Hola from Panama

It is my 2nd day in Panama and I only have internet for a little bit so I will make this nice and short.

(As a side note, there's another girl in my Peace Corps group whose name is Hallie, even spelled and pronounced the same way.  This has definitely been a first for me!  Small world.)

Anyways, so far it has been long days of meetings and orientations to make sure we are being safe, healthy and letting us know the challenges and excitements that lay ahead.  But the views are beautiful and the weather is hot and humid.  From here we can see one of the locks on the Panama Canal which is neat.  Everything is so green and alive.  Panama is just entering the wet season, so there have been thunderstorms and rain every night.  Speaking of water, the tap water is safe to drink at this particular site and the city in general which I thought was interesting.

On Sunday, I will travel to my host family site where I will live for the next 10 weeks or so.  There I will undergo all my language and technical training.  Sorry this is such a short post, but I'm having a great time so far with all the wonderfully nice people here!

6 Days and Counting...

Welcome to my blog! As many of you know, I am about to embark on a 27-month commitment to improving the quality of life of Panamanians with whom I will live and work.  I’m going to dramatically improve my Spanish, learn some agricultural skills, and emotionally and physically adapt to whatever is thrown my way (e.g. poisonous snakes).  Hopefully by the end I will have earned the trust and confidence of my community, and will have bettered their lives and mine in some notable way.  Basically I got my work cut out for me these next couple years…

Before I go on, to those of you who were at my going away party, I just want to so thank you so much for showing your support and enthusiasm for my trip.  And for everyone else that has given their encouragement, I appreciate it more than you know!

Now here’s a recap of my itinerary:

I fly to Miami on April 26^th along with about 45 Panama volunteers where I will spend the day figuring out logistics and getting a mini orientation.  The next morning it’s off to Panama where I spend a couple days getting settled in before they send me off to my host family a couple hours away from Panama City.  I will be staying with my host family for almost 3 months.  In this time I will be undergoing intensive training where I will be taught agricultural and technical skills, take language classes, learn about the culture, and how to stay healthy and safe.

After those 3 months, I take a bunch of assessments and get placed somewhere in Panama (“2-16 hours from Panama city”) where my new skills will come in handy and where I will get to live on my own.

So what exactly will I be doing down there?

My official job title is: Sustainable Agriculture Systems (SAS) Extension Agent.  Quite a mouthful.

As far as I know, I will be helping to plan and implement sustainable agriculture techniques, i.e. making economically-viable crop yields without destroying their natural resources (ever heard of slash-and-burn?).  I also get to see the agribusiness side, helping small farmers find markets for their products and developing overall best management practices.  I may be working with fish and rice tanks, or on coffee or cacao plantations, who knows?  I imagine my job will vary to the community in which I’m placed, and every volunteer experience (even within the same country) is different, so it’s hard to know what to expect.

What I do know, is that I will be an expert with machetes by the time I get back…

So you ask, “Where can I send all my wonderful letters and packages?”

My mailing address for the first 3 months will be:

Hallie Kyrias

Cuerpo de Paz/Panamá

Edificio 104, ler Piso

Avenida Vicente Bonilla

Ciudad de Saber, Clayton

Corregimiento de Ancon

Panamá, República de Panamá

(Longest address ever, am I right?)

This will also be posted on the right hand side of this blog for convenience.  After 3 months this address will change to my permanent site yet to be determined, so stay tuned.

Some advice about sending letters/packages:

It may take 10 days to 1-2 months to receive letters as the mail service in Panama is not very reliable.  Also, because of theft and such, valuable items shouldn’t be sent.  Keeping items in padded envelopes versus a box usually prevents some theft.

Well, I don’t know how reliable my access to the internet will be in Panama, but I hope to update this blog at least once a month.  Feel free to make comments/questions on my posts as well, I'll get to them sooner or later.  Can’t wait to share some adventures…wish me luck and hasta luego!