I am yet to give any detailed accounts of how the pre-school is going here in Bahia Honda. One of these days, the post will cover nothing more than the adorable little children I am working with, but not this one (But, yes, the kids are maybe the cutest things I have ever seen in my entire life). I thought I would let you all in on the typical “work” week I have here in Panama. I have to pinch myself when I think about it, cause I am honestly not sure how, exactly, I got to this place. Every moment here has been an absolute joy and is the perfect icing to top the cake (the cake being the past year in South America of course).
Sunday: Due to my obsession with sports, I have developed a routine which allows me to spend this splendid day in the main town of Bocas del Toro. Margaret and Henry recently began renting a small apartment, with A/C and internet, which they use more or less as an office for when they are in town. It’s the perfect place for me to crash when in town and allows me the opportunity to go out for a drink or two on Saturday nights and then watch some football on Sunday.
Monday: The past two weeks I have spent both Saturday and Sunday night in town. I would prefer to head back to the lodge Sunday nights, but it is close to a $20 boat ride so I wait until Monday when Henry, Margaret and Lucho come to town for their weekly errands. We spend the day in town and in the early evening, around five, we had back to the lodge where we have a small meal and a calm night (some may call it the calm before the storm).
Tuesday: Typical arrival day for guests of the lodge. La Loma Jungle Lodge is only open from Tuesday until Saturday (when all guests must depart), and as a result most guests arrive on Tuesday and stay four nights. Henry, Lucho and I go into town in the morning where Lucho is dropped off at his pre-school, Tangerine, until the afternoon. Henry and I head back to the apartment to shoot out emails or take care of various other tasks that need to be done. At one, Henry picks up Lucho and brings him to me at the apartment, he is my responsibility from that point until we head back to the Lodge. Last week I took him to the park for most of the day and this past Tuesday I took him to a swim lesson for most of the day. I couldn’t help but laugh as all the mothers walked in with their kids and I was there, the 23 year old “Manny”, changing Lucho into his swim shirt while the other mothers lectured/prepared their kids. Once all the guests arrive, it’s back to the lodge for what is almost always an absolutely mouth-watering dinner.
***I have to touch on the food briefly. If you recall, when I first got this gig, I was told I could eat dinner with the guests and then, more or less, fend for myself on the other nights. If only I had known what that truly meant. The Lodge was featured in a 2008 edition of Food and Wine and has received only the best reviews from previous visitors of the Lodge. Needless to say, the food is amazing and allows my taste buds to continue to expand their palate of savory flavors.***
Wednesday: Pre-School!!! Every Wednesday we have class from about 8-11am. For the past few classes I have been kayaking to school, about a 10-15minute ride, with a few materials at the front and listening to my ipod (in a plastic bag, of course). Class Routine….
Due to a variety of circumstances, we end up starting class around 8:30 every morning with Quien Esta?(Role Call) and the Buenos Dias Song (Good Morning Song). We then follow up with about 30-45 minutes of some sort of theme for the day, whether it be numbers, animals, alphabet or colors; we try to incorporate singing, reading and drawing somewhere throughout. Next comes hand-washing and bathroom time, followed by a glass of water for everyone. Then we head to the park at the top of the school grounds and play for around 20 minutes. Upon our return, and after another b-room/hand washing run, it is snack time! We generally provide a muffin or some sort of healthy treat for the kids, made fresh the night before by the staff at La Loma Lodge. Lastly, we end the day with story time and reading. I try to read at least one story to the kids and then allow them to read (look at pictures) on their own.
After class I hang around and do some cleaning up, then kayak back to the Lodge. Once I get settled in it is normally close to lunch time (1pm) and I join the guests, if they aren’t out on an excursion, for another splendid meal. Though I have no other obligations on Wednesdays, I generally end up helping out quite a bit around the lodge. Again, a marvelous dinner served at 7pm, some lovely conversation – generally getting to know the guests better – and it’s off to bed.
Thursday: I mentioned above that I only eat lunch with the guests if they are not out on an excursion, well Thursday is one of two days when I have enough time to potentially join the guests on whatever excursion they may be embarking on. Last Thursday I joined two couples as they headed out to the Zapatillas Islands. It is about a 45 minute boat ride from the Lodge and along the way there are a variety of snorkeling spots. The islands are exactly what you think of when you imagine the islands the couple is seated on in the Corona commercials, sipping their beers: Long, golden sand beaches; beautiful clear water with a very small shore break and, literally, a jungle directly behind you. We were only missing the beers, unfortunately, though I will not make that mistake again (because, yes, I will have the opportunity to return at least once more!). There is only one small issue with me joining for these excursions, and that is my Thursday night English class which I am teaching to the local Ngobe adults. Every Thursday and Friday night I have been giving classes, free of charge, to anyone in the Bahia Honda community. My most recent class I had eleven students. Class is from 4:30ish until 6pm or sun down when I kayak back to the Lodge (classes are right next door to the school at the local restaurant). Per usual, 7pm dinner, and an early bed-time on a school night!
Friday: Double Day. Pre-School in the morning, English at night. My busiest day of the week, but gives me a reason to celebrate the weekend! Also, Friday’s are usually the last night for guests since the Lodge shuts down from Saturday afternoon until Tuesday afternoon.
Saturday: Departure day, back to Bocas. Since guests are leaving on Saturday, it means a boat is head into town and I am always on it. Depending on the flight times of the guests we will leave early morning or late afternoon. I was actually lucky enough to join a group two weekends back for an early morning cave excursion prior to heading into town! Besides the entrance to the caves, where thousands of bats are hanging from the ceiling, it was incredible. Not to say the bats weren’t neat to see, but considering I was bare foot , walking in guano (bat shit) wasn’t the most appealing thought. Anyways, that is not the normal routine. So I usually get into town by around 3 or 4 in the afternoon and settle down in Henry and Margaret’s apartment for the night. Occasionally I’ll go out for a drink or two, but generally just catch up on some emails, blogging, fantasy football, etc…and hit the sack.
