Charlas

COVID-19

There were rumblings about COVID-19 in the media since late 2019. People were aware of it in Ladera and Lado Oeste, though it had yet to reach Panamá. I admit that I was initially skeptical about the threat of the virus. I had assumed it was just another swine flu/ebola type scare. Nevertheless, the heightened interest around the virus allowed me to begin conducting health charlas. Some people were rather ornery about the change to health promotion from the water project, but as we were waiting on CONADES, there wasn't much more that could be done.

Health Charlas

After calling a meeting, it was decided that the best course of action would be to provide separate charlas for Lado Oeste and Ladera which would be provided weekly.

Aside from the initial introductory charla whose topic was on COVID-19 and the immune system, the rest of the charlas were organized such that at least one member of the community would help me prepare and present the charla.

Planning these charlas took more time than I had previously considered. Adding to the fact that I had also been hosting small English classes, I found myself to be rather busy.

The second charla presented proved to be quite popular: hand-washing and soap making. In reality, people were interested mostly in the soap making part. One excited participant would tell me "Mi padre hacía su propio jabón. Me interesa poder hacer el mismo."

As part of the preparation phase, I met with the volunteer presenters to go through the soap making process. In the end, volunteering benefitted them by allowing them to keep their own personal soap. The only ingredients needed to make soap are: water, oil (the higher the quality, the better) and sodium hydroxide (potassium hydroxide could also work).

There was a delay come presentation time in Ladera as I had forgot a measuring cup (a metered baby's bottle) which was necessary for determining proper ingredient ratios. Thus I had to run all the way to Lado Oeste, and then all the way back which took about half an hour. Nevertheless, people were determined to see soap be made and attendance did not falter. A common question, understandably, was how long it would take the soap to dry and become usable. The answer is a few weeks, which is something of a shock. Some people were also interested in making liquid soap, which I confessed I did not know, though I considered researching it.

In Lado Oeste, much of the same situation occurred and I forgot the metered baby bottle again. This time, it only took me half a minute to retrieve it. The presenters, having taken over, allowed me to duck out for a moment so that Emelina could offer me Michilá. Once I had returned, the process of making the primordial soap was complete. It was decided that the soap would dry underneath my house until such time came that it was ready for use. I would not see the results however.

This charla would turn out to be my last. At the end of that very day, Tristan and Fé would show up at my door.

At the very least, I would later receive word that the soap developed properly and worked quite well for laundry.