July 9

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Panama canal, and today we were lucky enough to visit it and see it in action. The two southern-most locks, Pedro Miguel and Miraflores, are right outside Panama City, so we went there first thing in the  morning and got to see a few ships heading in from the Pacific side toward the lake (north) to the Atlantic. Then we had time to watch a movie about the history of the locks, explore the four story museum and check out the souvenirs in the visitor's center.

We then headed west, toward Santiago to meet our host families, but about half way there, we stopped to eat lunch at Santa Clara, a beautiful beach town. The restaurant was right on the beach, and we swam and collected shells and played in the waves. Sometimes the water is pretty rough, but there hasn't been any rain for a month, so the water was very calm. Everyone enjoyed themselves immensely!

So then we headed toward Santiago to meet our hosts. Some of the students were pretty nervous about it- mostly about being able to communicate with them, but I'm confident they all have the skills to figure it out. Plus, how could the host families not love these boys?!?!

July 7: Emberá Village

In Panamá, there are seven indigenous ethnic groups that still maintain their own language and customs, and to greater or lesser degrees, their traditional ways of life. Today we had the opportunity to visit a community of Emberá indigenous people. Most Emberá live in the dense Darien jungle close to the border of Colombia. But in 1975, a few families decided to leave and resettle closer to the capital. In part they did this because their village was so remote, it took them a week of paddling in a canoe to get out of the jungle to market to sell their goods; in part they also left because of the narco-trafficking in Colombia that was spilling over the border.
We drove about an hour out of Panama City on some very bumpy, narrow roads, then he met our Emberá guides. They helped us get in to dug out canoes (with outboard motors) and started paddling us up the river to their village. The water was clear and the vegetation on either side was lush and dense. After about an hour, we arrived at the village.

The Emberá villagers performed three traditional dances for us, and served us a delicious lunch of patacones (fried plantains) and talapia, caught right from their river. Then we browsed and bought some of their handicrafts. They make beaded jewelry, carved wooden figures, masks and woven baskets. Both their dances and their crafts reflect their culture's strong reverence and respect for nature. Finally, we headed down to the river to swim and cool off.

Waiting

July 7, 2014
Everyone arrived at Cleveland Hopkins at 5 am and we checked in and got through security without a hitch. The flight to Dallas was smooth and we even arrived a little early. Now...waiting...and waiting...getting to know Terminal D at the Dallas Ft. Worth airport very well during our six-hour layover!

Getting Ready for Departure

Lisa and Nathan Hardin, and eight St. Edward High School Students- Noah, Bobby, Ibrahim, Gerard, Kevin, Jake, Adam and Bryson are busy getting ready to travel to Central America. We will be staying in Santiago de Veraguas, Panama from July 7- July 16th. For some background on the town of Santiago and the organization where we will be volunteering (Nutre Hogar), visit the following links:
Nutre Hogar
Panama Service Project
Santiago de Veraguas