We are nearing the end of our time in Atenas. Yesterday we had Spanish classes in the morning, and in the afternoon, three groups of students collected continued initiatives to find out more about recycling in Atenas. One group polished and translated a survey to be asked of the homestay mothers, another interviewed some key persons in town, and the final group made observations in the central park. In the evening most students headed to the MuliPlaza Mall, where we watched “Temple de Acero” (True Grit) or “127 horas.” Some stayed with Amber for the final day of the Fiestas. Alex played played soccer in the field by Sabana Larga. Our final day in Atenas is tomorrow. In the morning we will go the Universidad Tecnica Nacional. We will have a tour of some the animal husbandry projects and then a lecture on waste management. In the afternoon, after our final classes, we will have a “graduation” from Isabel’s Language School followed by a small celebration with some of the host families. We will leave very early the next morning (~6 am) for our bus ride to Panama. We will enter Panama on the Caribbean side. More tomorrow on our Thursday travel day and anticipated communication possibilities at ITEC.
We are starting to prepare students for Panama. As in Santa Rosa, we will be in dorm rooms on very small “campus.” Having the group living together again will have it’s benefits and challenges, and we will be working with the students to make the transition. The site is striking. We are immediately adjacent to the ocean, and there are coral reefs immediately offshore. We are in a lowland rainforest area, and areas of forest are interspersed with settled areas. This part of Panama is poorer than what the students have seen so far. Many people raise cattle, chickens, geese, and have fruit trees and small gardens. We are staying in Institute for Tropical Ecology and Conservation facilities. This is a pretty basic, old-fashioned, field station. There is no air conditioning or hot water. We will need mosquito nets at nights, and it may be hot and muggy for sleeping. Electricity is by generator. There are small sand flies in the area. While they are not disease vectors, nor is their bite very painful, cumulatively they can be irritating. We will take measures to reduce bites and discomfort for those sensitive.
We will have breakfast and lunches at ITEC and suppers at nearby Yarisnori’s Restaurant. Both Yarisnori and ITEC have excellent health standards. When we go into town (only 8 miles but about and hour away) have health standards are less consistent and we will be advising the students on how to stay healthy. Overall, In terms of health concerns, there have been few so far but we are bound to have some before the course ends. Juan, Amber and I have been to this site multiple times. In addition, Carra Cheslin, a student in our ’07 couse, will be with us. We will do our best foresee and manage health and safety concerns.
We will be joined in Panama by Dr. Peter Lahanas. “Pete” is the director of ITEC. His specialty is herpetology and animal behavior. He has produced leading research on the variance of color morphs in Dendrobatus pumilo (a species of Poison Dart Frog) on different islands in the archipelago of Bocas del Toro. All-in-all it’s an exciting, varied and rich site. I point some of the challenges of the site so that you and the students are prepared. It should be an exciting and fulfilling adventure.