Happy 2013 from the Promised Land! (I believe there was a bit of confusion but I wasn't just being witty, the literal translation of my town named Tierra Prometida is Promised Land). I hope everyone is enjoying a healthy and happy start to 2013. My apologies that these blogs have been so few and far between, but one of my new years resolutions (along with learning how to kill, pluck and cook a chicken, learning how to salomar which is a traditional panamanian bark like sound they make when they are highly intoxicated and learning how to dance) is to send out bi weekly or monthly blogs. Anyway, the start to 2013 has been pretty great thus far. I had a wonderful time catching up on sleep and Great Lakes Christmas Ales while in Cleveland for the holidays and am feeling rejuevinated for my second year in service. I think I truly knew I was back in panama the other day when I was walking back from my morning jog and a man asked me if he could "gift me" his young cousin. I at first thought that I had misheard him, but soon realized that he knew that I lived here and would be living here for another year and therefore wanted to know if I wanted his 7 year old nephew. He promised he wouldn't charge me and would fill out all the proper paper work. Obviously disgusted and rather taken aback by such a proposal I quickly responded that children are not just toys that one can give away and that he and the father of the child should be more responsible when it comes to bedroom activities if they don't believe they can support the consequences. He found this pretty hilarious and simply walked away laughing at how saddened I was by such a comment. Although, this encounter has not been a common one, when retelling the story to others in my community they responded that this is a fairly common occurance and unfortunately a reality here. While looking back on the situation I probably should have just told him that I eat cereal for breakfast and dinner because I don't like to cook and I still haven't mastered that innovative device that is a mop and he probably would have second guessed offering his nephew to a woman without these skills.

In other news, I recently moved out of the mansion because I felt as if I was literally living in a real life panamanian telenovela (you know, rich panama canal captain, jealous mistress/housekeeper, drunk old fix it man....all the expected Peace Corps Service characters) and decided that it was best to move into my own home. Luckily I was able to find a little house in the center of town with a flush toilet and electricity. Although it is directly infront of a small, yet booming pig farm (just yesterday 11 pigs were slaughtered and I was gifted about 4 pounds of pork), the sounds of piggies snoring has not yet bothered me. The move has also shown me just how loving and accepting my community has been, as they have scrounged about just about everything I have needed for my house (besides a bed, that was a personal buy to avoid becoming a lice carrier). Numerous neighbors have stopped by to make sure that i am comfortable and have even walked me to their homes to point out their bedroom windows so that I "know where to yell into in case I have an emergency" at night. Just the other night, after coming back from a rowdy night at the carnaval the next town over, my friend who was staying with me went into the bathroom, only to find a 5 ft. boa hanging from the shower head. Luckily, my neighbor was awake as well at 4 am because he was going to slaughter a pig (they always wake up at dawn to kill animals) and came running over with his machete to kill the snake. That evening as we dosed off to ZZ land we were lulled to sleep by the calming sounds of pigs being killed. Luckily, I have expected or already had experiences with such bizarre circumstances so am actually quite content in my new home. I've started clearing my side yard for a little garden and am also hoping to buy a chicken or two to have fresh eggs.

 I had to stop writing and go for a walk mid blog because the smoke from the trash my neighbors are currrently burning was making me a bit woozy.

Anyway, besides trying to focus on getting the house together I have also been trying to organize and motivate myself for projects. Since it's currently summer I have been enjoying an extremely laid back schedule. My main projects have been improving the iguanados ( we are coverting them into an iguana play pen fully equiped with trees to climb on and shrubbery to eat) and creating a community group that will focus on uniting the community through different activities and preserving the reserve. We are currently holding a meeting to protest the invasion of the reserve by about 20 people from another town. I will update in my next blog what comes of all of it.

I hope everyone has enjoyed January and I promise to write again soon.

Lots of love and sunshine,

Bridget