Tuesday, November 1, 2011

A Year of Perceptions

Exactly one year ago today I hiked to my site in the middle of the rainiest month of the year to officially start my Peace Corps service. Many accomplishments, numerous challenges, and countless invaluable experiences have made the last year immensely rewarding. I find myself closer to my neighbors, closer to the land we live on, and closer to fellow volunteers (they are a wonderful support system). Now, on my way to celebrate our "one year" with the rest of group 66 at a resort on the Caribbean coast, I have been trying to think of a blog post to commemorate the past year. I've decided to pick ten perceptions that shed light on the Ngäbe "experience":

(In no particular order)

1. Toughness is Valued. Whether it's brothers hitting or slapping one another or a mom remarking "How pretty" to her sons scraped-up chest after he slid down a palm tree shirtless, pushing through pain is expected and taught from a very young age.

2. Physical Abuse is Present. I've heard many stories but I have personally only witnessed Lela grab a twig to whip the children when they misbehave -especially when they are whining or crying. I also hear parents make threats, saying, "Be careful, I'll hit you."

3. Voice Inflection Tells as much as Words. Speaking here seems more exciting and interesting than back home with ups and downs, highs and lows, and drawn-out syllables. The more time I spend here I realize it really is an art to speak with such excitement. Lela is the grand-master at this. She says things like "It was HARRRRD" or "I went faaaaaarrrrrrrr" and her audience knows just exactly how hard it was or far she went by the emphasis she places on certain words. I love talking this way.

4. Non-Verbal Communication is Commonly-Used. People make animal sounds (especially chicken and dog), whistle, and hand gesture to communicate. The fewer words the better. It is not uncommon to have entire conversations with only hand-gestures because there is a sign for just about everything. Popular signs replace "lets go", "want to eat?", "the car is full", "no", "what's up?", "why?", and many other phrases or questions. This practice is especially fun to watch when two grand-masters go at it and volunteers take a lot of pride in perfecting this delicate skill.

5. Gender Roles are clearly Defined. This is true in most rural and poor parts of the world. Female roles include: tend to the children, harvest food, haul water from the river, wash clothing, cook, and make artisanry such as nagwas and chakras (traditional dress and bags, respectively). Male roles involve building structures, hauling wood for cooking fires, slashing and burning, planting, and harvesting food. Attending meetings and visiting people are not gender specific. Children are expected to do what they are told, which usually includes roles from both genders.

6. Children help a lot. The importance of contributing is also taught and learned at a very young age. Everyone contributes and works hard. My favorite example is the five-year-old, Luiz. He hikes uphill forty-five minutes to school every day, hikes home, and then is expected to retrieve water, serve food to visitors, burn trash (which he loves), and help his mom harvest food.

7. Grandparents Help with Childcare. Not only does Lela watch her grandchildren for weeks at a time but Lela's children expect it, they don't provide any material or monetary assistance to offset food costs, and Lela and her family are more than happy to have the company. Right now, two grand-daughters have been living with Lela for three weeks while their mom (Lela's daughter) nears the end of her third pregnancy.

8. People are Shyer Away from their Homes. This is to be expected to a certain degree in any culture but the transformation here is drastic. I can laugh and share food with someone in their home but when I cross them in a path near another home or near other people it is as if they don't know me. I have paid careful attention and I know it's not just me; they do it to each other, too. It doesn't matter if they are cousins or siblings either. Some people are not shy but most are.

9. Killing everything is Popular. Animals are not only killed for food. Hummingbirds, anteaters, sloths, and possums are all killed and not eaten. There are probably more than fifteen different types of wild animals that are hunted and eaten here, though. I have eaten most of them and they are all delicious. The reality that some of the animals are endangered is difficult to accept and a hard subject to breach.

10. This Place is P-R-O-D-U-C-T-I-V-E. Generous amounts of rain and sun can transform a cleared plot of land into an impassable green wall taller than me in a short amount of time. Landscapes change drastically over time as man battles nature to plant crops. Also, animals and humans procreate like it's their job. My host dad, Samuel, has fourteen living children with two wives and we had six dogs but two died.

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