Rockataca = a ghetto girl, more badass than a Chacalita, likes to dance Pasa Pasa
Vaca Rockatoca = A cow on the side of the road with a cool earrning brand. Very Rockataca, but not as bad as a Mariposa Peligrosa, that's another story.
Today I finally went to the finca (farm) with my family and Bianca. They have been talking it up for quite some time so it was good that we finally had a break in training to go with them for their weekly visit. About an hour into the "campo" we arrived at a beautiful hillside finca with horses and cows to boot. Wow! Very unlike Santa Rita were we live for training. The farm is cared for all week by a very nice couple from the Ngobe-Bugle comarca of Chiriqui, along with their adorable son. I tried to chat them up a bit, but they are charactaristically very quiet. I did get a few really good pictures of the mom in her beautiful traditional Ngobe dress and her toddler. Promise I will get them up soon. Sorry I am a slacker.
I did get to ride a horse and almost fell into some mud while trying to touch a cow. It's so refreshing to get out of the city for a bit, although the smell of burning trash is just as toxic. Due to waste management issues (or complete lack of programming) people are pretty much forced to litter or burn trash. Sadly, littering is better for human health. Sad state of affairs. This presents just one of the environmental problems CEC volunteers are working to imporve here in Panama.
ANYWAYS I am jumping ahead of myself. I completely forgot to share with you all my future site! I am heading to... (drumroll please).. Herrera Provence of the Azuero Peninsula! YAY! I don't know if that means much to you but for me it means being smack dab in the center of the cultural heart of the Latino population of Panama. While I will not be learning about the amazing indigenous populations across Panama, I will be learning to dance tipico, hopefully donning a Pollera (typical dress for tipico) and eating more rice and beans and arroz con pollo. My site is called El Cedro and it is an hour and a half chiva (2 chivas to be exact) from my regional capital in Chitre. Chitre and it's regional sister city, Las Tablas (although slightly smaller) are famous for two things; Baseball and Carnival. I have the best baseball teams in the country (Yes, Allie so happy you realized this before I could tell you, although I was very excited to share with you!!!) and the best party scene come Feb/March. Think Mardi Gras with squirt guns and Reinas dancing in skimpy costumes (sometimes these can be men to I have heard). All in all I am extremely happy and can't wait to visit my future site next week. My town has 750 people ("large" be PC standards in Panama), potable and available water and electricity. My school, while small, is quite strong and has an outstanding library and Infoplaza with 10 computers with internet! This is thanks to two previous Peace Corps Response volunteers who worked in 2009, 2010 respectively. The region is hot and semi-mountainous and I am about an hour to the closest volunteer already in site. Additionally I have 5 of my close CEC group 68 friends nearby and 5 more in the next provence over, Los Santos (also part of the Azuero Peninsula). While this is a short description of my future home, it is all I know after waiting for about 9 months (yes I feel like I have just given birth to my Peace Corps Panama baby, and it's pretty!), and I am pretty excited. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers, I will be meeting my community guide and future host family/community in less than a week!
Love to all! and Gooooo RED WHITE AND BLUE (Panama vs. USA tonight in Raymond James in Tampa... I support both teams by the way if you didn't know Panama's flag colors are the same as ours :) )
