Si Me Voy de Aquí Mañana …

… o en un mes.

1)  Epic Rap Battles vs SNL -- SNL is being called out for its lack of Asian cast members.  Witness Manny Pacquiao played by a white woman.  Lame.  In defense of SNL, I can think of at least two former cast members who are part Asian, Rob Schneider and Fred Armisen.  That's like what?  Two during the last 40 years.  On the other hand, Epic Rap Battles of History has had at least two Asian characters played by, well, Asians.  What a concept.  And ERB has only been around for maybe 4 years.   ERB wins. 

2)  Farewell Song for Panama  -- my PM sent me an email about upcoming reports, DOS and poop samples.  COS must be coming up.  Time to think of a song to use for a video montage (that I would never make) of my time in Panama.  Maybe a song with an accordion.  Or maybe a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd?

Note to Giles:  record a longer version of this song. 

3)  The battery dies like a bad joke on stage  -- my dumbphone works just fine, but I was toying with the idea of getting a smartphone and that led me to an article about cellphones with a long battery life.  But this poster still makes me hesitant to get one:

Poster at the UN in Geneva

4)  Bochinche -- that's my new favorite Spanish word.  It means 'ruckus' or 'uproar', according to my Spanish dictionary, but the PC Panama handbook says it means 'gossip'.  Ex:  La chiquitita quiere bochinche. 

5)  This Blog Post Was Brought To You By … -- I can't say enough about safety razors.  I used it to shave my head recently and it wasn't as tough as I thought.  No more electric razors for me. 

Life is Small Time

1)  Post-COS Plans --  my plans after I COS in a few months:  traveling, naturally, and looking forward to seeing some of my fellow agros from Cameroon:

2)  Stop Harming the Community -- a fellow volunteer sent me this list of 25 Tips for PCVs.  Its actually a few years old, but still a good list of suggestions on how best to do development work.  One more tip that could be added to the list:  "Just stop paying for things,"  courtesy of Jeff, RPCV Cameroon.

3)  Feliz Cumpleaños, Extraño -- someone was having a late night birthday party in Colombia and while it was a little annoying because I was trying to sleep, their rendition of Happy Birthday was nonetheless quite catchy. 

4)  Una Misión a la Montaña

 

offroading to a few schools in the mountains

5)  Channelling Greg LeMond -- fellow PCRV William and I biked for 3 straight days when he visited my post. 

 

Getting chased by a dog in the process

A bit scary biking these roads since they're often winding and there aren't exactly any bike lanes. 

La Resurrección …

...of my blog, in honor of Holy Week.

1)  Boquete De Nuevo -- My sister was kind enough to visit me recently.  Aside from Panama City and visiting my post, we also did a hike in Boquete:

The Three Waterfalls hike in Boquete

2)  In Work-Related News …

 

PCV Kelsey and I helping out our counterparts with a reforestation project.  

Where the biodegradable polypots at?

 

What's being planted - guayacan, cedro amargo, cocobolo

Teaching Kelsey's youth group how to make a cellphone case from potato chip bags

3)   Remember those Silly Superlatives? -- I don't remember who got 'Most Likely to Become Director of Programming and Training' back in training or COS Conference, but there's an opening. 

4)  99 Little Victories -- Found a supermarket in Santiago that sells bulk items and that also doesn't require me to accept their supposedly biodegradable plastic bag.  *cough* Schmachetazo! 

5)  I Think That Was an Earthquake, Therefore it Happened --  according to a report from NPR, student-athletes at the Univ. of North Carolina were steered to take so-called 'bogus' classes like geology and philosophy in order to be eligible to play.  What?!  Those are hard classes!  I'm now on the side of the athletes on this discussion. 

Esa es Vieja Noticia

1)  You Like Cameroon or Panama better? -- RPCV Mac recently asked me that question and with 3-4 months left in Panama, I think its a good time to reflect on my brief time in Panama.  The first thing that comes to mind is how similar Panama is to the US.  I sometimes feel like I'm doing AmeriCorps when I'm in Panama b/c, well, it IS part of America and its pretty developed in ways like the US.  Panama seems like its just 2-3 motivated counterparts away from not needing any outside help, if they're not there already.  Cameroon, meanwhile, seems like it has a long way to go with so many challenges in its way.  I can go on, but I think this topic is better discussed over a cold beer (warm if you're in Cameroon). 

2)  Todos Estan Pasando … Finalmente.  Parece. -- the megafight between Pacquiao and Mayweather is apparently finally happening:

Front page news in Panama

The topic of Pacquiao always comes up when I tell the locals that I'm Pinoy.  They may have no idea where the Philippines is, but they know who Pacquiao is:

Cross-cultural exchange: discussing the fight with community members

3)  Mountain Fiesta -- I was recently invited to a counterpart's fiesta out in the mountains:

Yup, its pretty deforested, mainly due to cattle ranching and agriculture

A cow was slaughtered and its meat dried in what is called a talanquera

Giants pots for sancocho (a type of soup) and also for yucca, aka cassava

Dancing and music

With my counterparts

Large pots, a big meal, music, hard liquor and dancing.  Reminds me of the mountain fiestas in the Philippines, minus the accordion. 

4)  In Hot Pepper News … -- the eatery nearby finally had some real hot sauce, locally-made:

And my habanero seeds in the backyard are showing signs of life despite the heat:

5)  Everything Causes Cancer -- a guy at the nearby eatery was preparing a charcoal grill and he put some plastic in the grill and burned it.  Not really sure why he did that, but it made me wonder:  if burning plastic is bad and if grilling is also bad,  then the combination must be incredibly lethal. 

Sé Honesto y Despiadado

1)  Garbage on the Front Page  -- it all starts with admitting there's a problem.

2)  NPR Stories --  I don't know why, but its only now that I've started reading NPR's website.  A lot of interesting stories.  For instance, they have an article about how turning off smartphones will supposedly make you think better.  So does that mean that smartphones make you dumb and dumbphones make you smart?  This is an important study, given that I have a dumbphone.     Another story is about the growing popularity of street vendors selling food using redesigned bikes as food trucks.  Sorry to break it to you, NPR, but they already do that in Panama:

 Selling a coconut drink

3)  Third Goal -- Interviewing a former Queen of the Manito Festival (La Reina de la Festival del Manito) for a Peace Corps video:

4)  Book Review -- I'm not saying its because of less time spent on the internet, but I've now finished another book, George R.R. Martin's A Dance with Dragons.  I started it a few years ago, but got bogged down by way too many details in the story.  I thought the book could've done with a bit more editing.  Overall, the book was ok, but I'm wondering if it would've been better if Martin had stopped with A Storm of Swords. The subsequent books have paled in comparison after that classic.

5)  Feeding Time -- every afternoon, the fish vendor throws out his leftover fish in the lake, by the bridge.  That's when the alligators show up …

Estoy Salao

1)  Bien Integrado --  PC staff came by the office to talk to my counterparts and one of them didn't know that I was a PCV.  He thought I was a Panamanian staff member.  "Parece Latino."  ("You look Latino").  Integration complete. 

2)  Panamanian Sayings  -- A colleague at the office said "Echar pa'lante", a shortened version of "Echar para adelante" which he said means someone is proactive.  Literally, it means "to throw oneself forward". 

Another one I learned is "Estoy salao", a shortened version of  "Estoy salado".  Literally, it means "I'm salty", but its supposed to signify, "I'm unlucky."  I was wondering where the phrase came from.  Maybe from the story of Lot's wife who turned to salt.  That's pretty unlucky, right? 

3)  Flag Football -- Where Do I Sign Up?  And can I count it as part of my physical therapy?

Bill Walsh's West Coast offense in Panama City.

4)  The Journey is Better than the Destination -- Fellow PCRV William and I walked to the Biomuseum in Panama City, not knowing that the museum was really far from the hostel.  It took us about 2.5 hours to get there.  On the bright side, we got some interesting photos from the walk.  It was also good cardio.

Boats and skyscrapers

birds above the fish market

View of the rascacielos from the museum

As for the museum, it was ok. As they say, "The journey ..."

5)  Bikes in Panama -- there's no shortage of bike aficionados in Panama:

In the capital

Bike race at post

Perro Salchicha

"The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool." -- Almost Famous

1)  The Town Fair -- my town is currently having a 5 day fair, called La Feria de San Sebastian.  Its your typical fair with rides:

music:

educational demonstrations (here's a guy talking about the awesomeness of yucca, aka cassava):

and of course, a dog show:

Perro salchicha

My counterpart organization also had their own stand/booth at the fair:

I created a Three R's pamphlet as well as a pamphlet
holder (thanks, internet). My pamphlet literally stands out from the rest.

Requisite photo of me with a counterpart

My counterpart organization's booth

2)  Uncle Chan's Redemption?  -- Is Ken Jeong's documentary about the walk-on Notre Dame kicker, Reggie Ho, enough to make up for his "Uncle Chan-ish" role in The Hangover films? 

3)  Incertidumbres -- I've been to the capital 3 times recently because of my shoulder injury and there was a lot of uncertainty about what treatment I would need.  But the results are finally in and I'll just need some physical therapy.  No surgery needed.  On the bright side, being in the capital allowed me to drink root beer and buy some habanero peppers, the seeds of which I just planted at post. 

4)  Landfill or Incinerator -- the recent NY Times article about incinerators and the problems associated with it made me want to comment a little bit about the topic.  Whether you're in the "developing" world or in the "first world", the problem of garbage essentially boils down to this:  people can reduce the amount of garbage they produce.  Many people just choose not to.

Just take a look at Zero Waste Home and (as the NYT article points out) cities like San Francisco and Portland.  If more people did what they were doing, we wouldn't be debating whether or not landfills or incinerators are the better choice. 

Garbage collection at post

5)  "And hey, I met you.  You are not cool." -- I just saw Almost Famous for the first time even though the film came out in 2000.  Can't believe I've never watched it before b/c its pretty awesome.  And not just because Jimmy Fallon, Marc Maron and Mitch Hedberg were in it.  Not to mention the guy who cut off Jamie Lannister's hand. 

Tranquilo Como un Pepino

1)  You've Been to Guatemala? I've Been to Guatemala -- 

In Boquete with William, a fellow PCRV
in Panama and an RPCV from Guatemala

Joel, I would've worn the San Antonio shirt, but it was in the laundry hamper. 

2)  Panoramic Videos -- I don't know how to take panoramic shots on my camera, so I end up taking 360 degree videos instead:


Cinta Costera, Panama City

3)  Book Reviews -- Since drastically reducing my internet usage recently, I finished 2 books.  Sorry, Luke, the nativity scene is taking longer than anticipated.  Anyway, the books were Joe Abercrombie's Red Country and Jeff Olson's The Slight Edge.  I liked both books overall.  Both easier reads than Plato's The Republic in Spanish, which I've put on hold.  But I'm still undecided about the ending of Red Country.  My first reaction was that the build up to the big showdown fizzled.  Its an unconventional ending though, I'll give the author that. 

4)  No Picante  -- Say what you will about Cameroonian food, at least it was spicy.  Desafortunadamente, in Panama (ie, the town where I'm posted), the food is a tad bland.  Even if you wanted to grow habanero or jalapeño peppers, you won't find any seeds being sold in town.  Hmm… Did somebody say 'secondary project'?  I think so. 

5)  Poco a Poco --  One morning, I was trying to plant some seeds in the backyard, but the soil was very hard since the dry season already started.  I told my neighbor I should've planted the seeds during the rainy season.  She then said, "Poco a poco, se puede ser."  (Little by little, it can be done).  She was right.  The soil was ready later that afternoon.  Poco a poco.  Kinda like development. 

A Man, A Plan, A Canal …

1) … and an Injured Shoulder -- I injured my shoulder a few weeks back so I had to go to the capital to get it checked out.  Hadn't been there since I arrived in country.  Since I was there, I checked out the Panama Canal with PCRV William:

The Atlantic is that way

A ship heading towards the Pacific

Fans of ships crossing the Canal

The canal isn't just for cargo ships but also
for rich people in their sailboats

2)  Todos Somos Americanos -- Barack habla español.  Well, a couple of sentences.
 


3)  Anti-Corporate Video of the Day



4)  Christmas Displays in Panama 

Display at my post.  Snowmen in the tropics?  Makes sense.

Display at a mall in the capital

Also in the capital

Product placement much?

This one is also from the capital and has a magi that looks like its from a 1930s racist cartoon:

Of course, none of those displays compare to this one I found while reading the Panamanian newspaper La Prensa online.  Its a display near Chitré, made out of plastic bottles:

 Note to self:  make pilgrimage to visit this display before they take it down.

5)  Se Puede Ser! -- I made the cover of the PCV Panama Newsletter! 

That's me in the top right

I'm holding a tank while a counterpart is using a circular saw to cut open the tank.  We're building an incinerator. 

No Sabía Que Fuera Gracioso

Title is from the film El Sexto Sentido.  

1)  One of the three R's -- helping out fellow PCV Kelsey with her school recycling program:

2)  Wildlife --  Saw this iguana running outside the office and up a tree:

3)  Las Palabras Divertidas -- Spanish needs a funny word like 'donc' in French.  I know they're out there. 

4)  Uh-huh -- this plastic bag is supposedly biodegradable:

I'm skeptical. 

5)  Mission Impossible? -- they say that the region where I'm posted is ideal for growing fruits, but not for vegetables.  Therefore, tomatoes should do well, right? 

Improvised version of basket composting using chicken wire.
That's a lizard apparently looking for the tomato seeds I planted.

Insert Preferred Holiday Greeting Here

1)  Bike!  -- bought a bike.  Unlike in Cameroon, where PCVs get bikes from PC Cam, PCVs in Panama don't get one unless they buy one themselves.  Looking forward to checking out the nearby towns.   And do an environmental bike tour project perhaps??

2) Happy Holidays! -- that's my preferred holiday greeting.

3)  Old News -- Green Seoul, an old story (2 years old), but still pretty cool.

4)  Comment of the Day --"I have no faith in the justice system. It is broken."

5)  Things I Didn't Know -- according to a vendor, most of the vegetables at my post come from Boquete and are not locally grown.  The weather at post is apparently not that great for growing vegetables.

In Boquete

No Puede Ser

1)  Quote of the Day -- "I get it, you don’t like science.  And you don’t like science that interferes with the interests of your corporate clients. But we need science to protect public health and the environment."

2)  Pacquiao - Mayweather - Marquez -- watched the Pacquiao-Algieri fight (or sparring session?).  Who should Pacquiao fight next?  The old guy Marquez who knocked him out?  Or Mayweather?  I say Mayweather.  If Pacquiao and Mayweather don't fight each other for their next fight, then viewers are just throwing their money away if they pay to watch that fight.  My proof?  Mayweather's last fight was dull and Pacquiao's last fight was a mismatch.  The only interesting fight they have left is against each other.  Besides, Mayweather already beat Marquez, so why not fight Pacquiao?

3)  Awkward-Pose Photo of the Day -- after assisting my counterpart with an enviro ed activity:

4)    Music of the Day -- Tito Puente's El #100. 
 
5)  Things to Do With Your Free Time at Post -- make a wallet out of the Peace Corps newsletter thanks to youtube.  After I learned how to do this, I showed it to my counterpart who wanted to know how to make one, so I ended up spending about an hour teaching her how to make one using newspapers:

¡Chuleta!

1)  Cellphone Case Completed! -- only took a few days compared to a few weeks for the laptop case:

Sabina is one of my counterparts (a recycling artisan) who helped
me make the case out of plastic grocery bags

2)  Captions of the Day -- any meme with Yoda.  Awesome they are.

3)  Actual News Articles NEVER Recommended by Me -- Snapchat personnel (CEO or founder?) buys a house and pretty much any 'news' involving a Kardashian.  No links provided, because, really, who gives a sh*t? 

4)  Music of the Day -- Romeo Santos' La Diabla/Mi Santa and Jimmy Fallon's cover of Desire.

5)  Things They Make in Prison -- in Cameroon, they make prison bags.  In Panama, they make prison wallets:

Apparently made from raffia plastic

Chiwi

Counterpart: Debe ser un ingeniero. 
Me: ¿Ingeniero de chiwi?

Chiwi means 'junk food bag'.

1) Things I Don't Understand -- why do people say someone "cleaned up nicely" if they're dressed nice, like for a wedding? Does that mean they normally look like slobs when dressed in their everyday clothes? "You cleaned up nicely because normally you look like a homeless person."

2) Recycled Laptop Case Finished! 

One of my counterparts and the laptop case

After I showed the case to a couple of PCVs, they joked that I don't seem to have gained weight and one asked if I was going to do a health talk soon. Well, if you are going to make a laptop case out of junk food bags, cardio does help keep the weight off.

3) Quote of the Day -- "By the way, what have you done that's so great? Do you create anything, or just criticize others work and belittle their motivations?" - Steve Jobs

4) Chalk One Up for the Tropics (Again) -- recently discovered a coconut drink here in Panama called 'pipa'. Gotta love the tropics.

5) Music of the Day -- Jaco Pastorius' Liberty City. 

Demasyao

1)  News Articles Recommended By Me -- Peace Corps is going to send volunteers to Burma while Obama tells Burmese gov't to let Aung San Suu Kyi run for president and the Pope says not to buy presents for people for X-mas. 

2)  25% done -- I've already been in Panama for about two and a half months, which means I'm 1/4 of the way done with my service.  That's kinda crazy.  That's like 6 months of regular Peace Corps service.  Pretty soon, I'll have to get my resumé ready again.  Now THAT's crazy. 

3)  Respect! --  So I gotta give props to Sarah, an RPCV I served with in Cameroon.  She recently did an open mic to do stand up.  Talk about ballsy.  All I know is that she is one funny gal.  May she follow in the footsteps of comedic geniuses like Tina Fey, Mitch Hedberg and Norm MacDonald.  No pressure. 

4)  Song of the Day -- this song reminds me of Billy Bean, who said in the film Moneyball, "Would you rather get one shot in the head or five in the chest and bleed to death?"



5)  Comment of the Day -- a fellow PCV showed me this old article about what they found in a drug lord's house, like gold-plated guns and rooms full of cash.  This comment from the story is, well, the comment of the day (even if its from a day several months ago): "Criminals like this can thrive because we have laws that ensure that things people want are sold by criminals. Drug prohibition doesn't work." 

No Hay Título

1) Site Visit Pics

Talking shop with the boss and a counterpart

At my porch with the boss, my counterparts and new PCRV,
William.  What is the deal with my pants?  Looks like I'm sagging
against the Man.

  

2)  Baseball in the Tropics -- watching a game in town amongst the banana trees plants:

3)  The Grocery Store Next Door -- I'm practically next to a grocery store and that may not be good.  All that junk food.  Easy access.  And I can only say "I'm promoting the three R's since I'm reusing the packaging like potato chip bags to make a laptop case or whatever" so many times. 

4)  Throwback from Cameroon -- that time we played soccer during training:

I've only played soccer maybe 3 times in Cameroon even though I had like 3 soccer jerseys.  My bad. 

5)  Song of the Day -- Mr. Big's cover of Wild World