As the time passes I'm starting to feel more and more like nothing is really going to surprise or shock me any more. Weeks will now go by and significant things will happen that I completely forget to tell people. I guess it is just all part of getting used the system, the country, the weather, and the way of life that is a Peace Corps Volunteer. That in mind here a couple of highlights of the past couple weeks.
I took Salomon (he spells his name that way. I'm not sure why) to a Peace Corps week long business seminar that he had already been to. We had to split the trip up into two days as the seminar was pretty far away and we ended up sharing a room in David. The seminar was great and even though Salomon had already attended two years ago, things had changed a little bit and Salomon was eager to show everyone the results of business seminars such as that one. We wore our Oreba Chocolate shirts, brought what I thought was plenty of chocolate that we soon ran out of, and Salomon talks endlessly about how good we are doing. If you know me, you might know that I can't be in one spot for more than 45 min without either falling asleep or wanting to explode from boredom so being in a classroom for 8 hours a day almost killed me. I also somehow got Ascaris worms for the second time and it was slowing me down quite a lot.
We have been having meetings with the different departments in our artisan group about how everyone feels and anything we can make better. The majority of people wanted more money which I guess is a common request in business, but others just wanted more tourists and some type of machine to help make the chocolate. I really thought that after having 4 months of tourists that these people would see what they are all about and want to give it up or at least be content with the 30 or so people we are getting on average every month. But I guess they want more.
Salomon and I took a really long day out and went door to door pretty much on the island talking about our tour and pretty much only came away with the prospect of selling our tour and chocolate at one really nice place on the island called Palma Royale. We now have a meeting with the people tomorrow and hope to impress. Other contacts will have to wait and things like adequate transportation if we were to have more people come on the tour every day, will become a problem.
I coordinated a group of doctors to come into my site named Floating Doctors and the day long clinic went pretty well. It just so happened that this was the day that the government gave families money for kids that were kept in school so we had a large abandonment of people around 3pm so they could get to the bank. I didn't know this would happen but the teachers brought in every single kid from the school into the church that I had borrowed for the event. It was pretty much mayhem for the first couple hours and I was happy to get away to my house periodically to help out with sonograms for pregnant women. The doctors were great, we found a couple kids with Lech Meniasis, couple UTI's and tons of colds, parasites, and just plain old old people. They are supposed to come back every three weeks and I'm hoping to set up a cleaner system to see people. I'm thinking of making a board that lists times and numbers.
Salomon helped organize a lot too and he sat patiently throughout the entire event in the sweltering heat. It was only at the end of the clinic as they were packing up that I found out he is almost completely blind in one eye. For the last 3 years apparently his eye has developed a large dark spot in the middle that has only gotten worse. Never have I heard him complain about it until he mentioned to the doctors. That in mind, I have started the look for an ophthalmologist that can look at it. I've started making a couple contacts with regular doctors that might know of some.
I helped out with teaching sex ed one day in the school which was pretty funny, but have now moved on to teaching computers. This was of no choice mine as I have insisted that the school fix the computers and electrical system that it has before I bring my own equipment in. In another example of aid organizations absolutely failing the school has an incredibly large solar panel and battery system that could light up the entire town but about a month after the system was installed one part broke and no one knew how to fix it so only two rooms have fans and lights out of 8. The school also received computers which would have been great if there were a room to put them in. So instead of having electricity and computers, the electricity barely works and the computers rusted to a point where they don't turn on anymore because their was no closed area to put them in. Salomon and I have started talking to the head teacher to find out what the deal is with both cases but until then I have been signed up to teach computers on Friday's for 3 hours with one laptop. Its not really the type of hands on experience I was hoping for them to get.
Its not only the government failing the schools here though. There is also a giant $1000 water system that was dropped off by a supposed local non profit that failed to bring the tubes necessary to hook anything up. That tank has been sitting there for years unused.
I booked my ticket for home and will be coming into SFO on Aug 24th! Can't wait to see my family after a year of being down here in Panama.
My Spanish has jumped another hurdle so to speak. I find myself being able to talk for hours in front of audiences and even taking questions with only a little explanation as to what they are saying. I've also started to visit more people's houses which is good to get to know them better but bad because they pretty much force me to eat their food. On another note I have gotten amoebas twice and worms once in the last 30 days and my immune system seems very fragile. I also feel extremely tired worn out most times which could be due to being so sick so much. I have a new filter so I'm hoping that helps.
In the Things I Didn't Need to Know category: Couple things I've started to realize about the people here and something that I'm sure happens pretty much all around the world, guys in particular will do one thing the first time they are alone with a computer that is connected to the internet. Look at porn. Not only have I seen many guys in open computer cafes here look at porn, but I've now caught two community members looking at it. I found out because they are the only two people here that have laptops which just happen to be filled with about as many search results for porn as there are virus' on the them. I guess technology really does bridge a gap. I'm pretty sure there is no place to get any type of pornographic material here and along comes an open invitation to as much as one computer can handle without going down in a blaze of virus glory.
I apparently have two packages on the way so I'm going to go ahead and say thank you in advance. I received the most amazing package ever from Desiree back home filled with organic goodies and some books. Thanks again. Next week I go to the island again, celebrate the 4th with other volunteers, and start work on a new chocolate processing plant....
No comments:
Post a Comment