IRONY OF A RAINY DAY

We never thought we would walk through an empty sea.

On this gloomy day, we knocked on everybody’s door at 6:00 AM. Breakfast was delicious as usual. We headed out the door to tour the Sarigua National Park. There, we learned about the biodiversity of the park. We saw the difference in color of the soil. The color difference we saw was due to minerals such as magnesium (brown), sulfur (yellow), and iron (deep black, which gave the illusion of red).

After learning about biodiversity, we had the opportunity to see it for ourselves. During the tour, the smell of off spray followed us as we learned about the many mosquitoes, wild cotton, and falling thorns. We saw how the soil changed from the bright orange to the dark, porous black. The irony was not lost on us, as we walked through the empty sea as it was pouring.

After our trip was cut short, we got rewarded with ice cream for the endurance of our journey. We then headed to Merca Chitre to buy local foods and artisans’ goods.

Coming back from Merca Chitre, we had the honor of learning from Belvy about the seven indigenous communities of Panama. We learned the commonalities of the indigenous groups in Panama and America. Belvy did a wonderful job showcasing the connections of indigenous groups throughout the Americas, highlighting how we are all connected through being an American, but also through biodiversity. She discussed the importance of environmental activism and taught us several dances as a way of connecting as a community.

As always, we had a nightly meeting where Amy, Yazleisai, and Hope demonstrated their talents of being double-jointed and the power of friendship!

Today taught us the importance of biodiversity as we continue the journey of learning in Chitre, Panama.

We can’t wait to sleep in tomorrow,

Jayleen and Nhi 🙂