Wow have we been blessed. Each day of this tour I feel is the best day of the tour and the next is always better than the last. Today proved this theory. It. Was. Amazing.
This morning we started our adventure early and headed to the shores of the Chagres River. On our way we talked a lot about the village we would be visiting as well as how their lives are impacted, both good and bad, by tourism. Prior to our arrival we stopped at a market to get fruits to have for lunch in the village. The market didn’t have the freshest fruits, so Gabo thought that this would be a great time to show the kids how to buy fruits from a roadside fruit stand. Students learned about pineapple, passion fruit, lychee, mango, watermelon and more. We were able to purchase fruit for our entire group of 28 people for $14! Everyone tried everything! The fruit was outstanding and the price was amazing. My students would be very upset if I didn’t give a shout out to our bus driver Rafín here! While we were purchasing the fruits and taking restroom breaks, several students stepped in doggy doo-doo. Rafin cleaned it off the bus and even helped the kids get it off of their shoes. This guy not only does a wonderful job navigating all of the tight street spaces in Panama, he goes above and beyond with extra duties!
After the stop at the market, we met our Chagres River guides and headed down river, by canoe, to visit the village. Students were welcomed with music and sat down with Claudio, the head of transportation for the village. Claudio taught the kids about the roles of males and females in the village and showed them some of the products they make and wear. Ladies dye reeds various colors to use to make baskets and other ornamental designs. The men fish and create items using the tagua seed and wood. They also do various types of metal engravings. Students brought several of these items home as souvenirs. Maddy volunteered to wear the traditional skirt and headdress.
After learning about how the village works, we had an incredible opportunity that doesn’t happen very often on tour. We were able to visit the school in the village. The school has two teachers chosen by the Education Department of Panama. One teaches students K-3 and the other teaches the class with grades 4-6. Students wear the Panama school uniform on Monday to Thursday and on Friday all are required to wear the traditional Emberá dress, which is what you see in these images. I am so thankful that their teacher allowed us to interrupt their school day. My students were able to speak Spanish, make friends, play pato-pato-ganso and red-light green-light. It is moments like this that I really treasure on tour. This trip is about so much more than just seeing cool sights and going on fun adventures. This trip is about seeing PEOPLE and learning about CULTURES and sharing GAMES through LAUGHTER and LOVE. This is what student travel is about. It is about getting out of your comfort zone and putting down the “normal” and just being in the moment with others.
After we visited the school, we were treated to the local lunch and were able to view several traditional dances (videos to come in another post). Lunch consisted of fresh-caught fish, plantains and all the the fruit that we purchased in the market that morning. We also had two students who were able to dress in the traditional clothing. Kudos to Isabel and Rylee for volunteering! There were others that wanted to as well but the opportunity was only given to two. They were amazing volunteers! The dancing was beautiful and I really think my students saw a world very different from Goddard, Kansas, but learned that the love of people transcends all different environments. Gabo inquired about the school visit and was able to make it happen. As their teacher, it was definitely one of the highlights of my trip! Thank you Gabo!
After our visit in the Emberá village, we spent the afternoon at Cerro Anton National Park. This is a large hill that is protected and home to many animals and plant life. The hike was sweaty, but it was definitely worth it. Students saw sloths, termite nests, caterpillars, dart frogs, birds, spiders, and even crossed toucan off of our bucket list! We were hoping to see a glimpse of one toucan and ended our walk surrounded by a group of four! I have never seen a toucan on any of my trips and these kids have now seen a whole flock! I hope they know how truly amazing this opportunity has been. They have seen and learned so many things. In the next few images, you will also see the views from both sides of Cerro Ancon. One image shows Panama City and Casco Viejo, the other images look out over the Panama Canal and you can see shipping and logistics in process. We had a beautiful day! After our hike, both students and teachers were sweaty and exhausted. We ended the day with ice cream and showers!
Stay tuned for snorkeling and sea-life tomorrow!
Quotes from today:
“I couldn’t say everything I wanted to say, but they understood what I meant!”
“Are we at the top yet?”
“Look up!”
“Mrs. Potter, did you just fall again?”
“Don’t get poo-poo on your shoe.”
“Rafin is amazing!”
“I have money, I’m buying it.”
“Do I get Potter points for an ottter spotting?”
“Mrs. Potter, we need another week. I have more fruits to try!”
“I could live here. I have found my happy place.”
“I want monkeys in my backyard.”
“Mrs. Potter… stop looking at us like that.”
It was a great day.
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