We have been blog-slow lately...sorry about that. I have had lots of fantastic ideas for blogs, but none have come to fruition, which certainly doesn't count!
You may notice that my writing is more clear, concise, powerful and nearly grammaticalitacally correcto-mundo. This is due to my intense studying and preparation for my February 8, 2014 GRE exam! Hahaha! As Lauren and I want to hit the ground running in the states, we have to plan waaaaaaay ahead. This task is difficult for two people who typically cannot decide what have for breakfast until lunchtime has arrived. I've got my super finely tuned laser dialed on some more mathematical graduate study along the Colorado Front Range somewhere. Seems like a step back to the old me? It kind of is, but I feel the decision is very much informed by my time here as well. My theory is if one has the capacity and opportunity to study and get paid for it, the crime of not doing so is a serious one. I have also become an even firmer believer in "do what you love, love what you do" and Lauren will roll her eyes, but I love math. The ideal is continued study on large wild fire, an issue that persists nationwide back home.
Lauren wants to delve more deeply into social work be it in study or a job of some sort. Denver University has an intriguing program that incorporates internship, international study and emphasize Latinos and social work. To top it off, bless their hearts, the admissions department offers a tuition waiver to returned (or soon to be returned) Peace Corps folks. Worth a shot? Heck yes. As the new year unfolds our options are expected to clarify and we can gradually eliminate speculation and decide where to land.
Even though our conversations are peppered with talk about the future and what is coming up next for each of us, we blatantly ignore the immensity of leaving a community we have grown to love so much. Mayhaps because there are still so many activities left in San Juanito.
While December was a little bit ho-hum and slow, we relished the down days reading in la hamaca because we are anticipating a full, full calendar at least through April. San Juanito's aqueduct improvement project is at t-minus 5ish and counting. Approved by the community, then Peace Corps and most recently funding agency Waterlines the $5K worth of project funds arrived in early January. We're gonna make tanks, we're gonna work on new water sources, we're gonna work on pressure issues in the existing system and it is going to be fun, fun, fun until her daddy takes the t-bird away! The Environmental Health group has asked us if they can hold a field training in San Juanito for a newer group of volunteers in mid-February, an exciting prospect for everybody. What better way to train than on a living breathing water project?
We are not so patiently awaiting visits from Ken and Gillian as well as Vince and Kate. Lauren and I talk about it every day. Having friends and family stop by in the campo is super special for us, not to mention we get to knock around Panamá and site see a bit.
Somehow we have let far too many vacation days accumulate, a problem we hope to solve in March by setting down them machetes for a bit, lacing up the hiking boots and heading down south to Patagonia. A mountaineer's paradise, Lauren has already got her camera packed as we plan to trek around Parque Nacional Torres del Paine in Chile and Parque Nacional Los Glaciares in Argentina. Stay tuned...
Lauren's schedule is full of gender and development board stuff. She has organizational responsibilities in both the youth leadership camp and the women's artisan seminar. Folks are really tapping into her expertise as women's health and empowerment coordinator. Her goal is to prepare and polish some resources on domestic violence and women's empowerment to leave behind for future generations of volunteers to use.
How could I forget? Watch out dogs and cats of San Juanito and the surrounding communities! Spay Panamá is comin to get your testicles and uteruses! After passing the veterinary inspection, the school has been approved as the primary site and the casa communal as the secondary site for a free vet clinic sometime in early February. In terms if sustainability, it has kind of been an odd project. I think the idea of sterilization is awfully new for the community and their juries are still out. Many are convinced their dogs will die after the procedure, some can't catch their pets to get a leash on them and bring them to the school and still others don't really understand the benefits. Hopefully, the first round of pet sterilization will demonstrate the health benefits for Fido and Fida and start the tradition and attitude of pet care. By spaying and neutering 50-100 animals their will be a respite of litters and a brief period of population control, which should help turn the bark-volume down, reduce strays and make human life better too!
On the touchy-feely side of life, I have had tingling and poor feeling in my ring and index finger of my right hand for a few months...okay almost all of 2013. Under ever-so gentle persuasion from my peers I finally went to get it checked out. Four round trips to the city later the doctor finally concluded nothing is wrong. They gave me a brace and told me to go easy on the machete...hehehe! It was good to get it on my record and make sure it wasn't anything serious. Otherwise, we are in great health. Sometimes we get tired, but to combat that we usually just go to sleep.
On the touchy-feely sentimental side of life, our friendships and connections in San Juanito get closer and more dynamic as time rolls. People open up to us more and act more normally in big groups when we are around. Not only is it nice not to be the elephant in the room for a while, we also feel honored to be accepted in this way and understand how unique our situation is. When else in life will we get to move to a random campo town and learn all there is to know about it? We often joke about how Peace Corps is ruining tourism for us personally because upon visiting new areas, especially new campos, we will wonder what lies beneath the surface. Do I see another round of Peace Corps in our future? Hmmmm...
But really...life is good. Real good. Maybe it's the big things, maybe it's the little things, but probably it's both. So if you haven't come visited us yet, grab your bags, leave your coat and GET HERE because this offer is running out!
Stay classy people,
Alex
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