Day 494

May 17, 2013

(Sorry for the delay. A lightning bolt hit the Internet tower, so we've been with out Internet for a bit)

Avocados are here!!!

All of the fruit trees in my yard have been behind schedule. The rainy season, which should have started over a month ago, has just started up a couple of days ago. I would say that we lucked out, that the breezy days of 'summer' lasted longer than we could have hoped for. But, on top of the late fruit season, the large lake near where I live has just about dried up. This lake was created several decades ago to as a hydroelectric plant that provide the electricity for the city and surrounding areas. No water, no electricity. They have canceled schools (even those that don't run on the lake's power) and closed government agencies. In some areas of the country, rivers have dried up leaving communities with limited water--I heard that lots of cows are dying of thirst and hunger from dried up fields.

Other than the water shortage in what should be a very wet country, things are going good down here! The library project is coming along. I got the money from the grant I applied for, so I will be heading with a couple of community members into the city to buy some supplies, books are on there way down, and I have received donations from all over the place. I just started giving library talks to the kids in the school. They've never seen a library, so I'm trying to get them ready for the library when it comes. The student government will be in charge of maintaining the library, making sure it has what it needs and managing the small library fund. They have already started selling banana bread to raise money to buy ink or paper, or whatever the library might need in the future.

The iguanas are still here. They have also been delayed. They should have hatched from their eggs now, but they are taking their time. I went one evening with a community member to check the eggs to see if we could see what was inside the eggs with a flashlight. Iguanas, like chickens, lay eggs whether or not they are fertilized, so we were starting to think that maybe we had some dud nests. Well, in the process, I broke one of the eggs. They are fertilized and coming along. Unfortunately, little Johnny had to die to let us know that there are iguanitas. I was/still am pretty crushed that I killed the baby iguana, but my community thinks that the gringa is acting crazy, again. They find it hilarious and bring it up daily saying that they're going to tell the EPA to fine me.

We made our first eco-stove in Loma Bonita. Traditionally, the people of Panama have cooked they're food outside on what they call 'three rock' stoves. They put three rocks close to eachother, stick a pot on top and build a fire underneath (duh). Well, most people in my community have gas stoves, but they still like to cook certain things outside over the fire--like us and our backyard grills. Well, the three rock stoves are not efficient. They use a lot of wood, which leads to lost time looking for wood and deforestation (a huge problem in Panama, this is why areas of the country are drying up). The stoves also lose heat and produce a lot of smoke, which has led to respiratory issues in some of the women and children who are always around the fires.  The new stoves we are making are much more efficient. They burn wood hotter, which speeds up the cooking process and created less need for fire wood. Also, since they burn hotter, there is less smoke, almost none. Plus they are just so stylish--this is actually why most families want them. They are also free. We make them out of mud bricks that we can make here in the community. 

I also want to say happy birthday to my mom, along with a happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there, my mom, Gaga, Rachel, and the list goes on. Also, congrats to the grads, Conner, Abby, John, Jason, Jerrod!!