Valle y Veraguas: Chasing Waterfalls
By: Alliya, Camilla, Nathan, Mario, Stephanie, Kamiyah
These last couple days we found ourselves immersed in local culture and nature. We ventured off to Playa Secreta, where we swam in the warm water and played in the huge waves. From sunscreening to suntanning, we had a wonderful morning in the sun! After a nice dip in the sea, we made our way to a waterfall. We explored fresh water pools and enjoyed the beauty of the water while cooling off after a hot day in the sun.
The next day, we visited a local artist who taught us traditional weaving techniques using fiber from native plants in the area. Later, we learned from a local singer about traditional greetings and songs. We also learned how to make Patacones, a customary food in Panama. The following morning, we ventured to Finca Mamacita, which is a small farm owned by one of the host families. At the Finca, we milked a cow. After visiting Finca Mamacita, we headed to another host family who owns a small sugar cane farm. We learned how to create natural sugar cane juice and natural sugar cane syrup. While there, we took turns grinding the sugar cane to create the juice, which was very sweet and delicious. After visiting the local families, we worked at FUNDAT, our worksite. Some of the tasks included filling in holes with sand in the sanctuary and recycling unusable roofing tiles to create a walkway.
Today, we also visited the local school where we planted trees with the children, played soccer, and finally celebrated by breaking piñatas. Above all these past four days have been enlightening, refreshing, and immensely exciting!
Buscando Cascadas
En los últimos días, nos hemos encontrado sumergidos en la cultura y la naturaleza de nuestra comunidad anfitriona. Exploramos la Playa Secreta, en donde nadamos en el agua tibia y jugamos en las olas grandes. ¡Nos pusimos protector solar, nos bronceamos, y nos divertimos bajo el sol! Luego, caminamos a unas cascadas. Exploramos y disfrutamos la belleza del agua dulce mientras nos refrescamos del día caluroso.
El día siguiente, visitamos a una artista del barrio quien nos enseñó técnicas tradicionales de tejido usando las fibras de las plantas propias de la zona. Luego, aprendimos las típicas canciones y saludos del campo panameños. Fuimos a Finca Mamacita (una granja pequeña de una de las familias anfitrionas) donde ordeñamos a una vaca. Después de visitar Finca Mamacita, fuimos a una finca para la cultivación de caña. Tomamos turnos moliendo la caña para crear una miel muy dulce y deliciosa. Al final, trabajamos en FUNDAT, nuestro sitio de trabajo. Algunas de las tareas eran llenar agujeros con arena en el vivero y romper azulejos inservibles para crear un camino.
Hoy, también visitamos la escuela en la comunidad. Sembramos árboles con los niños, jugamos al fútbol, y finalmente celebramos con unas piñatas. Sobre todo, estos días han sido reveladores, refrescantes, y enormemente emocionantes.
