Development

I left Panama yesterday in a teary bus ride. As I start my journey home and reflect on the experiences of the past two years, I want to leave you with some inspiration. Remember the Indiana Jones-style footbridge that crossed a raging river to get to the local school? Well, after lots of angry antidotes from the PCV in the area and a few protests by the local people, the big-wigs in Panama City were able to spare a few dollars from the multi-million dollar metro project to put up a better foot bridge for the community. 

Development happens. Things get better, easier. There is hope.

Old Bridge

Neeeew Bridge

Old. New.

Old Bridge from New Bridge. 

The Soccer Team

The past two years I've played on my community's womens soccer team. Last season we won the league. This season, we got second (out of two teams!). Playing soccer with the women has been one of the greatest bonding experiences I've had - and the most fun. The usually shy women, take off their long dresses and put on soccer cleats and play rough-and-tough soccer in the mud, in front of crowds of people. 

These photos are from the last game in the 2013 season. It was dirty and we lost, but the most fun I've had maybe ever here. 

The girls and our team manager, Carlos

Hennessy, the other white girl, is a newer Peace Corps volunteer. She hiked three hours just to play in this game. I'm happy to know she'll be around for the next two years after I leave. 

The celebration dinner was, of course, rice and chicken feet. 

Confessions

I'm not proud of everything I've done in the past two years. Never the less, I own it all. Here are some things with which I've finally come to terms.

5. "Laughter is the best medicine, unless you have diarrhea"

I pooped my pants after living with a host family during a technical week of training. It was the last morning, all I had to do was pack and walk up a giant hill to leave. I got ready, put on my backpack, and was about ready to leave when it slipped out. I was very sick, this wasn't normal behavior. 

4. I once ate an entire bag of Trader Joes chocolate-covered-peanut-butter-filled pretzels in a day. That's 2,383 calories... delicious calories.

3. I kept a 28 oz cup by my bed. I peed in it every morning and every night, and sometimes during the day. I peed in a cup because I was too lazy to walk 100 feet to the latrine OR it was raining OR I was afraid of spiders/cockroaches/whatever lives in latrine at night. 

If it was raining or no one was around my house I immediately tossed the pee out the window. If not, I'd wait. Sometimes it overflowed, and a few times I knocked it over. Thankfully I had a dirt floor. 

 

2. I mis-labeled the names of two European countries on my world map. I didn't correct it, because I figured they'd never know any different. 

1. For the first month in my community I was living with a host family who didn't have a latrine. Every day I went into the woods and pooped then kicked dirt on top of it. One time I was bathing (concrete slab with a bucket of water and curtains) and I was overcome with the urge to poop, so I did, and then flung it away. That might be the grossest thing I have ever done. 

Thank Yous

My Peace Corps service is wrapping up in less than three weeks. The US government is shut down, but we're still on the clock. Our measly living stipend doesn't worry the lawmakers. Back in 2011 when government cutbacks were sweeping through and I was just in training here in Panama, we nervously asked if Peace Corps might be cut out as a non-essential function. We were told the annual budget of Peace Corps world-wide was less than the cost of one F-16 fighter jet, of which the US military has 4,500, so we weren't worried.

Whenever I am involved in some way with an argument or discussion among community members I remind them,

            "Mira, soy una voluntaria de Cuerpo de Paz, no Cuerpo de guerra"

In Spanish, Peace Corps translates to "Body of Peace". I tell them, "Look, I'm a Peace Corps volunteer, not war corps". I'm no stereotypical hippie and my blood will always run red, white, and blue - but sometimes it's nice to be abroad when everyone is acting-a-fool. 

This isn't my last blog, I just want to give some shout outs to people who have supported me throughout my time here.

Anyone who had ever sent me a card or letter, Thanks. Old fashioned mail is underused in this electronic generation, and being here reminds me how awesome it feels to get something from the post-man. Reading mundane updates from home was soothing and reminders to "carry a big stick" showed how much you care.

Did you send me a care package? Thank-you. Sometimes it took three months to arrive, sometimes the ants had eaten all of the candy. I know it's not cheap to ship overseas, thanks for understanding that to me it was priceless to hold a bit of home. My first couple months I received a lot of soap. I think people assumed I was smelly. And I'm still using the popcorn that I was sent when I blogged about trying to pop the local corn! I've gotten granola bars and chocolate-covered-peanut butter-filled pretzels, tooth brushes and new, clean (not moldy) clothes. Fancy shampoo, and toys for the kids. My first Christmas after being here five months I walked away from the post office loaded down with boxes. All of it. Awesome.

If you donated money to one of the projects I talked about, Thanks. I've already said it, but you're making a forever-impact for basic necessities of fellow humans.

Did you come visit me? Did you get bit up by mosquitoes? Did I take you on a two day hike over a mountain range to attend an indigenous festival? That one time, there was no toilet paper. You used a latrine. Bathed in the creek. Rode the bus and in the back of the truck with me, got rained on, ate so much rice. You really know what it's like, and that's unique. Thanks for the company and for being so adventurous! 

Have you thought about me? Shot off a quick e-mail? Sent up a prayer? The emotional challenges have been the toughest, and just knowing I have people at home thinking about me means the world. Most Panamanians can't comprehend a single, young, female leaving her entire family to come alone to work in a foreign country. Unheard of. I used to be asked a lot if I were sad. My robotic response was always, "No! I'm on the adventure of my life!" until one day my friend in my community, Melba, told me "Really? Because if I left everyone I ever knew and went someplace completely new, I'd be sad. No doubt". So I admitted, I was a little sad at first. And the struggles constantly popped up. But now this place is my home and these people are like family, and I'm going to be sad to leave.

Agua: The One About Work

As an environmental health volunteer, my main areas of work are water and sanitation. The goal of working with water is: sufficient, clean water in the homes of people I live with. Usually this means setting up a gravity fed water distribution system with a natural spring source.

Clean water in the home effectively contributes towards the development of the lives of underdeveloped people by decreasing the amount of time spent ill and concerned with the gathering of water, and frees up time for work and education.

• Sufficient water is difficult when nature's supply of water isn't conserved when necessary or when demand outreaches supply. 
• Clean water gets complicated when pure spring water gets contaminated in the home.

In the Peace Corps we realized that the initial construction of water infrastructure is usually the simpler part of water.  Appropriate behavior is what keep clean water in the home and keeps well built infrastructure maintained. Therefore we focus on training, capacity building, and modeling good practices as our main task in our communities with water committee seminars. 

When occasion for infrastructure construction or maintenance presents itself, it's sustainable if the indigenous Panamanians can either financially support themselves or agencies of the Panamanian government support infrastructure projects. Sometimes this is the case, and sometimes it isn't. Besides funds, a technically competent project manager should be available to design, advise, and supervise construction. Here is where I come in. I wander around, looking at water systems, and assist communities with projects that will improve their condition. 

Since March I have been working in two communities where water systems exist, but improvement is necessary to meet our goal for water. 

One

The first system is actually the lower half of a large system. Two tanks in series, we'll call it. There is not enough water after the first community to supply the second half of the system. 

The lower community had purchased a new water source and we've been working to connect it directly to the lower tank, choosing a route that avoids crossing hills and placing air-release valves where hills are unavoidable. 

Simple enough! But remember that all our work is done by hand. That is, over a mile of two-foot trenches though the jungle dug by men with shovels and pick-axes, tubes hand placed and glued in 20-foot sections, and everything buried. 

One of the project managers from the community, Esteven, drinks water from the tube that will soon bring it to his house!

Two

This community is flourishing with development. The people are very organized, mostly because it is home to one of the area's largest schools and one of the only 10th, 11th, and 12th grade high schools. Students walk for hours just to attend. Teachers living in the area have demanded that they have access to water to live and teach, and the community has been trying to keep up - not only for the teachers but for their families as well. The every-increasing population means additional stress on the water system. 

This is the way the system was when I arrived in the community. Water from two springs was brought to one tank and then fed three communities and a large school. 

Even if the two springs were producing enough water, the tube between them and the tank is not large enough to carry it all. As it was, the second spring source was not well made and stopped focusing the water flow into the transmission tube. 

The community members quickly went though the tank supply at peak water use times. The lower tank (Quebrada Gato, that's right - "Cat Creek" in English) always seemed to have enough water when the upper part of the community didn't. Following that trusty law of gravity, water always wants to be at the lowest point and will flow directly there as it can. 

The idea for the project was to fix up the second spring source to concentrate the water flow into one outflow tube. Then, place new tubes to connect this new water to the original tubes that went to the Quebrada Gato tank. This frees up more water for the school and upper two communities, and still maintains a sufficient amount of water for the Quebrada Gato folks. 

The work included construction of the new spring capture, construction of six cable bridges to bring the water line across deep ravines, and the laying of two miles of PVC tube. 

Whereas the first project I was involved in was located along a fairly well maintained road in the mountains, this project is located an hour or more up a road that rivals any 4x4 track you've ever seen. Feet of mud, incredible steep hills, a river crossing, and carved out ruts. Delivering nearly 400 tubes, 15 100-lb bags of cement, and other various supplies was always an adventure. 

My heroes became the Chinese couple that run the hardware supply store in town. Three trips into the mountains it took Alexis with his indestructible Toyota Hilux truck. 

And some work photos...

Carrying bags of cement, sand, and rocks up the side of a ravine to make the anchors for the cable bridges. Strong guys! 

The second project is finished and the first is a few days away from done! I'm proud of these hard working people who have coordinated with me to better their lives through access to water.

T-minus 44 days until I'm no longer a Peace Corps Volunteer (I got wide-and-watery-eyed as I wrote that). I'm going to need another blog post to describe how I feel about that.

Take your time to read this long description of my official work. If you want an even longer one, I have the reports. If you have questions - ask!  

What in the World is She Doing?

I realize that This Erica Life lately hasn't been illuminating what I've been doing with my time besides killing chickens, writing, visiting the US, and promoting other volunteers and their terrific endeavors for clean water access. 

Is this what Erica is spending two years of her life on? What about that fabulous Jesuit education? And her charming public speaking abilities? 

Well, let me tell you. Between washing my clothes (and watching them dry), battling the mange outbreak on my kitty, staying dry (or not) during wet season downpours, and drinking good coffee, I've been a busy girl learning the skill of project management in two aqueduct improvement projects. I've also been working on a little research for my thesis towards a Master of Science in Engineering degree. That's right, this hippie will come out of Peace Corps a little brighter. 

This past week I attending a "Close of Service" conference hosted by the Peace Corps office in Panama City. The theme was: two months to go, finish your service effectively and remember that in a few months you return to your responsibilities and rights in the USA. Including, but not limited to, getting a real job, not discussing bowel movements in public, and somehow trying to hold on to the simplicity I've found here while trying to operate a smart phone. 

Stay tuned for detailed accounts of my aqueduct improvement projects and my research work. 

The Good Coffee Challenge

While visiting America I remembered why I love coffee. At Cherry Street Coffee in downtown Olympia I observed the barrister lovingly pour water over freshly ground African coffee and intricate, complex, delicious coffee resulted. 

In reverie I thought about the excellent coffee beans that are produced in my backyard and, in contrast, the pre-ground monotone sludge I drink every morning. 

Challenge: Drink fabulous coffee in an excellent way.

It's a challenge because great coffee is rarely for sale here. It's available, yes, but difficult to find in whole bean. 

I obtained a coffee grinder, a ceramic cone dripper, and started with some beans from the Jansen Family in Volcan, Chiriqui. I quit adding milk to my coffee so I could experience the full flavors. 

It's a ritual. An experience. A pursuit. Melodramatic? Maybe. But everyone has hobbies.