El Toro

Bull riding. Inhuman. Unsafe. But super fun to watch!

This weekend one of my teachers invited me to go to a fiesta in her home town. This mainly consisted of the younger guys bull riding during the day and then everyone getting wasted at night. It was fun sitting up on the fence watching the guys ride, and then chase them around until they could get them in the pen. Its totally a test of who is brave and manly enough to do it. Thank goodness no one was seriously hurt! At night they have a cantadera with is just some guys singing and I am to understand that they are mostly insulting each other, but my spanish isn´t that good yet to understand singing. And if it wasn´t obvious enough that I was the only gringa there, the cantadero gave me saludos while he was singing. He was the host dad of another volunteer and introduced himself. While he was singing he said "Saludos to Amy who came all the way from New York." Oh and did I mention that this is broadcast on the radio too? Que pena.

The next day we went to another fiesta with more bull riding, but this time it was way more dangerous. The bulls were a lot bigger and a lot angrier. Several guys got dangerously bucked off.  One of the guys who was like the rodeo clown got the wind knocked out of him and went to the hospital. Another guy was really drunk and got bucked off. He was on the ground not moving and no one got him out of the way. The bull came back around and messed up his face. Another trip to the hospital.  It makes me think of that country song Chicks Dig It. So dumb and dangerous, but the chicks dig it.

I'm back!

Sorry about last post folks! I was feeling kinda bummed...but as soon as I got back to site I was back in the groove! No worries its all good :) I got to go hang out with my Panamanian mom, Melania, and order was restored in my little world.

The poroto (red bean) harvest is in full swing and everyone is working to get everything out of the fields before it gets damaged. I helped the teacher carry food to the fields for her workers. And I helped my neighbor Mila get rid of all the dirt and dead leaves so they could sell them. I am waiting for my personal cut since their pig ate mine!

One of the G70 aspirantes, Kathleen, came to visit my site this weekend. It was nice to have someone at the house and to just hang out. It was cool because we had things going on for her to see! There was another little fiesta for the kids where they played games and got gifts. And we went to a baseball game is Chepo which Los Virotales won! Woot woot! I have apparently become the "madrina" to the team and I am going to be getting some type of shirt. I am not quite sure what kind of shirt this will be since they don't even have matching uniforms.

In  my happiness of being back, of course something had to go wrong. I got fairly ill Monday night from who knows what. And let me tell you, vomiting in a latrine is as horrible as it sounds. I felt awful and weak the next day, but by Wednesday I was almost all better. Gotta love Panama and its surprise illnesses! NOT.