Megan Unbounded

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 tim...

For the past few months, I have had weekly English classes because the community has consistently asked me to do teach them. However, I have noticed a common mentality and attitude among them and really, most of the people in my community that is one of the biggest challenges here. That is, many believe that they cannot do anything to change their situation, are completely helpless, and will always be poor.  I understand it is actually an issue for any person that faces poverty in the world and is difficult to overcome this type of mental block. Though I have had more opportunities in my life than most here in my community, I can relate to those who feel like they are helpless.  When I was younger, there were times when my family struggled and I was told “no,” many times,  by my parents because we did not have money. After awhile and so many "no's," I remember feeling as if there were things in life that were not meant for me because my family does not have mon...

This past week, while walking around in the community, I meet some people from the Embera indigenous community, which is about 2 hours hike or an hour boat ride from where I live. They too had a Peace Corps volunteer a few years ago and knew of the volunteers before me that worked in my site as well. However, I am the first biracial volunteer they have met. At first they said that I cannot be from the United States because my skin color is not like the previous volunteers and my hair is not blonde or my eyes are not blue. They were convinced that I am actually from Panama, a Colon native since many of the Panamanians near Colon are an Afro-Caribbean decent mixed with the various races here in Panama. I understood that due to their experiences with the previous volunteers, who were mainly Caucasian, I felt excited to explain to them that the USA is not a homogeneous country, but a mix of people from countries all around the world. Also, I explained that it is basically the same here...

Over this past month, I got to see the beautiful mountains that separate my community from an Embera site that is about 1.5 to 2 hour hike away while going with one of my counterparts to plant plantains in his finca .  In one of the pictures, there is a bee on the side of the horse. But it is not just a normal kind of bee but one that sucks the blood from animals and I had one on my knee! Coincidentally, the day after the U.S. Supreme court made gay marriage legal in our country, Panama had their Gay Pride Parade the following day. Peace Corps volunteers and the U.S. Embassy teamed up to provide support in the parade. Also, I had a little barbecue with my community members to share a little bit about the U.S. independence day while eating delicious food. While they did have some BBQ pork and some other traditional foods for the 4th of July, I did have some vegan garbanzo bean and sweet potato burgers for people to try if they wanted! It was simple and fun ...

Whoa! So I remember before leaving to Panama that I did not want to go back home to visit and finish my two years without a break. But I went home and I think it is good to go back! It was great to share with my friends and family better about my experience, but one-on-one. Also, it gave me more motivation and excitement to finish the year that I have left to complete. And I showed my neighbors how to make pinatas! Whenever they have a fiesta in the community, they always use pinatas but they never knew how to make them. I told them I remember learning how to make these in elementary school as an arts and crafts project and now instead of buying them, they can make one at home! And I made delicious curry soup with ingredients from my garden! My neighbors really enjoy it when I show them new recipes they can use with the ingredients they have available to them, like coconuts, spinach, garlic, ginger, turmeric, tomatoes, and onion. Also, adding some zapallo, a squash, i...

At the end of March, I partnered with a few volunteers in my group to give baking and business sessions in the Darien with the Embera indigenous group. They are very fun and friendly people! In this part of Panama bordering Colombia, they wear skirts of colorful designs and for some women, that is all they wear! They either are topless (which is their traditional dress), wear a bra like top, or just a shirt with the skirts. Also, it is their tradition to be painted with blue/black designs all over their body and face from a fruit called,  jagwa  ( pronounced hag-wah), which lasts for about a week. They create intricate designs and around the neck and chest is a painted necklace, which is beautiful artwork to see when you are not wearing a shirt. I got the traditional design of their community, which is of their river. Usually they would wear designs that symbolize their community but now, they just create nature or creative drawings for fun. Supposedly it helps to protect...

I had my community analysis meeting last week to decide which projects I will work on with them for the next year and a half. As a secondary project, they all are excited to work on starting home gardens so we began with clearing land and building a semillero  for one lady in the community. For my birthday I went on a hike with a group of volunteers to the Kuna Gala! It took us about two days and I cannot believe we hiked over this mountain! They are another indigenous tribe in Panama that have struggled to maintain autonomy from the Panamanian government. The women wear shirts of intricately designed patterns and the skirts are a piece of cloth with colorful prints wrapped tightly around their waist. Here is our guide! He brought his kids with so they could learn the trails as well because even though at times we could not see the path, the Panamanians that live in the rural areas know where they are going by heart! I guess this is how they learn their ...