Thursday, March 18, 2010

Lettie and the Free Garden...

So, Mommom decided she wants to go to a garden we passed the previous day during our coffee tour. I say, "Sounds awesome - after I take a NAP." Poppop says, "Lettie don't even bother asking me, I don't want to watch you take more pictures of trees and rocks you will never remember." I laugh. A LOT. Mommom tries to convince us that she does not ONLY take pictures of rocks and trees. 
I succeed in my nap-taking abilities, and as I am in and out of sleep I hear Lettie and Bill bickering about which direction the garden is...I briefly wake up to realize she has grown impatient, deciding to take the journey to the free garden without me. Great, I get back under the comforter and SLEEP. HARD. Five Minutes Go By... and mommom is back in room only to make sure Poppop knows he was wrong. Sure, she could have backtracked and continued in her pursuit to find the free garden. That was not possible, not on this day, not ever - she had to let him know there was NOTHING down the road to the LEFT, Bill. At this point I can no longer slumber peacefully. I know it is my duty to get my lazy behind out of bed, it is my duty to take Mommom to the land of flowers. It is my duty because I remembered the way very well.
In the end we found the garden, we took pictures and enjoyed an early evening breeze. Lettie made me pose, as is to be expected. Surprisingly enough, she posed for me as well! Way to go Lettie Lou! There were many highlights from their wonderful visit but I will only share a few with my audience (the rest are my memories for now!): Poppop singing everything Mommom said to him instead of replying. Poppop pretending to be a blind beggar. Poppop telling the tour guide that he is going to send in his resume because he is agile and excited to make a dollar for every five gallon bucket of coffee beans he fills. Mommom trying to shoot the moon every single time we played Hearts and Poppop stopping her nine times out of ten! (Let the record show that she is almost as bad of a loser and my mother and myself for that matter.)
The week flew by and I am sad they are already gone. We had a marvelous time and I got to take hot showers! Woohoo. 

...Until next time...

Sunday, March 14, 2010

March: Puppy Love, Friends Visit, Lettie and Bill Take Panama By Storm.

The photo directly above is my Poppop in our hotel pretending to be a blind beggar. Awesome. 

      March started off with a bang. I got my physical and mental health back on track, first and foremost. I finally got to bring my puppy down to my house. Talk about amazing. I am not all alone anymore, although it is scary how much I feel like my mother now - I talk to that dog more than I talk to my family or friends. His name is Lincoln. He is 3 months old and he is my mountain mutt. The extreme heat and humidity has already made me more lackadaisical than I was in the US of A, that being said training Lincoln is not going very well at the moment. I let him run wild and pretty much learn the lay of the land. He is me incarnate. It is frightening. He barks to much, I talk to much. He runs a mile a minute and then sleeps like he is in a coma. He is obnoxious and incredibly curious. And he eats more than I can afford to provide for him! Needless to say, we are a match made in Heaven or Hell, you decide. 
      A couple friends from Telluride made their way to my community a week ago. Alyse and Laura! It was so great to see some familiar faces. I showed them around my village and my friend Maria cooked an amazing fish and plantain dinner. We parted ways once my Mommom and Poppop flew into my part of the country on Friday. We actually met up again because they stayed a couple nights in Boquete where I am with my grandparents! It is great to see Lettie Lou and Wild Bill. They are hilarious and I think I have cried laughing too many times to count already! (They have been with me for two days now). Other than getting huge welts on my legs from bug bites yesterday everything has been great. Mommom has been helping me with a huge project I have undertaken with the schools in my area of Panama. Poppop has been a constant source of dry humor and entertainment. I had to translate everything on a coffee tour yesterday. The guide was shocked they did not speak Spanish. Go figure. Poppop said he would send in his resume, he wants to pick the coffee beans. He also spoke his gibberish "Spanish" and has been telling Mommom her Spanish will NEVER be as good as his. After all, he is a master of all. 
      We head to the beach tomorrow! I hope these bites go down. I look like I have tumors in my legs - NOT COOL. I do have hot water, great food, great company, air conditioning and a blow dryer here...so, all in all, things are looking up. I feel half way to being clean again. It is alright, I am coming home earlier than planned in May to be able clean my act up. 
      I have quite a bit of work to do these days in my community and with Peace Corps in general. It is nice to feel a bit more busy because I was getting sick of having so much time to contemplate my life and future. GROSS. haha. More to come this week from my adventures with the Ritners.