WEDDING TIME

IT'S FINALLY HERE! Katherine Elise Ballew Carter is GETTING MARRIED. I cannot even contain my excitement.

I am writing to y'all from the Atlanta International Airport while I wait for my connecting flight to Amsterdam, where the wedding will be held. Yes, that means I am in the United States for 9 whole hours. But don't worry, I  managed to eat a burrito within 10 minutes of landing on U.S. soil, so I already have my priorities straight.

I will be spending the next week and a half preparing for and celebrating the marriage of my sister Katherine and her soon to be husband Stefan! I literally could not be happier. AND I get to see almost my entire extended family, so I am more than sure that seeing family and friends is going to give me a super boost of energy and spirit for when I return back to my post in Panama.

However, I am pretty sad that I will be away from Panama this next week and a half because there are literally 4 different holidays being celebrated while I am gone. In true Panamanian spirit, school is canceled for these holidays and everyone goes out and celebrates including parades, parades, and more parades.

Otherwise, I'm still absolutely loving Panama. Here are a few quick updates on what has been going on:

-I'm playing on a flag football team in Panama! Which is hilarious, because I'm still not entirely sure how this happened, but now there's no turning back. The best part is it's a national league, so it is taken super seriously. However, it has quickly become one of my favorite activities. The girls on the team are great, and after long days at school it's nice to be able to exercise and play! The games officially start in January, so stay tuned for that!

-Joseph and I found out that there are other American missionaries in the city! After we met, we were invited to dinner and had an amazing dinner and were able to talk IN ENGLISH! It was a nice little piece from home.

-Justin Bieber came to Panama this past Thursday and the entire city was in chaos. Every teenage girl pretty much lost their mind - especially all of my students. So that was an experience in itself.

-I found this statue of Einstein by my favorite coffee shop (and only coffee shop in the city). Still completely unaware of the significance of the statue, but it's pretty cool

-At school, the kids just got done with midterms. It's crazy to think we are already halfway through the trimester, and then it is summer! (Summer is in January and February, which still confuses me)

-I'm finally learning a significant amount of the students' names. Since I have so many students, it's been super difficult to remember names. So, it's actually really exciting when I can remember more than  10 different names in a specific class.

-The two most common questions that I have gotten from students are "Why are you white?" and "Can I pet your hair?" - both of which I never know what the correct answer should be.


-My host family continues to amaze me with their generosity and kindness. They have been especially supportive of helping me get to my sister's wedding, as well as everything else.

Celebrating that school was canceled one day - the boys literally celebrated for a whole hour. Absurd.

-A few weeks ago, Panama played the USA in a soccer game which would determine who qualified for the World Cup, and in the last few minutes, the USA scored two goals, beating Panama 3-2. Although I knew soccer was a super serious matter, I learned it's definitely not okay to EVER mention that game again.

-The second Hunger Games movie comes out in one month. I cannot wait.

So that's a pretty basic update on what's been going on! Next post will be detailing the wedding, with probably a gross amount of wedding pictures. I apologize in advance!

Thanks for reading, and as always, thanks for all the support!

Celebrate We Will

"Every single day is worth celebrating" - Something that someone in church told me one day that has really stuck with me. This is absolutely true, and is incredibly visible in Panama. I'm pretty sure that every single day of the year is a holiday of some sort or there is some kind of celebration. One lady told me that half the time, people don't even remember what they're celebrating, but they know there is reason to celebrate, so as Dave Matthews would say, "Celebrate We Will." I'm going to make this more of a picture blog to show things that I think are worth celebrating or events that are currently being celebrated. 

Celebrating 160 years of the Episcopal Church's presence in Panama

The parade of the Episcopal down Via Espana

A member of the band at San Cristobal during the parade

A day retreat that the 6th grade from school went on to learn more about the theme "friendship" - definitely something worth celebrating!

Cinta Costera - a brand new walkway along the coast with a beautiful view of the city

Another view of the city

Flowers in the city! Such a rare but beautiful sight

The smallest park I have ever seen that is located in the heart of the city

Exploring the city at Cinta Costera

Got to see the Panama Canal AND watch two ships pass through the Miraflores Locks - dream come true!

Next year, the canal will be celebrating 100 years!

The Miraflores Locks

Selfies with Patricia at the Canal

A beautiful and (finally) sunny Sunday!

Celebrating having a super cute little brother

My girl Vicky who is absolutely insane but so sweet

Panama celebrates Fashion Week this week, as well as other random celebrations. After dinner we explored the city and randomly got painted for Neon Night - Panama literally celebrates everything

The coolest apartment building ever

I don't even need to explain why it's necessary to celebrate burritos

There is so much to celebrate. Sometimes it's grand events, and sometimes it's the simple things. Either way, I have realized how much I truly have to celebrate, and how much more there is to come. Speaking of GRAND EVENTS to celebrate, I am leaving in 3 short weeks to go to my sister's wedding in Amsterdam. Stay tuned for that blog, which will probably be overflowing with wedding pictures. YAY!

Until next time!

One Month!

It has officially been a month and 3 days that I've been in Panama, and I'm already slacking on updating my blog with the updates on Panama. But, I'm hoping to make up for it by posting about this really awesome event that I got to attend a week ago.

This event was called Xpresate - a weekend event through the Episcopal church for the youth. Ultimately, it was a great opportunity for the youth around Panama to come together, hang out, worship, and express themselves and express their faith - hence the name Xpresate (Express Yourself). They did this by having the opportunity to choose from 4 options - theater, dancing, singing, or music. Once they chose, throughout the weekend they practiced with whichever group they chose and on Saturday night, we had a talent show to present everyone's talents. It gave the youth the opportunity to explore their faith together, work as a team, and learn more about themselves and each other and truly created a close and tight-knit group. It's really not possible to put into words how powerful this weekend was, so maybe these pictures can do it justice!

Singing group practicing

Music group learning new notes for "Imagine" by John Lennon

The beautiful chapel

Santa Clara - A beautiful beach that we got to go to for a little bit and also where the camp was held

Classic jumping pic - some of the staff of Xpresate

Theatre group performing a scene from Miami Vice

The whole group - I can't take credit for this beaut - credit goes out to Iglesia de Panama's FB page!

Overall it was an incredible weekend that not only the youth, but all of the staff learned a lot from. At first, I was laughing about the groups that I could choose from. I definitely can't sing, I absolutely cannot dance and have no rhythm, my acting skills are awful, and I play piano but it's not that amazing. So I was nervous about which one I would end up choosing. But the thing is, it honestly didn't matter if I had the most amazing voice or if my voice was embarrassingly horrible (which it seriously is though). It was about expressing yourself and doing what made you happy, which is all that we should worry about anyway. This is also a huge reflection of Panamanian culture - everyone is so full of life, energy, and love and they aren't afraid to show it. As the lady I sat beside in church this morning said, every day is worth celebrating!

Rewind to a few days before Xpresate, I was lucky enough to have a week off of work since we are moving into the final trimester of the year and had a week of vacation. The first couple of days I did lesson plans and also helped paint a mural at San Mateo. Then, the next couple of days I was able to get away from the city a bit and spend some time at the beautiful Malibu Beach. It was a great opportunity to relax and mentally prepare for the upcoming week of school. Here are a few pictures to help y'all see:

Malibu Beach

New best friend that we found at the beach!

Unlikely but best of friends that lived at our hostel

Beach on one side and breathtaking mountains on the other side

Also, while I'm word vomiting on this blog, I might as well keep going and give y'all a few pictures of the school. Tomorrow starts the second week of teaching by myself, and I surprisingly feel confident. Leading up to the first week, I was absolutely terrified because this is an entirely new thing for me. However, I found confidence and support in my coworkers and for that, I am incredibly grateful. So, during our vacation I got to creep around school and take a few (horrible quality) pictures. Honestly, I might need to invest in a photo-taking class because this is getting out of hand.

Teacher's lounge - where all the super fun grading takes place

Hallway 

Just needed to take this picture to show that  the school is incredibly open- at the ends of the hallways there aren't walls - it's just a giant window pretty much

Same here - this is where everyone hangs out for recess and lunch - it's just a giant open area. Walls aren't really a thing here.

Planning for classes!

Okay, I think that's enough to keep y'all updated until next time! Thanks for reading!

Mi Amor

"Hola mi amor" - literally meaning "Hello, my love". I think I hear this every time I'm out in public, and it still always surprises me. In the US,  people typically refer to only family members, significant others, or very close friends as "my love". In Panama, you can refer to someone you literally just met as "mi amor". People say "Hola mi amor" in grocery lines, at restaurants, when they are trying to move past you on the bus - literally everywhere. This is the perfect representation of Panamanian culture - everyone is so friendly and loving, and I think it is just the sweetest thing.

I have definitely experienced this loving atmosphere first hand. My host family is made up of some of the sweetest people I have ever met. They have made it more than clear that I am a part of the family now so I better start acting like it. This just means that I need to stop asking to borrow things or use things - "Mi casa es su casa". I think one of the coolest parts about this family is that I now have two little brothers! After growing up with only an older sister, this is a completely different experience. They are super silly and funny, so usually after I finish work we will play and I will force them to practice their English (which they do not enjoy at all).

Typical day after school

I also see this hospitality at school. All of the teachers that I work with are so sweet and generous, and many times have tried to share lunch with me, even though I'm already eating my own lunch. They also really enjoy cracking jokes and laughing while we are in the Teacher's Room, so I can always expect to be laughing at some point which is crucial during a long day at school. Speaking of school, I have a super important update. This upcoming week we have a week off since the kids just finished exams, and then we move into the third trimester. Starting next Monday, I will officially be the main teacher of History of 9th and 10th grade as well as the teacher of Religion for 8th and 9th grade. This means I will have a little over 500 students, so I can't wait to meet all these kids! It's going to be quite the transition, but I am excited to have such a great opportunity! In addition, I will be working alongside a lot of great and amazing teachers, so I am confident that I will receive great advice and help if I am ever in need!

This is probably a bit shocking to hear since I can't exactly say I am the most experienced teacher. However, after speaking to my mom (long time teacher) she gave me some pretty great advice. She told me that there are two kinds of teachers: teachers with a huge amount of experience but a low amount of energy, and teachers with not so much experience but a lot of energy and love. She said that luckily, both qualities are interchangeable and equally important, so as long as I bring all of my energy and my whole heart, my work should be cut out for me. So, other than planning, planning, and doing some more planning, I will do my best to be my best self every single day with a renewed energy and spirit. As someone told me recently, "It's not what you do, but the love you put into the doing."

In other news, I seem to have lost all sense of balance in Panama. Not like the roads are perfectly paved or anything, but I have managed to find a way to trip at least 2 or 3 times a day. It's not really helping my case since I already stand out really bad, so tripping and nearly tackling strangers has been really fun. My favorite is standing on the bus, because you never know whether we're going to have a smooth ride or possibly slam on the breaks every few minutes. Here's a picture of a typical day on the bus - a bit crowded and also my nightmare that I will fall in someone's lap:

Also, for those of you who are aware of my obsession with Mexican food, I have finally found where to get it. I have found that Panamanians really aren't that big of fans of Mexican food, but I found a way to find it. So here's a shout out to my Mexican food:

Joseph and I found a great restaurant that makes these delicious burritos

After telling Patricia how obsessed I am with Mexican food and smoothies, she surprised me by making it one day for lunch. Seriously, the sweetest person on the planet.

Otherwise, I have just been adventuring around a bit and trying to get to know the city, so I'll add in a few pictures so you can get an idea of my new home!

Disregard the traffic cones. This is Casco Viejo, the old part of the city that is super beautiful and historic

The most incredible view from Casco Viejo

On Friday night we got to see a few bands - Salsa, Meringue, and even some Karaoke free for all! Karaoke is really big here, and everyone is very insistent that everyone goes - luckily I got out of it, but I might not be so lucky next time :) 

Street Market! They have some of the freshest vegetables and fruits. As we learned from Glenda, it's pretty easy to barter and try and get a cheaper price - you just have to know the right thing to say!

Anywho, that has been what's been going on lately! This coming up week is a vacation - but that doesn't mean I won't be busy! During the week I will have a teacher workshop, helping paint a mural at  Joseph and Glenda's church (San Mateo) and then for the whole weekend I will be going to a weekend retreat camp for kids called "Expresate" (Express Yourself). I honestly am not entirely sure what will be going on, so stay tuned for the next blog post about Expresate!!

As always, THANK YOU to everyone that has and continues to support me. You all have no idea how much it means and how nice it is to have you all as part of my support system. Keep the prayers coming as I will surely need them, and most of all, thank you for being YOU!

Also, St. Christopher's Church, the church I am attending in Panama, always seems to have the greatest  "thought of the day". I found today's especially important for me, but also can apply to everyone, so I just thought I'd share:

"Choose to make a difference instead of choosing to be indifferent today."

Nos Vemos!

¡Que Locura!

QUE LOCURA - an often used expression in Panama to say "What madness" or "What Insanity". I've heard this a lot in Panama, but mostly when I tell my students that they actually have to do work.

Mainly, I'm using this to explain my first few weeks here in Panama. So much has happened, I don't even know how to really explain it all! But, I'll start where I left off. This past Saturday, Joseph and I were invited to a very nice event that celebrated 99 years of the Panama Canal. It was a beautiful and incredible event to honor the Panama Canal and everyone that worked on it and helped to make it happen.

It's actually pretty unreal how bad I am at taking pictures. But this is s a picture of the Marriott Hotel where the event was held

This week was the first full week of school that I attended. Since I was blessed enough to live with the principal, I am able to ride to and from work with her and her two grandsons. In Panama, school starts at 7:30 so we have to wake up at 5 so we can all get ready in time. It's pretty crazy actually, because currently Panama City is in transition for public transportation. They are in the middle of expanding and widening roads as well as building a metro system. This is GREAT news, but in the process, it has caused a few traffic-related problems. So, sometimes our neighborhood road (which should only have two lanes for traffic going in opposite directions) actually has 4 lanes of traffic, all going one way. It causes some crazy traffic jams, so it sometimes takes us 3 times as long to get to school.

We usually have a 30-45 minute ride to school so this is what happens with the guys

I am still assistant-teaching 9th and 10th grade history as well as 8th and 9th grade Religion along with my fellow teacher Dennis King, who by the way is the sweetest person on the planet. But, in elementary school it is currently Folklore Week. This means the kids get to dress up daily according to what day it is, and they get to celebrate the different customs and cultures of Panama. Here are a few pictures to help y'all out

The first day the school celebrated los vaqueros (cowboys)

Dia de la etnia - Ethnicity Day. Again, really quality photo

Representing your country day. Unfortunately, I don't participate because I teach high school!
This is also a picture of the principal of the school - Patricia Lewis - and also the woman who I live with. I can't stress enough how amazing this woman is, and how hard she works to be her best self every single day. I have already learned so much from her, and can't even believe how lucky I am to hang out with her for a whole year!

Same day -Representing your country! The kids marched in a parade on the streets nearby the school! The next few  pictures are from this parade

They even decorate the classrooms!

There is so much energy and spirit in this school as well as this country. The culture and people are very proud of who they are and where they came from, and I really love that! The culture in general is also extremely friendly. I have always received a warm welcome wherever I go, and I am extremely grateful for that because cities are not always so friendly.

In completely unrelated news, my host brother has found out how to take pictures on my computer and enjoys taking selfies any chance he can get.

Next week is exams for the kids since Panamanian schools operate on trimesters, so say a prayer for them!

Hasta pronto!