OK. I hope I titled this post correctly, I get stage fright when I actually have to use my Spanish.
Hola everyone!
We arrived in Panama around 7:40 last night after a small scare that the connection from San Antonio would not make the flight. Luckily, everyone did, and we arrived in Panama to a wonderfully humid evening. We went straight to a place called Niko's for our first "Panamanian" meal, where many of us had things such as pancakes, french fries, mashed potatoes, and sandwiches.
We then checked into our hostile, picked rooms, and decided we would go out to experience a little Panamanian culture in the form of night life. We called it an early night though because we wanted to be fresh for our first full day.
MONDAY
We all got up around 7:15, got ready, and went downstairs for a wonderful continental breakfast consisting of a ham and cheese sandwich, an unidentified flavor of muffin, and an apple. It was interesting.
We then got on our bus and headed to the building where the gallery, "Artes Natura", will be, called Casa Arias. It's a beautiful 3 story building that was the home to the first Panamanian president (don't quote me, i heard that in passing this morning).
We had a meeting on the third floor deck to plan out our week and what each team will be doing.
We discussed the main goals of the city team, which mainly consist of preparing the gallery and distributing market materials to get people to come to our "La Fiesta Pantando Ideas" on Thursday, which is basically a pre opening for the gallery. We're hoping the people from the embassy, journalists, and other local shop owners will come and hear a presentation about the mission of the gallery and contribute suggestions and ideas that will make this business run successfully.
The jungle team's main goal is to do a workshop for the women in the village about basic finances and receipt keeping, so that when the plants are ready for sale and the gallery opens, they can keep track of their money and profits. They'll also do a cultural activity with the community and make a meal together as well.
We then had lunch at Super Gourmet, a place very close to Arias, that had soup and sandwiches prepared for us for lunch.
We went on a short hike at Cerro Ancon to experience some more Panamanian culture. Cerro Ancon used to be a Naval Base (part of the Panama Canal Zone) many years ago, so it's a really big cultural area and a really big deal. It was never really developed because it was in the zone, so it's very pristine. From one side of the hill you can see the canal, which has the middle set of locks in the distance. From the other side, there is a wonderful view of the city. There was a nice breeze, so it was a pleasant afternoon. I think we all enjoyed it.
We are now back at Casa Arias enjoying a bit of free time on the deck before we go to dinner.
Tomorrow, the real adventure begins. The Jungle Team will leave for the Maderno valley and will return on Thursday morning. The City team will stay here and work on getting the gallery ready.
Adios!
Chelsea
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