Photos!

 Our worksite!

 Touring the space

 There was graffiti all over - remnants of the gangs that used to use the space

 Ellie scraping graffiti off the wall

 Pio, our construction manager, showing Faith how it's done

 Marco & Tyler ripping up the old tile flooring

 Hannah giving it a try

 Teamwork!

 Hillary & Alexandra gathering the remnants of the old tile flooring

 Our assembly line bringing the tiles downstairs!

Friday, March 16th

Greetings from Panama!

Today was an exciting day for all of us at the construction site. We managed to finish
all the remaining cement blocks for the floor of the theatre after hours of drilling
and hammering away at some stubborn corner tiles. Yaaaayyyy!

Some of us spent the day upstairs cleaning up by scraping off excess tiles off the
floor and flecks of paint off the walls. Not strenuous work but still essential to prep
for more thorough cleaning before the repainting of the theatre.

After all was done we cleaned up the area by sweeping up and placing equipment
in the right areas. Trash/rubble downstairs, shovels/brooms/other equipment in
storage, and us getting ready to leave the project we had all gotten attached to over
the last couple of days.

It was fantastic to be in Panama and make an impact in the community, especially
knowing that this theatre will be put to good use. We love you Panama and we love
all the bonding experiences you’ve given us through this service project!

Best,

Michelle Kung’ 14

Clases de ingles: miercoles y jueves!

Buenas!
I was fortunate enough to be one of the two people on the trip who got to go
teach English classes at the FUNDADER center more than once, and I’m so glad my fellow
volunteers gave me this chance! (Or, more like, I’m glad we got behind on the teatro project and
needed all the boys to be at the site mixing cement...) In any case, I found the two afternoons I
spent in the English classroom to be among the most rewarding of all my endeavors on the trip.
On Wednesday, Faith, Leah, Simone and I bowed out of an afternoon of manual labor at the
theater project in Casco and headed to Arraijan, a province outside of Panama City with an
atmosphere much different than the often crowded-with-tourists feel of Casco Viejo. Undeterred
and excited to see a different part of the city, we pulled up outside the FUNDADER center--
easily the newest and most modern building in sight. Though we arrived a little late for the
class’s 1 o’clock start time, the teacher, Lucy, hadn’t yet arrived either, so we were treated to a
tour of the center in the meantime. The Arraijan location of FUNDADER is geared towards
helping its students find their “primer empleo,” or first job, so the building’s classrooms were set
up to teach the students specific and practical skills for future employment. For example, one
room had a series of sewing machines on which girls our age practiced making molas, the
famous Panamanian tapestries. In addition to English and sewing, other classes offered
included beauty school--where the students, bravely!, practiced on each other-- cooking and
baking school, and administrative training. Our guide, Celia, told us that FUNDADER primarily
tried to find its students positions in tourism, as the collection of classes offered definitely
indicates, as that’s where most of the employment opportunities in and outside of Panama City
can be found. From my impression of the center, with its high quality amenities and faculty, I
think the students stand an excellent chance of finding sus primeres empleos upon graduating!
After the tour, we headed into the English classroom and Simone, Leah and I were
immediately put to work chatting with groups of students about their families, their birthdays and
favorite foods-- while Faith was called outside to talk to the administrators. Within a few
minutes, Faith came back in and asked to speak to Leah and I outside for a second, where she
and a couple of the center’s administrators politely presented the two of us with matching white
skirts: we were wearing shorts and had accidentally broken the dress code. A bit embarrassed
but still in good spirits, we went back into the classroom with our shorts well-hidden beneath the
skirts, and Faith jokingly explained to the class that even the guests had to obey the dress code.
But, cultural faux paus aside, we ended up having a great time for the remaining three hours,
practicing some simple vocab and some not-so-simple verbs, like ‘to have’ and ‘to do’-- never,
before trying to teach it to non-native speakers, have I really understood how many ridiculous
eccentricities the English language has! (Trivia Question: How come we say “Does she have to
play soccer?” in a question, but “She has to play soccer.” in a declarative sentence?)
The next class went much the same as this one-- and I’ll leave it to Hill to document it in
its entirety!-- but I was happy to notice that a number of the students recognized me this time
around. Getting to know the class a bit definitely helped me overcome some of my trepidation in
teaching people my own age, my peers, as before I’ve only ever taught English to younger kids,
and I think it helped them be a bit more extroverted with practicing their English, too. (Though I
think listening to Hillary, Hannah, Faith and me sing “Don’t Stop Believin’” a capella also helped
with that...)
Anyways, I feel so lucky to have spent a couple afternoons at the FUNDADER center,
learning as much as I taught, and getting to appreciate a whole new facet of Panamenian life.
Ciao for now!
Abby Dolmseth, CMC ‘14

Thursday March 15th

Buenos dias from Panama!

Thursday was perhaps the most difficult but also satisfying day of work thus far. We woke bright and early at 7 like usual, had a breakfast of a delicious cereal they have here (a box of which might be found in a few suitcases on our way back to California) and also eggs, toast, pineapple juice, and coffee for those of us looking for an extra kick to the day. We then headed out to the site for our second to last day of work, we still had many cement tiles to do including finishing taking out one section of cement which needed to be jack-hammered out. We ran into a few problems as there are many classes and jobs in the rooms surrounding ours, including language classes, and classes for children in the area so they have the space and the help provided to ensure they finish and understand their homework. So after a few issues with scheduling a time when we could be as loud as necessary, we had from 12-2 to focus solely on those last tasks without disrupting the other things going on. So we began mixing the cement to get it ready, and took an early lunch at a wonderful restaurant just down the street where I had a breakfast sandwich and a brownie for sustenance before heading back. In the space of those few hours we jack-hammered out the rest of the tile, put in three more blocks of cement. We ended up running out of materials so we took a short rest break/siesta before carting up the stairs the sand and rocks when they arrived. We began another cement block, organized everything for our last day of work, and swept up the area before heading back to the hostel for much needed showers. Dinner was separate so a few of us headed to Ay Carmela where I enjoyed patacon's with cheddar cheese, pico de gallo and a homemade sour cream sauce- delicious. We headed back and had an early night in order to prepare for our last day of work.

So ciao for now and much love

Rachel

Learning from each other: FUNDADER and English class

After a week of work with AVACA in Casco Viejo, it is safe to say that many of us forgot that the theatre restoration was not our original project. When we began preparing for the trip last fall, we made a connection with Senator Marylin Vallarino, the President of the Commission for Women, Children, and Family in the Panamanian National Assembly. Mainly focusing on issues such as education and empowerment, Senator Vallarino devotes much of her time to installing sustainable educational programs and centers in some of the more poverty-stricken parts of the country. Our original project was the construction of a kindergarten in the indigenous village of Koskuna de Veracruz outside of Panama City, but when Faith, a long-time Panama City resident, visited the work site in December, she realized that funding had dried up and that the project would not work out. While Faith worked tirelessly (and successfully) to find an alternative project, we all agreed that we would like to somehow maintain the connection with Senator Vallarino.
While the funding for the Senator's kindergarten project dried up, she has been very successful with a community center called FUNDADER in the district of Arraijan, a city just outside of Panama City. FUNDADER serves many purposes, and we jumped at the opportunity to assist with English lessons offered at the Center. On Wednesday, Abby, Leah, Simone, and Faith left Casco Viejo after lunch and ventured to Arraijan to assist with an English class for students 18-26. They arrived back at Magnolia raving about the experience, so I decided to volunteer to go to Thursday's class. Hannah, Abby, Faith, and I took the twenty minute taxi ride to FUNDADER after lunch on Thursday and were immediately greeted by enthusiastic students eager to practice English. After a chorus of "hello" and "how are you," Lucy, the English teacher, introduced all four of us to the class and instructed the students to ask us questions. After a few minutes of shy voices speaking up to ask where we were from and how old we were, Lucy split the class in two and assigned us to smaller groups. Abby and I sat in the corner with ten of the students and took turns asking questions about their families and interests, and in turn answered their questions. After a brief period of shyness, the students began opening up, making jokes, and having fun. We talked about our parents, our pets, our favorite Panamanian food (arroz con frijoles, hands down), and more.
After taking a short snack break, the class regrouped for various vocabulary activities - the four of us acted out various daily actions and the students guessed the activities in English. After the more academic activities, Lucy informed the class that it was time to sing and the students immediately broke out well-practiced renditions of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," "When the Saints Come Marching In," and even Michael Jackson/Lionel Richie's "We Are the World." Then it was our turn - the students begged us to sing them a song, so we decided to go with a college-party staple: "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey. After writing the lyrics on the board so the students could follow along, we swallowed our pride and performed our slightly less artistic version of the song.
I think what surprised me the most about my experience at FUNDADER was the familiar feeling of apprehension and nervousness when it comes to speaking a new language. While I've taken Spanish for most of my life, it was not until very recently that I forced myself to speak it while traveling instead of apologetically saying "no hablo Espanol" whenever someone talks to me in Spanish. The FUNDADER students, while shy at first, eventually became more and more comfortable and required less and less prompting from Lucy to speak with us in English. At the end of the class, Lucy asked us to practice our Spanish and explain our trip and project, and I did my best to start off the explanation. After a tag-team effort to describe our week, Lucy made a comment to the class about how we could speak Spanish because we just practiced speaking rather than shying away from the opportunity. Ironically, this statement affected me as much as it seemed to affect the students; I've spoken more Spanish during my week in Panama than I ever have when traveling to other parts of Latin America, and I feel so accomplished every time I have a successful conversation with a taxi driver or when I speak with waiters regarding our need for split bills. My feeling of accomplishment this week has been a direct result of exactly what Lucy was imploring her students to do: swallowing their pride and just practicing a new language.
My afternoon at FUNDADER was a fantastic learning experience and I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to interact with Panamanian students our age.

- Hillary Lundberg '14

Wednesday, March 14th

When we woke up at 7am today and began stumbling into the kitchen for breakfast, our body language probably did not give off a feeling of excitement. Many of us awoke with sore muscles and aches, and carried blisters from the painstaking work the day prior. The combination of caffeine, Special Fit, and egg tortillas revived our beaten-down bodies and we left the hostel rejuvenated and eager to actually begin mixing and then spreading the concrete across the floor of the theater.

With the help of two local professionals, we set about mixing sand, stones, and cement together to make a gooey mixture which we then spread in designated quadrants around the base of the theater. The mixing process was very meticulous and required a sustained effort on the part of Rotaractors to make sure all the materials were combined correctly. Blisters were once again our enemy from the constant shoveling of concrete mix. The results in the end were very rewarding. Being able to see a smoothed section of concrete, which we knew would serve as a new foundation of the theater, motivated us all. We worked with vigor until half of the floor was complete; the other half being saved for the following day.

After our third day of work our exhaustion finally caught up with us. Mostly everyone fell asleep for a long siesta and we missed the opportunity to visit the giant Albrook shopping mall. Instead we grabbed dinner in Casco and relaxed. Some of us checked out a local art festival and others spent the evening catching up on those school tasks which are always with us. The evening ended with us sitting together in great conversation, exchanging stories and laughs, before we fell asleep early.  

During our lunch break, Patricia, our contact in Panama and a local social activist, met us and provided us with a thorough presentation about the organization she heads, AVACA.  AVACA is the neighborhood association of Casco Viejo (sometimes referred to as Antiguo) and helps attract NGOs to the area to help develop the barrio. AVACA achieves this mission by acquiring old, run-down buildings and restoring them. These restored buildings are then used by NGOs as new headquarters and activity centers. The center where we are doing our service houses Aprojusan, a local NGO which provides self-esteem building as well as education courses and job training for women in addition to educational and extracurricular support for children and teens. Women, usually single and very poor, are brought into the program and develop the skills necessary to acquire a job and live confidently. The children who are brought in have access to extracurricular activities and support for their schoolwork. They are taught how to live responsibly.  We see these programs in action during the work day and are constantly greeted by women and children in matching class uniforms, coming in and out of the center, a center which has a brilliant reputation.

It feels wonderful to give our service and labor to such a great cause and we are determined to complete as much of the theater as we can in the precious time we have left.

 - Michael Lapadot '12 

Martes!

We woke up bright and early at 7am on Tuesday, ready for the long day ahead of us. We started the morning off with french toast, fruit, and "Special Fit", our new favorite cereal, which bears a striking resemblence to Special K but also includes yogurt chips and chocolate.. Panamanians sure have the right idea! Upon our arrival at the worksite--just a few blocks from Magnolia, the hostel--we got right to work moving chunks of cleared floor, cleaning up the area, breaking concrete, and moving 2,000 bags (more or less.. maybe less) of sand and rocks up and down the stairs at the project site in preparation for further construction. At noon, we came back to the hostel to quickly ready ourselves for lunch with the Panama Rotary Club. We met the members of Rotario Panama del Sur at Club Union, a members' club in a swanky area of the city next to the new Trump Tower. We had a lovely time intermingling with the members of the club, and we found a wonderful surprise in a group of Panamanian Rotaracters who had also been invited to this week's meeting. It was great speaking to the members of both groups and finding out more about Rotary in Panama and the country in general-- everyone was extraordinarily welcoming and friendly. We sped back to Casco Viejo to finish up a bit of work at the project before getting started on perhaps our most ambitious endeavor of the day: dinner. We decided to utilize the hostel kitchen for our evening meal, so six of us adventured off to Calle 13a and Avenida A towards the typical Panamanian grocery store recommended to us by one of Magnolia's owners. The store was enormous, with five stories containing everything from hair gel to sporting equipment to fresh smoothies! We purchased dinner ingredients and snacks for the worksite; on our way back to the hostel, we bought fruits and vegetables from the street vendors along the way. Once safely back at Magnolia, we divvied up tasks and began to create our epic meal: starting with chips and salsa, we moved on to fresh bread and bruschetta, a garden salad, and pasta with homemade tomato sauce and chicken. We also had a cake with chocolate icing, accompanied by assorted ice creams from the corner bodega. Just like home (kind of)! After cleaning up a bit from our meal and trying to postpone our food comas, we began a private salsa lesson in the ballroom upstairs. Despite some of our initial struggles, we all mastered some of the steps and were twirling away by night's end; it was definitely a great way to get a grasp of just another facet of Latin American culture. After spending some more time relaxing and bonding with the group, we tucked in to rest up for another long and hot day in Casco!

besos y abrazos,
Hannah "HGM" Goldberg-Morse

Monday, March 13th

This is what we came for.  Today marked the first day of our project, and it was sink or swim for everyone.  As we stumbled out of the door of the Magnolia Inn, bright and early, none of us could have imagined the callouses, blisters, and sore muscles in store.  And we sure didn't bet on loving every minute of the back-breaking labor.
Our day started in La Plaza de Catedral, where we met our project liaison, Marteen.  A congenial Dutchman, Martine led us a mere five minutes away to a vast complex in the heart of Casco Viejo.  Marteen explained to the group that the structure had been a sort of nunnery years ago, complete with schooling for local children and community activities, and he charged the group with the task of "returning the building to its former glory."  Marteen's grand tour of the building ended with a rooftop view of the ocean.  Although much of the work that they had done on the buildling was evident, there was still a long ways to go.  Without further ado, the Rotaract team, outfitted in matching red tanks, made our way to the theater.
With the tasks delegated, our team descended on the theater.  Less than half of the dilapidated tile floor remained in the theater, so a handful of us, including myself, set to the task of dismantling the cement and tile with pickaxes and sledgehammers.  Talk about therapy.  The four of us smashed all of our troubles away.  While we hacked at the floor like madmen, others meticulously scraped paint and grafitti off of the wall, vestiges of the gangs who claimed the building as their territory prior to Marteen and his crew.
After hours of destruction, we had amassed a mountain of rubble and paint scrapings.  Using two buckets, a fisherman's knot, and a figure-8-with-a-follow-through knot, the team devised a levee system to lower the rocks to the first floor to be hauled off.  The remaining people sorted themselves into a crack assembly line formation.  At quittin time we were dog tired, sweaty, and even bloody in some minor cases, but we couldn't stop smiling.
To unwind after work, the group decided to venture into Panama City proper.  We took taxis to a highly recommended Lebanese restaurant called Beirut.  After a classic mixup where most of the taxis dropped us off at the Meridien instead of the Marriott, we all arrived at the restaurant wide eyed and starving. The non-Spanish speakers (myself included) struggled a little bit with the Spanish translations of Lebanese names on the menu. Okay, so we struggled alotta bit.  But we all managed, and after twenty minutes, the hummus and schwarma was flowing.
Sore but very much satisfied, we all came back to our home at the Magnolia Inn.  Some people went to the bed, understandably exhausted from the day.  But a few of us stayed up and explored the hostel.  We found a ladder to the roof and settled in for a night of excellent conversation.  The view was breathtaking.  The foreground of the beautifully variegated Casco Viejo rooves contrasted with the glistening, futuristic Panama City skyline in the background, just across the bay.  As we all laughed and talked, having bonded more in four days than I have with other people in a year or more, I made an effort to really take it all in.  Only four days in, and already what a trip.        

- Tyler McBrien '14

Sunday, March 11th: Isla Taboga & Dinner at the Hanna's

We were supposed to start our project on Sunday, however we found out that in Panama, Sunday is the day to relax. So with our last free day we decided to visit the nearby Isla Taboga. After a thirty minute boat ride aboard "la trinidad" we arrived to one of  the most beautiful places I had ever been. The small island consisted of a few old colorful houses lining the cliffs boarding a dense jungle.. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before. On the beach we we were the only tourists, but we were welcomed by the local Panamanians with warm smiles and loud reggaeton music.

The smell of grilled fish and barbecue meat wafted over us as we lay beneath the scorching sun, it was time for lunch. We walked along the beach and finally our noses lead us to a seafood restaurant which overlooked the tranquil ocean. Our meal consisted of fresh pina batidos (pinapple milkshakes), a variety of the freshest seafood and my all time favorite patacones! Patacones are battered  deep fried plantains eaten with salt and ketchup,they taste similar to french fries, but are so much better.

After a long relaxing day at the beach, I was exhausted as we boarded our boat back to the mainland. I posses the special talent of being able to sleep anywhere, so as the boat began to rock back and and forth I quickly was rocked to sleep. Apparently I soon became the boat ride entertainment as my head bobbed back and forth with the movement of the boat. I groggily awoke to the laughter of my peers as we arrived back on land, it was a successful nap.

With no time to shower or  change, smelling of seawater, the Hanna's graciously welcomed all seventeen us for dinner into their lovely home. We were fed a delicious home cooked meal by Faith's mom, during which she gave us a short overview of Panamanian culture and history. After living in Latin America for over thirty years, and the last fifteen in Panama, the Hanna's were able to put our project into perspective. After the talk, I was given the opportunity to personally chat with Mrs. Hanna about her experiences, which further strengthened my desire to travel and study in Latin America. We bid the Hanna's goodbye, as they wished us luck with our project. I am usually shy with my Spanish, but on taxi ride back, I sat in the front seat and was able to converse with the driver for the duration of the trip. He even complemented my Spanish, I couldn't have been happier! Once back at the hostel, I immediately got into bed, it was an amazing day and I couldn't wait to start the project the next morning.

Simone Berkovitz CMC '14

Saturday, March 10th: The Panama Canal, Ceviche Espanol, and Havana Panama

The Panama Canal, Ceviche Espanol, and Havana Panama
by Elham Yusuf-Ali "Ellie"


    On March 10th, I was illuminated with the wonders of such an amazing culture, and captivated by the immense diversity that Panama has to offer to its tourists. On this day, we had the opportunity to visit the Panama Canal and understand the history behind. The 51 mile ship canal affirms the richness of the important economical trade and geographical connection between the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean. After that we visited the Museum that in the Canal Centre that included various species of insects and animals. 
    The food was one of the best parts of this day!  Walking by the buildings from hostel to the restaurant, I could feel the rich night lifestyle with people blasting Latino music from their apartments and affirming our existence with a simple "hola". We went to a restaurent that offered authentic Panamanian food at night including Ceviche- It is small pieces of corvina, sea bass, marinated in lemon juice ad spices and Pastel Tres Leches- Literally translated as Three Milk Cake which is a rich cake made from three types of milk, regular, evaporated, and condensed, which has a very sweet and delicious taste. 
   We ended our night by going to Havana Panama, a local Cuban-Jazzish dance club. We met people from around the world such as France and Spain. Interacting with multicultural people certainly highlighted the awesome diversity that Panama welcomes. In addition, I was able to give some simple cha cha lessons to some of my friends ending with a high note at performing it on the dance floor. 
  Such a great day indeed!

Friday, March 9th

Well, it was a good day. Or....technically...two days? I think I speak for us all when I say that the red eye flight, time change, and sudden onset of humidity and 99 degree weather made us a bit disoriented when we stepped off the plane. Groggy and excited, we were greeted by the Hannas, a Panamanian family whose daughter attends CMC. They met us with copies of the Panama Planner to peruse, and soon ushered us onto our van. We had made it - luggage, limbs, and sanity intact.

It was obvious that Totto, we weren't in Claremont anymore. Our van ride provided us with a breathtaking view of the skyline of the city and the water. After a few trips around Casco Viejo searching for our hostel (the streets aren't as simple as Claremont Village), we hauled our luggage up beautiful marble steps to our stay: the Magnolia Inn. After taking a quick nap, we set out to explore.

I tried. I tried, but my gesture attempting to ask for a scoop of Dulce de Leche ice cream in a cone looked like I was attempting some odd form of dance. Eventually, my 15 peers who DO speak Spanish helped me out by prompting me with what I had to say. We had found heaven in the form of an ice cream parlor, and were taking a break from our exploring to have a treat inside an air conditioned shop. Soon we ventured on to cobblestone streets dotted with vendors selling handmade purses, unique jewelry, and tattoos (don't worry Mom, it's Henna). Awestruck by the beauty of the diverse town, we returned to our hostel to freshen up before dinner.

The best shrimp quesidilla I had ever had. Maybe it was because all that was in my stomach was a scoop of ice cream, or because I was surrounded by the best possible group of 17 people from the Claremont Colleges, but everyone agreed that dinner was delicious. After enjoying some cappuccinos and another round of ice cream, we set out to explore the night life. We happened upon an abandoned basketball court with a German DJ, and spent the rest of our energy dancing and requesting our favorite songs. Some individuals impressed the group with their directional sense and led us back to our hostel without maps. A few showers and balcony gazes later, we climbed into bed. Our feet had a long day.

Little do they know what they're in for the rest of the week.

Stephanie Haft, CMC, '15

Fundraising!

Thank you to all of the parents who bought cookies for their Claremont Colleges students as part of our cookie fundraiser! We will be combining the money we raised selling cookies with the money that the Interact Clubs at El Roble Intermediate School and Claremont High School raised throwing a bowling fundraiser and will now be bringing a donation of around $1200 to AVACA in Panama City. We are so thankful for all of the support the Claremont Colleges/Claremont communities have offered us and we can't wait to make the gift on behalf of everyone who has helped out!