After two weeks of hauling ass around Panamá, we are finally, FINALLY done with tech and culture week, and I am really happy about that. We only really have about three weeks left of training, including our site visit, during which we get to visit the place in which we'll be working, and then we swear in. I just want to drop all my bags down somewhere and not have to carry them anywhere else for the next two years, after these last two weeks.

Culture week, however, was way, way cooler than tech week, at least in my opinion. I headed out to the Darién with Joanna, Jake, Deborah, and for a brief time, Justin (who ended up being the third ET in our sector) and chilled with the Emberás and Wounnan for six days. It wasn't exactly pertinent to my site or what I'll be doing over the next two years, as my site is Latino and Kuna, but it was good insight.

For example, we met a medicine man, who gave us a brief "charla" on various medicinal propeties of various medicinal plants around the site. The first was a plant that, if the authorities are looking for you for anything, especially the trafficking of drugs (because this is the Darién), you put it on your hand, then shake their hand, and they immediately forget about the pursuit, and care so little about finding you that you could "sit down and have coffee with them." The other plant he told us about was this striped one that, when you used it, turned you into a tiger. That way you could hunt, and when your rational Tiger Mind deemed it necessary to return to human status, you just took your paw, rubbed the counter-medicine on yourself, and you'd change back. When asked if he'd ever attempted this transformation, however, the medicine man said no, because it's "too dangerous."

We also got painted with Jagua, which is this black substance that comes out of some fruit, and doesn't go way for two weeks. That was pretty sweet. It'll be especially sweet walking around my latino community with this indigenous painting, even though my host mother told me all the "indios are alcoholics." It'll warrant acceptance.

The kids also lovvvved us. Jake, being 6'8", was constantly being stared at, and when we were asked why we as Americans are so tall, we took the opportunity to tell them that it was because, in the United States, we don't ever eat any candy or drink coffee, and only eat fruits, vegetables, lean meats and dairy products. This was mainly in response to the fact that the families in this community, and others, start off feeding their kids coffee as soon as they're weaned (Franco, who is sitting next to me, just laughed at the word "weaned" because he is a twelve year old). They also were really intrigued with my coral necklaces (the teal and red ones), and my "ojitos bien azules", which I guess means my really small, really blue eyes. I also bathed via a bucket, standing in the middle of a community, in all my clothes, trying harder than hell to be discreet as eight million kids watched me. The whole week was a lot of fun, even though my host family consisted of more screaming children, meaning I didn't sleep.

After Culture Week, we all chilled in Panamá the City for a while, and went to some bar calledUnplugged which was apparently supposed to be reminiscent of the show on MTV, and the next morning got crepes and waffles at a place called Crepes and Waffles, and paid six dollars for our hotel room per person, because five of us were crammed into a three person room and basked in the glory of frigid air conditioning and showers with HOT WATER AND PRESSURE. Good times.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly for all of you, I got a cell phone and its number is 6777-4636. Eight numbers. Get yourselves all int'l calling cards and get on calling me (add 011 infront of the number), because incoming calls to me are free for me, and you're all making more than the ten dollars a day that I will be.