A few dollars a day

  Have any of you ever experienced living on less than ten dollars a day? So the question you may be wondering is it really possible to live on less than ten dollars a day and some days less? In the States, especially Seattle, I found that almost impossible with groceries needing to be bought, my car needing to be filled with gas, parking meters needing to be paid, the newest trend needing to be worn, the latest music to be heard, and the newest craze restaurant serving food that needed to be consumed. And only a little distance away is a country which survives on the basics bought at the store, the fruit grown from their backyard, bread from the family member who lives right next door, and all the entertainment you could need from a 2 year old dancing away to some tipico song. Can a simple life really be as gratifying as a life where you get what you want.  I can confidently say yes and even go to the extent of saying the simple life is more gratifying than the consumer driven life.


  Let me tell you a little about my spending habits here in Panama. I usually pay around $2.70 for transportation when I need to go into the larger city to get food or other essentials. I may stop by the local store to treat myself to a diet coke and my favorite cookies adding up to no more than $1.10. I play soccer with the locals when I'm needing my exercise or do pilates in my room, both cost nothing. For entertainment I play cards or dominoes with my host family or sit and chat about the latest happenings, both cost nothing. For relaxation I read in the hammock or visit among friends who live down the street, both cost nothing. For family time we sit around a plate full of food ($1-3) and chat.  So this gives you a good idea of what life costs for us here. In fact ten dollars is a lot! I never would have thought that living in the States.


  Yes there are benefits and downfalls where money is not an option and your hammock is your getaway. First I'll name some downfalls that inevitably come with lack of money. For those of you who love to travel not only to different countries, but also just around your own neck of the woods this is made more difficult when on a tight budget. For Brennan and I we wouldn't be able to travel to any outside countries if we hadn't saved up before we came to Panama. In some ways that may make you feel stuck in where you're at and that there's no where to escape, however I don't think the Panamanians need to travel to escape for relaxation. Their family is the center of their world here (which I think is the most beautiful thing to see) and family becomes their escape. Here in Panama family always lives close by so you simply need to walk down the street ($0) and you have found your peace of mind. So for us who need to get out for a while, which means spending money, Panamanians need to merely walk down the street. One other downfall to living on a tight budget is the lack of variety in food. For me my body is use to getting a balanced diet of some type of protein, some starch, and some fruit or veggies. Here veggies are harder to come by and the cheapest items at the grocery store are rice, pasta, and other starchy foods. For my stomach it is difficult to eat a mound of rice, a mound of pasta and some bread on the side, however once again Panamanians have accustomed their bodies to process this type of meal. It may not be healthy, but they make due with what they have and make sure their family is not hungry.


  So now onto the benefits. I believe living simply with less than ten dollars a day offers you more chances to be creative with your resources. Instead of buying an $80 membership to a soccer arena you can round up the neighborhood kids and start your own futbol game in the local cancha (basketball court). Instead of buying a boat to go to the lake you create a rope swing and entertain yourself for hours while perfecting your flips into the water. Instead of paying $20 to go out dancing at a club you call the neighbors over to your house and blast reggaetons while dancing the night away. Instead of owning your own car and paying for gas every week to get to work you wake up early to pay thirty to ninety cents for a bus or chiva transportation with all the other workers. Really it's all about making the most of what you already have. BE CREATIVE. Another thing I love about living with little is that it makes you focus less on material matters and more on people. Like I said earlier family and being relational is one of the most important things to the Panamanian culture. When people are the center of your focus you don't have time to be consumed with the material. Why would I need to go shopping when I'm busy hosting my family for dinner. Or why would I need to go to the theaters to see a movie when the whole family loves the juicy drama of the daily novella on the comfort of your own couch. I definitely think the benefits to living on ten dollars or less a day greatly outweigh the downfalls. It's all about priorities and I definitely think Panama definitely has it's priorities right.


  I challenge you to try living off of less than ten dollars for a day. Can you do it?

Our week at a glance

This week I got a chance to be in the school again with the 6th graders and helped them work on an artisan project.  They took glass bottles and filled them with flowers and other adornments that would look pretty through the glass.  Then they took ribbon and other natural adornments and decorated the outside of the bottles.  Here are a few examples.

Here are some girls working on their flower bottles.

When the boys got bored they resorted to these shenanigans.  Notice Elivis is wearing the teachers high heel shoes:)

Having way too much fun.

Some worked harder than others.

Miguel loves the spotlight.

Impersonating Brennan with his huge muscles.

Brennan finally received his birthday packages from home!  What clever wrapping.

Hilary and Jake were super crafty and made this kindle holder from an old book.  Thieves will never find it now.  Jim and Julie were kind enough to buy Brennan a second Kindle after he left his in a taxi never to be seen again.  Maama and Pops gave Brennan some gift cards to Amazon to buy some books for the Kindle.  What amazing presents!  Brennan is excited to get back to reading.

We also enjoyed some cheap wine this week after our regional meeting in Santiago.  At the regional meeting we got the chance to meet all the other Veraguas Peace Corps Volunteers.  Seem like nice people.

At the hotel we stayed at Brennan and I experienced the best shower we've had in the last 5 months.  Come on can you see this shower head and the water was hot!  I ended up taking three 20 min showers within 12 hours.  It was pure heaven.

I hate saying goodbyes

May 21st at around 2:30 pm Sherman Keyser passed away.  He was not only a loving husband, but a caring father to three and the sweetest Grandpa you'd ever meet.  I have so many great memories visiting California to see my grandparents.  One memory that stands out is when we all went to Disneyland.  Now my grandparents may look too old for roller coasters, but don't let them deceive you they are young at heart.  They went on all the rides with us and didn't even miss a beat.  As you can see in the Tower of Terror picture I'm in complete terror (as I should be according to the name) and my Grandpa is just happy as a clam.  I loved that trip and spending quality time with them.  My Grandpa always had such a great sense of humor.  I think the thing I love most about him was I never saw him without a smile.  He was such a joy to be around and I will miss him so much.  I wish I had a chance to say goodbye, but I know I'll see him again someday.  So I guess this isn't goodbye, but I'll see you around Grandpa.  I love you more than you know.

Just after Bugs Life performance

Tower of Terror

Our week at a glance

We had a pretty low key week which included:

Visiting Muneca's house where she takes care of sheep. She also was very happy to feed us bollo de coco, queso blanco, and some caramel treats.  We'll definitely be visiting her more in the future:)

Our trip into Santiago to get Brennan's second batch of meds turned into another wonderful opportunity for cheesecake.  Oh you better believe I'm going to try every flavor they have.  This is chocolate cheesecake, which was so rich it gave me a stomach ache, but oh was it worth it.

Brennan's choice of dessert the variety pack.

 

View from Alto Limon.  We had a wonderful time hiking with Bella.

Not to mention we scored this bag full of avocados.  Jack pot!

Got stuck in a rainstorm on one of our walks.  Ended up waiting it out for an hour on the soccer bleachers.  I'm sure the locals got a good laugh from that.

Not to mention the wind was blowing hard in every direction so it was inevitable that we go wet.

Welcome to the rainy days of Panama.  Lesson learned: Never leave home without an umbrella, even if it's upper 80's and sunny.

Bella

We've taken quite the liking to Senora Bella.  If we haven't yet filled you in on this lady let me tell you a little about her.  First off she calls herself the adventurer and this 40 something year old has more energy than both Brennan and I combined.  She loves the outdoors and getting her hands dirty.  She is a strong believer in not wasting what nature provides.  She takes advantage of the fruit trees that many Panamanians take for granted and will go on long walks just to fill her orange backpack with fruit that has fallen from the tree.  To Bella wasting what God has provided would be a shame.  She is a hard and diligent worker in the fields always dedicated to doing a good job.  She has a teachable spirit that is always willing to learn.  She is a pioneer when it comes to using organic method such as composting and pest control.  Most people just use whatever methods to produce the most products in the quickest time, where as she wants to use the best and most organic method no matter the timeline.  She is a pastor who devotes her time reading and praying.  She can't bare her own children, but calls all the kids in her life her children.  She is a wonderfully generous woman and our closest friend.

Bella=Beautiful

On Thursday we went to Alto Limon (a town about 25 min car ride from our town) to help clean the fields, which means use the machete to hack all the weeds and grass away in order to prepare for planting.  We ended up getting a late start so our work trip turned into a pasear trip.  Now pasear can mean many things in Panamanian culture.  It can mean just visiting people's houses and chatting, or going to the city to run errands, or even in our case it turned out to mean a 3 hour hike.  You never know what to expect when someone says "Vamos a pasear" (lets go for a walk). We loved our 3 hours of solo time chatting with Bella, searching for the perfect avocado tree, and soaking in the amazing nature around us.  

This is Bella's method of getting down fruit from the trees.  All you need is a long stick and you're good to go.

Brennan trying Bella's method and having success.

Bella's Aunt owns this old machine that produces honey from sugar cane.  You can't find these very often anymore.

 Visiting Bella's aunts house.  The house is made from mud.  Nowadays houses are all built from cement, so mud houses are hard to come by.

Hiking through the forest to find some fruit.

These beautifully round fruits are used to make bowls.  When the fruit dries it becomes a hard hollow shell and when split in half they form perfect bowls. Decorating these bowls with festive paint is another common practice.

Stumbled across this beautiful stream.  Of course Brennan needed to explore:)

This is a coffee tree.  Bella said we could help her harvest the coffee when the time comes.  Brennan is excited about this project.

Best part of the day was we went home with a purse full of these beautiful avocados!  I'm so excited to make guacamole.

Birthday Panamanian style

This Sunday we had the privilege of celebrating Francisco's birthday (our host dad or I guess you could say host grandpa).  This was quite the exclusive event because only family and very close friends were invited to the party.  Luckily Brennan and I are now considered their kids so we got the invite.  Now you may be wondering is there a typical Panamanian birthday celebration and I would reply to you yes.  Here is what takes place in the typical Panamanian b-day:

1) A big ol' cake

2) Lots of friends and family to celebrate (with loud Panamanian music blaring in the background)

 3) The happy birthday song sung in three different versions (1 in English and 2 in Spanish)

3) Of course can't forget arroz con pollo!  This dish is only made for birthday's and very special celebrations.  It's delicious and we always look forward to celebrations in order to chow down.

4) In this case the wine was not opened, but occasionally you will find a drink or two at a b-day bash (depending on your age of course).

5) I unfortunately don't have a picture of the last and most essential ingredient to a perfect party, but I'll let you imagine the dancing that takes place.  Panamanians can definitely feel the rhythm.   

Can't wait to celebrate mine in December!

Feliz Dia de las Madres!

Happy Mothers Day!

Just wanted to wish the two most amazing mothers in our lives a wonderful Mother's Day!  Thank you for all your support, love and encouragment throughout the years.  We love you so much and wish we could give you big hugs in person, but for now Skype will have to do.

Mother of two

Mother of three

Wife to Kent

Wife to Jim

Travel companion

Contagious laugh

New grandmother (she really looks too young to be a g-ma)

And a special Mother's Day to the new mother:)

Great role model

Love you all and hope you have a wonderful day!

Our week at a glance: PART 3

Okay I promise this will be the last post about this week's happenings.  Thanks for bearing with us.  So here are some pictures of our walk Thursday afternoon and the rest of our Friday.

Nature walk

This is the view from a bridge in Cocla, a near by town

Bridge to Cocla

These are the cow pies I broke up with a stick to add to the organic compost we were helping our friend Bella make in her backyard.  Not a glamorous job, but someone's got to do it.

Me attempting to "pilar" rice.  Pretty much you pound the harvested rice to get the outer shell off in order to be ready to cook.  This process can last up to an hour and trust me it's definitely an arm workout.

Here's a pro at work.

After you pound the rice you need to sift out all the outer shell to just get the white rice.

My new best friend.  I took the liberty to name this unnamed cat Felix.  He doesn't respond to the name yet, but I know it will grow on him.  

If anyone knows me they know I'm a sucker for cats.

This is the end result of our composting project.  First a large square hole was dug.  Then we made the outer fence to hold in all the organic compost.  This took a lot of machete work that Brennan gladly took on.  Then a bamboo pole was added to the middle of the pit in order to help the compost breathe.  Finally we raked and loaded the organic matter from around Bella's yard and added it to the pit.  Topped it off with the cow manure I so willingly mashed up and a bit of sugar water and it's good to go.  I guess it has to decompose for 6 months before it's actually ready to use.  Such a fun project to work on for the day.  Bella also cooked us great chicken soup and toasted rice for lunch to thank us for all our hard work.

Thanks to Brennan having to go into the Medical Clinic in Santiago spur of the moment on Friday night to check on his cement burns, we had another excuse to stay over night and eat out at Jalapenos, a local Mexican restaurant.  These nachos are no comparison to the nachos at Matador, but they sure hit the spot.

Treated myself to a Pina Colada.

Brennan got creative with the blank canvas on the table.

This is where all the table art eventually goes.

So that's our week at a glance.  We've had some really fun projects to work on, had meals with new friends, ate delicious fruits, explored new parts of town and traveled to Santiago way to many times for one week.  Update on Brennan is he's finally taking antibiotics and should be better in the next ten days.  I know he's ready to be rash free, but he's been a trooper.