the rise of the isthmus

We painted with the kids at APROJUSAN today! Chris and I printed...

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

We painted with the kids at APROJUSAN today! Chris and I printed off a bunch of pictures of animals that migrated from North America to South America and vice versa when Panama became the land bridge that connect them thousands of years ago. Each kid picked an animal to draw and then we traced their drawings onto transparencies for them to paint on. Later we are going to scan all of their paintings and put them together for the design for the mimundo logo that will go on the t-shirts we are making for the kids! It was a lot of fun!

what is kristina doing in panama??

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Let me explain. Glenn Adelson, director of the Environmental Studies Program at Lake Forest College, has sent me here on a mission. My task was to meet up with Chris Del Vecchio, a beautiful graduate from Brandeis University (with her Bachelors of Arts in Environmental Studies), and help her out with a project she is working on. What she is doing out here is really great, its more or less an environmental education program for kids from the underprivileged schools out here in Casco Viejo (about 10 minutes from Panama City). Chris is working with both STRI- the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama- and APROJUSAN- la Asociación Pro Juventud de San Felipe, an organization focused on the youth of Casco Veijo- to get take these kids out into different areas of nature and significance in Panama. Most of these kids have never seen a monkey (which are abundant in the tropical forests of Panama), have never been to the beach (if you haven’t looked at a map lately, Panama is an isthmus that connects North and South America. It is surrounded by the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south), and have never even been to the Panama Canal! So I am here helping Chris with the logistics of her program. We’ve decided on a name-mimundo- and have designed a beautiful logo that the kids will help create. I’ve also helped her make brochures to share with others what her program is all about, and given her input on her lovely ideas. So I’m actually out here doing good for the community! I am so inspired by Chris’s dedication to these kids and I feel really great knowing that I am able to help her out. The kids (ages 7-16) are beautiful little souls and it is obvious that they also really admire Chris. When we told them about the program and the trips that they were going to be taking, they were all so excited! Their smiles could have lit up the world at that moment. I am truly enthusiastic about being here and spending time with Chris and the kids. THANK YOU GLENN!

la naturaleza que yo capturé en el valle de Antón

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:13:00 -0400

la naturaleza que yo capturé en el valle de Antón

El Valle de Antón

Sun, 07 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

My first weekend in Panama and I’m already off to a vacation resort! Simon and Chris and I drove out about and hour and a half to have lunch with some of their friends, Tony Coats- a professor of geology at GW University (and natural genius)- and his charming wife Laur. After lunch we drove back to the resort where Tony and Laur were staying and checked out a couple rooms for ourselves (Simon insisted on getting me my own room, which was absolutely unnecessary but awesome). El valle de Antón is a valley in the crater where a massive volcano used to be. The volcano exploded millions of years ago but the base of the volcano still stands to form a ring around the lush valley. It is the world’s only inhabited volcanic crater! Tony gave an amazing explanation for the cause of the explosion and the valley that remains, but I’ll leave that to the experts and attach a link that briefly explains the geology :) It was all very beautiful and just breath taking.

Casco Viejo

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Arrived in Panama City, Panama today, after a 7 hour flight from Chicago. Still in the same time zone but the feeling is much different. After finally meeting with the lovely Chris (short for Christine), I made my way back to Casco Viejo- Spanish for Old Town- and was led by my tour guide around the small but quaint city. It is interesting here because there is quite a mixture of wealthy Panamanians, poor Panamanians, tourists, and street cats. The buildings are beautifully historic… but abandoned and in shambles. The cab drivers here are about as ruthless as they come in Chicago, and it actually amazes me that there are so many cars down here. The town is certainly small enough to walk or bike and with gas prices so high and public transportation so cheap, personal vehicles seem completely unnecessary. The Panamanians are dark and gorgeous friendly creatures though. I could provide a novel here but I’d prefer to explain with darling photos and captions. I’m living an entirely new experience here, no time for chit chat on the internet.

Here is a distant shot of the skyline of Panama City. That’s the Pacific Ocean ahead on the right side, the tide is very low during the day time.

I suppose this would be their “downtown Casco.” There are always people out and about.

This is the view from Chris and Simon’s studio apartment in Casco. Looks over the central park square where the locals hang out.

Night time view of Casco. For a small town it is quite lively! Plenty of pubs :)