Seth's Pictures

Some of my favorite photos taken by Seth when he came down last month.

I'm Moving!

Yeah that's right, it's final. I'll be leaving the Bocas del Toro province (lush, green, mountains, trees, indigenous) to the province of Panama Este (dry, brown, flat, deforested, Latino). I was near Costa Rica, now I'm near Columbia. I won't actually move permanently until another month or so, but will be leaving my site Oct. 5th.

This past week I was in the Comarca Ngäbe-Bugle teaching the new volunteers how to build composting latrines.

Thanks to everybody that sent their birthday wishes to me this past week, but the best news I got was that I'm an uncle again! Grace Ella was born Sept. 18th.

Tattoos

No Mom, I didn't get another tattoo. Some kids in my site wanted tattoos "just like mine" so I got out my sharpie and we had a little fun on a rainy day. The first two are mine and provided the template.

Primer Año

Since I arrived in Panama last year, there has been many changes. I've lost 45 pounds...my brother and his wife moved to Iowa and are expecting their first child in October...my father moved to southern WI...my mother met her current fiancé and is planning their wedding for October...my grandfather passed away in late May...I went back for the funeral...my ex-girlfriend got engaged...many friends finished college, got engaged, or married...my sister-in-law finished a CNA course...my sister returned to teaching...my nieces and nephews finished another year of school including all their extracurricular activities...been a few really sick days and a few really amazing days...qué mas? Seems like more has changed.

It's really interesting meeting the new volunteers and seeing myself in them last year. I didn't know where anything was, how anything worked, how to speak, how to listen, how to stay healthy, or how to stop sweating. Funny hearing them compliment my Spanish but not as funny suddenly feeling older. Birthday 26 is coming up in a couple of weeks.

I'm on my way home returning from a leadership conference with my counterpart. It was really well done and he got a lot out of it. I could see his confidence growing right in front of me. Well, I'm gonna sign off, hopefully my package came in today. Happy Labor Day!