It’s May….rainy season thought about feeding the cracking soils and subduing the moondust that covers the roads. But it may have been some sort of trick. May 3 was election day and the Panamanians voted for change. I think that they actually do that every time they vote (every 5 years). The parties switch back and forth every voting cycle. The people have a somewhat pessimistic undertone in their voices when they say they are really happy about the change in the political party. From the stories we hear and the poverty we see, really change is a fantasy. However, it doesn’t jade their hope and our communities showed up in numbers that make the Americans look disinterested. Along the lines of obsessively buying lottery tickets the people keep at the political system in hopes of something new. Oh yeah…rainy season….we had our first rain on election day, after 5 months, 2 days of that and we are back to dry. The line of oral history says that we are guaranteed rain with the change of the moon. I think that is the 24th.



If I had written this blog two weeks ago I would have had contrary news to report, but this week things are going great. I started teaching in the elementary school 2 weeks ago. They are called “English classes” but really this can mean anything. So, I am going to take advantage of that slot and do some self esteem building, conservation stuff and maybe some ag. Really the kids are what really make the difference, not only in the selfish part by rewarded my work, but they have started thinking a little different from all their time with us and maybe that is really the only way to make a difference. We were pretty excited a girl that we took to a youth conference, a boy that spends some afternoons reading at our house and our community guide’s son all decided to go back to school after dropping out over a year ago (after 6th grade). Really, that is still a struggle and two of them are already lagging on attendance. We might be called pest as Isaac and I attempt to encourage the kids and more so their parents to push the kids. We will see.



Tamborito is a form of Panamanian music with 3 drums, singers that call and respond, and a small dance troupe. I did some drum revival with deer skin and a friend and I am learning the drum beats. I love it. I hope that our Wednesday night dance parties continue and the plan is to teach some kids from the primary school. Either way we are having a good time. Yo sembre la hierbabuena donde la agua no corria.

We had a mama dog try to have her babies under our bed in the house the other week. See snicked her way into the house when I wasn't looking and scared my to death when I heard something thumping around under the bed. I was sure that it was the witch everyone is so worried about all the time. MY discovered cookie (we did not name her) and relocated her to the empty side of our worm bin where she had her two puppies, Bamboo and Teka (we did name them).