Knowledge

Note: Names have been changed. (I bet I wouldn't have to note this since Panamanians typically don’t get names of Sarah or Max)

The next step after finding out where each volunteer would be living for the next two years was to have a general meet and great with a member of each community. The day was filled with meetings preparing both the volunteer and community guide on what each was expected to do and what would happen during the four day visit to the community. Since many people had long distances to travel and the meetings didn’t finish until 5pm, the guides and volunteers were head to a dorm reserved for Peace Corps to stay for the night before heading out the next morning.

The rooms were split into pairs of beds and since the guides had arrived the night before they were already grouped together in their rooms and us volunteers were grouped together in other rooms. At one point while relaxing in bed that night, I realized I wanted a snack from the vending machine. I headed off with change in hand towards the vending machine and saw that there were several community guides, my guide included, standing around chatting but also looking at the vending machine. I had a feeling they had never seen one before and it made me uncomfortable to approach the machine now and so I paced around for a bit hoping they would leave. However they did not and so I eventually sucked it up, said a quick hello, and got my snack. I could feel their eyes on me as I grabbed my snack and headed back to my room.  As I walked back, thoughts crossed my mind at the time wondering what exactly I got myself into. This people have no knowledge of vending machines!

Fast forward two months and I’m sitting here writing this blog post. I’ve since lived in this community for almost a month and would trade my knowledge of vending machines in an instant for the knowledge that the people in the countryside of Panama possess. Through a combination of interactions with various community members over the last few weeks I’ve gotten a glimpse of what they know. As I walked with Max, he pointed out every plant of purpose. My tour of the water system with Dave and his father had them pointing out various animal tracks and to what animal they belonged. As I sat relaxing one day, Mary was able to hear the rain coming from a mile away and headed home before she was stuck in the downpour. Jack has started preserving seeds and will save them for the next harvest. Sarah prepares all the meals without the use of a refrigerator, which means no frozen pizza or prepared vegetables. I’m just beginning to scratch the surface but it makes me wonder how much knowledge of the physical earth we've traded as we've advanced ourselves through the times.