Feliz Navidad y un Prospero Año Nuevo!

Here's how I imagine the Nativity scene occurring in my area of Panama, with the Ngäbe people. A palm thatched hut shelters Mary and Joseph, who rock baby Jesus to sleep in a chackara or traditional bag. A clear summer's night shines with millions of stars; banana leaves rustle and cicadas call in the background.  A host of skyborne angels summons people- old ones, new ones, children- to see the newborn king.  He was born 2000 years ago and in a far country, but he has come for all peoples and all times.


It's not just about Christmas here: There's 3 important Panamanian holidays in quick succession. Mother's Day is celebrated on December 8th and is a big holiday on the level of Thanksgiving in the States. Christmas and New Year's as well. Each holiday is celebrated with the family, often involving a large meal and killing a homegrown chicken, if you're lucky enough to have one. In that tradition, my local church has been gathering together for a meal to mark each event. Children shoot off fireworks - usually just the kind that make a big bang and some smoke. For Christmas, there's often a piñata for the kids (I made two of them for celebrations in the community).  Some men also drink heavily, into a stupor, on each of the days.  Ken is coming for December 31st. Kids are already starting to make "Old man" scarecrows or "Viejos", representing the passing of the old year, that they'll explode with fireworks on New Year's Eve.

Youth sing a song for the mothers on Mother's Day in church

Women at church prepare a meal

December 1st, World Aids Day, was marked by a series of educational events about HIV and AIDS.  I helped out with several talks in nearby communities organized by volunteer Laura G and attended a march on December 1st in San Felix with high school students and the Ministry of Health. I also gave an HIV awareness talk for 5th and 6th graders in my own school.  HIV is growing in the Comarca (Indian reservation), with an estimated 2000 HIV positive individuals in a population of 155,000 (1%).  Families are often split up when men leave to work in coffee and vegetable harvests for several months of the year, and some seek other partners during that time. While many people have multiple sexual partners, few use condoms, and in some places with remote access they are not easily available.  However there is a dedicated clinic run by the Ministry of Health to combat HIV and provide the latest medicines to HIV positive individuals.  Schools and health centers are increasingly making efforts to educate people about the epidemic, but there's a long way to go to reach good awareness and healthy sexual behavior. Peace Corps Panama has developed a series of learning games and activities that make learning about HIV entertaining and memorable. For me, while I don't think I could develop my own original lesson plans about sex education, I can use these materials, and it's satisfying to feel that I'm giving people information that could make a real difference in their lives. 

Students loft a red ribbon banner as part of the HIV awareness march

Laura G. leads activity "Attack of the Virus"

Health worker works with women to draw and name fluids of the body- identifying which ones carry the HIV virus

It's the start of the dry season and the crops that have come into season are cacao (chocolate), oranges, papaya, and okra. Yum!  Mature okra seeds are toasted and milled to create a coffee-like drink. Cacao is toasted and milled and mixed with water to create the traditional drink enjoyed by Central Americans from ancient times. Some families still have rice they harvested in October and November, and corn.  Soon we'll be enjoying guandú (pigeon peas) a delicious pea, often cooked with rice. 

Grinding chocolate on a traditional millstone