Life as a Trainee

Right now it feels like I've been in Panama for months.  The days have been packed, but the first week of training is almost over.  After a few days in Panama City doing some orientation, we moved into our training community.  Each trainee has their own host family, and we were excited to meet who we'll be living with for the next 2 months.  The first day or two with my family was a little awkward as expected, but they are very friendly and patient.

Most of our days are scheduled out for us with 4 hours of Spanish sessions in the morning and 4 hours of technical training in the afternoon.  Let's just say if it weren't for the roosters crowing at 3 in the morning I would have no trouble sleeping at night.  The humidity here is definitely hard to ignore.  I've found it helps to carry a bandana with me to continually wipe the sweat off.  The daily downpour helps things cool down, since we're just getting into the rainy season.

One of my favorite things about the community so far has been the pasear, or walking around town visiting people at their houses in the evening.  It seems like everyone is related somehow, and everyone knows each other.  There is definitely a small town feel. 

Right now I'm doing some more orientation, and I found a computer to use for a few minutes.  Next week we will be visiting a volunteer site by ourselves.  It looks like I might be traveling a long way, but I'm not sure yet.  Things are starting to feel more real, which is a little bit intimidating.  But I'm really enjoying this time of preparation and getting to know the other trainees.