Santa Rita Sports and Leadership Camp! And coming attractions...

And now, you can all relax and sit back from that position on the edge of your seats that you've been maintaining for the past month, because Here It Is! A peek at the Sports and Leadership Camp that I hosted at my Primaria at the beginning of September.

First of all, if you haven't seen the album because you aren't on facebook, don't care to use facebook, or just haven't seen it, here's the photographic evidence: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.556128133732.1073741827.113100113&type=1&l=59ca637b16

It all started in late July when I went to help a friend's English Day event with about 10 other volunteers. One of those other volunteers is one of our GAD coordinators, GAD being the volunteer board that focuses on gender development, AIDS awareness, youth programs, and suchlike. Her name is Whitney, and she was looking for someone to host a sports camp. A third party connected us as my having a site of suitable size, and so I agreed to host a sports camp. Which I thought for a while was slated for the summer vacation in December through February, but was actually for the trimester vacation, at the beginning of September. I connected the dots on the actual dates before long, don't worry.

Over the month of August, I scurried around town talking to the Padres de la Familia to get some mothers to cook for the kids, talking to the vice-principal of the Primaria about using the grounds and resources of the school, and getting kids signed up and registered. Towards the end of August, the PE teacher at the colegio (secondary school) proved invaluable in helping to recruit students from that school, and later in using his sports equiptment.

In the last week of August, you can review what I did in my previous blog post :-D That is the same Whitney, by the way, in San Blas/Comarca Kuna Yala and in this lovely youth opportunity.

On that tragic final Saturday of August when my vacation ended and visiting friend Andrew left, it was back to work for me. Whitney and I put together workbooks for the kids, and on Sunday went to the mall to pick up supplies and prizes, because prizes are awesome and supplies are terribly useful.

The rest of Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday flew by in a whirl of preparations that included buying out a vendor's supply of certain produce, making final arrangements for lodging of facilitators, who were other PCVs from all over the country, reviewing seminars and organization, and suchlike.

Over those few days and the rest of the week, I got to know Whitney and another PCV named Julie really well, in the way that only a week of practically constant company can do, as they were the ones to help with preparations, and stayed with me at my house from Monday to Friday. Ish. The other PCVs slept on mats at the school where we held the camp, because it would be very uncomfortable for 12 or so PCVs to try to cram into my house. To the kids' disappointment, we did not have a real, overnight camp for them.

What we did have were fun, interactive presentations on leadership, setting and achieving goals, following dreams, decision making, nutrition, sexual health, physical fitness, and more, in the mornings, and after a delicious lunch prepared by local madres, they had dance and basketball on Wednesday afternoon, Ultimate Frisbee and soccer on Thursday afternoon, and “Olympics” on Friday afternoon, which was a combination of the other 4 activities plus whatever other games we felt like inflicting on them. All in all, the kids had a fantastic time, and all got certificates and prizes at the end.

In the days and weeks following the Camp, kids and parents asked me when I would hold another such camp, or if I could offer something for kids under 12 (this one was for 12-18 year olds), and one kid asked when the other PCVs would be back again.

Of course there were challenges that arose throughout the camp, but it was a remarkably harmonious experience. Difficulties were resolved and/or navigated, and good times were had by all. And choreographies were begun for a flashmob which will be coming in late November/early December, so watch out for a youtube video...in a couple of months.

Since the camp, I had the surprise, spur of the moment opportunity to return to The City almost immediately to visit with my sister-in-law's sister and family who were there for a conference. In addition to letting me enjoy A/C and running hot water, they showed me a few of the Smithsonian research facilities around Panama City, and I saw my first SLOTH! Two-toed variety, in case you were wondering. I didn't have my camera (spur of the moment trip, remember; I was heading into Penonomé for an errand and went to The City when I would have returned home), so no picture, but just imagine a shaggy, rough-furred grey ball way up in the top of a tree.

After that was preparing for Seminar 3 of our Traveling Seminar Series, which is a seminar for Panamanian English Teachers that the Coclé PCVs are carting around to reach as many teachers as possible, and getting the ball rolling on the recycling program, at long last. Incidentally, the recycling program has somewhat catapulted out of my hands, but into Panamanian, so hopefully that'll be a good thing! And I attended our trimestral meetings, a presentation on seed preservation and garden bed preparing...oh, and went down to Pedasí, Los Santos to see a new part of Panama, visit a friend, and help said friend facilitate a couple of Elige Tu Vida seminars to her students. Elige Tu Vida, or Choose Your Life, is a seminar that some past volunteers put together to teach youth about dreams, goals, and sexual health. If it sounds familiar, it's because we used almost all of Elige Tu Vida in the Sports and Leadership Camp.

Now, heading into October, I'm working intermittently with my co-teachers, still teaching roughly once a week at my Friday Primaria, trying to help advance the recycling program, and researching school codes of conduct for my main Primaria. Also, 'tis the season for school festivals (one or two schools every week has their Dia del Campesino, or Farmer Day, which amount to cultural exhibitions) and bigger festivals. This weekend isn't anything here, but next weekend is the Feria del Sombrero Pinta'o (Painted Hat Festival, a celebration of the true Panamanian hat, not the Panama Hat), and following that is the Feria del Torito Guapo (the Handsome Little Bull Festival, and I don't know the story behind that one, but the “bull” is very stylized and involves lots of colors and shinies). And then is a PCV Halloween party, and then to finish October, I'll be climbing Vulcan Baru, aka, tallest peak in Panama and a dormant volcano! And some other stuff...a presentation at an English week for a teacher who attended one of the Traveling Seminars, Santa Rita Foundation Day, Santa Rita Independence from Cabuya Day...fun times. Regular school doesn't really happen from here on out, because of all of these Fun and Exciting other activities, and the marching bands and folclorica dance teams travel to different events.

And then it's November, and that's couple of Independence Days, Flag Day, a few other holidays, plus Thanksgiving for us United Stateans...it's going to be a busy last 4 months or so!!

Btw, I'll either be coming back on February 28 or March 14- I'll let you know in December. :-D