We are sitting at La Pandería in Pedasí snacking on some pastries. It’s a short walk from all of our houses and the Buena Vida Language School, at which we attend classes (completely in Spanish) from 8-12 during the week. The town is painted with bright colors: bright red, bright orange, bright yellow, bright blue, bright teal, bright green, bright pink and dark maroon!
Yesterday we walked to the beach. It was a much longer journey than originally expected, but was worth the trek. The sand was dark and the water was warm. We played several water and beach games: water-related movie charades in the water, porpoise attack, synchronized swimming dance routine, beach rugby-football, and frisbee.
This morning, we woke up very early in order to arrive at the beach by 6:45. We were there to help the local scout troop pick up litter. Before we began cleaning, a few of us participated in a morning yoga class on the beach during sunrise, while others from our group tossed a frisbee with the scouts. After the cleanup, we had a while to enjoy the ocean, then went to school for a couple hours of class. (Beach cleanup photos)
Each weekday, we have three unique classes: culture class with Mitzy, grammar with Dania, and Pedasí dynamics with Loreto. Today in grammar class, we discussed our home stay families and played a game including nouns, verbs, articles, and prepositions. In culture class, we met a local professional motetes maker and he taught us how to weave these baskets. They are made from white wood and are used by men to carry maize.
We met our host families two nights ago. We all have families:
I (Lena) have three host-sibilings: Cristofer (7 years old), Katherine (10 years old), and Marbin (18 years old). My host-mother is named Marilin and my host-father is named Rigoberto and works at a farm. Each night, I play “la papa caliente” (hot potato) and “las sillas musicales” (musical chairs) with my younger host-siblings. Yesterday, we played with plastic dinosaurs and Cristofer and Katherine explained the various injuries the dinosaurs had, including fractured toe, amputated arm, broken tail, etc. My host parents are very kind but speak very fast!
I (Josh) live just two doors down the street from Lena. My host-brother is named Kevin 
and is 10 years old. My host mother is Felicita and my host father is Edwin. Edwin is a construction worker and is currently working on a project on the beach. Felicita is a cook and we live in her restaurant. The whole front patio has about ten dining tables, and during meals that is where we eat. The first night she offered me fish and I gladly accepted. Little did I know that she would be serving me a full fish. Eyes included. Nevertheless, it was delicious. Last night Kevin and I watched Jurassic Park with spanish subtitles.
I (Jacob) have two parents and one brother in Panama. My host father works at a gas 
station across town, and my mother is an assistant, but I don’t know for whom. My brother is 14 and is on vacation until Monday. My first night went like this: “this is your room”, “what should I do”, “watch TV”, “here is a bean”, “should I peel more”, “If you want”. I peeled the beans. Seriously though, my parents are cool. I brought Josh and Lena home for a quick visit and my mom hugged and kissed them. I shower daily and am keeping my hygiene on point.
Overall, we have all been having a really good experience here in Pedasí and look forward to the last 10 days in Panama!
Que Cool,
Lena, Jacob, and Josh