Sunday, May 16, 2010

Election day

I was on house arrest until 3:30pm today, as all of Panama couldn't leave their houses until they got census-ed. It only happens once every ten years, and in the long run, it's probably more efficient than how the US does it. Maybe not... Anyhow, Isaac and I were staying here at the hostel and we had food stocked up as we couldnt' leave to get any (and no stores would be open anyhow). We started getting hungry and antsy around 11am. I went down to the fridge and found someone ate ALL our food: a tupperware of super delicious ginger pasta with loads of veggies, and another big tupperware of more pasta waiting for fixings. ARGH! So now were were trapped, hungry, and antsy. Luckily we still had some chips and salsa which held us over until we were counted and released later in the afternoon. We beelined it to the grocery store just to get out of the hostel for a bit. I got fruit and yogurt which I had been craving, while Isaac bought and downed a whole liter of chocolate milk.

We went out to dinner around 7pm when all businesses were allowed to be open... only to find that most kept there doors shut. So much for dinner at the good vegetarian restaurant. We still had a good dinner and chatted a whole bunch. It's going to be weird to leave such good friends behind. Isaac and his wife, Melissa, bought a coffee farm in another volunteer couple's site in Cocle. They'll be returning to the states (Vermont) after planting the farm. (They bought 10lbs of coffee seed from me and the president of the coffee group in my site.) Melissa's parents are in DC, and she's going to go to the Outer Banks with some girlfriends from home at some point, so I'll see her around.

I'm working on my presentation for tomorrow. I was just going to set the trainees off with an assignment, but I found a much better way of explaining everything from a chunk of the presentation I did last week. So I'll present that info better and then set em free.

Oh I can't wait to be home!!!! I just want time to learn a ton and have fast internet and libraries and coffee shops to do it in. :) I'm looking at sublets. I think I want to be walking distance to a bar. hehe. I really need to meet people, and I don't want to have to worry about driving and all that.

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