Panama. The country, not the van halen song.

•Clothing is ridiculous here. Can I please buy some clothes that aren't skin tight and don't have rhinestones? Please?!

• I don't think panamanians use the bathroom. I seriously never see them use the bathroom. And this observation has been backed by other volunteers.

• They think my flashlights are amazing.

• I showed up to a meeting in my PC polo, a skirt, and black rubber boots. Yes as a matter of fact I am that cool.

• So you have read about how much I love rice. But I have recently come to the realization that at least rice is not weird.

• Oliver chases after cars after I can in...it's so sad to watch him running an barking. He also gets mad when I ride a horse.

•My current best friends are a 40 year old woman, a 15 year old boy, and my dog. And I'm ok with that.

• My birthday celebrations have been excellent so far. I was sung to on skype by 4 high school Spanish classes and my family. I ate good food in Chitre. And there is more to come this weekend!

• I finally got all my mail from during training! And am caught up on mail and packages in Chitre. Thanks so much for sending and I try to reply as best I can.

Here are some things I have been up to....

Here are some things I have been up to....

• I got what most Peace Corps volunteers fear. A gusano. What started as a bug bite, turned into home for a half inch worm with an ugly head. We removed it my suffocating it with tobacco and then squeezing it out. I guess its better to get the scary things out of the way first thing.

•On another creepy crawly note, I have seen 4 snakes, two of which were close encounters. One passed right infront of the horse I was riding. The other was right infront of me when I was walking and I only saw at the last minute. Dont worry, no bites.

• I have been bathing in a stream.

•Eating sugar cane is delicious.

•Everyone think that I should get married and stay in Panama.

•Discotecas are super fun but slightly creepy.

• People are never ever on time and often what they say they are going to do am what they actually do are two different things.

• I feel super cool when I walk around in my black rubber boots.

• Everyone is incredibly generous!

•People don't understand why I am not afraid to ride a horse or walk alone or live alone or play soccer with the boys.

• My dog is starting to listen better.

• I can hear howler monkeys at night.

• The whole world stops when it rains.

• Panamanians eat a lot.

• I hate opening my email and receiving a billion emails.

• They have this weird thing where hot and cold things cannot mix. Like you cannot have a cold drink with hot food. And you cant shower of you are hot. I have broken this rule with much difficulty.

•I have yet to completely figure out my cell phone. Partly due to my frustration that comes from the signal constantly cutting out.

• I have become addicted to coffee. If I don't have it in the morning I have an awesome headache midday. And I crave it sometimes too.

•Pretty much everything in some way can "hace dano" aka cause damage. This is also an excellent excuse for not eating things you don't like.

• It makes me feel really good when people say I speak a lot of Spanish. I think they are more surprised I can speak Spanish at all, but it's a confidence booster.

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Lot of leavin left to do

I have been thinking a lot about life. And really it there is a lot of leaving...graduations, moving, traveling, different friends. Each time we change something in our lives, it can be really sad. But I just realized that it a good thing to be sad about leaving. Because that means it was amazing and it enriched your life. If you were not sad about the change, to me that means it did not make a significant impact on your life. It is amazing how quickly people and places can make an impact on you. But what is truly important is recognizing that those experiences are now a part of you and helped you grow. And what is ahead is far greater than the past.

La Vida Campo

I think I figured out what stage of the `volunteer lifecycle` I am in...shock and awe. I am not unhappy. Just a lot of change happening at once. New community, new people, new language, new culture. But despite all this, the people are super warm and welcoming and I am pretty sure if I did no projects and just pasear-ed for two years they would still like me.

Here are a few notes on what I have been doing:
-I dropped my toothpaste down the latrine on the second day.
-I got an minor infection from a bug bite in my leg.
-I learned to make bollos.
-I walk. A lot.
-I pasear. A lot.
-I hang out at the school  while the moms cook and then the kids during recess.
-People always give me stuff. If I visit someones house I always come back with plantains, bannanas, or eggs. And people always buy me candies at the tienda.
-Kids are adorable.
-People are amazed that I am not afraid to ride a horse or walk alone or a variety of other things.
-It really rains here, and surprisingly gets cold.
-Chickens are hilarious. Everyone is always shooing them away and then the dogs chase them. Its the new tv.

My favorite thing I have done so far is play soccer with the boys. I dont really like soccer that much. But they invited me one day, more of  a lets see how she will react. And I played. I have enough atheltic abilty to play good enough and am not afraid to play with the boys. Its also a good way to get to know an awkard age group, boys mostly from 12-18 and then a few adults. I am the talk of the town. Woah she likes to play soccer, with the boys? I never really considered myself a feminist. But girls can certainly do the same things as boys, and hopefully a small thing like playing soccer with the boys every weekend can change a few minds.

I am a Volunteer.

Its official...and kinda scary. I am a sworn in, real deal volunteer now.

My community is super awesome! It is beautiful and the people are great. But I am not gonna lie... its hard. But in a good way. It is hard to be in a new community not knowing anyone, be a follow up volunteer, limited spanish skills, knowing what my role is and can be. I want so much to start and get going, but I must be patient and understand the community better. I have been pretty much just pasearing (aka awkwardly sitting) and visiting the school. The view, the kids, and Oliver (my dog) help me realize how lucky and amazing it is for me to be in Los Virotales. I feel like I have so much to say, but dont quite know how to express it yet.  So stay tuned.

New address... again

So I have my address for the next two years. So far I have only received one letter from the awesome Panamanian mail system. If you feel the need to write and it is not urgent please do! And maybe I will get your letter ;-)

Amy Stypa
Entrega General
Chitre, Herrera
Republica de Panama
Celular: 6553-2287

Advice

I need help with the following:

1. How to train a dog and what sort of shots and procedures are necessary.

2. Recipes with ingredients that will keep for awhile with out refrigeration.

Sent from my iPod