alan mcdonald

Done...

2011-11-20T09:33:00.000-06:00

Like so many of my posts, I will begin with an apology for not writing sooner, but since the last post I´ve been busy rotating between nonstop work and debilitating skin infections and haven´t found the time to keep my faithful followers updated.

Short versions, we finished the aqueduct, distributed household water filters, and trained community members to maintain and operate a gravity fed water system. With the dry season at hand, community members now have hope that they won´t pass another day without water. In addition, we were able to build 9 composting latrines, and teach community members a safe and effective way of waste disposal.

As you can imagine, there´s a lot more to the story than that.

As published earlier, we first had to install a 10,000 Liter tank on the top of a hill overlooking the community.

The next task was to build hundred meter bridge crossing the river to bring the water to the community. This is a fairly simple design, basically a steel cable with a 2" PVC pipe connected to it stretched across the river... however with limited resources as far as excavation equipment and power tools, we were left to work with a combination of good ole fashioned know-how and elbow grease.
We then distributed household water filters for all that participated in the project, through this project, we were able to provide safe drinking water for an entire community, improving the quality of life, and diminishing the water borne illness that affect community members.

In addition, we held a seminar to teach community members new techniques to safe composting latrines. Those who participated, were given materials to construct their own latrine. In total we constructed 9 composting latrines. Previously, I´d helped other volunteers build similar latrines in other communities, and materials costs were $400 per latrine. By working with locals to develop new building techniques, we were able to get the material cost down to $130 per latrine, making this project truly sustainable long term, as many community members who didn´t participate in the project have approached me later about how much cement is required with the intention of building a composting latrine, but with their own resources.

That´s the cut and dry version of the last few months, as you can imagine, it´s been an incredible learning experience. When I initially was talking about joining Peace Corps, I talked with former volunteers, and everyone said it was a life changing experience. At the time I didn´t really know what that meant, and after 3 years I still don´t, but I know it´s true. I feel like I´m the same person, I´m still me... but the opportunities I have, my priorities, my dreams aren´t what they were 3 years ago.

Another cliche I often heard from former volunteers is that they got so much more than they could possibly give, which just doesn´t make sense on paper. In my case, I gave three years of my life I lived in poverty, and was able to get funding for an aqueduct and latrines to drastically improve the health and well being of this community, I was free labor for anyone building a house, I taught english in the school, taught woodworking methods to help people earn more income, I was constant entertainment and I still feel like I came up short. I still feel like I owe something to these people. I arrived in this small village were I had no family, didn´t know anyone, and complete strangers who had no obligations to help me, gave me food, friendship, and and place I can truly call my home. I can´t count the number of times someone went out of their way to feed me, even when they didn´t know where their next meal was coming from. Daily, people took time out of their day to visit me, to make sure I wasn´t lonely, not to mention all the ¨gifts¨given to me, with no expectations of something in return. I leave feeling like I got out so much more than I could possibly give, and the funny thing is, the community members felt the same... not all of them, but several people acknowledged this in my going away party. The strange part is, the people who gave me the most, are the one´s who felt like they got the most out of my time there. The lumber workers, who donated weeks their time to build my house, and helped me any time I needed a hand, women who called me over every time it was time to eat, the friends who gave me gifts, necklaces, bracelets, animal remains, were the people most emotional at my going away party, and were most expressive of how much they felt like I´d given them. Those that enjoyed all the benefits of my time there, and never sacrificed anything to have me in the community still think of me as a glorified tourist. This makes me think that there must be something to this all. The act of giving, or sacrificing for something, makes you appreciate of value that thing so much more.

That´s one of many lessons I take with me as I leave, that if I really want to get something out of my relationships, my work, my faith, my life, I need to give. Because in life, as in Peace Corps, the more you give, the more you get.

Project Update

2011-06-08T19:41:00.000-05:00

First of all, I'd like to thank all the dedicated "Mahem" readers who chipped in to help fund the water and sanitation project in Maje. The project is well under way, with the new 10,000 liter water tank installed and pumping out water.

The tank was installed, and the community was able to have water for the last part of the dry season. Now the rains have come, and our work schedule is when the rain allows, which hasn't been a lot this week, so I'm taking advantage to regroup and pick up some supplies in the city before heading back for the next phase of the project.

An auditor came from headquarters in Washington to visit Panama, and came out to visit me. He took this picture of me. He said he might feature my project in his annual report to congress. So, to those of you who donated, I can't thank you enough for your support.

Update

2011-01-11T20:18:00.000-06:00

I'm writing to you all from a wonderful climate controlled home, current outdoor temperature is 10 degrees farenheit, and there are about 6 inches of snow on the ground... As you've probably guessed by now, I'm not in Maje anymore, I'm back in the good ole US of A, but only for the next week or so. Monday I'm heading back to Panama for another action packed year in Maje.

That's right I'm into my 3rd year as a volunteer, which means I've extended as a volunteer. So many may be wondering what exactly I'm doing here that's important enough to stay for, but not important enough to post a blog update for the last year. As you may have guessed, there are many things that are a part of my experience, yet haven't made it into my blog. For example, you probably didn't know I taught English in the school this year, or that I crafted a functional pair of water skis out of raw lumber and a pair of hiking boots, or that I kept a pet "boa" in my house for a week until I was alerted that it was actually a venomous viper. I'm not going to elaborate on these stories today, I'm going to update you all on the water and sanitation work I'll be working on in the coming year.

Community Aqueduct- Before I even arrived in Maje, the government had helped build an aqueduct for the community. However, the aqueduct dries up in the dry season leaving the community without water again. Last year we pooled resources to expand the aqueduct to include a water source that provides water year round. Community members all worked together to construct the intake structure and bury nearly one kilometer of PVC pipes. However, the larger components of the aqueduct system were out of reach for the communities budget. My goal for the next year is to have the aqueduct providing safe drinking water year round for the entire community.

Composting Latrines- Due to the high water table in the area, traditional outhouses fill up with water in the rainy season creating a hazard for the entire community. For this reason very few in the community have a latrine. We've built four model composting latrines in different parts of the community, that contain waste above ground while the composting process destroys all pathogens. Those who have this type of latrine see the benefits and have recommended them for friends and neighbors. There is a lot of interest in the community for this type of latrine, but it uses materials such as corrugated steel and cement. My goal is to build composting latrines for everyone interested in the next year.

You may notice that these goals will not be possible to accomplish in the next year without outside assistance. For this, I've worked with the community to apply for a grant that relies on donors to provide funding for community projects. This is where you all come in...

I am looking for 30 donors who can donate $100 each for materials to build composting latrines. Community members are then responsible for all the lumber and transport to build the latrines.

In addition I need two generous donors that can donate $1000 to purchase the water storage tanks necessary to complete the aqueduct system. The community is responsible for the water transport and installation of these tanks.

If you're able to help out with a donation of any size, you can do so by;

1. Going to https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=525-153

2.Enter the amount you're willing to donate.

3.Follow the instructions on screen

Or if you'd rather mail in a donation, you can use the following form, then send it to the address at the bottom of the page.

Remember that all donations are 100% tax deductible, and all contributions go directly to the community. I'll be donating my experience and skills to make sure the project benefits the entire community in a sustainable way. I sincerely hope you think and pray if you can be a blessing to my friends and family in Maje.

Floods of 2010

2011-01-11T09:01:00.000-06:00

On Mother's Day (celebrated December 8th in Panama) Maje experienced the worst flooding in the history of the community. Every five years or so, the water level rises to a level that comes close to some of the lower built house and makes for a much shorter walk to the boat. In this instance the water reached this level and it just kept raining...

and raining...

The water level is controlled by a hydroelectric dam on the other side of the lake. From what I can tell, the operators of the dam delayed in opening the flood gates too long, and by the time they realized the level the lake was at, opening the gates would have flooded the communities below the dam, so they waited more, and it kept raining...

and raining...

The rain reached the critical level on the dam, and the dam operators (pardon my French) were forced to open the flood gates and everything downstream was immediately covered with 20 ft. of water, including the Panamerican Highway, the only road that services the eastern half of Panama. The Eastern provinces were faced with a food shortage, thousands of acres of rice were lost, and in total 10 lives were lost. I was evacuated and a portion of my daring escape can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRccF7dWGdI . Note the large body of water we are crossing is the Interamerican Highway.

Talking to friends in Maje, the water has receded, things are returning to normal, thankfully the only loss of lives that occurred there were of chickens and cows, though many people are inconvenienced by loss of other property, the last I heard was that everyone was safe, although the aftereffects of the flooding such as illnesses, loss of crops, and sanitation are yet to be determined.

In talking to family in the States, they were surprised that there was no news coverage on any of the flooding in Panama. The most widely accepted theory is that the news outlets were forced to drop the story to give adequate coverage to Prince Williams' proposal.

To make up for this lack of coverage here are some photos, including my house, before and after the flooding

Trip to Nurra

2009-12-11T09:33:00.000-06:00

We emerged out of the jungle on horseback and decended to the small Kuna village along the river. The Kuna are an indigenous group in Eastern Panama steeped in tradition. This community is especially cut off from the outside world. We'd traveled nearly five hours on horseback from the nearest volunteer's house. As we approached the community we could see a soccer game in progress, but were immediately cut of by the Kuna welcome commitee, which consists of 5 grumpy looking men asking, "What are you doing here." A fair question.
Orlando is a successful cacao farmer from the Bocas Del Toro region, he was invited to come share his knowledge to with the community as they begin a reforestation project using cacao. Domingo, who bears a striking resemblence to Jackie Chan, is a Kuna naturalist, born in the San Blas region and well educated, he is our interpreter. The three Americans that tagged along didn't have nearly as concrete reasons for being there. Mateo is the closest Peace Corps Volunteer to the community, and was asked by the UN to assist with some of the paperwork for the project down the road. Alan had come to help survey for an aqueduct project in another town, and I was there to learn about reforestation with cacao, to see if it's a method that can be used in Maje, where I live. You'll notice that 2/3 of the Americans are named Alan, which became a little confusing for everyone involved.
Though we'd called ahead and told the only guy in town that speaks spanish we were coming, they still seemed a little suprised by our presence. The chief said that after the party that night, we'd have a meeting, and get everything sorted out.
That was all appartently accurately translated, because sure enough, there was a party that night. They had an awards ceremony for the soccer tournament, skits complete with acrobatic stunts, and karaoke, all of which was in tule, the Kuna language. Midway through the karaoke, we got word that the meeting wouldn't be until the following morning. So I decided to call it a night and went and laid down in my hammock.
The next morning I was awoken by three gorgeous young women standing in the doorway. They were talking amoungst themselves and giggling. "Como te llama?" we asked... giggles. Finally Mateo found his paper with phrases in tule "Beikeni ginika" They finally responded with their names. They weren't being flirty, or difficult, they just didn't understand a word of Spanish. Here we are, three single Americans, in an exotic place, with now way to communicate with the local women. Mateo asked "Bei igi birga?", or "how old are you," They said 16... it's probably best that we weren't able to communicate.
That morning, we had the first meeting to decide what exactly we were going to be doing there. The meeting house was basically a larger version of the regular houses, with palm thatch roof, strips of palm bark as walls, and hammocks hanging everywhere. There were benches to sit on along the sides of the hut, In the center hung several hammocks with benches towards the foot and head of the hammocks. This was the "throne" of the chiefs. The chiefs laid in the hammocks, and asked questions, and rested his eyes while we explained our mission there and how we would go about working. We sat on the bench at the foot of the hammocks, and other community leaders sat on the bench at the head. The benches along the walls were filled with other spectators. As we exited the meeting to go out to the fields. Far off in the distance, I heard beating drums. The music was captivating, though primitive. The melody was simple but, catchy, even familiar. It was as if this song spoke to the most primal part of my soul, identified with what makes me human, and called for me to dance. Little by little I began to hear the words... "I got a feeling, that tonight's gonna be a good night." The Black Eyed Peas, had followed us to the middle of nowhere.
I tried to avoid the house we were staying in as much as possible. The owner was a nice enough guy, but he was a chief, and wasn't around much, and when he left his wife yelled at me in tule, and there was rarely anyone to interpret, so she'd repeat, getting louder, until it was like a chant, getting closer and closer to me, sometime shaking hammocks, or slapping her thighs, it was terrifying. I felt like an evil gypsy was putting a curse on me. We brought all our food, but needed a place to cook it. So they let us use their fire. We cooked mostly pasta, because it was easy, whenever possible I shared what I could with our hosts, but we didn't bring enough to feed the 13 neighbor children who were also part of the family, and our food was gross to them. One time as I was boiling pasta, the mother in law of the chief started chanting at me, slapping her hips, then she started slapping my hips, and finally I was able to pick out some words of what she was saying. Chanting "Mani, Mani, Mani". The tule word for money. She was slapping my hips saying that I have money, I'm an american, I should give it to her. Mateo told her "Mani Sate" or we don't have money, and she backed off. This continued to be the trend whenever we were in the house. At one point, Alan was cooking and asked for a rag to pick up the pot. The women started yelling something at him, and the teenage son finally translated, "they want you to buy the rag." I let him borrow my towel, and spent as much time as possible outside the house.
Part of our time outside the house was visiting fields, part was interviewing community elders, to find out which trees are native to the area, and which were brought from other areas. It was custom to pay a few bucks for the interview, which seemed odd to me, because it was for a community project directly benefitting them, but it was the most effective way to get information. When we tried interviewing the oldest woman in town she wanted $10, and she would give us her entire life story, which I'm sure was very interesting, but wasn't the information we wanted. Then her son came in, he did know quite a bit about where the native trees were, and how to get there, but then he wanted to show us his dolls. We went into another hut, and there were tons of dolls carved out of balsa wood. We asked about them. He's a medicine man, and uses the dolls in healing rituals. Orlando pointed out that some of the dolls were as tall as me, and I pointed out that they white too, and that makes me very nervous.
Next to the the dolls were several airplanes and helicopters also carved from balsa, though given the setting, much more puzzling. So we asked what are the airplanes for. He said when someone's sick he uses the airplanes to hover above them collecting the bad spirits.
All in all the trip to Nurra was an interesting look at a starkly different culture. Though I never felt comfortable in the house we stayed, there were glimmers of hospitality. They were very generous with the corn drink they made. The first time they offered it to us. they gave us one glass for the three of us. So Mateo took a sip, and passed around Alan sipped and passed it to me. When it was my turn the women started yelling again, and Alan tells me they want me to chug it. Out of fear, I chug the glass at once, and they went to get more, and give it back to Mateo to chug the whole glass. It actually went down smooth, and so whenever they offered us corn drink we'd all chug the whole glass at once, because that was apparently how you are supposed to do it. When they'd yelled at us earlier, they were just trying to say, "We just have one glass, so go a head and drink it up so we can serve your friends." All the yelling just added to the confusion and made it a more stressful situation. Us not feeling comfortable in the house, wasn't because they were bad people, or we were bad people; more than anything, a failure to communicate.
So said Domingo our Kuna translator who looks like Jackie Chan. He said that the Kuna are a very misunderstood people. They have been used and mistreated by the Spanish explorers, and then the panamanian government, that they have put their guard up more than any other ethnic group. They've also organized themselves much more than any other ethnic group. For us Peace Corps volunteers, it's so different from anything else we've experienced in Panama. Everywhere else I've gone in Panama, they people treat foriegners like royalty, but the Kuna are very suspicious of foreigners. Jackie Chan continued to tell a story about a tourism student, who had recently graduated. He asked her what region of Panama she wanted to work in. She said she doesn't care, as long as she doesn't have to deal with the Kuna. He asked why she said that. She replied, "They're unfriendly, and plus, they make their corn drink by chewing up dried corn in their mouth and spitting it into a big pot."
So misunderstood or not, I will not be going back anytime soon.

One Year Update

2009-10-15T10:39:00.000-05:00

So... I've been in Maje almost a year, and it's been several months since my last blog update. Sounds like it's time for an update. Many of you are probably curious as to what I'm doing for work, and it really depends on the day.

My main project right now is building latrines. This may seem like something pretty basic idea, and it is, but it's complicated by the fact that if one simply "digs a hole" the hole floods with water during the rainy season and makes it much less pleasant to swim in the river. So as an alternative to having a really stinky lawn, a lot of the people just head to the jungle to do their business. Having a sanitary "facility" to fulfill ones necessities would be high on the priority list when building a house. However, people get accustomed to doing things a certain way, and won't change unless someone show's them a more attractive alternative. Enter Peace Corps volunteer.

I've been promoting a composting latrine. The Peace Corps model here in Panama is basically 2 cement boxes side by side above ground. This makes it a much larger latrine, the basic hole in the ground. The user uses one box for a year, and then the other box for the next year, adding sawdust, rice husks, or ash everytime they make unkaka. As one side is used the other is composting. If done properly, by the time it's time to use the first side again, the contents are completely processed, parasites have been killed and you can shovel out the "fertlizer" to feed your crops. In explaining this to the people of my community, this is where I lost them. You want me to "take out the unkaka". Thinking about it, this is a very reasonable reaction. So I built myself one to prove to the community, and myself that this isn't gross. I changed the design however. I built a wooden "box", On top of this box I have my a platform with a "seat". When this box fills up, I will simply build another box. The platform and walls disassemble to be moved to the new location, and the box is covered for compost magic to happen. When it's ready, a tree is planted in the box and the latrine is converted to planter filled with rich organic fertilzer.

This model

-requires less material "mine was built completely with used lumber, costing me a total of $8 for the nails and toilet seat."

-allows fertilizer to be used in a safe manner providing nutrients for a fruit producing tree.

-will not contaminate the local water

-minimizes handeling of unkaka

-complements the seminomadic lifestyle of the embera

-is designed as a cradle to cradle system

I know pictures would be helpful in a post like this, and I'll see what I can do, for the next time I post, but with updates on other projects I'm working on.

Chao pescao!

Matrimonio Santo... o algo asi

2009-04-16T14:17:00.000-05:00

Well, I talked to my sister Laura for the first time in awhile, and had the privelidge of being the last person to congratulate her on her engagement. Though I´m happily moved into my house, I still have yet to put the finishing touches on my Coconut telephone. But I´m in the city for a couple days running errands, and had a chance to call and talk to her and she let me in on the big news. I´m extraodinarily happy for her and Cody, especially in the context of the culture I´ve been living in.

Upon hearing the news of my sister´s engagement, I thought about how I can now point out all the photos I have of Laura and Cody, and tell my friends hear about how their engaged now, but after thinking about it, ít´s going to be a little difficult to explain.

Traditionaly, marraige doesn´t exist in Emberá culture. It´s a concept introduced by the evangelical missionaries, and it still isn´t very popular. The pastors and a few other families that are involved in the church tell me they´re offically married in the church, but the majority of men show little interest in getting married to their partner any time soon
(Maybe because the spanish word for wife [esposa] is the same word for handcuffs).

As was described to me, the they unite, or move in together. From my own observation, this is how this works. When a woman is between 13-15 years old she moves out of her parents house into another man´s house. They have a couple kids, and the man gets bored and finds another woman and repeats the process, until he´s to old to find another girl to live with. The woman moves back in with her parents, who´s job it is now to take care of their daughter and grandchildren. The woman waits for another chance to move in with another man, usually the children stay with the grandparents. I´m generalizing a bit. Some girls leave to go study and in doing so, put off having children for a few years, and sometimes it´s the woman that leaves the man. But Í´m hard pressed to think of anyone in my community who has been completely monogomous their entire lives, even among church leaders.

It´s easy to do I´m told. A lot less complicated than how I was taught to do things. My host brother Carlos (the one that hunts monkeys) is probably going to be united with a girl pretty soon. They were introduced over the phone, and have apparently had some serious conversations. Her father says he wants Carlos to be her man because he´s a good Christian man. Carlos´s parents who are leaders in the church are very happy for him.

They tell me I could do the same. I tell them I have to leave in two years, and they don´t really see any problems with that. All I have to do is find a girl I think is cute. Tell her dad I think she´s pretty and she´s mine. I´d have my own cook, dishwasher, and laundry maid. Though the idea is enticing in some respects, I can´t help but think of my friend Magnolia. Magnolia has a 6 year old daughter named Estephanie, who´s the daughter of an American who refuses to recognise that she´s his daughter. Occasionally, she tells me about how she almost moved to the United States to be with the father of her daughter, but she decided not to go because in the United States, we don´t have tilapia (the freshwater fish that makes up half their diet), as she laughs to hold back the tears. In short, every conversation about me moving in with a girl ends with me saying. The girls are pretty here, but it´s better if I sleep alone a little bit cold for a couple years.

When I decided to joined the Peace Corps, everyone told me about much more appreciation I´d have for American things, like air conditioning, hot water, chocolate bars, and pizza. It´s true I do appreciate all those things a lot more, and dream of the day I can eat pizza in a hot shower. However this pales in comparison to the appreciation I now have for marriage, and the stability it gives to our families, our culture, and our lives. With this I wish to congratulate Laura and Cody for their decision to enter the covenent of marriage.

The Long awaited "Tree Fort"

2009-02-14T14:07:00.001-06:00

So I've officially been a Peace Corps Volunteer for 3 months now and the question on a lot of people's minds is "What's Alan been doing?" Obviously keeping up with the blog is not the answer to this question. The actual answer, is working on my house. I wanted to wait til I was "done" with my house, but I am now convinced I will never be done, it's a work in progress...

So I know the burning question in a lot of people's minds is;
How do you build a sweet house in the jungle?
For this I've made a simple easy to use guide for everyone who would like to build their own.

Step 1) Find a community of highly skilled indigenous people, and tell them you'll take pictures of them building a sweet house.

Step 2) Sit back and watch

From Mi Casa es Su casa

What's for Dinner?

2008-11-24T15:08:00.000-06:00

Whenever you emerse yourself in a foreign culture, the common question arises... how's the food.

In general I'm very lucky. I have both carbohydrates and proteins represented in every meal in my community. While for many americans, 2 for 6 on the food pyramid doesn't sound all that balanced, but the majority of volunteers here have the options of boiled plantanes or rice. I am very lucky that I get meat or eggs for every meal. Though the meat I get isn't the high quality beef I'm used to. Generally it's fish, which I thought I'd have trouble with. I've never been a fish eater, and now I'm living in a community where the main source of income is fishing, so I've gotten used to it... three times a day... for a week in a row. I was happy when my host mother said that she brought home some beef. My enthusiasm wained however, when she pulled a hoof out of a plastic bag and began to hack at it with a cleaver. I had no idea how to find meat on cow hoof, so I watched my host father. You apparently don't find meat, you just pick it up and gnaw on the ankle fat. After I gave it my best shot, he asked me if I was done, as he picked up my piece and cleaned up all the good bits I had missed.

Occasionally someone will go hunting in the jungle and bring in some wierd animal from the jungle. I've had saino, which is kind of like a wild pig, and tastes like one too. However, everyone tells me when I get the chance I have to try conejo pintado which is apparently a protected species. They tell me though there's a reason it's not that abundant, because it's delicious.

I arrived home one afternoon, and my host brother greeted me with an awkward smile. He'd gone hunting that day, and got something, it's in the sink. I looked and saw an unrecognizeable body, i examined it a bit more and... is that a human hand, and arm, it looked like a small child was chopped up and in our sink... monkey.

They warned us in training that we were going to have to make boundaries for ourselves, how far would we be willing to go to be part of the community. I hadn't had to think a lot about those boundaries until this moment. I might be eating monkey for supper. On one hand, it's just an protein from another animal. It's not any of the gross parts (I hope). On the other hand, it's a monkey, looks a lot like a person, I remember the fun I'd had playing with a monkey, and how much person-ality it had. Could I eat my friend... now might be a good time to scroll down and play the monkey video for giggles and grins.

I went to my room, IF I was going to do this, I had to know as little information as possible, I already knew too much. I read a lot, and sketched, and wrote. I cracked open the Bible; strangely enough it was the passage were Jesus is lecturing the pharisees that it's not what you put in your mouth that's good or bad, but what comes out of your mouth. So I guess I have God's permission, but I still don't know if it's something I can do. My host mother tells me my foods ready, I go outside to wash my hands, and go back inside. I'm going to do it, I'm going to find out what monkey tastes like. I sit down at the table, and for the first time look at my plate... of chicken. wheeww that was close. It was the most delicious chicken I'd had, during the meal, my host mother asked me If I eat monkey, I said no. She replied "I didn't think so." My host brother had gone of to sell the meat in the community, I was saved, for that day.

Majé

2008-10-15T16:46:00.000-05:00

So the other day, I was hiking through a jungle stream after a long morning of harvesting rice with my friends Pedro and Yuni, (Indigenous fishermen who rent a small farm to subsidize their income). Rain was pouring down through the rainforest canopy, as they pointed out a neon green and black frog that their ancestors had used for poison darts. This led into a conversation about the many natural remedies available in the rainforest. It was at this moment, that I realized I wasn´t in Iowa anymore. I am a Peace Corps volunteer in rural panama

This feeling snuck up on me... After all the preparation that went into the application process. The doctor´s visits, the signitures, and proof of signitures, the goodbyes, the hellos, and nice to meet you´s in staging, he apprehention of whether I could learn a new language, meeting host families, and sitting through lectures, and not to mention all the run on sentences.

Everything leading up to this has happened in a way that made it feel as if being a Volunteer was still some lofty idea that I was considering, and didn´t seem real until this hike through the jungle. I still have just a week left of training, before I head back to my jungle hideaway to build treeforts, eat fish from the river, and learn dirty words in a language that less than 30,000 people in the world speak.

Mushy sentiments aside, Majé, the community I´ll be living in, is a beautiful place to live (or visit if you get the chance). As mentioned before, it´s the best primary rainforest I´ve been able to see in panama. There´s mountains, rivers, jungle, and caves all close enough to keep any outdoorsperson busy. The people are very hardworking, friendly, and motivated.

If you´ve been keeping up with my blog you´re probably wondering when I´ll have a chance to do work. Well soon, very soon, as there is a lot of work to do in the community. The aqueduct is new (1-2 months old), andlooks very well built, but the real test will come in march during thedry season. Trash is a huge problem for a community an hours boat ridefrom the nearest garbage can. Many people burn their trash, and the rest throw it in a creek. Neither option is ideal, but if nothing else I will become very aware of everything I consume as a person living here.

Also, few in the community have access to latrines. The watertable is very high, and a traditional pit latrine would be floodedright now. This sounds like the perfect opportunity for a composting latrine that Peace Corps has been endorsing in Panama. The onlyproblem is the composting latrines Peace Corps has been buildinrequire cement blocks, rebar, and concrete, not exactly materials thatare cheap or easy to get to the community that is on the opposite side of the world`s largest man made lake. This provides a great opportunity to redesign composting latrines in a manner that uses locally available resources.

The other work that I am really excited about, but a little overwelmed by is working with the local women`s artisan group to find a market to sell their work. I was really impressed by the baskets thewomen made, I may just be bragging, but I thought they were the bestbaskets I`ve seen in panama. Also, I was shown a large marlin and dolphin jumping from the water carved out of cocobolo, one of theworld`s most exotic woods, (which I`m told my house will be built outof). It`s gorgeus, and I can picture some sports bar paying well over 1000 dollars for it, but here it sits in the middle of the jungle. I brought up the possiblity of selling artisan work on the internet,which was hard, because my Embera dictionary didn`t have a word for upload, and the man interpreting the meeting didn`t seem to know either. But after explaining that it`s potentially a way to sell their work directly to people around the world for top dollar, they seemed pretty excited.

All these possibilities, I´m very excited about, and can´t wait to get started. I appreciate you staying with this post for long enough to get to this point, I know it´s been a little long, but I´m not sure when the next chance I´ll get to update will be. So hope it keeps you going for awhile, and if not, I have a monkey video to watch...

Site Announcement

2008-09-10T17:03:00.000-05:00

Today was a big day, we finally found out where we´d be spending the next 2 years of our lives. All and all I haven´t talked to anyone who´s disappointed with where they ended up. Here´s an excerpt from my site description.

Maje Cordilla is a remote Emberá community located in the Panama Este province of central panama. The community relies principally on cultivation of corn, platano, rice, and fish from the river and Lake Bayano for household consumption. Maje cordillera is reached by boat from the main bridge over Lago Bayano. The boat speeds along the open water of Lake Bayano towards the protected Serrania Maje until reaching the river where you will pass into the river canyon upstream to Maje. Traveling up river you are transported back to a simpler time. People along the shore of the river wave as you moor upstream to the small Emberá village.

When I recieved my site information, all the staff told me about what a beautiful site it is, and how ready the community is for a volunteer. I can´t wait either. In a number of ways, this sounds like the perfect opportunity for me. On a superficial level, I will be living along a gorgeous river, and I will be building my very own tree fort, like the one´s in Jake´s site. As far as work goes, the primary project I´m there for is to help finish and teach about the new aqueduct system they have. However, there are numerous other opportunities for secondary projects within the community for me to use my design background, but I won´t know for sure what the possibilities are until I arrive there and start talking with the community.

Speaking of talking with the community, I had a spanish test yesterday afternoon, which basically consisted of me going and chatting it up with a cute spanish tutor. I felt much more comfortable than I did when I first got here, like I can actually have a conversation now and even from time to time make a couple of jokes in Spanish. It´s amazing how much my language has progressed in the last month, but it´s about to get a bit more complicated. Next week I´ll be visiting Jake again as a part of culture week, a week to be educated in the Emberá culture that I´ll be immersed in for the next 2 years, and as a part of that I will start learning the Emberá language as well as continuing developing my spanish. Ay chuleta.

I´ll continue to update as my journey continues.

Getting lost in Panamania

2008-08-22T17:38:00.001-05:00

It´s not even been 2 weeks since I left Iowa, and so much is happened. I´ve now moved in with a wonderful family, who I understand %30 of the time. I´ve visited a peace corps volunteer in the Darien province, and I don´t detest coffee. Oh yeah and I´ve had officials in 5 panamanian cities looking for me.

This probably will take some explaining, and I may leave out some details in interest of time, but you can probably fill in the blanks and make a more interesting story. For my spanish class yesterday, we went to a nearby city to buy some supplies, and run some errands. A big group went on buses using the diablos rojos, the Panamanian super cheap way to travel. No one paid attention to how we got there, and when we all got off the bus we broke into smaller groups to see the city. I stopped to buy my machete, my do-all weapon of choice for the next 2 years, and when I turned around all my gringo friends were gone. I went outside and I saw a busy panamanian street but no Otro gringos. I waited for a while, before deciding that if I didn´t do something, I was going to miss the afternoon session, and set off a read alert that Peace Corps had lost a trainee. We hadn´t discussed leaving the city at all, only how to get there, and a basic outline of what we were going to do there. Maybe this was our first Spanish test, drop us off in a city, and if we get back to training, we pass. I felt safe the whole time because I was, in comparison a giant person walking around with a giant machete. I asked a man what bus i needed to get on to get back to Sta. Clara, my training comunity. Conveniently, it was the bus he was in front of taking money for. I was apprehensive and confirmed that the bus was going to Sta. Clara, and I´d get there just in time for class. Well apparently there are at least 5 Sta. Clara´s in Panama, and I ended up 1.5 hours away from where I needed to be. I´d faild my first spanish class. I took a bus back and was able to call my superior, but I´d already set off the alarm that a trainee was missing. I arrived in a nearby city and was running to another bus-stop ... in the rain... with my machete in hand. Somehow I attracted the attention of a police officer who stopped me by yelling my name. He told me my coordinator was looking for me, in spanish, so it took him a couple of times for it to sink in. I waited at the police station for my training coordinator to find me.

This is an isolated incident, and I am very safe and have been the whole time, but this was the climax of a very eventful week.

more to come

Aspiration Statement

2008-07-10T16:49:00.000-05:00

After being invited to serve in Panama, I was asked to write an "Aspiration Statement" to let my host country get to know a little about me and my expectations for the next 2 years. I thought that'd be a fitting first post on this blog.

Hello, my name is Alan McDonald, I a recent college graduate with a degree in Product Design. Through this education, I’ve learned a method to do what I’ve always loved; which is making stuff that solves problems. In my formal education, I’ve had experience designing luxury yachts, high end furniture, and various other gadgets that will never see production, because they are based in a fantasy world of “User Profiles” and made up “Scenarios”. I joined the Peace Corps to challenge myself to use my creative abilities to design something that capitalizes on local resources, is sustainable in every definition of the word, and most importantly solve a serious problem.

I’ve been assigned to the Environmental Health program in Panama, which I think is a very good fit to accomplish the goals listed above. It’s also a good fit in regards to my previous experience I have. My father is a plumber and electrician, and I spent many summers with him gaining familiarity with modern plumbing. He used to tell me, “Plumbers protect America’s health” citing a number of diseases and conditions that are virtually nonexistent in a country with adequate plumbing. In this way I look forward to the work I will be doing as an environmental health specialist. The area of sanitation in these communities is not only an area of great need, but also of great potential. As a part of my program, I’d like to experiment with using human waste to create compost, and potentially methane gas for fuel. In this way a biological hazard is turned into a locally produced resource. As a secondary program, I was hoping to be able to use my design background in another way. If assigned to a community where artisans create beautiful traditional carvings, or textiles, I’d like to organize a cottage industry by using local talents and traditions to provide economic opportunities for community members. Depending on resources available, goods produced in the community could be sold on the internet for exponentially more than they would sell at local markets. (Examples can be found at www.aidtoartisans.org )

I realize however that I need to be prepared to abandon any of these plans if they don’t match up with the needs of the community I’m placed in, or don’t have the support of the host community. My strategy to work with host country partners is to first of all identify the needs of the community, and then find partners that have similar goals and resources to meet these goals.

Vital to getting cooperation is adapting to the Panamanian culture. I realize that I will never fit in completely with my host community. But I do look forward to living in a different culture. I have a laid back personality and the ability to laugh at myself, which I think are important traits to have when adapting to a new environment. From the information I’ve received, I also have a great amount of respect for the Panamanian culture. I admire their strong family values and look forward to learning from them.

I also look forward to learning the necessary skills during pre-service training. As of now I have a strong background in reading and writing in the Spanish language, but through training I hope to become fluent at speaking the language, and having conversations. In addition to language skills I would like to learn about Panama, the different indigenous groups that inhabit the country, and cultural traditions to be aware of. I also hope to learn the technical skills to be useful to my community, by learning what other environmental health volunteers have tried and what worked, and what didn’t work.

I am looking forward to my Peace Corps experience. My primary goal in making this commitment is to have an experience I’ll remember for the rest of my life; an experience that will make me a more creative, resourceful, and all around better person and designer. I’m certain the time I serve will make me more competitive in my future professional life. In a competitive industry, international experience with an organization like the Peace Corps will definitely set me apart from other job candidates. Everyone I’ve talked to who’s been in the Peace Corps has told me it’s a life changing experience. I can’t wait to find out what that means.