Silverware is Overrated

Definitely!

I appreciate all the emails I received in response to the last article. My apologies if it was a bit of downer, but I am going to try and share with you pieces of all I experience here in Panamá.

My last six weeks have been spent working nonstop on the house, and I haven't even started building yet! I'm in desperate need of a Lowe's Home and Garden in Laguna but blessed with the experience of building a house without one. I am amazed at the amount of time that goes into gathering materials but also wonder if I have inherited my parents affinity for building a house as slowly as possible!

The storage shed in action.

That's not to say that progress isn't being made. The process starts with a biweekly trip to the city (about a day's travel away) to buy gas and oil in for the chainsaw all to be carried in to Laguna on foot. Every morning in site I get up and fill my time helping the family with chores (usually shucking beans) wondering if Germo (the chain saw guy) will show to work. If he shows (50/50), and it's a good day of work, we can cut 200 linear feet (awkward measurement, I know, but that's how they do it here) of wood. I've asked for about 5000 linear feet for the house and projects around the community. Once the wood is cut it sits to dry for about a week and then has to be carried board by board (about 20 linear feet per load) about an hour round trip to the site where the house will be built.

My host siblings (yes all of them) in front of my tent.

So, after six weeks, about 3500 feet of wood has been cut and transported to the site of the house. Also, I've had 50 giant sacks of grass pulled for the roof...now we just have to transport them one at a time, two hours round trip, to the site of the house. If all goes as planned (which it usually doesn't) I'll be starting to build in a week and I think it will take me about a month to construct the house. The house will be 16' by 14' built off the ground on the side of a hill. I have become dually motivated to get my house up quickly, however, because the host family roof (house?) I was sleeping under recently blew away in the wind. Consequently, I've moved into my backpacking tent until my house is ready. I kinda like sleeping in the tent, it makes me feel like I'm on a two year camping trip.

My host brothers watching Germo cut wood.

On more of the "work" side of things, my dad (on a recent visit to Laguna), had a wonderful idea of building a storage shed for projects with some of the extra wood being cut. The shed has been built and everyone in the community has asked me if they can live in it. Some of them have made rather convincing arguments to move in, but I stuck with the original idea and have already brought in some cement and rebar to build latrines. Construction on the latrines will wait for now, at least until I get a roof over my head that isn't see-through. The community is plenty content with that for now, as much of their time is spent gossiping about the fact that "the place where I come from" is more than a week's walk away.

Enjoy the pictures, and keep the emails coming!

A hut in Laguna.

Ngäbe women in their traditional dress.

The shed during construction.

Silverware is overrated...especially when eating rice.

My host brother crossing a nearby river.

My host brother, Adiel.

A tricky setup...trying to prevent the log from falling in the water.