Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I have fallen out of the habit of being politically correct, since everyone here is Christian, but Happy Holidays, too. I will be thinking of you all on Christmas, as well as turkey, mashed potato, and pie.
Thanks to everyone who has sent me a letter or email or is reading my blog. The definite advantage of checking email and mail rarely is that there is always something worth reading!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Carolyn No Longer
On my first visit to my community way back in October, I was given the Ngabe name Belli (Beh-jee) by the community. At the meeting a bunch of people were debating intensely about 3 different names, and I had no idea what was going on since they were talking in Ngaberi, but somehow Belli was the winner. My full name is Belli Bagaibo, which is Belli from Lajero (nearest town). More specifically, I am also Belli Jakride, which is Belli from the Big Rock. My community has a huge rock. I introduce myself as Belli, and although people ask me what my other name is (Carolina), only my Ngabe name is used. The interesting part is that all of the other people mostly go by their Spanish names even though they all have Ngabe names too. I think the Ngabe names are only used by parents to their kids.
I like having a new name. It's easier for everyone to remember and pronounce. It's short and sweet. And it helps me stay in the mindset of where I am and what I'm doing.
I like having a new name. It's easier for everyone to remember and pronounce. It's short and sweet. And it helps me stay in the mindset of where I am and what I'm doing.
Six Weeks In
I spent the month of November with a great family that made my transition very easy. They wanted me to stay with them for more than a month; so badly, in fact, that they told me bad things about my future host family. I decided to switch host families for December anyways, and I definitely made the right choice. We will probably be building my house on my first host family's land.
It was strange leaving my first host family on December 1 because I felt like I should have been sad. When I left my host families in Japan, Turkey, and in Panama, I knew that I might not see them again. In this case though, I didn't stay sad for too long, because I walked back the 10 minutes the next day to retrieve my forgotten cell phone and soap.
The new host family is more of a family compound 6 small houses. My host mom is the grandmother. I stay in one of her son's houses which was vacant because he is working in Panama City. There is another son and his wife and 5 kids, and a daughter and her husband and 3 kids. Overall there are 8 kids under the age of 11, and 5 boys. The kids love to watch me while I eat, read, write, talk on the phone, brush my teeth and wash my face. One of the girls tells her grandma every time I throw a piece of food to the dog or the cat, which is a little unfortunate. However I really enjoy having all of the kids around to keep me entertained.
What is a normal day like for me? I wake up at 6:20, hang out with my host mom while she is cooking, and walk down the ravine to the spring to bathe by dumping water on myself while wearing a shirt and shorts. I usually wash the previous day's dirty clothes at the same time. Then I eat breakfast (plantain, yuca, or rice) and leave the house to go visit other houses. I walk to a house in the community (there are around 20), tell them I'm visiting, we talk, and they eventually give me coffee and food if it is already prepared. The visits usually last 2-3 hours. If I can handle more food, I go visit a 2nd household. On other days, I have visited the school, health center, church, or local politician. I usually get back to the house between 3 and 5 pm, play with the kids and try to help around the house, eat dinner at dusk (6 pm), and go to bed at 8pm. Then I read for a few hours. I have been enjoying getting back into reading as a hobby.
In general, life is not terribly exciting but it is rewarding. I am really only indoors while sleeping, and the weather is like New England summer when it's not raining. The people are completely gracious, and the children are absolutely charming. Oftentimes I am sent away from a house visit with some fresh produce from the family's land. The kids at my house have no toys and will play with their marbles for hours. House visits are worth it especially because women are a lot less shy inside their own houses.
This house visiting is part of "Project of Friendship" which is what we do for our first 3 months while staying with host families. It is supposed to be a time to get to know the community, and to let the community know me before jumping into work projects. After that, I will push forward with starting a water committee and sanitation committee to hopefully follow through with aqueduct and latrine projects. There is extreme need!
I apologize again for my sparse posting history these last few months, but really, I have been posting every time I have seen internet. It's been almost 3 weeks, and to be honest, every time I get on the internet now I dislike it more. I do enjoy thinking of posting subjects in site though and will continue with that. Emails are another story. I may reply in letter form!
It was strange leaving my first host family on December 1 because I felt like I should have been sad. When I left my host families in Japan, Turkey, and in Panama, I knew that I might not see them again. In this case though, I didn't stay sad for too long, because I walked back the 10 minutes the next day to retrieve my forgotten cell phone and soap.
The new host family is more of a family compound 6 small houses. My host mom is the grandmother. I stay in one of her son's houses which was vacant because he is working in Panama City. There is another son and his wife and 5 kids, and a daughter and her husband and 3 kids. Overall there are 8 kids under the age of 11, and 5 boys. The kids love to watch me while I eat, read, write, talk on the phone, brush my teeth and wash my face. One of the girls tells her grandma every time I throw a piece of food to the dog or the cat, which is a little unfortunate. However I really enjoy having all of the kids around to keep me entertained.
What is a normal day like for me? I wake up at 6:20, hang out with my host mom while she is cooking, and walk down the ravine to the spring to bathe by dumping water on myself while wearing a shirt and shorts. I usually wash the previous day's dirty clothes at the same time. Then I eat breakfast (plantain, yuca, or rice) and leave the house to go visit other houses. I walk to a house in the community (there are around 20), tell them I'm visiting, we talk, and they eventually give me coffee and food if it is already prepared. The visits usually last 2-3 hours. If I can handle more food, I go visit a 2nd household. On other days, I have visited the school, health center, church, or local politician. I usually get back to the house between 3 and 5 pm, play with the kids and try to help around the house, eat dinner at dusk (6 pm), and go to bed at 8pm. Then I read for a few hours. I have been enjoying getting back into reading as a hobby.
In general, life is not terribly exciting but it is rewarding. I am really only indoors while sleeping, and the weather is like New England summer when it's not raining. The people are completely gracious, and the children are absolutely charming. Oftentimes I am sent away from a house visit with some fresh produce from the family's land. The kids at my house have no toys and will play with their marbles for hours. House visits are worth it especially because women are a lot less shy inside their own houses.
This house visiting is part of "Project of Friendship" which is what we do for our first 3 months while staying with host families. It is supposed to be a time to get to know the community, and to let the community know me before jumping into work projects. After that, I will push forward with starting a water committee and sanitation committee to hopefully follow through with aqueduct and latrine projects. There is extreme need!
I apologize again for my sparse posting history these last few months, but really, I have been posting every time I have seen internet. It's been almost 3 weeks, and to be honest, every time I get on the internet now I dislike it more. I do enjoy thinking of posting subjects in site though and will continue with that. Emails are another story. I may reply in letter form!
Rice Harvest
Written Nov 28 in my notebook
Everything about life in my community revolves around agriculture, and I have been able to see the end of the rice cycle. This rice is called arroz nuevo (new rice) and is harvested when the husk is not completely dried out.
1) Plant/Sembrar- This is the only step I have yet to witness. Occurs in April or May and takes about 6 months to ripen.
2) Harvest/Cosechar- I hiked to a family member’s field in another community about an hour away for a morning of harvesting. Strap an acha (mini ax) to the palm of the dominant hand, and cut off the top part of the rice stalk that has the tiny rice grains hanging off. Gather in handfuls, fill sacks, and carry home.
3) Raspar/Scrape- Scrape the rice grains off the stalk with a hardened shell of a gourd. Collect the rice grains.
4) Tostar- Toast the grains in a huge pot over a fire, constantly stirring.
5) Pilar- Smack the toasted grains of rice until the husks fall off.
6) Soplar- a huge plate with rice grains so that the husks separate from the grains of rice. Save the husks for composting.
7) Quality control- Before cooking the rice, spread it out on a plate and pick out the remaining husks.
8) Enjoy- it’s a whole lot better than white rice! I definitely appreciate every tiny grain of rice more after realizing how much work is involved in the
production.
Everything about life in my community revolves around agriculture, and I have been able to see the end of the rice cycle. This rice is called arroz nuevo (new rice) and is harvested when the husk is not completely dried out.
1) Plant/Sembrar- This is the only step I have yet to witness. Occurs in April or May and takes about 6 months to ripen.
2) Harvest/Cosechar- I hiked to a family member’s field in another community about an hour away for a morning of harvesting. Strap an acha (mini ax) to the palm of the dominant hand, and cut off the top part of the rice stalk that has the tiny rice grains hanging off. Gather in handfuls, fill sacks, and carry home.
3) Raspar/Scrape- Scrape the rice grains off the stalk with a hardened shell of a gourd. Collect the rice grains.
4) Tostar- Toast the grains in a huge pot over a fire, constantly stirring.
5) Pilar- Smack the toasted grains of rice until the husks fall off.
6) Soplar- a huge plate with rice grains so that the husks separate from the grains of rice. Save the husks for composting.
7) Quality control- Before cooking the rice, spread it out on a plate and pick out the remaining husks.
8) Enjoy- it’s a whole lot better than white rice! I definitely appreciate every tiny grain of rice more after realizing how much work is involved in the
production.
Parrots are a Pain
Written Nov. 27 in my notebook (see, I am posting regularly!)
I was hanging out with my host family in the house when we heard a loud squawking noise from the hill above. All of the kids ran up to see what it was, and a green parrot had fallen out of a tree with a broken wing. My host sisters claimed it as a pet and brought the snappy, angry bird into the house on a stick.
The next day the 15 year old brother tamed the parrot by giving it oranges and petting it. The parrot was then left on a limb outside the house to enjoy the sunlight. We looked over later and it had escaped! After what seemed like hours searching for a green parrot in the green trees, my host mom spotted it about 30 feet high in a big fruit tree right near the house. As the tallest member of the family, I was given the honor of trying to knock it out of the tree with a long bamboo pole. The parrot just kept climbing higher though, so my host mom decided to chop down the tree with a machete. When the tree trashed down, we grabbed the parrot and brought it back inside.
I thought this was the end of the parrot hunt. For some reason though my host mom never tied up the parrot and it escaped for the next two days, again. We spent evenings searching for it in the trees. When I left for Thanksgiving, the parrot had been missing for more than a night and I figured it was gone for good (and wasn't too upset). When I returned from my getaway I found the parrot inside the house with a string around its foot so I guess it is being treated more like a pet now. I was not there to witness it, but Lola (it also was given a name and a gender when I was gone) would not come down from a tall tree, so my host mom sent a log of fire ants up the tree until the parrot was so bitten that it fell down!
Interesting fact: This wild parrot only eats the inside of oranges seeds and leaves the rest of the orange. What a picky eater.
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