So today is Saturday, and I finished up my classes yesterday. Before heading back to Panama city in the AM and then back to the US on Monday, I thought I would write a few LIKES and DISLIKES I have noticed in the last month. Over all, my experience with the people, culture, etc. has been overwhelmingly positive. BUT, I do want to be honest about my observations.
I think I´ll start with the GOOD.
1. Tthe people here are really great. They are relatively simple (that is NOT a reference to mental capacity) and very warm. Other than the little mix-up with the first host family, I have had nothing but positive interactions with the Panamanians, and their hospitality has been GREAT!
2. Another thing I have appreciated is the simplicity of life in Central America. I know I just used the same word to describe the people (simple), but every time I come to this part of the world, I am struck by this fact. It´s not that they don´t have wants, desires, etc. It´s just that these desires seem to be on a much lower level than I find in our American society. For example, it´s OK to...........have a small house, ride the bus, live WITHOUT ïn-home¨high-speed internet-satellite TV-video game system, live without large amounts of money in the bank, and to live without an insatiable desire to have and consume MORE. There tends to be an understanding that one CAN experience joy and happiness outside the realm of material wealth. Man that´s refreshing!
3. I LOVE the fact that I can eat ANY meal for 1-2 dollars!
4. I´ve really enjoyed being able to focus on learning for the last month. In other words, while being here, I haven´t had to worry about anything other than learning the language and enjoying life in Boquete. It´s nice to simplify my own life that way, and I suppose that´s what vacation is really all about.
5. Other than the COST of the food, I also really LIKE the food. I seem to have an eternal reservoir for rice and beans.
6. Cold showers. OK so this one will make both lists. BUT, after two weeks of extremely cold showers, I think I´m adjusting. Don´t get me wrong......I´m not ready to throw out my water heater upon returning home, but I AM starting to find them relatively refreshing.
So, overall I have enjoyed the people, the food, the society, the way of life, and my laid back lifestyle. BUT, I want to also be honest about a few things in the NEGATIVE column that I have noticed.
1. Being a dog owner who considers his four legged friend a menber of the family, it´s always difficult for me to appreciate the attitude towards dogs in Central America. For the most part, they simply roam the street, fend for themselves, and try not to get hit by traffic. They look horrible (skin and bones) and sad as they are a forgotten disregarded part of society. Nobody cares.
2. The indegenous population that lives in the surrounding hills has an interesting and fascinating culture. BUT, I have a hard time with one aspect of their society. On the weekends, after drinking heavily in the local bars, the men stage weekly fist-fights to settle their differences, decide who get´s a particular woman, etc. Apparently they are generally friends following these beatings, but I don´t want to see bloody people walking the streets. Besides, haven´t we moved beyond this primal approach to settling our differences? NOT a fan.
3. Speaking of men and their culture, I also have a hard time with the way the men of these Latin American countries seem to treat and view women. Of course, this is a generalization, but as women walk down the streets (especially the blond girls from the states) the men whistle, gawk, cat call, comment, etc. I don´t mean that women get this treatment solely upon wandering by the local construction sight, I mean CONSTANTLY......ERERYWHERE! Ít´s very normal and seemingly accepted aspect of society. In fact, I´ve witnessed this phenomenon with girls as young as 10-12 years of age, so apparently it starts pretty young.
Along with this, there seems to be a high level of infidelity and abuse on the part of the men. Although it is changing, this also seems to be pretty normal and accepted thing.
I find this aspect of society not only unhealthy, but degrading and disrespectful. If you ask me, these (all) women deserve better.
4. Hubilados-Retirados. These are the terms for retired people. Remember my brush with this culture? Someone pointed out to me that I seemed a bit hard on these people. Sorry about that. It certainly wasn´t my intention. I was simply trying to make light of my experience and I had NOTHING against these folks......at the concert that is.
I DO however have a problem with this culture around Boquete. Again, I´m making a generalization, but I really AM disturbed by what I have witnessed from this community. For the most part, although these people say that they want to live in Panama, I believe they really just want to live in the US while living in Panama. I could easily write a book on this topic, so I´ll try to keep this short. I don´t like the way this community builds large US ïslands¨ behind even larger walls of stone. I hate the attitude of ¨the Panamian people are NOT our equals and our friends, they are our employees¨. It bothers me when people want to live in this part of the world without making ANY effort to learn the language. It bothers me even MORE when they not only expect the Panamians to learn English, but become very frustrated when they fail to do so. It bothers me when they expect the Panamanian culture to conform and cater to THEM solely. I´ve witnesses MANY examples of this but for the sake of time, I´ll end this little rant. Except to say this.......of all the local people I´ve asked, they seem to agree with me.
So, those are just a few likes and dislikes I´ve noticed over the last month. Like I said, I´ve really enjoyed my time here and would certainly enjoy a return visit in the future. We´ll see how it goes.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Sunday, May 13, 2007
If the Mountain won´t come to Jason, Jason must go to the mountain
It´s Sunday afternoon here in Boquete. It rains every afternoon (for MOST of the afternoon), so it´s a good time to be hanging out at the internet cafe.
If the mountain won´t come to Jason, Jason must go to the mountain........That was my motto yesterday as I climbed to the highest point in Panama. It´s a volcano (dormant, of course) called Volcan Baru, and is located about 30 minutes away by car. After waiting an hour for my new friend Carlos (man....that guy is ALWAYS late), we headed out from Boquete at 1000. The mountain is over 12000 feet, and I think our starting elevation was at around 8000. The ¨trail¨was actually a road (I use that term lightly) that snaked all the way up the volcano for 8 or 9 miles. After about 4 hours of hiking, I finally arrived at the summit. It was nice to arrive at the summit but a bit disappointing to find the entire top of the mountain covered with monstrous radio towers, antennas, and support buildings. The other disappointment was that every rock, building, and wall in sight was spray-painted with names, messages, etc. Even the cross on the actual summit was covered in spray paint. Why is this necessary?
On a clear day, one can apparently see both the Atlantic AND Pacific oceans from the summit. Due to the clouds and fog, I could see about 25 feet. But Hey, at least it covered the antennas!
As we began our descent the rain began. In fact, it POURED for the entire hike down, so we were pretty well soaked at the bottom. After calling a taxi to come pick us up, heading back to town, taking a super cold shower, and eating dinner, I was pretty much ready to call it a night.
All in all though, it was a great hike, and I enjoyed getting out for a bit of exercise. Also, it was certainly on my ¨to do¨ list for Panama.......a great way to spend the Saturday.
After sleeping IN this AM, eating a late breakfast, reading, writing, being force-fed an early lunch, and visiting my new friends from Israel, I made my way to a Sunday afternoon concert. I ¨thought¨the concert was going to be given by some local local Panamanian musicians, and I was excited to experience a bit of the local culture. I was SORELY mistaken.
I don´t know if I have mentioned it before, but Boquete is home to a very large population of American ¨retirados¨.......retired people. Other than running into them occasionally at the internet cafes as they complain loudly about the world of email and computers (i.e. the magic box), I don´t see them much. They generally live in surrounding gated communities, and as far as I can tell, speak NO Spanish. As I have written frequently, I have really enjoyed my immersion into Panamian culture. Today though, I found myself immersed DEEPLY into an entirely different culture, a culture that I did NOT find so enjoyable.
The concert started with a local ¨chorus¨ (not a choir....I was corrected by one of the members when I referred to his chorus as a choir), made up mostly of individuals in their 70´s and 80´s. They actually weren´t horrible singers, but I thought for sure a few of them were going down at any minute. In fact, I found myself scanning the room feverishly for any type of medical equipment I would, without a doubt, need in the VERY near future. Anyway, they alternated performances with a local choir of indigenous people singing Christian songs (pretty sure these guys were ALL ¨extras¨ from the Night of the Living Dead), a mens quartet (local guys with really nice clothes, perfect hair, and REALLY white teeth.....I just kept thinking ¨Lucy, yu got sum splainin to do!¨), and the ¨chorus¨ director doing his own solos. I hung in there as long as I could, but when the director described his upcoming rendition of Neil Diamond´s ¨Heart Light¨ (cirque 1982) as something ¨crisp¨and ¨fresh¨, I knew it was time to bolt for the door. I got out just in time.
So, it has been a pretty nice weekend here in Boquete thus far. Tonight I plan to study a bit, EAT (of course), do a bit of reading, and enjoy the rain. It´s hard to believe that only one week remains.
Once again, all is well in Boquete.
If the mountain won´t come to Jason, Jason must go to the mountain........That was my motto yesterday as I climbed to the highest point in Panama. It´s a volcano (dormant, of course) called Volcan Baru, and is located about 30 minutes away by car. After waiting an hour for my new friend Carlos (man....that guy is ALWAYS late), we headed out from Boquete at 1000. The mountain is over 12000 feet, and I think our starting elevation was at around 8000. The ¨trail¨was actually a road (I use that term lightly) that snaked all the way up the volcano for 8 or 9 miles. After about 4 hours of hiking, I finally arrived at the summit. It was nice to arrive at the summit but a bit disappointing to find the entire top of the mountain covered with monstrous radio towers, antennas, and support buildings. The other disappointment was that every rock, building, and wall in sight was spray-painted with names, messages, etc. Even the cross on the actual summit was covered in spray paint. Why is this necessary?
On a clear day, one can apparently see both the Atlantic AND Pacific oceans from the summit. Due to the clouds and fog, I could see about 25 feet. But Hey, at least it covered the antennas!
As we began our descent the rain began. In fact, it POURED for the entire hike down, so we were pretty well soaked at the bottom. After calling a taxi to come pick us up, heading back to town, taking a super cold shower, and eating dinner, I was pretty much ready to call it a night.
All in all though, it was a great hike, and I enjoyed getting out for a bit of exercise. Also, it was certainly on my ¨to do¨ list for Panama.......a great way to spend the Saturday.
After sleeping IN this AM, eating a late breakfast, reading, writing, being force-fed an early lunch, and visiting my new friends from Israel, I made my way to a Sunday afternoon concert. I ¨thought¨the concert was going to be given by some local local Panamanian musicians, and I was excited to experience a bit of the local culture. I was SORELY mistaken.
I don´t know if I have mentioned it before, but Boquete is home to a very large population of American ¨retirados¨.......retired people. Other than running into them occasionally at the internet cafes as they complain loudly about the world of email and computers (i.e. the magic box), I don´t see them much. They generally live in surrounding gated communities, and as far as I can tell, speak NO Spanish. As I have written frequently, I have really enjoyed my immersion into Panamian culture. Today though, I found myself immersed DEEPLY into an entirely different culture, a culture that I did NOT find so enjoyable.
The concert started with a local ¨chorus¨ (not a choir....I was corrected by one of the members when I referred to his chorus as a choir), made up mostly of individuals in their 70´s and 80´s. They actually weren´t horrible singers, but I thought for sure a few of them were going down at any minute. In fact, I found myself scanning the room feverishly for any type of medical equipment I would, without a doubt, need in the VERY near future. Anyway, they alternated performances with a local choir of indigenous people singing Christian songs (pretty sure these guys were ALL ¨extras¨ from the Night of the Living Dead), a mens quartet (local guys with really nice clothes, perfect hair, and REALLY white teeth.....I just kept thinking ¨Lucy, yu got sum splainin to do!¨), and the ¨chorus¨ director doing his own solos. I hung in there as long as I could, but when the director described his upcoming rendition of Neil Diamond´s ¨Heart Light¨ (cirque 1982) as something ¨crisp¨and ¨fresh¨, I knew it was time to bolt for the door. I got out just in time.
So, it has been a pretty nice weekend here in Boquete thus far. Tonight I plan to study a bit, EAT (of course), do a bit of reading, and enjoy the rain. It´s hard to believe that only one week remains.
Once again, all is well in Boquete.
Check it out
I posted a new entry titled Ïntellectual Setback¨, but for some reason, it posted three entries below. Check it out.
Monday, May 7, 2007
A New Beginning
Well, today was moving day for me, and I now live about two blocks away from Casa #1. The actual move went pretty smoothly. After my classes this afternoon, I headed back to the house with Julio (other school administrator), packed up my things, turned in the keys, and headed down the street. Although the father was relatively nice to me this AM, he didn´t seem terribly enthusiastic when I returned the keys. I told him again how sorry I was about the way things had turned out, how I thought the whole situation was an unfortunate misunderstanding, and how much I appreciated all that they had done for me. He was seemingly uninterested in hearing all of that, but reluctantly shook my hand when I offered the gesture.
BUT, that is all in the past now, and there is already a new beginning.
Overall, I think the new place is going to be great. It´s a very simple house with four family members. The mother looks to be around 50 and spends ALL of her time in the kitchen. In fact, she actually runs a little restaurant out of the kitchen.....seriously! The front door remains open and people just walk in off the street to get a plate of food. Some of them eat right there in the kitchen, while some take their oders to-go. This afternoon one guy came in after work, and later this evening, a handful of people (including 4 police officers) stopped by for dinner. The going rate is $1.50 per plate, and you can even call ahead if you would like. While she is cooking, she likes to talk (which is great for my Spanish) and sing. AND, if my first impression is correct, she is clearly ruling the roost from her perch in the kitchen.
She has a husband that looks considerably younger (I thought it was either her son or her daughters husband). Apparently, he works construction, and although he was nice enough when I introduced myself, he spent the rest of the evening in his room. So, I don´t know much about him.
There is a daughter in her early 30´s, who is also very friendly. She lives there with her son, and I believe the son is about 10. I met him briefly this afternoon, but I have no idea where he spent the evening.
The house itself is, like I said, very simple but comfortable. I say comfortable because the people make it that way. It´s nowhere NEAR as clean as the first place (or as nice) but seems to be a VERY warm environment (very warm, excluding the shower......WOW that was cold!!!!!). The mother-daughter duo are extremely friendly and I was able to talk with them all afternoon-evening. Again......great for my Spanish education! I even talked with them about my moving situation, and although they DO know the other family, they were REALLY supportive and understanding.
As of now, the only foreseen problem is that I will most likely gain a temendous amount of weight in the next two weeks. She has been feeding since I walked in the door!
So tonight, all is well here in Boquete, and I´m feeling great about my new living situation.
Ahora, toda esta bien.
BUT, that is all in the past now, and there is already a new beginning.
Overall, I think the new place is going to be great. It´s a very simple house with four family members. The mother looks to be around 50 and spends ALL of her time in the kitchen. In fact, she actually runs a little restaurant out of the kitchen.....seriously! The front door remains open and people just walk in off the street to get a plate of food. Some of them eat right there in the kitchen, while some take their oders to-go. This afternoon one guy came in after work, and later this evening, a handful of people (including 4 police officers) stopped by for dinner. The going rate is $1.50 per plate, and you can even call ahead if you would like. While she is cooking, she likes to talk (which is great for my Spanish) and sing. AND, if my first impression is correct, she is clearly ruling the roost from her perch in the kitchen.
She has a husband that looks considerably younger (I thought it was either her son or her daughters husband). Apparently, he works construction, and although he was nice enough when I introduced myself, he spent the rest of the evening in his room. So, I don´t know much about him.
There is a daughter in her early 30´s, who is also very friendly. She lives there with her son, and I believe the son is about 10. I met him briefly this afternoon, but I have no idea where he spent the evening.
The house itself is, like I said, very simple but comfortable. I say comfortable because the people make it that way. It´s nowhere NEAR as clean as the first place (or as nice) but seems to be a VERY warm environment (very warm, excluding the shower......WOW that was cold!!!!!). The mother-daughter duo are extremely friendly and I was able to talk with them all afternoon-evening. Again......great for my Spanish education! I even talked with them about my moving situation, and although they DO know the other family, they were REALLY supportive and understanding.
As of now, the only foreseen problem is that I will most likely gain a temendous amount of weight in the next two weeks. She has been feeding since I walked in the door!
So tonight, all is well here in Boquete, and I´m feeling great about my new living situation.
Ahora, toda esta bien.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
The comedy becomes a tragedy
The Players.....
1. Carlos......administrator from the Spanish school
2. Father
3. Mother
4. Kid
5. Jason....the villain
So in my last entry, I wrote about the idiosyncricies with my new ¨family¨ in addition to a few humerous anecdotes that had taken place. Well, this week was a little wierd, and as the week went on, I found myself feeling increasingly alienated at the house. By the end of the week, I noticed that I was not only eating alone, but that I was being avoided COMPLETELY. If I was at home, the rest of the family simply went into the other bedroom and closed-locked the door. If I asked why I was eating alone again (was no one else hungry?), there was always some wierd excuse as to why they were not hungry. Of course I had to question why they would eat in the room (behind closed doors) AS SOON AS I HAD CLEARED THE AREA. In the event that someone had to actually enter the same room as their houseguest (me), they went to great lengths to avoid eye contact and conversation. HMMMMM......something was certainly not right.
Well, last night I simply had to find out what was going on. When I cornered the father and pressed him for answers, he finally told me what was happening. Here´s a brief summary.
Scene 1.......Remember the humerous (at least I thought they were humerous) anecdotes I shared involving food and exhibitionism? Well, I had also mentioned them to my new friend Carlos from the school. When I mentioned them to him, I was coming from the standpoing of ¨hey, let me tell you something funny that happened¨. I was also coming from the standpoint of ¨these were mistakes that I made¨ as I was adjusting to some cultural differences. No more.
Scene 2.....Carlos calls the house and talks to the kid. I don´t know exactly what he said, but apparently he wasn´t particularly friendly.
Scene3......Kid cries and tells mom and dad about the phone call.....dad calls Carlos and they arrange a meeting. Now, at this point mom is VERY protective of her son and upset at both Carlos (for confronting the kid) and ME (for supposedly talking badly about her son.
Scene4......Dad has meeting with Carlos in which they talk about all of the above. In addition, Carlos apparently tells them that I am very unhappy with them and with living in their home.
Scene 5....the ANGER scene.....OK, now they are ALL upset and have taken VERY personally the fact that I ¨do not like them and am unhappy in their house¨. They agree that they will fulfill their obligation by providing 2 meals per day in addition to a bed. BUT, they decide that they are NOT obligated to talk to me, be nice to me, or even look at me. In fact, they actually instruct the kid to NOT talk to me at any time. In the meantime, the school will be looking for a new place for me to live.
Scene 6...The confrontation. So last night I finally get all of this information from the father. I had absolutely NO idea that any of this was going on last week, and other than my casual comment to Carlos in scene 1, I was uninvolved. So we talked for a long time, and I told him repeately how much I enjoyed and respected them as a family, how I enjoyed being there, how I appreciated all that they had done for me, etc. etc. etc. He didn´t seem to be interested in much of that. He just kept shaking his head, talking about how wonderful the other students had been (the two they had hosted before), and, in contrast saying Ï don´t know what happened with YOU.....Ï don´t know what´s wrong with YOU¨. In fact, he also repeatedly stated how they would NEVER EVER EVER host another student.
So, that´s pretty much how things went down. Again, without saying anything to me, the school has been working on a new place for me to live. I´ll have to talk to them tomorrow, but it sounds like I may be moving as early as tomorrow.
I´m really sorry about the whole thing and wish I could do something to make things right. I´m also feeling like I was completey misrepresented and am now being villainized.
Oh well, maybe it will all work out better in the end, but I have to say that the local hotel is looking pretty good at the moment.
I´ll keep you posted.
1. Carlos......administrator from the Spanish school
2. Father
3. Mother
4. Kid
5. Jason....the villain
So in my last entry, I wrote about the idiosyncricies with my new ¨family¨ in addition to a few humerous anecdotes that had taken place. Well, this week was a little wierd, and as the week went on, I found myself feeling increasingly alienated at the house. By the end of the week, I noticed that I was not only eating alone, but that I was being avoided COMPLETELY. If I was at home, the rest of the family simply went into the other bedroom and closed-locked the door. If I asked why I was eating alone again (was no one else hungry?), there was always some wierd excuse as to why they were not hungry. Of course I had to question why they would eat in the room (behind closed doors) AS SOON AS I HAD CLEARED THE AREA. In the event that someone had to actually enter the same room as their houseguest (me), they went to great lengths to avoid eye contact and conversation. HMMMMM......something was certainly not right.
Well, last night I simply had to find out what was going on. When I cornered the father and pressed him for answers, he finally told me what was happening. Here´s a brief summary.
Scene 1.......Remember the humerous (at least I thought they were humerous) anecdotes I shared involving food and exhibitionism? Well, I had also mentioned them to my new friend Carlos from the school. When I mentioned them to him, I was coming from the standpoing of ¨hey, let me tell you something funny that happened¨. I was also coming from the standpoint of ¨these were mistakes that I made¨ as I was adjusting to some cultural differences. No more.
Scene 2.....Carlos calls the house and talks to the kid. I don´t know exactly what he said, but apparently he wasn´t particularly friendly.
Scene3......Kid cries and tells mom and dad about the phone call.....dad calls Carlos and they arrange a meeting. Now, at this point mom is VERY protective of her son and upset at both Carlos (for confronting the kid) and ME (for supposedly talking badly about her son.
Scene4......Dad has meeting with Carlos in which they talk about all of the above. In addition, Carlos apparently tells them that I am very unhappy with them and with living in their home.
Scene 5....the ANGER scene.....OK, now they are ALL upset and have taken VERY personally the fact that I ¨do not like them and am unhappy in their house¨. They agree that they will fulfill their obligation by providing 2 meals per day in addition to a bed. BUT, they decide that they are NOT obligated to talk to me, be nice to me, or even look at me. In fact, they actually instruct the kid to NOT talk to me at any time. In the meantime, the school will be looking for a new place for me to live.
Scene 6...The confrontation. So last night I finally get all of this information from the father. I had absolutely NO idea that any of this was going on last week, and other than my casual comment to Carlos in scene 1, I was uninvolved. So we talked for a long time, and I told him repeately how much I enjoyed and respected them as a family, how I enjoyed being there, how I appreciated all that they had done for me, etc. etc. etc. He didn´t seem to be interested in much of that. He just kept shaking his head, talking about how wonderful the other students had been (the two they had hosted before), and, in contrast saying Ï don´t know what happened with YOU.....Ï don´t know what´s wrong with YOU¨. In fact, he also repeatedly stated how they would NEVER EVER EVER host another student.
So, that´s pretty much how things went down. Again, without saying anything to me, the school has been working on a new place for me to live. I´ll have to talk to them tomorrow, but it sounds like I may be moving as early as tomorrow.
I´m really sorry about the whole thing and wish I could do something to make things right. I´m also feeling like I was completey misrepresented and am now being villainized.
Oh well, maybe it will all work out better in the end, but I have to say that the local hotel is looking pretty good at the moment.
I´ll keep you posted.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Intellectual Setback
So I´m here in Panama for the purpose of learning a new language.......Spanish. As some of you may know, I also did a similar trip last year to Costa Rica, so I hope that I am learning more and more every year. Although the Spanish is coming along slowly but surely, it is certainly NOT without challenges. In this entry, I thought I would write about a few of the challenges I´m facing.
They say that the best way to learn a language is with ïmmersion¨(what I´m doing now). The cool thing about immersing is that you are hearing, reading, and speaking the language all the time. The BAD thing about this is that you generally walk around with that ¨deer in the headlights¨look. If you walk down the street, you don´t know what the people are saying around you. If you try to buy something in a store or restaurant, you don´t really know what is being asked of or said to you. If you live with a Spanish speaking family (like I am right now), you spend most of your time having NO idea what they might be talking about, including you. I try to listen for sentences that end with ¨gringo estupido¨, but other than that, I remain pretty lost as to the world around me. The result? Deer in the headlights.
The look isn´t really that big of a deal. In fact, if you are really suave, you can walk confidently, all the while ACTING like you know what is going on around you. The real problem comes in another form. The REAL problem is that you begin to FEEL stupid. Seriously! After spending enough time in an environment that is completely foreign, you really start to FEEL like a real nitwit. It´s not that you actually ARE stupid, you just start to FEEL a little dense. For example, if you find yourself involved in a discussion about a particular topic, it´s very difficult to understant what is being said, let alone participate. For me personally, there are often times when I have an opinion about a topic, or feel like I have something valuable to contribute to a conversation around me. The problem though is that there is a comlete BLOCK due to the language. Although I WANT to participate or discuss, I am simply UNABLE to overcome the language barrier. After all, how can I discuss world politics when I can´t even find the nearest bathroom? The result usually involves me trying desperately to understand what is being said, shaking my head in agreement, and throwing in the occasional ¨hmmmmmm........si......muy interesante¨.
Now I should say that if we happen to be talking about what we would like to order at a restaurant, the color of the wall, or anything that involves lots of ¨si´s and no´s¨, these are exceptions to the rule.
The good news though is that I AM learning. I started writing this entry several days after arriving in Boquete. At that time, I was REALLY feeling confused. After three weeks now, I´m feeling less and less like the town doofus. Believe it or not, I´ve even found myself contributing heavily to conversation surrounding such topics as quality of life, ancient civilizations, world politics, and of course.......Amor.
If there is one thing I´ve learned though, it´s that learning anything (especially a language) is a PROCESS. I´m deeply involved in the process right now and happy to report that I´m enjoying the process immensely. How is it possible that I can spend all day in the classroom and still have energy and enthusiasm at 4PM? How can I possibly be disappointed to be nearing the end of my class period? How is it that I can go home, work on my homework, eat, go to bed, and be excited about getting up in the AM to start the process again? Well, I´m not exactly sure, but I can say this. I´m no longer concerned if I don´t conjugate 87 verbs without making a single error. If I have a good Spanish day, it´s definitely something to celebrate. If I have a bad Spanish day, then I have a bad Spanish day. As long as I am enjoying the process while heading in the right direction, all is well.
Like I said before, it´s a process.....a journey....and although it may take some time to reach the end (if there actually IS an end) it´s a great road on which to be traveling.
They say that the best way to learn a language is with ïmmersion¨(what I´m doing now). The cool thing about immersing is that you are hearing, reading, and speaking the language all the time. The BAD thing about this is that you generally walk around with that ¨deer in the headlights¨look. If you walk down the street, you don´t know what the people are saying around you. If you try to buy something in a store or restaurant, you don´t really know what is being asked of or said to you. If you live with a Spanish speaking family (like I am right now), you spend most of your time having NO idea what they might be talking about, including you. I try to listen for sentences that end with ¨gringo estupido¨, but other than that, I remain pretty lost as to the world around me. The result? Deer in the headlights.
The look isn´t really that big of a deal. In fact, if you are really suave, you can walk confidently, all the while ACTING like you know what is going on around you. The real problem comes in another form. The REAL problem is that you begin to FEEL stupid. Seriously! After spending enough time in an environment that is completely foreign, you really start to FEEL like a real nitwit. It´s not that you actually ARE stupid, you just start to FEEL a little dense. For example, if you find yourself involved in a discussion about a particular topic, it´s very difficult to understant what is being said, let alone participate. For me personally, there are often times when I have an opinion about a topic, or feel like I have something valuable to contribute to a conversation around me. The problem though is that there is a comlete BLOCK due to the language. Although I WANT to participate or discuss, I am simply UNABLE to overcome the language barrier. After all, how can I discuss world politics when I can´t even find the nearest bathroom? The result usually involves me trying desperately to understand what is being said, shaking my head in agreement, and throwing in the occasional ¨hmmmmmm........si......muy interesante¨.
Now I should say that if we happen to be talking about what we would like to order at a restaurant, the color of the wall, or anything that involves lots of ¨si´s and no´s¨, these are exceptions to the rule.
The good news though is that I AM learning. I started writing this entry several days after arriving in Boquete. At that time, I was REALLY feeling confused. After three weeks now, I´m feeling less and less like the town doofus. Believe it or not, I´ve even found myself contributing heavily to conversation surrounding such topics as quality of life, ancient civilizations, world politics, and of course.......Amor.
If there is one thing I´ve learned though, it´s that learning anything (especially a language) is a PROCESS. I´m deeply involved in the process right now and happy to report that I´m enjoying the process immensely. How is it possible that I can spend all day in the classroom and still have energy and enthusiasm at 4PM? How can I possibly be disappointed to be nearing the end of my class period? How is it that I can go home, work on my homework, eat, go to bed, and be excited about getting up in the AM to start the process again? Well, I´m not exactly sure, but I can say this. I´m no longer concerned if I don´t conjugate 87 verbs without making a single error. If I have a good Spanish day, it´s definitely something to celebrate. If I have a bad Spanish day, then I have a bad Spanish day. As long as I am enjoying the process while heading in the right direction, all is well.
Like I said before, it´s a process.....a journey....and although it may take some time to reach the end (if there actually IS an end) it´s a great road on which to be traveling.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Urinal cakes, The kitchen nazi, Carbo loading, and a brush with exhibitionism
So I´m sitting here in the internet cafe....it´s Sunday afternoon.....and the sun is shining in Boquete. Yesterday it rained most of the day, so it´s nice to see the sun again. My short time with the host family has brought about number of funny anecdotes and misunderstandings, so I thought I would mention a few of them.
Urinal Cakes.....When I first arrived at the house the other day, I immediately noticed a very strange smell. It kind of smelled like a cross between moth balls and the Texaco bathroom. No big deal.....just a little wierd. Well, when I went into the bathroom, I was absolutely overcome with this smell of what I thought was moth balls! After a few days of this, I finally started to notice to source of this aroma. That is, after a couple of days, I started to see these things hanging around the house.....under a desk....next to the sofa......in the kitchen....everywhere! What WERE these things? Urinal cakes! Seriously! They literally are urinal cakes that are suspended on wires for easy application! Pastillas desodorantes.......deoderant pills, as the package says. And then I started to notice them everywhere. They were at other peoples houses, and they are at the school, and they are, well, everywhere! But what are these people thinking? Do they have some type of anti-microbial germ fighting powers? Do they enjoy the smell? Do they find it desirable to have a house wreaking of öde de port-a-potty¨? I may never know.
The Kitchen Nazi.......A couple of days ago, Aldair (the 12 year old) started acting wierd. Before that, he was pretty nice to me, we would hang out a bit, chat, he would play games on my phone.....whatever. All of the sudden, things were different. He seemed angry about something. He would barely talk to me. He seemed to avoid me. I don´t know, I couldn´t figure out what was going on.
Anyway, yesterday, I returned home with a yogurt I had just purchased from the store. After getting permission from the dad to eat a banana from the fruit bowl, I enjoyed a little snack. As I was washing the bowl, I was severely reprimanded by this kid for eating food without permission. WHAT? Well, after I figured out what he was upset about, I assured him that I HAD indeed bought the yogurt and DID in fact have permission for the 2.5 cent banana. He mellowed out a bit.
After this little event, I remembered that he had been acting wierd ever since I had gotten a little ice cream (literally ONE spoonful) from the freezer the other night. I also remembered that he had acted a little wierd at the time, but I had not thought much about it. Well, apparently, this is a touchy subject for him. But maybe it´s not just a touchy subject for HIM. I´m starting to think that although they seem happy to provide the two meals per day as stated in our contractual agreement, outside of that, the kitchen is OFF LIMITS to me. There is no such thing as a between-meal snack around there!
Carbo loading.....Speaking of food, I want to mention that the food is actually really good at the house. Juanita is a great cook, and I generally enjoy the meals. That being said, I will also say that it´s a good thing I´m not on the Atkins Diet. I say this because it´s not uncommon for my dinner to consist of rice with a side of potatoes with a side of pasta with a side of plantanes. Now that´s a lot of carbs, even for me!
Jason the Exhibitionist......So the other day, after a nice run, I decided to take a shower. Upon turning on the water and ¨getting ready¨ to jump in, I realized that I had forgotten my shampoo in the adjascent bedroom (my bedroom). Knowing that the mom and the kid were at the store, and that the dad was in his room with the door closed, I didn´t think it would be a problem to simply donn a towel and retrieve the shampoo. Unfortunately for me, as I was making my way back to the bathroom with shampoo in hand, I met the dad in the hallway. I said a quick hello, and went in to continue my shower.
Later that night, while we were all eating dinner in the dining room, the dad made it very clear to me that it was NOT acceptable to walk around the house without clothes! Oops.
Of course, being a guy who doesn´t even like to take his shirt off at the beach, I had to laugh. Maybe I had become like the European girl in high school who thought it completely appropriate to sunbathe topless at my church youth camp.
Aahhhh....you have to love the culteral differences.
Urinal Cakes.....When I first arrived at the house the other day, I immediately noticed a very strange smell. It kind of smelled like a cross between moth balls and the Texaco bathroom. No big deal.....just a little wierd. Well, when I went into the bathroom, I was absolutely overcome with this smell of what I thought was moth balls! After a few days of this, I finally started to notice to source of this aroma. That is, after a couple of days, I started to see these things hanging around the house.....under a desk....next to the sofa......in the kitchen....everywhere! What WERE these things? Urinal cakes! Seriously! They literally are urinal cakes that are suspended on wires for easy application! Pastillas desodorantes.......deoderant pills, as the package says. And then I started to notice them everywhere. They were at other peoples houses, and they are at the school, and they are, well, everywhere! But what are these people thinking? Do they have some type of anti-microbial germ fighting powers? Do they enjoy the smell? Do they find it desirable to have a house wreaking of öde de port-a-potty¨? I may never know.
The Kitchen Nazi.......A couple of days ago, Aldair (the 12 year old) started acting wierd. Before that, he was pretty nice to me, we would hang out a bit, chat, he would play games on my phone.....whatever. All of the sudden, things were different. He seemed angry about something. He would barely talk to me. He seemed to avoid me. I don´t know, I couldn´t figure out what was going on.
Anyway, yesterday, I returned home with a yogurt I had just purchased from the store. After getting permission from the dad to eat a banana from the fruit bowl, I enjoyed a little snack. As I was washing the bowl, I was severely reprimanded by this kid for eating food without permission. WHAT? Well, after I figured out what he was upset about, I assured him that I HAD indeed bought the yogurt and DID in fact have permission for the 2.5 cent banana. He mellowed out a bit.
After this little event, I remembered that he had been acting wierd ever since I had gotten a little ice cream (literally ONE spoonful) from the freezer the other night. I also remembered that he had acted a little wierd at the time, but I had not thought much about it. Well, apparently, this is a touchy subject for him. But maybe it´s not just a touchy subject for HIM. I´m starting to think that although they seem happy to provide the two meals per day as stated in our contractual agreement, outside of that, the kitchen is OFF LIMITS to me. There is no such thing as a between-meal snack around there!
Carbo loading.....Speaking of food, I want to mention that the food is actually really good at the house. Juanita is a great cook, and I generally enjoy the meals. That being said, I will also say that it´s a good thing I´m not on the Atkins Diet. I say this because it´s not uncommon for my dinner to consist of rice with a side of potatoes with a side of pasta with a side of plantanes. Now that´s a lot of carbs, even for me!
Jason the Exhibitionist......So the other day, after a nice run, I decided to take a shower. Upon turning on the water and ¨getting ready¨ to jump in, I realized that I had forgotten my shampoo in the adjascent bedroom (my bedroom). Knowing that the mom and the kid were at the store, and that the dad was in his room with the door closed, I didn´t think it would be a problem to simply donn a towel and retrieve the shampoo. Unfortunately for me, as I was making my way back to the bathroom with shampoo in hand, I met the dad in the hallway. I said a quick hello, and went in to continue my shower.
Later that night, while we were all eating dinner in the dining room, the dad made it very clear to me that it was NOT acceptable to walk around the house without clothes! Oops.
Of course, being a guy who doesn´t even like to take his shirt off at the beach, I had to laugh. Maybe I had become like the European girl in high school who thought it completely appropriate to sunbathe topless at my church youth camp.
Aahhhh....you have to love the culteral differences.
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