails
12:15 to 1:15 - Lunch
1:15 to 5:30 - Class
Evening: dinner with students at a host family´s home (usually mine), then homework

Wednesday: 7am - wake up
7:30 - breakfast, shower, emails or sometimes hike if I have time
10:15 to 12:15 - Class
12:15 to 1:15 - Lunch
1:15 to 5:30 - Class
Evening: dinner with my family, then sometimes watch a movie in Spanish at the school

Thursday: 7am - wake up
7:30 - breakfast, shower
9:00 - 10:30 - Rotary meeting
11:15 to 12:15 - Class
12:15 to 1:15 - Lunch
1:15 to 5:30 - Class
Evening: dinner with my family, homework

Friday: 7am - wake up
7:30 - breakfast, shower, emails
10:15 to 12:15 - Class
12:15 to 1:15 - Lunch
1:15 to 5:30 - Class
Evening: dinner with my family, then homework

Weekends: Laundry, homework, spend time with family and friends, hiking, crochet, errands, etc.

Alright....I am off to class. Hope everyone is healthy and well on that end! Oh, and I´ll try to get some pics up soon...maybe this weekend when I have more time. These computers I use at the internet places are soooooo sloooooow.

Feeling much better!

Wow, after a couple days of sneezing, congestion, the sweats and chills, and a slight fever, my health has definitely improved. I went to an accupuncturist this morning and will go back for 3 more rounds of "immunity boosters"....and probably a few massages. Those can never hurt :-) There is a spa just around the corner, and I was happy to find some pure essential oils. Unfortunately, I missed a day and a half of classes (bummer!) due to my illness, so I'll have to play catch up. Man, it becomes more and more clear to me why I am pursuing a doctorate in HEALTH Education....without our health, we can do nothing. I am really looking forward to my studies! Also, I was thinking (and hoping) that it might be possible to continue my Spanish studies while pursuing my doctorate. I'm really enjoying the language and would love to become fluent.

Tomorrow I will be celebrating Father's Day with my host family's father/grandfather. That will be nice. It's unfortunate that I will miss out on spending the day with my father at home, but my thoughts are with you, dad! Te amo mucho! (I love you very much!)

(My wonderful host family)


OH, and I have to add a few more picks from my hike a couple weeks ago. They are just beautiful!

(The famous Quetzal bird, rarely seen by hikers)

Frustrated yesterday but today is a new day

Wow, taking 5 to 6 hours of Spanish a day can be intense sometimes. Ya know, you would think I would have been prepared for TOTAL immersion when I was originally informed it it TOTAL immersion...lol...well, it hit me the most yesterday. I was in a class with 3 others and we are learning past tense verbs (preterito and imperfecto). Well, I just was not getting it. Imagine having only a bit of Spanish in high school...15 years ago (taught in English by the way) and then arriving to a school that only speaks Spanish....directions and everything. My famous response yesterday was...Estoy muy confudida (I am very confused). There is absolutely no English spoken in the classes. I think it is a good thing, but I have to admit that yesterday was a day of frustration. My teachers are really great, though, and we always have fun in class....there is not a day without laughter! A fellow student had a book on Spanish grammar and verbs (written in both English and Spanish) so I was able to make a few photo copies of some of the pages...helped me out a lot. I am discovering more and more what kind of learner I am. I am quite visual and need visual prompts. I am going to try to find a few resourceful books that can assist me in my studies.

Today I woke up a bit sick....sneezing, runny nose, and even quite dizzy this morning (yes, I nearly blacked out 4 or 5 times while trying to prepare breakfast). Aweful! BUT I am getting better and my mind seemed to work much better in class today than yesterday. I need to remind myself to be realistic and not to expect to be fluent in only 10 weeks.....but a woman can hope, right?

I am amazed at how time if flying! Tomorrow is already Thursday, and the weekend is right around the corner. I just got word today that my brother will be visiting me here next month so I am so pumped! I am going to take 3 days off from my studies and travel with some Rotarians to the other side of the country. Apparently, there is some pretty amazing fishing. So that will be fun. There is also going to be a lively cultural festival taking place. So I am looking forward to that and to seeing a different part of the country.

Until later.....

In Panama for 2 weeks now

(Panama is SPECTACULAR!!)

Wow, it´s been 2 weeks now and SO MUCH has transpired. I was amazed at how fast I can get here to Panama from the States. I arrived in Panama City on May 30th, stayed at the Sheraton hotel (beautiful...wanted to spend more time there), and then took a flight to the city of David on Sunday morning, May 31st. I was greeted there at the airport by Jaime, one of the employees of Habla Ya school where I attend. From the moment I got to Panama, I was amazed at how welcoming people are, particularly with my limited level of Spanish. Anyway, after being picked up from David, we headed to Boquete - about a 40 minute drive. The beauty of this country is simply astounding! The exquisite variety and beauty of flowers, the coffee, the trees, the culture, the people, the food.....

(Friends at our weekly student dinner - this one was hosted by my host mom at the home I stay at)

(An afternoon with other students and "profesoras" at "Mi Jardin es Tu Jardin" - a beautiful flower garden in Boquete)

I was greeted by my host mother, Ali, and later met the rest of the family - my "sister" Nilena and my "grandpa", as well as the 2 dogs, Johnson and Brandy. I live in a modest home with my own room. I couldn´t have received a more welcoming and loving family! They are so great! Ali and Nilena wake up early every morning and have breakfast prepared for me. I then walk only a few blocks to my school and have language training classes for 5 to 6 hours a day. It´s been pretty good so far, but wow, it can get mentally draining, too. The staff at Habla Ya (where I study) are simply amazing and very professional! They are a lot of fun to work with and learn from. They also serve excellent Panamanian coffee all day every day free of charge...an added bonus. The school has also been a great place to meet folks from all around the world! I usually have dinner with my family in the evenings and either do weekend excursions (i.e. hiking) or simply relax (like this weekend). So far I´ve done the canopy zip line tour (amazing magnificent views!), a coffee tour (Cafe Ruiz) - very interesting to learn the whole process of how the best coffee in the world is made, and a day hike. I have yet to do the horseback riding tour, the beach island tour, and the hot springs tour.
(This is me on the canopy zip line tour - top and bottom pic)

(And this is my facial expression after stepping off a tall platform - a free fall and then a swing with amazing views of the mountain and volcano)

I´ve been attending the Rotary club meetings here in Boquete, and I am truly impressed at the level of service of the Rotarians. They are a WONDERFUL group of people (mostly from the US, actually) who have some really great projects going. I´m trying to network with folks about possible research opportunities while in my 3rd year of my Phd studies (for my dissertation). By the way....if you haven´t received the news....I´ve been accepted to a PhD program in Health Education in Illinois and begin my studies this Fall. There are many indigenous Indian groups here in Panama, and one project that is in the works is helping the mothers with nutrition, as there is an outrageous percentage of babies being born with deformities due to lack of proper nutrition, as well as other things (i.e. exposure to toxic pesticides). So we´ll see what turns up. I had the opportunity to visit 2 schools last week with 2 Rotarians to deliver school supplies to the children. It was great!

Okay, the internet cafe here is about to close...so I´ll have to write more later. Unfortunately, my laptop was stolen from my house on Friday. So I´ll have to make frequent trips to the intnet cafes to do my work and keep my blog updated. There´s SO MUCH more to tell. In a nutshell, I am so blessed to be sent here and am honored to represent Rotary! I´m having a very wonderful time developing relationships with GREAT PEOPLE IN PANAMA!!!