Ultimate Frisbee Camp

A couple weeks ago I helped out with an ultimate frisbee summer camp that was put on by Peace Corps volunteers. It was a week long youth camp teaching kids about leadership and decision making through the sport of ultimate frisbee. Kids came from all over Panama, selected by the volunteer in their community. I brought two of my own, Ramiro and Heidi, who have been part of my local frisbee team in Vigía. It was really interesting to see all these 9-15 year olds interact with each other coming from different provinces, cultures, languages, and economic status. 

I brought Heidi and Ramiro to the camp from my community

Ramiro enjoyed the fancy hotel room

Since the camp was on the other side of the country from my community, the trip to get there was an adventure in itself. Several of us volunteers travelled together with all of the kids we were bringing from the Darien. Two days by bus with a 12 children is quite the journey. We called them our pollitos, or little chickens, because it was quite a sight to see them all following in a row through bus terminals and city streets. I felt like a strict parent sometimes trying to keep them in line. The stay in the hotel on the way was mind blowing for some of the kids who came from rural areas. Hot water showers, flush toilets, air conditioning, and TV are not things they often experience. I had to show some of them how to bathe indoors with running water and to flush the toilet. Fortunately we made all the way it without losing any little chickens.

Team Yellow: Golden Wolves (that's me with my face covered)

Throughout the week the kids learned how to through a frisbee and play the game, but also how to be a leader in their community and make wise choices. Using games and activities kept them engaged, and we even tired them out sometimes. It was great working with volunteers who had a lot of energy to motivate everyone and keep them excited. I've really enjoyed working with youth and seeing how much they can learn when you just take the time and give them attention. I felt exhausted after the camp, but it was definitely worth it.

Giving a talk on self-esteem

Everybody had a great time at Ultimate Frisbee Camp!

Building People

About a month ago I had to make a difficult decision. I had been working on preparing a community project to expand the water system in Nuevo Vigía. That consisted of designing pipeline networks, writing reports, filling out mountains of grant paperwork, making materials lists and budgets, on top of coordinating everything with community members. Since my time here is limited, there was a January deadline for submitting grant requests for project funding. While I was struggling to get everything done in time, I realized how much I was trying to rush things. In the process I was sort of leaving behind the water committee, the people who should be taking charge of the project. I’ve worked so hard to develop this group of ten people, helping them organize, raise funds, budget, set rules, and operate and maintain the system. That’s why it was so tough to accept that they just still weren’t ready for a project of this size, even if I was. The engineer in me was fighting the development worker with grand ideas of heading a big construction project. But in the end I knew that my desire to have something tangible to show for my time here was disrupting the timing for the community. They just need more time and experience taking care of things on their own. As if to accentuate that point, our pump stopped working, and we haven’t had running water for over a month now. We’re still working on that…

Mornings at the river in Nuevo Vigia

So I decided to postpone the project, accepting that I won’t be the one to finish it. There will be another volunteer coming to replace me after I leave. And while it’s hard to leave the work I’ve done to somebody I won’t even meet, I know it’s for the best. That volunteer will be able to build off the groundwork already in place.

I still feel great about of how far the water committee has come. I act like they’re my students. A couple weeks ago I decided to show off one of my students, a water operator that I trained in all the operation and maintenance of the pump and water treatment plant. Danielle, another volunteer in a community with the same water system that was just getting started, asked for help with a seminar to train her water committee. I brought Rubén (who I call Super Técnico) to this neighboring community to help with the seminar. I was proud to see this guy, who a year ago didn’t even know how to turn the pump on, teaching people in another community how to run the entire system. Super Técnico did a great job explaining all the technical processes of the water treatment and troubleshooting advice. The fact that he did a lot of it in Emberá was very helpful.

My student, Super Tecnico, teaching members of the water committee in a neighboring community

The whole time I’ve been here I’ve wanted to build something. Before I arrived in this community I assumed that’s what I would be doing. But I’ve learned so much about what people really need here, and I realize my job isn’t just working with a hammer and nail, but with people. Being the first volunteer in a community can be frustrating because people aren’t used to working with an organization like Peace Corps. Being here first, my job is to gain trust, develop a relationship, and give people the confidence they need to advance themselves. That doesn’t happen overnight. Funny how before I thought two years was such a long time, and now it seems too short. My time here is running out, which is scary. As strange as it is, this place is home. It’s very uncomfortable thinking about leaving. For now I still have plenty of work to do, and I don’t think I’ll ever be bored. For these next five months I want to enjoy this time with my gente.

This is Where I Live

So I made this video a long time ago, and now finally had time to upload it. This is basically a montage of moments I've had in and around my community over the past year and a half. Obviously it doesn't show most of what I've been doing, but it gives an idea of what life looks like around here.

Video: Tour of Nuevo Vigia

The Future of Nuevo Vigía

It’s last Monday, the late afternoon sun has cooled down a little, and I’m walking from my house on the hill down to the school carrying a sack full of Frisbees and orange cones. It rained earlier and my feet are slipping and sliding on the muddy trail. I cross the creek, go past the church, and come to the two long rows of houses along the river – downtown Vigía. Then I pull out my whistle, blowing it loudly as I walk. Looking up I see heads start poking out of stilted houses above me and kids come running from all directions yelling, “Benjamín, we gonna practice today?” I say, “Yeah, I told you that yesterday. Let’s go!” A parade of boys and girls starts growing around me as we make our way to the field. Ramiro and Luis jump down from a mango tree to join us. I see Delicio and Albeiro swimming in the river and yell at them. They call back, “We’re coming!” I tell everybody to warm up, empty the bag onto the field, and watch as discs go flying in all directions. And so another Ultimate Frisbee practice begins.

 

Get excited for Ultimate Frisbee in Nuevo Vigía!

My primary job as a Peace Corps Environmental Health Volunteer is to work with my community in the areas of clean water and sanitation. However that doesn’t mean I can’t do other things with my time as well. I’m free to choose my own secondary projects, which could be anything from home gardening to youth development. Having spent a significant amount of time in the same community as a development worker, I can see how behavior change is a difficult and painfully slow process. The thing is when people are set in their habits it can be very difficult to get them to change, even if it’s for their own good. One time I gave a talk to a group of community members on how to protect our water source from contamination. Miromel, an older guy, interrupted me to ask why the river was never contaminated before now. I told him it was, just nobody ever told him until now. I don’t stand much of a chance trying to convince an old man that he should stop drinking dirty water, when he’s been drinking from that river his whole life.

On the other hand, kids and young adults are more open to new ideas and well, more impressionable. Early on in my time here I realized that I could have a real impact on youth, which make up a large part of the community (almost half of the population is under the age of 15). So I decided to get involved with the local school. Unfortunately the education system is pretty difficult to work with which is a whole different story. Early on, the way I connected with the younger generation was through what they spend most of their free time on – sports. Their favorites are football (not the American kind), baseball, and basketball. The first time I brought out my Frisbee to play with the kids they were very intrigued at how that plastic plate, as they called it, flew through the air. After some of them learned how to throw it, I would get asked several times every day when we could play next. So with help from a non-profit called Ultimate Without Borders, I decided to start my own Ultimate Frisbee youth club.

 

Ken from UWB teaching some strategy

Reach for it!

I held an introductory Ultimate clinic with a couple other Peace Corps Volunteers to teach the kids the basics of the sport. They ended up having a lot of fun with it. After a few months of gauging interest level and teaching the sport, I now have an official team! There are currently 17 players, both boys and girls, from 11 to 16 years old. We’re planning on eventually holding a tournament with other Peace Corps community teams, so they have something to work toward.

I love seeing boys and girls go from being frustrated at not knowing how to throw a Frisbee, to having a big smile as they see the disc fly through the air out of their hand. During the Ultimate clinic one of the 5^th graders, Rumildo, ran up to me and said, “Benjamín, we’re learning!” Although challenging, one of my favorite parts is getting the girls to participate (boys normally don’t play together with girls, so it’s an adjustment). The other day during one of our practices Elizabela made a diving catch in the end zone to score. The boys were quite impressed. The fact that she was wearing a paruma, the traditional Emberá skirt, didn’t slow her down.

The idea is to use the sport as a platform for a youth development program. The lessons they learn about playing Ultimate, such as teamwork and positive attitudes, also apply to their lives. I’ll be taking them through a course on how to develop their strengths to set and achieve life goals. And they think they’re just having fun playing a game. Setting goals to work toward is sort of foreign concept to them. Most kids don’t think much about what they’ll do after middle school, if they even graduate. Many of them simply follow the footsteps of their parents and work in the fields. The fortunate ones that can continue on to high school in the nearest city will have more potential and opportunities. But if they have no direction or confidence they might not get far. My goal is to help this group be more prepared for their future.

 

All smiles going for the disc

If the kids learn nothing else, what I would like to get across is that sports are more fun when you have a positive attitude and build each other up. I see it from the littlest boys and girls playing marbles to their dads playing basketball, such negative attitudes that come with competition. When somebody makes a mistake, their teammates yell at them that they don’t know how to play (“¡No sabes!”). I’m trying to teach them to encourage each other instead of tearing each other down. One time I kicked a kid out of a game for saying, “¡No sabes!” Nobody else has said it again since. I give prizes to the best “bucket fillers” after each practice for those who say encouraging words to their team during the games. For them it’s a strange idea to use positive reinforcement, but they are starting to get used to it.

 

My jovenes learning about team spirit

After every practice I’m usually exhausted from trying to keep so many kids under control at once. I’ve never considered myself a natural teacher, so leading this youth group is stretching. But I think it’s worth it when I get to spend some quality time with attention starved kids. I know that they are the future of Nuevo Vigía, and I only hope that I can have some small positive impact on their lives.

I am planning on sending two of the kids from my team to an Ultimate Frisbee youth development camp in February. It will be a great opportunity for youth from all over Panama to learn how to be leaders in their communities. If you would like to support the camp you can donate at the Peace Corps website:

Donate to Ultimate Frisbee and Leadership Camp

Unwanted Visitors

I was gone from home for about 4 days. When I came home I climbed up my ladder, which is a log with notches cut in it. Shortly after Rubén stopped by to visit. As he was climbing my ladder all of a sudden he stopped, jumped down to the ground, and started running away from the house yelling something in Emberá. Surprised and confused, I asked him what happened. He said, “There’s a hornets’ nest on your ladder! Those things really sting hard…” Sure enough, I looked and they had started a huge nest on the underside of the log where I couldn’t see. I felt bad for being so unwelcoming to visitors, seeing how people couldn’t even get into my house without getting stung by hornets. I thought maybe I could light it on fire and burn them out, but then I remembered that my roof is made of dry, very flammable leaves – not worth the risk. Rubén had the idea to use boiling water kill them. So I poured a pot of boiling water on the nest, and killed about half of the hornets. The other half were not too happy about that. Now my only exit from the house, which is 8 feet above the ground, was blocked by a raging swarm of angry hornets. Thinking maybe they would calm down and go away, I decided to get out of the house. I climbed out one of the windows away from the ladder to try and reach a floor joist that stuck out from the side of the house and swing down. As soon as I reached it and found my balance on this plank, I came face to face with a nest of large orange and yellow wasps. They had also made themselves at home, but in the roof instead.

Living in my house is a lot like living outside. Basically any living creature smaller than a Panamanian child can and will get into my house at any time: bats, rats, cockroaches, frogs, ants, lizards, scorpions, tarantulas, caterpillars, and of course mosquitoes and sand flies. While having a roof made of leaves is great for keeping the house cool, it has also developed its own ecosystem in the spaces between leaves.

When ants attack...

A few days ago I had an infestation of ants. And when I say infestation, I mean it was serious. I got out of bed early in the morning while it was still dark, and felt things crawling all over my feet. Then those things started biting. It was a terrible way to wake up. So I hopped across the floor to get my flashlight and discovered that the floor was moving. The entire house was covered in ants! They were everywhere - the floor, the walls, the shelves, the stove. So I ran out to the porch and jumped into my hammock, the only safe place. Apparently these giant swarms of ants come through and just eat everything in their path. At least they got rid of all the cockroaches and spiders and left after a few hours.

Keeping my food sealed in plastic containers and buckets only keeps the pests at bay to a point. The good news is that the old food chain works to my advantage, and some of the critters will eat the others. The bats eat the mosquitoes, the ants eat the cockroaches, the lizards eat the ants, and well nothing eats the rats. Until now…

Classic Calvin and Hobbes

The most recent addition to the house is my new pest exterminator. He is also known as a kitten. My neighbor’s cat had three of them and I was offered one. I figured it was for the best, since the cat needed a home I needed some help with the rodents. So now I share the bachelor pad with Hobbes. He is named for the stuffed tiger of my favorite comic strip. I guess our relationship not quite the same as Calvin and Hobbes, maybe not as entertaining. But I’m hoping to raise a trained killer and have a few less creatures visiting the house. 

Hobbes, my pest exterminator in training

Take it Easy

One thing that I’ve always struggled with is the idea that I need to constantly be doing, achieving, advancing. I mean I know that’s not true, that sometimes it’s good to just be still, but often it seems like it’s true. As you can imagine this has been even more of a problem living in rural Panama with a community of farmers. By now I’d say I’ve gotten used to the whole perception of time thing. As in how “after breakfast” is as specific of a time as you get. Or waiting for three or four hours at the port to hitchhike on a canoe to get home, and being okay with that. But it’s still difficult to deal with just how long it takes to get anything done.

 

Time moves at a different pace here

All my projects and seminars go
through Lilio- the village chief.

Thinking about how efficient and productive North Americans are is pretty incredible. I mean they can work eight hours a day without hardly taking a break, they meet all kinds of deadlines, and schedules are always packed. Here it’s well, a little different. Working all day takes too much energy. If projects have a deadline, it usually ends up being pushed back to a more convenient date. Honestly I think it has a lot to do with the climate (or lack of climate control). There are some days where it’s all I can do to get myself to leave the protective shade of my house. A few minutes of walking in the sun feels like running a 5k… in a sauna. Sometimes it’s so hot I can’t even think. I just lay on the floor of my porch and sweat, only moving occasionally to swat at mosquitoes. This is really great advertising for people thinking about visiting the Darien, I know. The humidity is just draining. Finding the energy to be active and accomplishing things can be a huge challenge.

I’ve already written about meetings and one of the Embera people’s favorite pastimes – talking. But that’s another example of things taking way longer than they should. Sometimes getting our entire water committee to have a meeting feels like trying to get the Muppets back together for one more show. I’ll spend an entire afternoon trying to find each person (Alberto? He’s off in the jungle somewhere, haven’t seen him in a few days) just to tell them that there is a meeting tomorrow, hoping that they’ll show up. It’s amazing how busy people become once they here about a meeting or a seminar. All of a sudden there will be an urgent trip to the farm to check on their plantains or see how tall their rice has grown. Certain tactics work better than others for convincing them to attend. Bribery with juice and cookies works most of the time.

You can spend a lot of time watching plantains grow

I don’t write these things implying that Embera are lazy people. Not at all. If lazy is filling a bucket with 40 pounds of water and carrying it up from the river, swinging a machete for hours just to mow your lawn, building all your own furniture by hand, or harvesting and hauling boatloads of plantains out of the jungle to try and make enough money to send one of your kids to high school, then yes they are very lazy. Really it’s just a different perspective on life. Being as efficient and productive as possible isn’t high on the list of priorities. I guess I could learn a thing or two from that perspective. 

Hello and Goodbye

Well, after what seemed much shorter than a couple weeks in the USA, I'm now back in Panama. It was a great time of reuniting with family and friends. So many of my dreams came true on this trip: being cold, eating sweet corn, sailing on Lake Michigan, not needing a mosquito net, and not sweating for a while to name a few. While I know it makes it a little bit harder to get back into the swing of things again in Vigía, it was totally worth it to come back and visit.

My timing worked out great as I was able to meet three new babies: Ellie - my newest niece, Maria - Tony and Angela's first addition to the family, and Charlotte - Shane and Kendra's three day old girl! It's hard to believe how much things are changing for these new families. I'm so glad I got to see them. Seeing my other nieces, Cora and Avalene, was also exciting, since they have grown up so much since I left the country.

Turns out Cora has quite the energetic personality

Baby Ellie sound asleep

Being away from my closest friends and family for over a year has made me appreciate them that much more. It was hard leaving again to spend another year here in Panama, but I know they will always be a huge support for me no matter the distance.

I love my family!