After a very intense human rights education class, where I studied and created a unit plan on global slavery, I was more than ready for a break. We had 4 days free so we hopped a bus for our neighbor- Panama. After a beautiful bus ride hugging the coast we arrived at the boarder- a river that divides the two nations. Since we only had a few days, we chose the closest nice place to visit, Bocas del Torro, a collection of beautiful beachy islands.
This is the view from the "ferry" to the islands- a 15-seater motorboat. The ride to the island alone justified the journey. Thick jungle on both sides. Small one room homes on silts. Dark longhaired women and children in wooden canoes. Thousands of majestic cranes poised on one foot watched us pass. On the return trip the river was so calm and still it formed a natural mirror, reflecting back the sky and the dense almost primeval vegetation.
The only down side to the weekend was the visit to a Panamanian hospital. I got bit by some unknown insect and a few hours later my foot was double in size and the bite was rising 1/2 an inch off my toe. It was also a strange black-ish color. We sat in the waiting room, and after few hours, two shots, and 5 different types of medicine I returned to my spot in sun and fresh pineapple shakes.
I was recently part of a delegation representing Upeace at a community and government meeting in Ciudad Colon. Members of the community spoke about new developments, problems and
Some Upeacers recently spent the day with ACAI, an ngo that works closely with UN High Commission on Refugees here in Costa Rica. One of my classmates works with the refugee children group. I spent a fun filled day playing, doing art projects and enjoying these kids energy and hope. The refugee population in Costa Rica is 100% Colombian, mostly families from rural, conflict ridden areas that have had to flee their homes. Some of these children's stories are heartbreaking- but they are still kids. They love pizza, jumping castles, stickers and playing. So that's what we did. What a great afternoon!
