Notes From Below

Good morning from the tropics! Right now (that is, as of this writing), Amanda and I are in Panama City, the land of $20k starter homes, for a few days to have lunch with some new married couples from the incoming training group. As we were invited to this event by the Peace Corps, that means that not only do we have an advanced opportunity to talk "couple talk" with people who are likely as scared and confused as we were during training, but also that it is all paid for by the Peace Corps, which is always nice. Of course, while we're here, we plan on helping ourselves to some of what Panama City has to offer, namely; inexpensive yet exciting restaurants, a possible jazz club or two, and cappuchinos, none of the above which are available in the hinterlands whence we came.

In addition to the aformentioned good news, it has been quite an exciting few weeks for us. With our community's motivated assistance, we have completed eleven latrine floors for eleven different beneficiary families. As many of you may already know, we have not yet met our requested project fund, but are blessed to have come across enough donated and borrowed materials to get a good head start on the project for when the money finally materializes. Luckily, this project could never have too much money involved (well, I suppose there IS a limit somewhere), as virtually nobody in our area has a latrine, and we could probably go on building and building these much-needed devices without exhausting their need over the next one-and-a-half-years (that's right!!). Once again, if you feel like your wallet is just gettin' you down, you can throw some of that extra weight our way, and help us fund this much-needed community priority. To read a bit more about it and/or to donate, go here: https://www.peacecorps.gov/resources/donors/contribute/projdetail.cfm?projdesc=525-068&.

Another exciting advancement began a few weeks ago when, acting on Amanda's desire to help the community bring one of the first reliably functional libraries to the our area of the country, we met with our local school director and Panama's Ministry of Education bureaucrats to get the ball rolling. All involved, including the local teachers and community organizations, were extremely excited at the prospect, despite a preliminary estimate for its hefty price tag (possibly upwards of $10k, but we'll see). If all goes well, this library would really be the first within a four-hour walk and we're hoping to stock it not only with books about the world at large (most of the locals here, and even a few inept grade-school teachers, can't even locate Panama on the world map. Panama?!) but also with some resources out there to help undergird many community members' wish for a local Ngäbere language learning center. While it seems like this particular language is slowly being evaporated within the battles inherent to assimilation, there still exists so much value from its continued use, not to mention the pride that many Ngöbe feel when hearing their preferred tongue used in place of the Spanish that seems to be unrelentingly erasing their indigenous history like chalkboard eraser, eventually leaving no trace they ever existed save for a faint ghost of what was once there. Anyway the plans sound great, Amanda and I are excited, and if anyone knows of organizations or people that are looking to donate to projects such as this, please let us know.

The final and possibly most exciting news for us is that Lauren (my sister to those who don't know) has, after much delay, finally bought her ticket to come out and visit us at the end of June! She'll be here for a week, from June 30th to July 8th, and we have a great itinerary planned out, including a few nights in a rustic, candlelight-lit cabin, perched on a remote mountain ridge in the interior of a sweltering tropical stew. Other than this visit to where we live, we'll be going on a well-rounded canal tour, visiting one of the world's highest quality coffee-regions, and jumping into a waterfall or two. But to be honest, even if we just stayed in a hotel all week (hey, we're game!), we would be equally as thrilled just to see her down here. Here's to 35 more days to go and counting...

Other than all this, Amanda and I chug along, getting to know one another better and better each day. As inspired by another Panama Peace Corps couple, we're determined that if we get anything out of this experience (which we already have), the most important thing we could come away with will be a better developed sense of who we are in relation to God and each other. All of this time together has given us more "real time" together than probably many couples experience in a lifetime, and I know that the extra hours (although not always mutually comfortable) are paying off big-time in how deeply and completely we are learning who one another is/are (whichever is correct). I can't express how blessed we are to be doing this together, and the relationship "glue" that we are earning will undoubtedly last a lifetime. Of course, there is always the (somewhat) remote possibility that we'll go crazy and kill one another first, but that would be kind of romantic too huh? (just kidding by the way, for the more alarmist among us)

Until next time, I'll be continuing to study for the LSAT (law school admissions test), for which I plan on flying home for a week at the end of September, and Amanda will continue to cultivate and clean the new farm plot that has become her pastime in recent weeks (necessarily so, as weeds in the tropics take over within hours of clearing them due to the massive amounts of rain we receive). Take care and God Bless.