I apologize, as usual, for the loooooong gap in entries. According to my records, I have quite a bit of catching up to do, including the following topics:
Casey and Jmac visit
Leaving Peru
Medellin, Colombia – Including my dad’s visit
My cousin Danielle and her friend, Justine, joining me in Panama
…but for now I am going to skip all that and jump to present day.
As of last Monday, I have finally made it to my last destination on this crazy journey throughout Latin America; Isla Bastimentos, Bocas del Toro, Panama. For those who do not recall (or simply never read), this last stop has a chance at being the most rewarding and life changing experience yet to date. As a brief reminder (or maybe not so brief), prior to arriving in Panama I had very little knowledge of what I would be taking part in down here. There were possibilities of developing a pre-school, or helping coach a children’s baseball team, or constructing new water treatment basins, all of which would take place in the nearby indigenous community of Bahia Honda. What I did know for sure (or so I thought) was the condition of housing and food that would be provided me. I would be living at La Loma Lodge, a lodge run by a gringo (a perfectly acceptable and non-offensive term in Panamanian) couple named Henry and Margaret, with no electricity (meaning no internet…ahhh!!) in the middle of a rain forest. I would be welcome to eat alongside the guests of the lodge on the days there were guests (usually Tuesday to Saturday) and scrounge for myself/eat with Margaret and Henry on the other days. Beyond this, I had next to no information regarding how my stay would go, who else I would meet and what else might take place. To put it simply, I was taking a true “leap of faith,” “shot in the dark,” or whatever else you may call it. Needless to say, I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and I was more than ecstatic to be taking part!
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| A couple of friends joined me for my first shower at the lodge... |
To be perfectly honest, I still have next to zero idea what I have gotten myself into…but I do have a few more details. To my surprise and relief, the lodge is equipped with a few solar panels (four new ones were just installed this week) which provides enough electricity to use light fixtures in the evening and even charge electronics such as a laptop or camera on particularly clear, sunny days (which happen to be quite common here). Now, I can only imagine what some of you negative Nancy’s must be thinking, “What about the bathroom/shower situation!?? Gross!” Well, you couldn’t be more WRONG! Due to the fact that this is a lodge, where people pay to come on vacation, the four cabins, and the main lodge are all equipped with a full bathroom, toilets that flush and showers that provide warm water (though I can’t imagine one truly desiring a hot shower with all the humidity). There is, however, one caveat. For my first two weeks here at the lodge there will be no guests and therefore I am staying in Cabin #1. After those first two weeks, and once guests start trickling in more and more weekly, I will be moving to the Rancho (or so it is called). While this will also be equipped with running water, a hot stove, hammock and bed, I will NOT have direct access to a bathroom/shower and will have to walk about 500 feet to gain access to such accommodations.
As for what I will be doing here in the Bahia Honda community, the exact details are still a bit vague. On Wednesday, Margaret and I have scheduled a meeting with the community for those parents interested in having their kids attend some sort of pre-school/activity club. We are hoping to run the club two or three times a week and will be looking for parent volunteers (since without them, I will be the only one coordinating and running all the activities). As mentioned before, I am also hoping to start a youth baseball team with another member of the community and employee at the lodge, Roger. He plays on the adult team here as well, which I am hoping to join! Lastly, for a small fee, I will occasionally be watching Lucho, Margaret and Henry’s three year old son, during the week when guests are here and the two of them are too busy to tend to all of his needs. To go along with these activities within the community and lodge, I have also set a few of my own goals. (1) With the assistance of a book and my past experiences, I am hoping to develop a daily yoga routine (2) Henry recently purchased kayaks (which are yet to arrive) and I hope to take one out every morning (or most) along the bay for a morning workout/swim/wake-up (3) lastly, finish the eight books I have collected along my journey and hopefully more that have accumulated here in the lodge (I have already finished one: A Civil Action).
That’s all for now. I know say this after every post, but with the lack of internet at the lodge, I expect to have plenty of time at night to update my blog and will hopefully be able to post a new one once a week when I come into town and access the internet.
Before I go, I want to wish my mom a happy belated birthday AND want to inform any of my San Diegan readers that I will be back in the 858 for a long weekend from September 28th until October 2nd for my grandmothers 90th birthday! I hope to see as many of you as possible during my brief vacation back home!
