It's been a while since climbing Vulcán Barú, and about a month since my last post. In the first couple weeks of November, I visited my schools, discovered that the recycling program was on hold, did some English stuff, such as my community classes, and kept busy in the usual sort of way. With a couple First Communions, and Anniversarios, and the like.
At the end of the month, however, things got interesting again. As usual, soon there will be pictures posted. Probably.
So, the week before Thanksgiving held English Week at the University of Panama- Aguadulce Extension. Nate, Julie, Catherine, and I went out to Aguadulce, which is the town near the western border of my province, an hour and a half or so away, on Tuesday to act as judges for a Speech Contest. In truth, when we arrived, we found that we were to judge the 5 contestants on their speeches, in English, and their talents. We were to crown a Mr. and Miss English. The speeches were quite impressive, and some of the talents were as well! If I recall correctly, we crowned a singer who seemed to know her song and interpret it with body language and dynamics, and a clarinetist.
I also got to be friends with Gilma, the Profesora who put the event together, and on the following Friday, went back for the "Get Together/Values-Oscar Night". It was an excuse to get dressed up and play interior designer (sort of, it was an outdoor space, but I ended up helping a lot with decorations, table arrangements, and centerpieces). There were awards for "Best Friendship", "Hardest Working" and suchlike, as well as a couple of the usual "choreographies", which are self-choreographed, generally hip-hop pieces that pop up at most secondaria and apparently university level events. There were also a couple scenes from a thespian group, the first a display of an abusive relationship, which the table behind me seemed to find quite hilarious. Oy. The other was about 2 sisters, one of whom was telling the other about this oh, so fabulous guy that she's hooked on who was eventually revealed to have been a complete jerk to the other sister. It wasn't as entertaining as the one with the abusive husband/boyfriend, but up there...according to the table behind me. All together an entertaining evening :-)
After a few days back in site, I went back out on Wednesday for Thanksgiving in Cerro Punta. 8 hours or so of busses later, I arrived, signed in, signed up for the Talent Show that night (belly dancing!), and got out to my cabin waaaaaay out in the woods. Beautiful birding spot, and about an hour walk up from the main lodge. As I was waiting for my turn in the Talent Show, a volunteer I'd never met before asked me if I'd do a salsa dance with him, so naturally I said yes. It was an entertaining surprise, although belly dancing costume and salsa dancing don't mix too well. The salsa was very well received, as was my solo. Several volunteers among my friends and others complimented the dance throughout Thursday :-). I have a video that'll make it online eventually as well. Maybe.
After a day of hiking, hanging out, playing with fire, fresas con crema, hanging out, and a Thanksgiving Dinner That Couldn't Be Beat, I helped clean up. Hey, 2$ discount! All in all, they were a very enjoyable couple of days.
Friday brought me back to site for about 15 hours before I turned around and headed back out to the City for our flashmob rehearsal for World Aids Day on Sunday, Dec 1.
Enjoy: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151731925801673 So much fun!!!
Monday was a friend's birthday, so we went out to eat and had a bit of a party at the hostel, and on Tuesday, all of Group 70 trooped out to Ciudad del Saber (City of Knowledge), location of the PC HQ for our COS Conference. Our Close-Of-Service Conference, aka, all we need to know about leaving our communities and country, and the last time our whole group, or nearly, would all be together. After our first session, on Tuesday night, there was a fellow from casting for "Hands of Stone" who somehow got the inside scoop that there would be a gathering of gringos, and took a bunch of pictures and phone numbers. It was a very informative conference, and on Thursday night, we rented a Party Bus, which was honestly, much more fun than I'd been anticipating. On Friday I skipped back home for a Carol Sing at a University English program and over the weekend visited the annual Agricultural Fair, though this year I skipped the evening dances. There were produce vendors and a few artesanias, as well as some folclorica dance presentations.
The following Monday saw me back into the City to be an extra in the movie! I showed up (a bit early) and with a group of other extras, was carted out to the stadium where they're filming, got signed in, costumed (Amy Evans, RN, complete with white cap, white dress, white stockings, white wedge loafers), hair-and-makeuped, and was herded hither and yon to wait, until eventually we were told that our scene was shrunk and that the extras were cut. But I was minutes, or yards, rather, from being IN A HOLLYWOOD MOVIE SCENE with ROBERT DE NIRO. But that would be the "close brush" in the title. It was a lot of fun seeing the process, and getting hair-and-makeuped, and seeing the ring (it's a boxing movie), aaaaaaand...I'm going back on Sunday, but that'll be as a face in the crowd during a boxing match. Probably. But, still fun, and I made a new friend, a woman who was at the mall with her family when she was accosted by a movie person to be in the scene from which we were cut!
Now, I'm back in Santa Rita for a while, at last, except for day trips and meetings and the like. AND IN LESS THAN 2 WEEKS, TRISTAN AND JENNIFER WILL BE WITH ME IN PANAMA!!!!! And that's more exciting than being in a movie with Robert de Niro anyway ;-)
