Community Day: Finding Beauty in connection

Hello everyone! It’s Addie and Jahriel ?

See all the pictures of today’s adventures here!

Today, we led community day, beginning with a great breakfast at La Bruja, where we got the chance to try changa, a very popular tortilla in Panama. After our breakfast, we took a trip to Paris de Parita, a small but lively and beautiful community in the Herrera providence of Panama. We were taken in by a number of families living in the community, each with their own story that they shared with the groups that they welcomed into their homes. We were able to experience everything from beautiful gardens to food that bonded their community. Afterward, we regrouped at Elizabeth’s house, who made a delicious lunch of chicken, beans, rice, and plantains. We thanked the community before we made our way back to Hotel Esperanza to have our long-awaited phone calls to our families and loved ones. A quick trip to McDonald’s, Mr. Tea, and Super 99 allowed us to continue bonding as a group. We then had pork chops and fish with salad for dinner made by our favorite cook, Angie.

Being immersed in the Paris de Parita community gave us a chance to see the differences between our lives and those of Panamanian communities. As we observed their connections with their neighbors and families and their passions for gardening and making recycled crafts, we acknowledged their focus on happiness created through interactions between community members as they went through their everyday activities. We compared this to how we live in the United States, focusing more on material wealth and the desire for accomplishments than a connection with those around us. We talked about how we can bring these lessons home with us to incorporate their beauty into our lifestyles.

What we took from this experience personally was how beauty can come from anything. In the house of a woman named Raquel, we saw her passion for the beautiful and elaborate garden she created from nothing and the crafts that she made from recycled goods, and she shared her passion for teaching the children how to make them as well. This was an astonishing physical example of building beauty, but what was even more impressive was the way their less fortunate community emanated more fortune than any other community we have seen through their connections. An inhabitant of Parita, Sonia, gave us an example of this beautiful connection when she shared her experience building a bridge made out of dirt with her peers as the strong independent women accomplished a project that benefitted their entire community.

Lastly, to Momma, you would have loved the gardens; to Mom I love you most; to Sam, I have stories to tell; and to Maggie, pick up your phone next time. I can’t wait to talk to you.

Shoutouts to Mama, Papa, Makayla, Abuelita, Abuelo, Abe; los amo muchisimo y espero verlos muy pronto ?