Saying Goodbye to Santa Rita

     Hello friends!  I can't believe how long it has taken me to write a new blog post, I've been in site for over a month now!  Another PCV described her days as going by slow but the weeks fast, and that has been true for me so far.  Also my computer broke the day after I got to site, so that hindered my ability to write a blog and after that initial set back I couldn't seem to get into the swing of things.  Thankfully, my host cousin knew of a friend who was able to fix my computer and now it is up and running!  I am going to try to update my blog every other Sunday, so that my experiences don't pile up on me like they have today!  The first thing I need to update you on is our final days and 'despedida' or 'goodbye party' in Santa Rita.
     During the last week in our training site, PC threw a goodbye party for us in the community to thank our host families for everything they had done for us over the 10 weeks we stayed in Santa Rita.  My host mom Mabel made a HUGE pot of arroz con pollo (chicken and rice, a classic Panamanian food), salad, chicha (natural juice), bread.  There were probably 100 people at the party, and we had a great time!  The language teachers performed a skit for us about the conquest of Panama, below is a picture of two of my favorite professors in costume!

     Some of the members of the community are accomplished musicians and performed the traditional Tamborito music for us.  It consists of hand drums, singing, and 'salumar' (a Panamanian campo call that is typical in the Azuero region).  It was really impressive!

     And of course, Panamanians love their dancing!  Here is a picture of my host mom dancing with one of my friends Sean: 

     Our language teachers have the most amazing sense of humor!  Here is a picture of one of my Spanish teachers dropping it low and another PCV having no idea what to do about it!  Definitely a highlight of the day Panamanians know how to party!

     Another PCV from my group, Tom, took the initiative to lead the congo line!  My TE group also made a presentation for our community members.  Two volunteers sang a song to the ukulele and violin, and then our group danced to a compilation of Cupid Shuffle, the Electric Slide, the Wobble, and the Cotton Eyed Joe.  We finished with a choreographed dance to the Beach Boys Surfin' USA.  It was really fun but the Panamanians looked at us like we were crazy!  Our group loves to have fun!

     PC bought a piñata for the kids of Santa Rita.  This is without a doubt my favorite picture of the day.  This is my friend Brittni aka 'Big Red' because of her flaming red hair, and thankfully she has an amazing sense of humor as well!  This is a picture of her and 'Little Red' made perfect with a photobomb from our PCV rep Witt.

     The kids had a great time with the piñata.  The adults even ran to get the candy when it broke.  Below is a picture of the happiest child I have ever met, Hector, taking a turn at the piñata.  

   It was a memorable day filled with great food and friends.  My host mom gave me a pair of matching blue shorts and a shirt.  Here in Panama, it is very common for Panamanians to match everything from their clothes to their make up, so I guess now I am an official Panamanian!  That night, Hector's father threw the volunteers a party at his house.  I went with my host mom and Delfina, and when we drove up in her car everyone started whistling and calling me a 'yayacita' (meaning someone who is very fancy) because we drove there instead of walking!  At one point in the night, Delfina got up and showed us how to do the 'Baile de la Coneja' aka 'Dance of the Bunny,' which is a popular Panamanian song.  We had a great night dancing, talking, and laughing.  It was a perfect send off from Santa Rita.

     The morning we left to go to the PC headquarters in the Ciudad del Saber, we had to be at the bus stop at 6 AM with all of our stuff.  My host mom is amazing and woke up in time to say goodbye and drove me to the bus.  We were both so flustered and sad about saying goodbye, that we didn't realize that the metal gate on the driveway was closed and Mabel backed the car right into it!  Thankfully there was no damage to the car or the fence but it definitely woke me up!  It was really hard to say goodbye to my host mom, I had truly enjoyed my time living with her and being a part of her family.  I will hopefully be able to see her often though because she has family that lives only a half hour from my new site and I will be able to visit her when she comes down.  Here is a picture of my host mom Mabel, myself, and my host brother Yelin: