The End

Dear Reader,

Today is my last day here in Panama. Feeling a bit sad, but mostly just so excited to be reunited with my friends and family. Wednesday Mark, Miriam, and I left Farallon for Panama City. I got up early Wednesday morning and stood awkwardly in front of the school in Farallon waiting for my little baby cuties to head in to learn so I could say goodbye. In my broken Spanish I tried to tell the kids I was leaving today and I didn't know when I would be back, also that I loved them and would miss them. I think I came out like this: "I she goes today...I love you...want to come here...one year...possibly...I return United States...I have school university..." So anyhow, you get the idea. I hope the kids got the idea.

I cannot remember if I have written on this or not, nor do I want to read through my other posts to see if I have, but bear with me as I touch on how I am feeling now at the end of the summer.

I feel as though, because I have had to be so expressive with my Spanish speaking friends, I will be able to communicate so easily with everyone back in the states. Not only will I be able to communicate, but I feel as though I will have no inhibitions at all in communicating with everyone I meet. I like people, but now I think I will crave others. Here in Panama I just scream hello to everyone mostly because I really don't understand what they are saying back to me. 

Also, I am just praying I will have a significant change in the way I live my life when I return back to the United States. I hope that living around poverty has not some how desensitized me to the needy. I lived in a really poor area and because of that, poverty became somewhat of the norm, so I don't know. I just feel like coming back home is going to be weird. I need to debrief myself or something. 

Another wonderful aspect of my summer is the new family that I gained. I was able to spend the summer with two wonderful people, Mark and Miriam, and grow and bond together. They are so warm and loving and I feel so happy to say that I will have them in my lives forever.

I am so thankful for everyone who made this summer possible for me. I can't wait to be home with everyone I love!

Here are some pictures.

This is Maria and her husband. They are awesome.

This is Lis sitting on her brand new septic tank.

Tomasa came to say goodbye.

The Uptons and I with Raphael. Saying goodbye.

This is it! Thank you for following me this summer. 

Te amo,

Catalina

Tamp On!

Hola!
Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to help with the construction of the church building I worked on last year in El Cope. One year ago, as I was sweating over cinder block placement and concrete mixing, I never dreamed I would be back on the same soil filling the church building with dirt for a floor that would soon make the church complete. I was overwhelmed with the presence of our God as I reunited with Abel, Solomon, Peto, and Thelma. Working on the building last July, I never once dreamed I would be back in the same place, El Cope. I could not write my friends in El Cope, or simply send them an email or Facebook message, and for that lack of communication I never thought we would be reunited, nor would they even remember me. Of course, I was wrong. They knew instantly who I was, as well as my name, and that I was going to school to pursue my dreams of being a doctor. I'm pretty sure they all thought I had already become a doctor, but clearly, I have no medical license. I should have just gone along with their assumption and administered some treatment. I know that is illegal in the United States.
Anyhow, my job on the work site this past week was a little something I like to call "tamping." As we filled the church floor in with wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of dirt, it had to be compacted in order to make a sturdy foundation for the concrete that would later be poured on top. So I had one of the metal poles with a flat piece of something heavy strapped to the bottom of it and slammed it down over and over again on the dirt of the floor. My tamping team referred to me as the "Tamping Queen" (because I was the only person of the female persuasion tamping) and naturally I made a song out of my title. You may be familiar with ABBA's hit song "Dancing Queen," so envision the tune of that song beginning with the chorus in the following re-written verse.

You are the Tamping Queen, young and sweet, only nine-teen
Tamping Queen, feel the beat on the "tamporine", oh yeah
You can tamp you can die having the tamp of your life, ooooh
See that girl, watch her tamp, diggin' the Tamping Queen.

So not much creativity, really I just replaced dance with "tamp" every time, but it felt REALLY creative at the time. I sure sang it like I thought it was creative.

The Tamping Team

Me, tamping for Narnia

 The group that worked on the church this past week.

I also was able to do the zip line once more in El Valle. It was just as beautiful the second time!
After our last group left, we slept, a lot. Which was nice, because I was rather tired. And by rather tired I mean I could not have gone on one more day without a little sleepy sleep.

I bandaged that foot because I am a doctor.

I painted those nails.

So, thanks for your cute little eyeballs reading up on my activities.

Te Amo!
Katelyn

P.S. Today Miriam and I tried to figure out which use of "I love you" was correct for friendly use and which was more for a sexual use with our friend Josephine. We got some really strange looks every time we said "sexual."

Plenty of Fish

Que Pasa,

The phrase "que pasa" is actually used here to say "what is wrong," and I didn't really know that. So I was basically asking everyone "what is the matter," and was confused as to why everyone was responding shyly to me as they responded, usually, with "nada" or nothing. It probably didn't make a lot of sense for me to be assuming people had issues before I even began a conversation with them, but you live and you learn the correct way to speak a little Spanish. 

The poverty here in Farallon is different here, I think, than in most impoverished places. The village is a fishing community, and because of that, fish and rice is abundant and quite cheap. Families may not have nutritious foods, but their stomachs do get filled. The thing that really breaks this village apart is the alcohol. A can of beer here is only about $.50 compared to a $.90 soda. Naturally, if you were trying to pinch some pennies, you would choose the beer. So the adults here, especially the men and leaders of the community, are always a bit tipsy. Last night I went to invite Josephine and her family to a little house church we were having and a I came across a man who I believe was the local artist's, Joseph's, brother. I said hello, because I have no inhibitions with greeting people here, mainly because that is one of the things I know how to say in Spanish, and then he hugged me and was trying to kiss my face and talk to me all while holding me tight in an embrace. I was in front of some of my friends homes and just thought "Ok, someone help me out here." Luckily Saudia called me over for a question she had about her son Randy's homework.

So, I suppose I said all that to say, the children of this village don't have any positive examples. They see the adults abuse alcohol, and cock fight, and curse, and scream, and use violence, and negative thing after negative thing. At that point I get so frustrated with my language barrier and just want to hold these children in my arms and tell them there is so much more in this world than Farallon. I want them to receive and education. I want to tell them they can do anything they set their minds to and that they are so talented. I want Jefferson to put his menacing behavior behind him and use his skills as a natural leader for good rather than selfish gain. I want Yaireth to know I love her even when she is a brat and that she is a beautiful child of God with a precious voice for singing. I want Maria and Evelin to see how much their mother cares for them and to know that their diligence in school with pay off one day. When I see little babies like Daievis and Junior that do not know any better, I want to teach them what love really feels like. 

The following pictures may have been included in previous posts, but I have included them for examples of the people who I have writen about.

Evelin and Maria

Yaireth

Randy, Roseward, Yaireth, and Jefferson

Jefferson, Saudia, John, Sair, Roseward, Randy

Junior

Despite everything, there are people here in Farallon who have begun to respect me in way I never thought possible. I am just overwhelmed by the friendship I have been shown and pray that God continues to work here, and that his will be done, not my own. 

Nevertheless, I'm hurting for these kids right now. The future is in their hands and the change this community needs will start with them.

Keep Farallon in your prayers.

Katelyn