Our Pursuit of Happiness



After being here for a year, I have really surprised myself with being happy and content with having even less things! (I am not rich and did not have much to begin with before coming to Panama..lol) I am genuinely happy and have learned a valuable lesson from my Pana-mom. What is it that is really important to you in your life?

These people here do not have much but there are some who are absolutely content with having the basics to live. After talking with some, they love how they live their life and would not want to change anything about it which is great. They find their happiness in having the option to spend more time with their families working together on their farm and depending on the harvest season, just spending time together in the river or making artisan crafts to sell when it is not harvest season. And while society tells us that we need money to survive, they do not make it their source for their happiness. Take for instance; my host family digs for gold most times, which is their main source of income. It is not just the husband that goes, but the wife and their five kids as well all hang out near the river all day. I have seen them a few times altogether at the river. The kids play in the water while the parents search for the gold pieces and later they have a little picnic together under the shaded trees on the sand, near a small water cascade. It is really cute to see them enjoy their time together. And actually, the husband says he could get a job in the city but would rather spend his time with his family as much as possible, that is why chooses a less than average job that allows him this freedom.

These moments really get you thinking and in Peace Corps, it has allowed me the opportunity to discover what is it that I value and even future career paths I would like to take that will make me happy. I know that I want to travel but as my time progresses here, I really enjoy hands-on development work and have grown to like different aspects of my job as a volunteer working in sustainable agriculture.

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