Thoughts

Greetings,

Welcome to the beginning and the end of my blog.

I've always struggled to succinctly describe my service in Peace Corps, or to even convey the emotions I had felt throughout service. I admit that even this blog is an incomplete account. Though my service lasted a mere 7 months (after training), I've recorded more than a few stories.

You can find the first post here.

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.

IST

Five months into service, there's an event called in-service training (IST). Its coming serves as a deadline to complete one's Community Assessment and Development Plan (CADP), as well as to be an event to reinforce prior training. It involves a week-long stay in Coclé province with one's entire cohort. The week following is another "tech week" whereby volunteers get another opportunity for hands on work before attempting to begin similar work in their own communities.

I packed for the weeks lightly, as per usual. In one normal-sized backpack, I packed all my clothes, my laptop and charger, a tortilla maker, manteca vegetal, Maseca, a cup, cacao and a kra (as a gift, courtesy of the communities), and a mango.

The week-long stay was yet another mandatory vacation of sorts. The most useful information was the introduction to NeatWork, a program meant for designing rural aqueducts. We also did talk with personnel from the national-level of the Ministerio de Salud, and to whom we submitted our CADPs. Outside of that was mostly free time. There was a pool and supposedly there were trails one could walk. People usually just walked down the road to the store for snacks though. In the morning, a group of us would go for a run.

Originally, tech week was to be held in two different locations for WASH with half of the volunteers going to a community in the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé, and the other half to a community in Coclé. The one in the CNB fell through, so everyone remained in Coclé. The SAS volunteers too remained in Coclé, though in a different community.

We prepared for a long chiva ride. Unlike last time though, many people were tired of the back and actively aimed to sit in the front. Imho, the back was still where all the fun was.

The community wasn't large population wise, being composed of around 170 people total. However, the populace was somewhat dispersed so travel between households could be quite long. We all gathered in the (Catholic) church where our respective host families were waiting to collect us. The G83 volunteers assigned to the site, a couple, were Alexis (WASH) and Eric (SAS). After introducing us, the host families were paired off with their volunteer(s). Unfortunately, I am unable to recollect the names of the members of my host-family for I had failed to record them.

Anyways, we spent the first afternoon and evening with our assigned host families. First thing I noticed were the tall yuca plants in my host-family's yard. According to conversation with my host family, yuca is among their principal crops with coffee being their major cash crop. I would say it was the best coffee I ever had, though I'm not much of a connoisseur. Being unaccustomed to coffee myself, I found myself shaking throughout the morning.

As usual, I offered to help my host-mom cook, but she was hesitant to allow it. This time though, I offered to teach her how to make tortillas, corn and flour. She accepted my offer. The corn tortillas came out well, though it's hard to mess those up. The flour tortillas on the other hand, came out less than optimal. At the very least, the gist of how to create them was there. I left the Maseca and vegetable shortening for them should she try to attempt to make her own tortillas in the future.

For the week, we were paired into work teams. Though there were several things that needed doing, logistics were such that each group would only get to work on some of the projects. Water sources needed to be excavated, the health post needed a rain-water catchment, a new concrete block storage tank was to be built, and a junction box was needed to connect separate water sources.

Group B

Just as with the previous tech-week, I found myself working on the base for the rain-water tank on day one. We then would later work on the storage tank and one of the water sources. On our final day, we presented behavior change charlas to the community. Our group's theme was safe sex. Though something of a touchy subject, the community was receptive to the idea. During our presentation, one woman in particular challenged our knowledge and asked suspiciously good questions. It would turn out she was an employee at the local health post. With our permission, she would keep our posters.

Presenting on STIs

Taking Questions

At times during conversation with the people of this Community Coclesano, the topic of Ngäbe would come up. But they remained rather respectful and genuinely curious about what it was like living with them in Bocas del Toro. One man was a retired educator who had taught Ngäbe students. He impressed me with his knowledge of Ngäbere. Naturally, he knew much of the expletives. This same teacher also tempted me with chicha fuerte, which I accepted.

That same afternoon, being our final in the community, we were invited out to dance. I may have mentioned something similar in a previous post, but the communal dance generally involves everyone shuffling around in a circle 2x2 while a band plays. It may not seem like much, but you'd be surprised how much sweat gets drawn out.

Dancing
Photo Credit: Michael Horner-Ibler

That final night with my host family, I presented the cacao and kra from my community. I had learned a couple days prior that they didn't really like cacao, but I handed it to them anyways. The night before, my host mother had granted me a bracelet (visible in each of the photos) she had created from a type of seed. They would walk with me to the church and see me off the following morning, as we departed for Penonomé and eventually our sites.

With My Host Family Prior to Departure
Photo Credit: William Char

Rainy Christmas and Runny New Years

Christmas Time

Christmas time arrived on a day warm like any other. In Curva del Río where electricity is readily available, some houses were decorated with festive lights.

In Lado Oeste, celebration meant going to days-long church marathons in Curva del Río in the days leading up to, and through Christmas. I assumed the same happened in Ladera as most of the people there were of the same religion.

Only a skeleton crew, so to speak, remained in Lado Oeste, keeping watch on the homes. Add to that, a storm passed through and the flooded river made crossing alternately dangerous and difficult.

Prior to Christmas time, I had begun experimenting with making flour tortillas. My first attempt at them resulted in tortilla-looking pancakes. Corn tortillas were easier to make, as one only needs Maseca (brand corn-flour), water, and a small tortilla press as well as plastic to keep the masa from sticking. Flour tortillas are more finicky requiring a good ratio of water, flour, and vegetable shortening. Add to that, they're more of a pain to roll out.

On the eve of Christmas, a family from elsewhere who was temporarily staying in Lado Oeste invited me over to eat and watch a movie. I agreed, and got to work on some tortillas as my contribution. I recall that while I was rolling out tortillas so that they would be ready to cook, Kobäre ran into the house and started playing at my feet. I was mildly annoyed at first, but then I looked down and realized he was playing with his prey.

Blood was streaked across the floor and my foot as he decapitated a mouse and began consuming the body. I quickly went to wash my feet vigorously before returning to clean up the blood left over. At the very least, Kobäre didn't leave left-overs. Now I know why no mice were stirring the night before Christmas.

Morbidity aside, my Christmas miracle came in creating an item of food that could be defined as a flour tortilla.

Tortillas Coming to Fruition

First Batch of True Tortillas

For those who might be interested in making flour tortillas for themselves, I used the assistance of Mely Martinez's website "México en Mi Cocina". Information on how to make flour tortillas can be found here.

While the website sets you on the path, it ultimately takes practice to start making good flour tortillas.

Anyways, I contributed these tortillas when I arrived later in the night. I was offered a plethora of "unusual" fruits such as a pear, some grapes and an apple. On top of this, they gave me rice with chicken.

On their phone, set up across from the seating on a table played the movie Falcon Rising (2014). Why that movie? No idea. But a movie is a movie.

The following morning, Christmas morning, we got more rain. I suppose it was the closest we could get to a snowy Christmas.

New Year's Eve

I had been invited over to Bernardino's home during the day in Ladera. His family had prepared a small feast and also offered gifts for the children. As for the gifts, I cannot remember if the tradition is to give gifts during this time, or if they were supposed to be given at Christmas but delayed for other reasons.

I recall feeling a little queasy after eating, but I suppressed any urge to vomit.

I was surprised when suddenly they pulled out a piñata for the kids to hit. Unlike the ones I've seen in the United States and México, these ones were filled with flour as well as candy. The result was a powdery mess all over the floors and the children who scrambled to collect the candy. It may well be that the flour is intended to be fun and/or part of tradition, but it also had the effect of marking those adults who intervened in the fray.

The event wrapped up in the afternoon. Most people, including Bernardino had plans to be elsewhere. As did I. I had been invited to spend the night with Nelly of Curva del Río. She owned a home in Ladera, and was listed as my back-up host family. However, the fact that she never got to be my host-mom didn't stop her from referring to me as monso tikwe (my son).

Come dinner time, I had to refuse food. My digestive system was not being agreeable. Then the diarrhea hit.

Remigio, Nelly's husband, suggested I may be suffering amoebas. His treatment: down a bottle of Seco (Herrerano), and clear them out. Such a thought nauseated me further, but maybe that's what the amoebas, acting in sel-preservation, had wanted me to feel.

2020 arrived when I was on the can. I would get up several times that night to visit the toilet.

The first day of 2020 I only ate some toasted bread and ended up utilizing some oral rehydration salts. A good start to a good year.

Race

Racism

Panama, like nearly the entire world, is no stranger to racism. It holds a diverse population of Latinos, Indigenous, Asians, Blacks, and a few non-hispanic whites. While the power is held predominantly by Latinos, race still exists under the white supremacist system established since the colonial era.

While some Latinos have a superior position than other owing to lighter complexion, all at the very least share a privileged position above the indigenous people.

Below are my observations from my brief time in Panama. By no means is it a complete picture of the racial dynamics in Panama.

Stereotypes About the Indigenous

The indigenous are thought of as lazy savages, undeserving of the government aid afforded them. There also seems to be a sense that the poverty experienced by much of the indigenous community is a result of personal action (or inaction) as opposed to say, present and historical discrimination.

The "Chinos"

Not all Asian-Panamanians are of Chinese descent. Nevertheless, the Spanish language tends to refer to all Asians as "Chinos". A disproportionate amount of small-business stores are owned and staffed by Asians. So much so that "Chino" is synonymous with Mini-Supermarket. This has caused resentment among various quarters of Panamanian society, including among the indigenous.

Blacks

Panama has a large population of people of African descent. As with the rest of the Americas, blacks were brought over as slaves to provide labor. More recently in Panama's history, they arrived largely from the Caribbean to provide labor for the construction of the Panama Canal, as well as to work in the banana plantations. As such, they play the role of "immigrants stealing our jobs / driving down our wages."

Stereotypes against blacks are very similar to those in the United States. Dehumanizing language, particularly with reference to them being monkeys is commonplace, even in indigenous communities. When I pointed out to one of the youth in my assigned community how Latinos used similar language to describe the indigenous, he merely shrugged it off along the lines of "It's not true about us, but it is about [blacks]."

White flight also applies in Panama.

Personal Experience

My experience with direct racism in Panama was about equal to zero. I belonged to the primary culture and as a result I easily blended-in in urban areas.

Once I was established in an indigenous site, things were different. Outside of my assigned communities, I was met with distrust and minor hostility. They didn't use the word sulia to refer to Latinos in this region, but rather Chuy. I remember when walking down the street of Curva del Río, a woman looked back to see me and immediately called out to her daughter who had run ahead: "Ven acá! Viene chuy." A woman in Ladera initially refused to speak with me until weeks later when her sister vouched for me.

These weren't acts of racism, as racism is a system that targets marginalized groups. These acts were the result of fear. Over time, I managed to allay concerns. Not only because I was a common face in the region, but I also carried around a kra and an indigenous name. I spoke some of the language. I had proof that I was a friend.

My real brush with racism came from having the Hispanic identifier. One of the first things I was told, was that I didn't look pure American. While I overlooked the comment at the time, further commentary started to grate at me. People began asking questions about why Peace Corps placed volunteers where they did. They asked me why I was placed in their respective communities, and most tellingly, if there were ever cases where volunteers swapped communities. What they were getting at was, why did everyone get a (non-hispanic) white volunteer except us?

White people are viewed as more capable and intelligent, if not also kinder and amiable. The communities I was assigned were dedicated and organized enough to pull out all the stops in welcoming the Peace Corps staff during the site selection process. That the Peace Corps chose to send a Latino to their community was viewed as something of a snub.

Even as late as after in-service training (IST, yet discussed), when I would show them pictures of my (Latino) host family there, I was told "Se parecen a tu familia. El Cuerpo de Paz debería haberte envoyado allí."

I did what I could to ignore these comments and try to prove my worth. I studied Ngäbere using all materials available to me, I stayed active with project work, and I got out and about in the community as often as possible. The commentary persisted to my dismay, but it helped to remember that a great many people did truly appreciated my presence.

Water Surveying

Water Committee Trial Run

I met with the water committee to discuss water surveying. I proposed the water-leveling method whereby a transparent tube is tied between two metered sticks.

Cutilio put down the money for the plastic tubing, and together we gathered bamboo to create the measuring sticks (measured in centimeters). José Guerra pitched in the use of his 50 ft. tape with which we could measure the distance between points.

Survey Sticks Ready to Use

For the trial run, we decided to survey the existing water system of Lado Oeste. At the very least, this information could serve useful for future projects. But primarily, it would ensure experience for when the time came to survey Ladera.

Things moved slowly at first as we were all new. But as time wore on and everyone got accustomed, they started to speed up. Each day, as new people took on the job, things would slow down again until people were used to their role. The primary issue was ensuring communication between the stick bearers to ensure water didn't spill from either end. If a spill was particularly bad, air would enter the tube and work would be delayed while we coaxed the air out (lest it caused errors in or measurements).

After three days, the system of Lado Oeste proper had been surveyed. What remained were the remaining three houses located a great deal away. Nevertheless, the people of Ladera were invited as a test of logistics. Prior, the people of Lado Oeste volunteered (or were volunteered, in the case of the youth) to work ad-hoc and went home to eat after the day's session. This time, it was decided that there should be volunteers to cook for the survey team.

Every household was expected to participate, but in order to incentivize people to work (and keep working), the water committee decided to offer credits. Normally, water installation costs an upfront fee, followed by a fixed water fee monthly. The credits would reduce the installation fee and/or provide credit towards the monthly fee. Such benefits were also made available to the cooks who were to provide their own ingredients.

I laid out a December Calendar for people to sign up for particular days. In the upper portion of each day, were the names of those who were volunteering to take part in the survey teams. The lower section consisted of those who were volunteering to cook and provide food.

The survey team, it was decided, ideally consisted of 1 data recorder, 2 stick bearers, and 2 measurers for a total team of 5. In certain cases, an additional person may be needed to clear a path through foliage. A team of four faced a small decrease in efficiency as the data recorder would have to take on a measurement role. A three-person team was deemed to be the minimum as any fewer would result in little progress over the span of a work-day. Work would occur for 4 hours, six days a week.

I initially imagined the 4-hour workday being completed before arriving to the home of the cooks for a meal. Instead, the cooks hauled the food (and drink) out to the survey teams which at times were a great distance away.

Female Participation

In general, people were apprehensive about signing up in the early days. The process of surveying sounds quite complicated and people were unsure if they were up to the task. Add to that, women refused to sign up for days where the role of cook was filled. This was because the work of surveying was assumed to be men's work. This remained the case until two women accidentally signed up in the wrong section.

When they showed up prepared to cook, I informed them that they had, in fact, signed up as surveyors. But rather than refuse the work, they took up the sticks and performed admirably through mud, ravines, and thick foliage. During later recruitment drives, women would begin purposefully signing up as surveyors, no doubt due to the previous example set forth. I remember while passing through Los Estados Unidos in Ladera during the final recruitment drive, the women there signed up to fully staff the remaining two days telling me "queremos ver el agua lo antes posible."

Surveyors Take Their Lunch Break

That nearly every household participated in the water surveying event was quite the feat, but that women provided nearly half the labor was an unexpected miracle. While it is the goal of Peace Corps volunteers to build capacity among all sectors of a community, gender roles can restrict participation in certain activities. But because of a happy accident, and the determination of the women of Ladera, the elevation survey was completed without any days lost to labor shortage.

I'm hopeful that the experience built during the course of the surveying will provide confidence for women in the communities to continue directly participating in technical work activities. I'll always remember the persuasive words one veteran surveyor told to her on-the-fence friend, "No es tan dificil como dicen los brares."

Kobäre

When I arrived at the home of Cutilio and Juliana, one of the first things I noticed were the animals. Along with their dog and brooding hen was a cat with two kittens.

The cat had no name and was just referred to as minchi, Ngäbere for cat. A neighbor, Margarita, once had a big orange cat named Ilario. Apparently however, he took to living in the hills. Nevertheless, he would occasionally come by the home of Juliana to pay a visit to his feline friend. I only ever laid eyes on him once.

According to Cutilio, they once had a major mouse problem which prompted them to get a cat. The mice have since disappeared. However, this cat hunts more than just rodents. Lizards are the most abundant prey, but she also hunts bats and Juliana claims to have seen this cat fight and kill a snake. She also ate half a loaf of bread I left unattended.

Brai Subduing a Salamander (Bolitoglossa schizodactyla)

In Ngäbere there is a word for someone who hunts all manner of animals with excellency, brai. I wished to refer to the cat by this name, but it never really caught on. She just remained minchi.

Brai's kittens, one male and one female, would play with each other while she went out to hunt. They were good friends and often I found them curled up and sleeping on top of each other. However, Cutilio's sister once came to visit and took the female kitten leaving only the male. In the neighborhood, there weren't any other cats as cats are unpopular.

I was promised the remaining kitten so that my new house would be protected from rodents, which are attracted to penca (thatch).

So I worked to gain the trust of this kitten which had gotten big enough to follow its mom into the house (to Brai's dismay). I would feed both cats and in that way, the young kitten came to be comfortable with my presence and even allowed me to pet him. What I would notice though is that he would finish the food I gave him quickly and then steal the food I gave his mom from right out of her mouth. She would respond with cat slaps to no avail. For this reason, I named him Kobäre (Selfish).

After settling into my new rented home, I took Kobäre and relieved Brai of the ingrate. Prior to my evacuation, I would witness him kill 1 mouse, 1 bat, and a few lizards.

Gallery

Watching For Prey

Patrolling the Penca / Plotting My Assassination?

Acting as a Door Stop

Stealing Jametaka's Food

3-Month Visit

The initial months in site are spent getting to know the community. However, aside from going out and meeting people, there are more formal tools that can be employed to gather information.

In this case, I called a meeting for Lado Oeste and Ladera separately to obtain and review information in a community setting. I presented the formal tool for analysis: the Participatory Analysis for Community Action (PACA). It consisted of engaging the community to think about and record certain aspects of their community. For example, drawing a map of the community and areas of interest. Other activities included determining and ranking community priorities in terms of priority and difficulty, as well as creating a seasonal calendar. But perhaps the activity people had the most fun with was coming up with the daily schedule.

Each gender split off into different groups and on a piece of paper, each group would jot down a general schedule for a typical day. But the real fun came when they jotted down the schedule they assumed the other gender did during the day.

Once complete each group presented their findings. In Lado Oeste, the men volunteered to go first, and provided a grossly exaggerated schedule. Magdiel, who had been visiting his family at the time, volunteered as the group's spokesman.

"A las 04:00 en la mañana" he started "levantamos y nos duchamos."

Everyone began laughing.

Magdiel continued: "A las 05:00, desayunamos. Y déspues, trabajamos en el campo hasta las seís."

The women, afterwards, presented their schedule for the men. Most notably, they recorded the men as waking up at 08:00 in the morning, not leaving to work until around 10:00a. After an hour of work, they come back for lunch and then work until around 4:00p. Then after dinner, the women joked, the men leave the house and go "al paseo" until returning at around midnight.

Then the men countered with what they thought the women's schedule looked like.

"A las 05:00" Magdiel began "Las mujeres entran al baño y hagan su higiene diario."

Immediately the women took issue with that. "Cómo puede ser que los hombres estén despiertos antes que las mujeres? Como van a desayunar?"

The rest of Magdiel's recitations were respectful and overall a good guess. In both communities, the men often found one crucial element was missing in their presumptions of the women's schedule:

"A las siete, acompaños los niños a la escuela" Yorleni of Ladera presented.

All the men had a palm to the forehead moment.

"Había una abertura en el horiario y pensabamos que ellas descansaban en ese tiempo." Roberto commented. "Nos olvidamos de los niños!"

This was, perhaps, an important lesson learned about the gender dynamics in the community, a result which would be shared in the debrief meeting held with PC Staff Martín.

Nevertheless, everyone said they had fun. I remember visiting community member Aurelia in the following days who was still chuckling about the event.

"Qué hora es?" She asked me.

"9:30" I responded.

"Mira, dijeron que se despiertan a las 4:00, pero mi esposo todavía está durmiendo adentro!"

November 14, 2019

I had left Lado Oeste that morning reminding my host family about the meeting of the day. I made my way to Ladera where the joint community session was to be held in order to meet (Peace Corps staff) Martín and G83 volunteer Tristan "Itoli" before the meeting. As I walked to the meeting area, members of Ladera came out to ask me when the meeting was.

"Hoy. Ahora." I told them. But the confusion wasn't isolated. I found this issue occurred with each house. As I discussed the situation with some neighbors, it seemed that Bernardino had called a meeting for the day prior. Bernardino had planned to get a meeting together to plan food and drink for the meeting this day. However, there was a typo regarding the meeting time on his note and so that meeting fell apart. Then, some people were confused what the first meeting was about and if that was THE meeting we were having. Martín and Itoli arrived, but the meeting was thus far unattended. Children were sent to the far corners of the community in a last-ditch effort to spread word about the meeting in progress.

Following a last minute change of venue (moving downhill 1 house) and a slight delay, the meeting was aweigh. But, there cannot truly be a meeting without food, or at least drink. So the "vaca" (money-collecting bag) was passed around and another kid as courier was sent to purchase ingredients. It ended up being enough for everyone to have a small plate of rice and chicken (not rice with chicken) as well as coffee.

After introducing and giving time for Tristan and Martín to present themselves, I called up representatives of the water committee (Bernardino and Cutilio) to speak. Once they were done, members of the community came up on an ad-hoc volunteer basis to present our findings from the previous use of PACA as well as to discuss lessons learned.

With that concluded, I informed those present that I would be meeting with the water committee in the coming days regarding elevation surveying. As had been transmitted through a meeting with the CONADES earlier (courtesy of Tristan and volunteer Fé), there was a lot of money to be spent in the area. However, CONADES was still in need of certain data in order to begin funding and contracting procedures for the water system. What could be done in the meantime however, was to survey the land and provide that data to CONADES so as to speed things along.

Of course, such a task couldn't be done by the water committee alone and would require community labor. As such, the water committee would engage in fact-finding regarding the logistics of elevation surveying before organizing such an event.

Pictures (Photo Credit: Tristan Odekirk)

The Meeting Begins

Martín Gives Words

Bernardino and Samuel "Chingonblü" Present

the Seasonal Calendar of Ladera

Yorleni Presents Findings of the Daily Schedule

Group Photo

October Regional Meeting

October 21-24, 2019

Twice yearly, roughly a couple months after a new cohort begins service, the Peace Corps staff host Regional Meeting (RM). Ostensibly, it serves to reconnect volunteers in the field with what's going on in the office, providing volunteers with news and a chance to voice concerns. There are also optional language reinforcement classes.

In a way though, it's very much a mandatory vacation.

The night before, I was woken periodically by a downpour of rain from a passing storm. I knew what this would do, I had to deal with the consequences before.

As I walked out of Lado Oeste, I found myself a nice walking stick. I made it to the river which was elevated due to the rain. Terrestrial signs showed that the river had flown over the embankment last night. Suddenly, a wild Cutilio appeared. I asked him if he thought it was safe to cross and he said yes. He also reported that a woman had recently cut straight across.

I lifted up my backpack and tied my kra around the top so it wouldn't get wet in the river. Being set, I gripped my walking stick and stepped into the river. Cutilio asked if I needed help crossing, but my famous last words would have been along the lines of "Nah, I got this."

The drop off came quickly, after a few steps I was already waist deep. A couple of steps further and the water reached just below my chest. I held firm, but found I had trouble advancing. I held to my trusty walking stick which vibrated in the current. On the river bed, rocks under the direction of the current attempted to dislodge my feet. It was at this moment I noticed my pockets flowing in the current, with my wallet still inside. My phone was in my other pocket...

Eventually I got myself to advance forward. Fortunately, I had been at the deepest portion and soon the water dropped below my waist and I was on the other side.

I took out my phone which had begun malfunctioning through the ordeal. I removed the battery as the phone was overheating, on top of excessively vibrating and flashing its light.

I waved to Cutilio who took his leave back home. Resting my trusty walking stick along the riverbank, I continued along the trail. There two elderly women approached from the opposite direction. I gave a hearty kuin dekä, but seeing that I was soaked from the chest down they chuckled.

"Cruzaste solo?"

"Sí...?"

They gave off another laugh. "Acabamos de ver a tu amigo que también había cruzado el río solo y pensamos que [tú] no podías hacer lo mismo porque no eres tan fuerte."

I thanked them for the confidence boost before they, presumably, put me to shame crossing the river.

I met up with other volunteers in Curva del Río. There, Sean and I related over the our river crossing ordeal. Later in the day I would pay for a fonda meal with wet dollar bills.

Fortunately, the regional meeting was being held in Changuinola where I was eventually able to purchase a new phone, though $100 can be a lot on a Peace Corps budget. My old phone could not be salvaged.

Meetings

Before our meeting with staff, we as WASH members had a meeting set up with the Regional Health Coordinator of the Ministerio de Salud (MINSA). There we introduced ourselves and got to learn more about MINSA's work and how we might be able to coordinate with MINSA; through the regional office or via the smaller health posts and centers.

After that, staff meetings were held over the next 2-3 days for a few hours each day. Outside of that, were a couple of hours of Ngäbere language reinforcement where those of us who attended received numerous materials for self-study.

Counting in Ngäbere is a little complicated

Hotel

Staying in a hotel was a dramatic change from the campo. There was air conditioning, the beds were slightly more comfortable, there was running water and electricity, as well as a flush toilet. But above all, there was a hot shower. The water pressure was really high, but that was probably for the best as we all could have used a power wash.

Being a city, there were some super markets where you could buy cookies (of the Latin American variety) and other sweets. I'm a fan of Mamut myself, as well as the Arcoiris/Sponch! cookies. There were also fruit and vegetable stands where you could purchase those items that were uncommon in the region like mangoes, papayas, and avocados.

Above all though, most time went to reconnecting with other volunteers (in the region) as well as meeting those volunteers who hailed from older groups and other sectors.

RL Visit

 September 28, 2019

After about a month of a new cohort's arrival in site, the Regional Leader (RL) schedules a day to visit each individual volunteer within their region. This is a means to check-in and offer support. The RL is a former volunteer that has extended service for an additional year. In Bocas del Toro and for the Ño Kribo region of the CNB, that person was Anna "Chona" of G81 SAS. Anyways, Chona was scheduled to visit me the 28th and would come up from Río del Sur which she was to be visiting the day prior. I volunteered to walk down early in the morning to help guide her to Lado Oeste.

I beat my alarm that morning to visit the latrine for a very comfortable pre-dawn session. Soon after, I made may way out for a pleasant morning-hike to Río del Sur. The hike consists of four (4) river crossings, and things get decidedly more feral somewhere after the second river crossing. Of course there are alternative paths that cut out some river crossings, or even all crossings. However, these paths are rougher and require more time to traverse.

Given that I had only been once before, I had to ask for directions to Andres' home upon arrival to the community. Andres was the host father and guide of volunteer Sean "Nidi", and his home was also where Anna had spent the night.

I went up to a random house to ask for directions in this town of over 500 people. They sent one of their kids to show me the way.

I was greeted by Andres and his wife. Soon after Sean and Chona came down to join us. For breakfast we had hojaldres and tuna. Though it should be mentioned that the hojaldres made in this household were the best I've had in all of Panamá. Though Sean is a comedic individual, he unfortunately had to be left behind. On this day, I had a meeting planned in Lado Oeste with members of both communities.

As we departed, Chona handed me an apple and a Snickers bar (a relatively expensive item in Panamá).

We returned a few minutes late for the meeting, but given that everyone shows up at least an hour late for meetings in rural Panamá, this was of no concern. We stopped by my host family's home for second breakfast of tejadas (basically, banana fries) and salchichas. This just so happened to be Anna's favorite meal. Her ability to understand and speak Ngäbere impressed my host family, and myself admittedly. It goes to show how much one can learn in the course of two years.

As people from Ladera started to trickle in, Cutilio blew a concha to signal the start of the meeting and we made our way down. The meeting went well, from what I could recall. In reality, it was just a meeting to plan meetings. The purpose of said future meetings would be to analyze the communities to understand available resources as well as to schedule future work projects. In addition, a member of the Peace Corps, Martín, would be visiting to review this analysis as well as to inspect and approve my future home-for-rent.

I ended the meeting by asking all those who I had yet to visit at their homes to set up a time for me to see them (if they so wished). Afterwards, Chona asked to see the house that was to be rented out to me. Felipe and Cutilio obliged.

At this point, Anna was ready to leave, but then Rosita pulled her aside and told her she wasn't leaving without her bocadillo (in Panamá, this just means an offering of food).

After all, it was Felipe's birthday so there was cake and arroz con pollo to be had. Anna figured that while she was staying, she might as well give me some paperwork to fill out.

With that, a Laderan guided her out so she could make her way to elsewhere. I then hiked up to my signal spot to see if I could remember what a Snickers tasted like.

Jametaka

 September 11, 2019

A quick note about the date: People were generally aware of the 9/11 attacks and knew about Osama Bin Laden. They were also aware of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Anyways, later in the day I decided to visit Emma who lived high up in the hills by Lado Oeste. I had previously passed by her home when I was taken to check out the intercommunity trails that run through the hills.

I met with her and her husband Enrique and got to know a bit about them. Most vividly, I remember Emma being annoyed with the word Öreba. Supposedly, it's the Ngäbe word for cacao. However she claims the name is improper and gave me 2 other names that she deemed appropriate for cacao. Ironically enough though, I don't remember the "true" names.

We also discussed chickens as she had a decent flock foraging around.

"Los pollos de campo son fuertes." She would tell me. "Las gallinas que compras en la tienda ponen más huevos, pero se enferman y no duran."

As the sun was setting I advised her I needed to get back. She then scooped up a small chicken, inspected it, then handed it to me as a gift.

"Llévelo contigo, déle de comer, y cuando esté gorda, matalo y cómelo." She said, laughing.

"Oh, no sé si puedo hacer eso." I replied. "Si le da un pollo a un voluntario, probablamente va ser más como una mascota. Si lo cuido, no pienso que puedo comarlo."

"Ni comerás sus huevos?"

I looked at the chicken which managed to escape the kra she put it in. She eventually managed to lure it back over to her with rice, before getting a hold of the chicken again.

"Es una hembra?" I asked.

"Sí."

"Entonces, te traeré algunos pollitos cuando nazcan." With that, I held the young chicken in my hand and descended down the hill. At the time, her body was no bigger than a fist. When I returned to Juliana, she knew that the new chicken protocol involved securing them in a kra for an extended period of time. Otherwise, the chicken will try to run off in search of familiar territory.

Jametaka

Under Juliana's house, the chicken would grow. I would supply corn feed to supplement her outdoors diet. Chickens are actually scary beasts if you consider the point of view of the insect or small lizard. Like being chased by a dinosaur, really.

Much of the advice I received regarding chicken rearing would come from Juliana, who once tended a large flock before having Mei. As my chicken grew, she recommended I switch from normal chicken feed to pig feed as pellets are easier for larger chickens to eat.

I asked how it was one could distinguish (young) male chickens from females.

"Por como caminan y actúan." It was something you learned after raising chickens for a while. Though she did initially have some doubts about the gender of my chicken.

Jametaka In Biological Transition

Being at the bottom of the pecking order, she would instantly flee should any chicken come to challenge her over food. As such, I would have to place her in a coop-like structure so she could eat in peace. But this became problematic as she became harder and harder to catch. Luring failed as she stopped approaching food if I was nearby. Fortunately however, she would follow me (at a distance). This allowed me to walk a ways away from the other chickens and to place the food in a hidden area.

Her pacificity was why I chose to give her the ironic name of Jametaka, which means "fighter (f.)" in Ngäbere.

The "campo" chickens around are quite diverse coming in various colors and patterns. There are some that are devoid of plumage above the collar-bone. Others, like the one pictured below appear to have a set of hair and a beard.

Caption Not Needed

Jametaka however was identifiable as the only chicken in the community with feathers running down her legs. Juliana admitted she had never seen a chicken with plumy legs, but I did find a few examples in Ladera.

When I eventually moved into my own home, I decided not to bring Jametaka. The underside of my new home was bare, offering no perch or any place to eventually nest. Though my new home wasn't too far, it was beyond Jametaka's usual range. As such, I prepared to go each morning to Juliana's in order to provide feed. After a couple days, I woke up and Jametaka was at my door. This became a daily occurrence, with her coming by each morning and some afternoons for food before returning back to Juliana's.

Observing chickens for a time shattered my preconceived notions of their (lack of) intelligence. Jametaka proved adaptable to her circumstances in order to secure food and evade other chickens. Outside of Jametaka though, I noticed the chickens were quite sociable (at least with each other) and you'll notice that certain chickens like to group up with each other. To add it all up, when a raptor appears in the sky, a wave of chicken calls go out and the chickens immediately seek cover under the houses while the dogs work to keep the predator away. There was a lot of free time to be had, a lot of mine was spent just observing chickens go about their day.

Sometime in February, mating season occurred (Coincidence? I think not). Roosters made a re-appearance and Juliana informed me that Jametaka started making a certain noise indicative that she would begin to lay eggs.

Sure enough, she started laying eggs in a nest-box.

I asked about the particulars of egg-laying. Summarized, chickens go through cycles so each hen is capable of laying more than one batch. A rooster is necessary to produce fertilized eggs. Every day or so, a chicken will lay one egg before going about its day as normal. Once a chicken has laid all their eggs for the cycle (Around 15-20+), they will begin to sit on their eggs. I had thought previously that if the egg wasn't incubated, it would die. But until the hen begins to sit on the eggs, the chicken embryos will not develop. The fact that the hen begins incubation after all eggs have been laid is the reason they all end up hatching around the same time. Of course, a hen can't effectively sit on (or raise) all the eggs they lay. As such, you're doing a service by removing at least some of the eggs.

A Cluster of Jametaka's Eggs

Jametaka Laying an Egg

Intro to Ladera

First Visits

It was almost two weeks before I would begin introducing myself to the people of Ladera. Bernardino had set it up such that I would have a different guide over the following three days to visit each of the households (I ended up visiting 18-20 of the 28 or so households). He himself couldn't serve as a guide as he was busy most days driving the minibus route between Cubo and Curva del Río. The first day I remember quite well what I ate for breakfast: a boiled egg and buchu (boiled bananas - tastes like potato), with some sweetened cacao drink to wash it down.

The first house I visited, just across the river, belonged to one Alfredo. It is customary, when having a visitor, to give them food or at least something to drink. Lo and behold I got a boiled egg and buchu. After an hour or so, we moved on to the next house - also received a boiled egg and buchu. After that I can't remember what I received, but it may well have been a boiled egg and buchu. However, it was during my visits in Ladera that I was introduced to Pinolillo, a drink composed of cornmeal and cacao.

Visiting so many houses at a time, and subsequently eating a lot of food, can mess with your digestive tract. I don't remember what my record was, it was either 7 or possibly 11, but that was not a comfortable day. After a close call, I relieved some serious pressure in the latrine and forewent dinner that night.

Neighborhoods of the Neighborhood

Though Ladera is technically just a neighborhood of the larger Curva del Río, the residents of Ladera have informally divided themselves into smaller neighborhoods, usually consisting of 1-3 households. Each of these neighborhoods are named, usually after countries, and known throughout the community. The neighborhoods of Ladera are: Antioquía, Colombia, Panamá, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, África, Tortuga, Valle Seco, Estados Unidos, and Alemania. Across the stream outside of Ladera, this same sort of name-game still occurs, with one man naming his domain La Unión Soviética.

History

After a few months living in the communities, I began a quest to learn the history of Ladera. One day, while I happened to be in Alemania, I stopped by to see José Montezuma. José was the oldest member of Ladera, estimated to be near 100 years old. However, he admitted that he was not the first to arrive. Instead, José Tera, grandfather of Bernardino, was the founder of Ladera. So I spoke with Carolina (Bernardino's mother) and Bernardino in an attempt to gather some information. Unfortunately they weren't able to recall much about those early days and said I would have to ask the man himself. He no longer lived in the community, but rather another community too far away. Bernardino provided me directions on how to find him, but Carolina warned me that José would recount the story in Ngäbere. In preparation, I created a set of questions and asked Juliana to help me translate them.

A couple of days later when my schedule permitted me, I travelled out to find José. He lived a 15 minute hike away from a community that was located between Curva del Río and Cubo. Along the way, I found a good samaritan who showed me the way to José's. He told me to watch out for the dogs, but when I approached the house, none were present. There was however a large flock of chickens.

I announced my presence and was greeted by Angelina, who has been taking care of her grandparents. I was told that José was tending to some ducks but that he should return soon. When José did come (along with the aforementioned dogs), I did my best to introduce myself in Ngäbere and explain the reason for my presence. While he did understand Spanish quite well, he preferred to speak in Ngäbere. Fortunately, Angelina was able to provide translation. After he settled onto a hammock, he began to reminisce.

Carlos Quintero and a brother of his had been hunting over a period of days in the wilds of the Bocas del Toro province. By chance they came upon a cacao farm inhabited by a Latino named Félix Smith and various laborers. They had inquired about the extent of his land, declaring that they would like to establish homes in the area. Félix apparently told them that he did not want to see a single Ngäbe near his lands, and that he would call the law on them should they try.

Undeterred, Carlos approached the governor in Changuinola to inquire about settlement rights. The governor assured him that he had nothing to fear from Félix, giving a green light for settlement. Carlos informed his family in Changuinola about the land, but ultimately decided not to settle there. Instead, his relative José Tera would be the first to go and work the land. Félix would abandon his land soon after as his cacao operation failed to make much in the way of profits.

José "Itili" came with his wife Isabel Salinas and their four children at the time. He recalled that Curva del Río had only consisted of three households at the time and that Chitä had already been settled in what was to become Lado Oeste. Others would later arrive and settle in Ladera, such as Chalí Vega, Mario Guerra (no relation), and José Montezuma.

José Tera recalled that the area was rich in wildlife, with an abundance of tigers, monkeys, turkeys, other game, and fish. In particular, he and Isabel liked eating monkey meat. Though the hunting of monkeys had the dual purpose of protecting the corn harvest, which the monkeys would eat. For Isabel's part, she said she enjoyed being able to weave kra (chácara) which she hadn't been able to do much of in Changuinola.

The land eventually became less productive, particularly when it came to growing rice. As his kids had grown older by that time, he divided the land between them and moved to land his father owned in a valley that is today flooded.

The soil in that river valley was extremely rich, he recounted. The dam was constructed using local labor of which José Tera and Isabel Salinas took part. People from even as far away as Lado Oeste travelled to take part in the construction as the company paid good money.

It would seem odd that José would lament the construction of the dam after having taken part. But he explained that he didn't know what a dam was or what it would do.

"Nunca habiamos visto uno." Angelina translated.

The company would periodically call meetings to inform the residents that once the dam was built, they would have to leave the land. But José and his family were incredulous. It seemed impossible that an area so large could become totally flooded. Perhaps, the company representatives were mistaken. At the very least, they never understood that their own property was at risk.

Part of constructing the dam consisted of clearing the land of trees. Isabel recalled how she felt when she laid witness to all the trees that had been felled.

"Ver todos esos árboles de lado, especialmente el cacao, fue como ver cadáveres." Angelina translated.

Isabel had been working as a cook for the laborers, and the elated mood of the workers on break juxtaposed with her sadness.

Though they did not believe it could happen, the water levels slowly began to rise. They found themselves evicted and eventually, the whole valley would become a lake.

They moved back to Ladera for a time, and then used part of their compensation from the dam company to buy the land they were occupying at the time of my visit. They'd prefer to live in Ladera, they said, if it the terrain wasn't so rough. However, Isabel would tell me that if running water were to arrive in Ladera, she would move back.

Kra

September 6, 2019

Antonio arrived to guide me to a community west of Curva del Río which I'll call Krabtä. His father worked was working on the road that was under construction out that way, and he and his mother alternated their time between Krabtä and Lado Oeste. Additionally, it was the community volunteer Shelby "Gely" had been assigned to.

After an hour hike or so, we arrived at Krabtä and to the home of Martín, Shelby's guide and host father. Martín is quite friendly, and a leader in the community. He often asks that we (volunteers) visit him every time we're in town. Shelby wasn't initially home, so Martín and I got acquainted with each other. The specifics of the conversation, I cannot remember. Meanwhile, Antonio sat impatiently.

Eventually, Shelby arrived and was accordingly surprised about my visit. She recounted that recently another volunteer had been to visit by chance as well. After a brief reunion, she took me on a mini-tour of the community and eventually into what I call the House of Kigä. In a small shack, there was an operation taking place where pita (kigä) plants [Aechmea magdalenae] were scraped away at to obtain the fibers beneath. The fibers would eventually go through a process to become string. The string would then be used to weave kra (chácara). I asked if I could participate, which they found funny. After all, this was women's work! But when they saw that I was serious, they humored me and sat me down at a station. They sat Shelby down at a station besides mine.  Before me lay a pita leaf and I was given a scraping tool made of wood with which to... scrape. I tried a few passes but the leaf was unfazed.

"Más presión!" I was advised.

After several more tries, I finally managed to scrape just a little bit. Slowly but surely the chlorophyll rubbed away and the stringy fiber was revealed underneath. Where I had pressed too lightly, Shelby had placed too much pressure on hers. The result was damaged fibers. There was thus a delicate balance between placing enough pressure to scrape the exterior but also softly enough to maintain the integrity of the fibers. Though I had moved painfully slow, they were pleased with how smooth the fibers remained. After scraping another or two, they thanked me for my visit and gifted me a kra.

Shelby completed the tour by the river. Out of the corner of my eye, lay a stream that drained into the river, but within the stream were some peculiar branches. As I focused upon them I realized I was, in fact, looking at a snake.

My First and Only Live Snake Sighting

I pointed the snake out to a kid who had just come back from an attempt at fishing. He grabbed a stone and tried to drop it on the snake. The snake quickly fled across the stream, onto the land, and disappeared into some grass. Fortunately, the snake did not match the descriptions of any venomous species we were told about. Nevertheless, the people take no chances and grant no mercy to any snakes.

Afterwards Shelby and I debriefed at her host family's home before I departed back to Lado Oeste with Antonio.

Kra-making in Lado Oeste

My host-mother, Juliana, is well-versed in kra making, being able to make kra of various patterns. In fact, much of what she learned came from those who live in Krabtä. While kra are traditionally made of pita plants, they can also be made from colored tape. This provides the benefit of creating kra of more vibrant colors, as well as offering unmatched durability. Natural kra, as an example, maintain their integrity for around 10 years and fray when wet (such as by rain). It was a plastic kra that Juliana gifted me for my day to day. Expertly crafted with various colors, and large enough to carry my liter bottle and more, I took it almost everywhere I went. However, some of the old guard turn their noses up at such plastic kra, and one woman in Curva del Río gave me three (3) kras because the sight of my tape kra repulsed her so.

Kra Juliana

Photo Credit: Michael Horner-Ibler

I asked Juliana if I could learn to make kra the way Shelby, who would become something of an expert herself, had. She politely declined, saying that making kra was not something men do. She then tapped on some wooden baskets, made of a wooden vine known as bejuco.

"Esto es que hacen los hombres" she told me.

Because as we all know, basket-weaving is the epitome of masculinity. Cutilio would take me out to harvest bejuco during the latter part of my service. While he did show me how to make a basket once, it was certainly not something I could say I learned.

From time to time, I would come across women making kra and express my interest, but they would just chuckle and shake their heads. I had considered petitioning for lessons in Krabtä, as they had seemed amenable to teaching me, but it ultimately became unnecessary when I finally found a teacher.

Beatríz had come from the South CNB. As such, she was something of an outsider and also someone who understood what it was like to be far from home and family. When I told her I was interested in making kra, but that nobody would teach me, she shook her head.

"Siempre quería enseñarles a mis hijos a hacer kra, pero nunca querían. Ahora aquí tu estás pidiendo para aprender pero nadie te enseñará."

She agreed to teach me, as soon as she got more string. Ultimately, my evacuation arrived before I could learn. The closest I got was to help prepare string for kra of the larger variety, which are usually used to transport items, such as a bushel of tubers. The string is prepped by grabbing various strands and rolling them along one's leg. Ultimately, it was something I wasn't physically very capable at, given that my legs were so hairy. The best I could do to at the time was roll the strings across the side of my knee where hair was scant.

There's only so much that can be done
on the side of a knee
Photo Credit: Remijio Montezuma

Though I ultimately never learned how to make kra, I was grateful that someone was willing to teach me.

Dreams and Superstitions

I am walking along a path up in the hills when suddenly I see a tiger before me. I slowly back up and look behind me and see another winding up the trail towards me. To my left above me, yet another one is prowling along, eyes set on me. I wake up.

Dream Interpretation

As I mentioned previously, dreams are thought to have real-world significance in Ngäbe culture. When I recounted my dream to Juliana, she grew worried.

"Esos son maleantes." She told me.

Just recently during that time in fact, there had been a killing. Apparently in one of the communities near the dam, a man was robbed by knifepoint on the streets. When he refused to hand over his belongings, he was mortally wounded.

Witnesses reported three culprits who supposedly fled into the hills and who were still at large. Rumors had it though that they lived in [Fake Name] Río del Sur, roughly a 40 minute hike from Lado Oeste.

I went into Cubo that day to buy groceries (i.e. I was carrying a good deal of money) and people feared for my safety. They asked me to postpone the food run but, given that I had other obligations planned over the next few days, it couldn't be done.

The day was uneventful, but I was told that the maleantes may have still had their eyes on me and that I was still in danger for at least the next day or two.

Dos Lobos y el Venado Matado

I'm walking through the snow in a winter forest. As I pass a particular tree, I see on my left a dead deer. Over its corpse are two wolves, one white and one black. The white one growls, and I wake up.

Juliana was unable to provide an explanation, and was content to see how the day played out. I had planned to visit a woman by the name of Luzmila in Curva del Río that day. Juliana suggested that perhaps she (and her mother) were the wolves I dreamed about, and that I was the deer :p.

When I had returned, I found Sean "Nidi" was present as he was delivering a note from Tristan "Itoli" about an intercommunity water meeting. Juliana came out with a plate of lunch and whispered to me "Allí es tu lobo". Sean had let it be known he had a twin brother, unaware of the superstitions surrounding twins, as explained later in this post. Because of this cultural meme, it could be assumed that Sean was a threat. However, since this followed one of Sean's bouts with intestinal parasites I would remark "Más como el venado matado."

But combining what is known about twins, in which often one was considered good and the other evil, it may be that the wolves represent this twin duality. The dead deer, of course, is there to identify Sean's spirit. Given that Sean was the one speaking to me that day and that it was the white wolf who growled, perhaps then he would be the good twin. Unless black is supposed to mean good and white bad in which case, it could still make sense. After all, Sean was labelled as a "Disney Villain" by the volunteer cohort during training.

The Woman and the Elephant

Juliana recounted that she had a dream where she saw Magdiel's wife pulling an elephant along with her by a string. She came to believe that the elephant was Magdiel, given his strong and hard-working nature. She had trouble interpreting its meaning, but her best guess was that it was a representation of how his wife just bosses him around and he just puts up with it.

Bad Omen of a Snake Bite

I had walked into the kitchen of Cutilio's and Juliana's kitchen one day to find Cutilio sitting in a corner, looking up pensively. I asked what was wrong.

"Tenía una sueña mala" he told me "de una mujer."

A bad omen indeed. Women are said to represent snakes. If one touches you in a dream, it is thought that your are at great risk of receiving a snake bite. Snakes, particularly the highly venomous Bothrops asper, are not uncommon in the region.

"No recuerdo tanto, pero solamente que ella me estaba mordiendo el brazo con mucha fuerza y no podía sacarlo." He seemed visibly fazed. As a result, he opted not to work the fields that day.

"Sick" Women

There is no word for "pregnant" in Ngäbere. Pregnancy is typically hidden and never discussed, at least not until after the baby is born. Instead, the closest inference someone may come to saying someone is pregnant is to say they are sick (bren). However, since it is well known that bren is a stand-in for pregnant, people instead started referring to symptoms of pregnancy such as ngoto käme (bad/injured feet).

It is believed that bad spirits surround a pregnant mother in an attempt to harm the fetus and so in the process they may cause collateral damage around the mother. As such, when someone is in a compromised state, such as recovering from a snake bite, pregnant women are discouraged from seeing the individual. Juliana once recounted that her uncle was recovering well from a snake-bite until a pregnant woman visited him. His condition deteriorated soon after and he died.

Another example was when an upstanding member of Ladera was bitten by a terciopelo. He did not return to his home to recover given that a member of his household was pregnant. He stayed with a neighbor instead. Add to that, he said one needs to be careful on trails since if a pregnant woman passes over them, it becomes "hot" for a certain period of time.

The Man With a Twin Brother In Río del Sur

Sean had let it be known that he had a twin brother, unaware of the superstitions surrounding twins. There is an old belief that twins have a sort of great spiritual power that makes them powerful healers, but the power can also be used for evil. There's also a belief that of two twins, one is usually good and the other is evil. If one is suspected to be evil they'll refuse it breast milk and give it animal milk instead, so that it doesn't grow strong. Nevertheless, when confronted with a twin, there's no easy way to tell if they're good or bad, so people stay cautious. Sean recalled telling a woman he had a twin brother when asked about his family. She told him she was afraid of twins and then walked away.

Cutilio explained it to me this way: "Vamos decir que Felipe es un gemelo. Y el me pide yuca o algo como asi. Y yo le digo no. Ahorra el va ser enojado y por pensamiente nada mas, él podría causar que me pasará algo mal."

Case in point, Sean said he pointed out to his host family how ugly he thought one of the chicks was because it was bald-headed. One day a raptor came down from the sky and carried the little chicken away.

"Por su culpa!" They told him. "Siempre decías lo feo que era!"

Nevertheless, he was still accepted by most people of the community. For one, people doubt that the power of twins applies to other "races". Add to that, the tradition of identifying and weakening "evil" twins has waned. It is presumed that these evil twins no longer exist due to the word of God.

"Gracias a dios" a twin in Ladera told me "que [mi y mi hermano] nunca tuvimos malos pensamientos."

But above all, they had little reason to suspect Sean was an evil twin. As one member of his community put it: "No estaría aquí apoyándonos si fuera un gemelo malo".

Farm to Table

The food I ate would surely make a foodie more than jealous. Usually farm fresh, from fields managed manually (no herbicides or pesticides), and with foraged elements included as well. While there are a fair share of items in the diet that were store bought: hojaldres (made with store-bought flour and vegetable oil), (most) rice, canned sardines, seasonings, sugar, etc..., most of the staples eaten were harvested.

The region is located in a reserve, but the regulations are ambiguous. Technically, all hunting, timbering, and agriculture are prohibited. But since people were living here since before the establishment of the reserve, certain compromises have been met. Trees can be felled for personal construction, the low-intensity agriculture currently practiced is tolerated, and hunting rules are not enforced. Adding to the ambiguity is the fact that dams in some reserves have been approved despite significantly altering their environment.

Map of Reserves in Northwest Panama.

Map Credit: Ministerio de Ambiente

Fruits

The staple is, of course, bananas. There are various types but I never got to learn the difference and names between them. What we would consider "normal" bananas (though I'm not sure if they're Cavendish-variety), are usually peeled green and then boiled. This is standard buchu. For some reason, mashing the bananas and rolling it into masa after cooking them makes it more palatable. While these bananas do ripen and can be eaten as we are used to, this is unpopular with the gente. It's easy to assume that they eat them green due to food realities, but the truth is they genuinely dislike eating the ripe yellow bananas. In terms of nutrition though, eating them green is the wise move as various proteins and nutrients break down into sugar during the ripening process.

However, there is a breed of bananas known as "manzanilla". These are smaller in size but very sweet. There's a vague taste similar to that of whip cream. This is the only exception where people will eat the banana ripe. Often it is used to make michilá, which is described later below.

A Bunch of Manzanilla

Plantains are available as well. These are the preferred fruits for frying into patacones as they are sweeter and larger.

Oranges and lemons: Available seasonally compared to bananas which are year-round. A good source of vitamin C, but not a common part of the standard diet. Oranges have their juices sucked dry (rather than just eaten), and the lemons are used to make chicha de limón.

Pineapple: Very rare, I've only seen a few plants around. With the exception of a community east of Ladera, most people don't bother with them.

Coffee: I've seen one or two coffee trees, likely because cacao is predominant in the region.

Coconut: Orange coconut is consumed for its water, often after a day of working with the machete in the field, which can provide some much needed hydration and electrolyte replenishment. I was gifted a sapling to plant near my rented house. When I asked how long it would be before the tree bore fruit, I was told five years >_>.

Orange Coconut, Ready to Drink

The brown coconut on the other hand is consumed for its meat. More accurately, it is used to create coconut oil, as well as to make Johnny Cakes.

What about mangoes? Well the trees grow here. Believe me, I identified them. However I was told that while the trees grow, the fruits don't. Woe is me.

Cacao: The cash crop of the region (if you don't include bananas). Each pod contains seeds arranged in a cob-like manner. Each of the seeds are surrounded by a fleshy fruit that gives off a floral smell and which has a starburst-like flavor. The seeds are what is processed to make chocolate.

Esteban Shows Off One of His Cacao Trees

Vegetables

Tubers are the dominant vegetables produced. Principal among them is yuca (cassava) which is grown year-round. Others are ñame (yam), ñampí rojo/blanco (red/white taro), and dachín/otoé (another type of taro).

Grains

In smaller quantities (relative to other crops) rice and corn are grown. The corn is used more as a delicacy, where fresh corn (maíz nuevo) is used to make "tortillas del campo". Lately, birds tend to get to the corn first. It is speculated that birds have run low on traditional food sources causing them to attack the crops as it had not been a problem previously, even as it was grown in greater abundance. A college student with family in Curva del Río studying Watershed & Agricultural Engineering had asked me to help with an experimental plot where he was planting corn. A couple of months later, he invited me back for harvest, giving me a good (and rather excessive) portion of the corn which I brought back for my host family.

Rice harvested from the fields is eaten as normal compared to store-bought rice, except it's supposed to taste a little better. However, it takes a lot of work to prepare the rice, and harvesting it is no picnic either. One day, I was invited up with the rest of the community of Lado Oeste to help harvest a plot of rice. The two methods of harvest consist of either pulling the rice off the sprig, or collecting the sprig rice and all. The former method takes longer, but the latter merely delays work. I opted for the former and during the course of the harvest the community thought I was pathetically slow, as they opt for the sprig-harvest method. They thought I was so slow in fact, that they secretly had me competing with one of the kids to see who would bring in the greater yield. At the end of the harvest, I presented my yield and everyone marveled at the sprig-less collection of rice. My harvest sack wasn't even half full, but given there were no sprigs taking up volume, I was declared the winner. It's hard to relish a victory against an 8-year old though.

Carrying Rice Back From the Finca

Each grain of rice is light, but they all add up. If you weren't deterred hauling 20 or so pounds of rice down the mountain via slippery trails, then the next steps still need getting done. First, since most people opt for the sprig-harvest method the sacks of rice need to be bludgeoned repeatedly to knock the rice off the sprigs. The loose rice, still encased in a shell, then has to be toasted to loosen said shell. Finally, the toasted rice needs to be taken to the pilar to be pilar'd. Basically, you put all the rice in a pillar-shaped container and repeatedly drive a small log into it to de-shell the rice. This takes time, muscle and blistered hands. Afterwards, the shell-bits need to be sifted out. Still not done. Last is a final check through the rice to remove any rice grains still encapsulated in a shell. After that, just cook the rice like normal. EZ.

The Fruit That Was

Pifá (peach palm) is a starchy fruit borne by one of the various coconut species (Bactris gasipaes). It was common and well enjoyed in the Bocas del Toro region until a few years ago. A fungal borne disease that came from Costa Rica started afflicting and killing the flowers of the pifá. As a result, the trees have borne no fruit and the once widely enjoyed chicha de pifá can no longer be crafted. However, the tree can be chopped down and the top harvested for the cogollo de pifá (heart of palm).

Foraged

Kalalu is a particular species of fern that grows wild in the hills. There are ferns that look similar, but they are bitter and inedible. There's another edible type of kalalu which grows by the river, though I've never set eyes on it. Mountain kalalu tastes and has the texture of asparagus. The river variety however is more like a spinach.

Culantro - Not quite wild, but it grows uncontrolled throughout the community clearing. They are harvested on an ad-hoc basis for cooking.

Naranjillo (Solanum quitoense) - A wild fruit that looks like a tomato. Two bushes just happened to grow by my rented house but I was evacuated just as the fruits were ready. The people of Lado Oeste apparently use the fruits to make a juice of sorts.

Products of Produce

Michilá - A chunky drink made of either manzanilla or plantains which may or may not have added sugars depending on the fruit used and the tastes of the creator. Sometimes it has coconut added to it for good measure. Often served hot. My site neighbor Sean once remarked that his first reaction was one of utter disgust. Had he "been in any other context" that would be his final opinion. But after having become accustomed to it, it became one of his favorite comforts. Especially during the rain when things get "cold", but you have this warm mushy drink. Mmm...

Pinolillo - A solution of cornmeal and cacao which is sweetened with sugar. Quite good with a pleasant aftertaste.

Johnny Cakes (pronounced "yäni ké") - A flatbread consisting of flour mixed with grated coconut meat. In Lado Oeste they are baked weekly, or bi-weekly, or maybe it was once a month? Can't remember. Regardless, Johnny Cakes are sold in order to raise money for the church. Regionally, Johnny Cakes are a popular means of fundraising and vendors in cities such as Changuinola can be found selling them (coconut not guaranteed).