2RetireesInPanama: SATURDAY SCHOOL TAKES A BACK BURNER FOR THE PARADE OF LABORERS

A week ago I came across another blog, and as I sifted through the two years of posts (absorbing anything and everything that had to do with Panama and this area that I live in), I read about a non-profit school called Finca La Maya. I remembered reading about this school about a year ago perhaps in Terry's blog (most likely) or in the community newsletter. I remembered thinking then that volunteering at this school to help students speak English might be something I would want to do once settled in Panama. So two months later I am reading about this school in the blog, and after I researched the school, I sent an email to the owner and founder, Starr McCament. Finca La Maya Center for the Arts is a non-profit organization to enable local Panamanian children to learn English and provides free programs in language, culture and arts. It was opened in 2007 as a way to give back to the community, and classes are held every Saturday. English language classes (all ages) , a computer workshop and art classes in the afternoon are offered, and a bilingual library was open in 2009. After hearing from Starr, it was decided that Ray and I would "show up" this past Saturday to observe and help the students with English, if we desired. We drove up to the gates of what we found out is a forty acre farm (sixteen hectares here) that Starr and her husband bought close to ten years ago. They founded the school and are also part of a reforestation program with Panama. The advanced teacher that arrived (we have her met her at other occasions, and she has been at the school for years) brought students in from the bus stop, since the school is quite a distance off the main highway. She also brought with her a twenty one year old Panamanian man that is majoring in English at a university in the city. He lives nearby on the weekends, so he is close to the school. Like in the States, he is a paid intern here at the school. A mother and daughter come from a town called Sora which is about twenty five miles away. The mother reminded Ray and I a lot of ourselves when we are learning Spanish. She looked exasperated and was hopeful that there wouldn't be anymore lessons piled onto her already full plate, or into her notebook. Her daughter, about the age of ten, was eager to learn and was helping her mom along the way. There was a thirty-three year old (he looked like a teenager!) that recently applied for a scholarship for more schooling and a few more girls around the age of twelve. Starr came in to say hello and made note of the small attendance. She told us this was because there was going to be a parade in San Carlos today, and she had let the students take a lot of her art paper and supplies with them to decorate the floats. We were in school for two and half hours, and then Ray and I went to Starr's house and sat under the bohio with her and one of her interns (here from Texas helping with the reforestation program) and drank a delicious iced tea made with basil and ginger. We learned more about the program and about her family and life in Panama. She also learned a little bit about us. We can just "show up" any Saturday to help teach in the school, and at some point, we will help fill in when others are on vacation. She hopes to have a fundraiser at the start of next year, and we can help her with that if we have the time haha. Once back at the house, we were exhausted. Ray has a cold, so he was ready for a nap. We both settled in for a two hour nap! Dinner, more "Breaking Bad" episodes and bedtime. Starr had told us about the parade today, so I invited Clyde and Terry along for the ride.

Entrance to the library and school

Starr had told us that last year she was sitting at her friend's house waiting for the San Carlos parade to start at nine am. It was to start around ten. But it didn't start until noon. I suggested to Ray that we arrive at around eleven am. When we got to the town, we saw a few people sitting in the town square, but we also saw many people walking away from the school. We drove to the school and saw people congregating there, but at the entrance to San Carlos the sign for the parade said it would start at ten am. We decided to get a good parking space, sit on a rusted bench covered with towels in the shade, and wait it out. We ate sweets, I tried a pineapple raspado, and we watched people go into the restaurant/market bringing out Gatorade, water, soda, and to go cartons of food. Even a house on the parade route was selling frozen juices in a bag. A raspado in Panama is a snow cone or "snow ice". It is shaved ice filled with a flavor and topped with sweetened condensed milk. The one I had today also had a shot of vanilla drizzled on top (I think). The donut and churro Ray bought cost $1.35 (the donut was excellent, and the churro was filled with a jelly--not my favorite). The raspado was .75 cents. When I asked the man for the flavors, he pointed to strawberry. There were three, so I bravely haha asked him what the other flavors were, and he told me grape and pineapple as well. A really nice man in line behind me encouraged me and helped explain things to me. Again, when Panamanians see you trying, they really want to help. I much prefer US style snow cones, but the cold ice felt good in the sun (we had lost some shade on our rusted bench by now). At one pm, the parade came down our street to the town square! Only two hours after we had found our perfect parking spot! But we were all in agreement that this was to expected in Panama. Everyone else sat patiently waiting, eating, drinking and catching up on family time. The parade started with two floats having musical groups singing and playing instruments. The floats that followed were decorated with stuffed animals, fruit (bananas hanging), palm leaves and grasses, and many children dressed in their Panamanian finest. They smiled and posed for our cameras. Their parents encouraged them from the street as they sang and walked alongside the float. And in no time at all, twenty minutes or so, the parade was over. And to think, November is the month for celebrations! November has MANY holidays. November, I thought, would be the start of the festivities. But today was a welcome surprise. A parade in October to celebrate the week of the rural peasants or farm workers (or person living in a rural area--Semana de Campesinos).

Clyde and Ray peek into the van to see that donuts and churros are being sold from it.

Let me make sure it's okay, first (it was delicious--even the icing was sweet which is unusual here).

The Sweets Man in the Van was blocking the Fish truck. He walked to his van, walked back to the restaurant, then he chatted with the man in the white pick up truck----AND THEN he moved his van. When in Panama---PATIENCE.

My raspado with shot of vanilla dripping along the side.

There's the block of ice, then the white jug is sweetened condensed milk and the brown is vanilla syrup.

Mother with dressed up daughter.

Mother with her two daughters.

Start of the parade.

So sweet to pose.

Pretty in purple with the bird stuffed animals above.

This was the first of a few floats.

Love the looks here.

So sweet and pretty!

Happy they posed!

Clapping to the music.

The Golden Fish!

Our candy for the day!

After the parade, it was lunch time. We decided to head back to El Pampero for a cheap lunch of sausage sandwiches. Only this time, we were going to order all of the flavors and try them out. I forgot to get a picture of the five sandwiches and fries that came to us, but after we divided each into four pieces, we all agreed we like the Español flavor the best. And we wouldn't have ordered the morilla, or blood sausage, if we had looked up what it was prior to placing our order. Our least favorite, not finished by all, and the ugliest at that! We also agree that the sign for the restaurant can cause a double, if not triple, take when driving along the PanAmerican Highway!