The one about origami boxes

As many of you know by now – my partner in crime, my mind-reader, my life mate Katie, just finished her Peace Corps Response service. She signed up for the first four months of this project as a type of sabbatical from her real job and life in Baltimore and ya está, it’s over just like that! If I tried to write what she has come to mean to me, you’d probably give up reading at page 94. Yes, she’s that awesome. But instead of gushing about her superhuman skills, I’ll let her write this post to digest and debrief her own experience instead. It’s a wonderful tribute to the powers of Peace Corps. Enjoy!

When I was in the Peace Corps in Honduras, I used to make a lot of origami boxes. I mean, a LOT of origami boxes. In the old days of Peace Corps ("the old days in Peace Corps" being a club of which I now realize I am a part), volunteers used to get a Newsweek magazine every month, just so we wouldn't totally lose touch with what was happening outside of our Peace Corps towns and countries (I actually have a friend who learned that George W. Bush was the president six months after being elected by receiving a Newsweek via airmail dropped at her site in Vanuatu). After reading the Newsweeks, I would remove the cover and pin it on what became known as my "Newsweek wall", and then use the rest of the magazine to make origami boxes. Some people might tell you that I occasionally used it for toilet paper and that the reason for this was not because toilet paper was hard to come by, but because I was too lazy to walk to the store and buy it, and those people would be right on both accounts.

It all started because the Peace Corps office in Honduras had this book called It's a Bird! It's a Plane! No...It Is a Piece of Paper Intricately Folded Over and Over Again To Make a Shape: Origami!  I really took the book because I never wanted to stop reading the title, but it ended up teaching me to do exactly what the cover promised. The origami box is kind of a complicated little design at first, but once you get the hang of it and get into the rhythm, you can make tons of them...which I did. I had several strings of Christmas lights and a box put on each bulb. They strung pretty much every wall and there were still plenty left over taking up a couple of corners in my house. It was a fun hobby and very relaxing - I would make boxes while listening to a podcast I had downloaded or watching one of the several DVDs I had for the hundredth time.

I haven't made an origami box since living in Honduras. In fact, I tried to teach someone how to do it a few years ago and could not remember the folds. Since then, every year around Christmas, I've tried to remember how to make these boxes that serve as great tree ornaments and I inevitably mess up some part. It just doesn't work! I know I could have looked up how to do it on the internet, but it felt wrong...like admitting that I forgot how to tie my shoes or something. 

As you can imagine, making origami boxes isn't usually what I talk about when people ask me about Peace Corps. I went into Peace Corps Honduras with an idea of what I hoped to get out of the experience. I knew that I ultimately wanted to work with the Latino community back in the states (read: Baltimore) and hoped to gain pertinent experience working with a Central American population. I was hoping to use and improve upon my Spanish, and was looking forward to learning how to live with less (more "off the grid" I guess). I definitely accomplished all of those things. I still work with the Latino community in Baltimore (many Hondurans among them) and my time was incredibly informative and continues to be helpful nearly ten years later. I improved my Spanish, especially when it came to environmental vocabulary and anything involving how to prevent, treat, or complain about Dengue fever. I know how much bleach you can add to water so that it stays in the "safe zone", meaning that it is “safe enough” and tastes just not enough like a swimming pool to drink. Those things don't even touch on the many Hondurans and fellow Peace Corps Volunteers that I will forever consider my family. And all of that is wonderful. However, what I really learned in Peace Corps, my biggest takeaways, are the hardest (if not downright impossible) ideas to articulate. 

A fellow RPCV once told me that Peace Corps was one of those very few times in life where your job (your purpose really) is to just be fully present. It is, for many, the only time in our lives where we are afforded this opportunity. This past October, almost ten years to the day that I landed in Honduras, I signed up for that crazy ride all over again and boarded a plane that would take me to Panama to begin a three-month service as a Peace Corps Response Volunteer. I signed up for Peace Corps Response Panama thinking that it would be really great to take several months during Baltimore's winter (when things at my job in the park are slower anyway) to gain more experience in the health care field, brush up on my Spanish, and get to know yet another Central American community.

Our first month in Panama was fast-paced and exciting. We traveled by boat to some of the most beautiful, yet some of the most under resourced places I've ever been to deliver medical care to indigenous Ngabe communities. It was challenging, adventurous, fun, and, at times, stressful. I'd say that I accomplished all of those things I had originally thought I wanted to accomplish in coming to Panama. I maybe spoke more English than I thought I would, but when you live with a stranger (read: Bronwen) who converts to your best friend who then converts to the voice inside your head (see a future blog post addressing Peace Corps Life Mate Separation Depression), you generally speak more English than you thought (even though we tried to speak only in Spanish on Tuesdays and Thursdays).

After the clinic season ended and the staff had gone home for the holidays, Bronwen and I found our Tiny House, made it our own, and developed a little more of a routine. Things slowed down a bit. People on Isla Colon would call it “Bocas Time” or maybe “Island Time.” I have called it “Honduran Time” or “Hora Hondureña” and my parents or sister (while waiting for me to meet them so that we can all drive to my aunt's house together for Thanksgiving) would call it “Peace Corps Time.”

Bronwen: Looks good so far, but can you wrap it up? It's getting long.

Me: Oh, yeah. I know, I'm rambling. I wrote the first part in Panama and now you’re making me write the second part in Baltimore.

Bronwen: Yeah, I feel like I can tell. Also, don't be afraid to be funny. Ya know?

Me:...

Bronwen: I mean the first part is kind of funny and then I think it's just nostalgic...ya know...

Me:...

Bronwen: You know what I-

Me: I'M SAD, OKAY?! I MISS YOU! It's hard writing a comedy piece in February from Baltimore when it is 14 degrees out!

Bronwen: Woah. Okay, enough with the histrionics.

Me: If I have to have one more conversation with a stranger about why I look so tan, I am going to lose it!

Bronwen: Hey, it's alright. Whatever you write is fine, okay?

Me: Yeah, thanks.

Bronwen: Ok, so yeah. Just wrap it up and make it a little funnier, though. Ya know?

One evening, Bronwen was making dinner (I like to think I would have, but she had more of a vision for it and I don't actually know how to make peanut curry even though I offer to sometimes, but she is just quicker in getting the sand off of her to get into the house after our routine evening beach walk, so naturally, she was just ready to make dinner before I was and I, obviously, would do the dishes...) and I was sitting at our kitchen/sewing/work/everything table when I felt a familiar urge...it was like my hands wanted to do something. I went to the bookshelf and picked up a Scientific American I had brought with me. I ripped out a page. I grabbed the scissors (oh right! it has to be a square. Why all of these years did I not remember that it has to be a square?), and watched my hands start to fold. The one fold goes across, and then this one goes opposite (right! Its opposite), then you fold again and tuck and tuck and fold and tuck and then there is that hole in the top and blow and...voilá....an origami box!

Coming back to Baltimore after several months away, people have been asking me how Panama was and if it met my expectations. The truth is, I don't really know how to answer them. Just like the first time, I don't think I really could have imagined what I would take away from the experience and I am still just processing the whole thing. I guess we Returned Peace Corps Volunteers seem to do that our whole lives, always figuring out where our experiences abroad fit into our new lives. All I know is that I needed it, I'm so glad that I did it, and I will most likely need it again. I think Peace Corps and experiences like it, in the end, are about being present. And I think, if I can remember how, I am going to try and make more origami boxes in Baltimore.

The one about podcasting

Hello all of you near and far who have asked for my personal Podcast Training Plan. I'm beyond flattered that you noticed how podcast fit I've become and would like to offer my services to those of you who are anxious to start your own regime. 

DISCLAIMER: I am offering a money-back guarantee if you don't see a dramatic improvement in your general knowledge of current events and politics, an increase in the amount useless trivia you can use as conversation starters and an uptick in your overall well-being after 30 days. Do it, get podcast fit, you won't regret it - there is so much out there to share and gobble up! 

WARNING: This sport is not for the faint of heart - it takes commitment, courage and energy to become a Master Podcaster but once you self-identify as a burgeoning podcaster, you will have a reason to get up in the morning and a goal to work towards each and every day. You will find that cleaning your house and doing the dishes actually becomes fun and you will have so many smart things to say to people who don't podcast and so many interesting conversations to have with people who do! 

Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, my humble podcasting suggestions, vetted and approved by yours truly: 

Level 1 Podcast Training Plan: The gateway to podcasting

If you already listen to one/some/all of these podcasts, you are well on your way to becoming an Advanced Podcaster! Add these to your repertoire for an easy-to-relate-to conversation with anyone else who also podcasts. By following this training plan, you'll have your bases covered so you don't look like a weakling amongst the big-wigs. 

1) Serial hosted by Sarah Koenig - Basically, it's everyone's gateway podcast. If you don't like Serial, you aren't cut out for podcasting, so back out now. But since you are all the type of people who will like podcasting, you can one-up any other budding podcaster by downloading Slate Serial Spoiler Specials to get a succinct analysis and assessment of Serial episode. This podcast always enhances my viewpoint and attitude about Serial and gives me double the ammo to use in analysis with my podcast teammates. New Spoiler episodes come out on Friday after Serial's Thursday release. 

2) Global News by the BBC World Service - high quality, 30-minute way to get news stories from around the globe in the morning and night. OR for a quickie 5-minute news update every hour on the hour, NPR Hourly News Summary does the trick! 

3) 99% Invisible is a top ten favorite podcast by host Roman Mars broadcasting from beautiful downtown historic Oakland. This is a weekly exploration of the process and power of design and architecture. Favorite episodes include: The Fresno Drop, Best Enjoyed By, Fountain Drinks, and Worst Smell in the World. 

4) Hidden Brain - A podcast about unseen patterns in society. Episode 19: Dating and Mating is a fascinating review of marriage and attraction proving through many economists' theories that the more you pay for a ring and the wedding, the more likely a couple is to break up and other brilliant economic theories of marriage/coupling. Great hosts take you through short 20-ish minute episodes perfect for a morning podcast burst. Other favorite episodes include: Episode 1: Switchtracking and Episode 8: Back Up Plans.

5) This American Life - A classic go-to favorite! Really great stories told every week about specific topics. This podcast will form the perfect foundation you need for advancing in your podcast training as it's the best-done story telling format out there. My favorite episodes include: #578: I Thought I Knew You, #214: Family Physics and #577: Something Only I Can See. For supplemental training, try these podcasts with a similar format: Snap Judgement and the Ted Radio Hour. 

6) Now, I'm gonna shake it up a bit here. Instead of the typical interview/story telling format, try adding some conversation-style podcasts into your regime. To start, I suggest Slate Political Gabfest, the Slate Culture Gabfest and The Weeds by Vox. All of these well-done podcasts make you feel like got invited to a smart person get-together and are privileged enough to be privy to their fascinating conversations about politics and culture. You can sit back, relax, and enjoy their rants, raves, and analyzing. Tune in and you'll absorb smart tidbits to use on game day when you get into a real-life political/pop-culture conversation of your own. 

7) My new favorite podcast is HuffPo Love + Sex. Noah and Carina are wonderful hosts exploring diverse topics of sexuality and love. It's been a transformative sexual education for me and even though I myself am a sex educator, I've learned the birds and the bees from this dynamic duo. Do it, Love+Sex is where it's at. 

Level 2 Podcast Training Plan: To master the art of podcasting

Katie taught me well, both in theory and in observation, that moving from an Advanced Podcaster to a Master Podcaster takes time, commitment, and motivation. You have to want to listen to a podcast while running, while eating, while cutting your toenails, while also having a conversation with your roommate about another podcast. Podcasts come out with so many new episodes each week that you run the risk of falling very far behind in your training plan if you aren't prepared to put the time in to get the results you seek. Times you should podcast if you want to make it to the big leagues: while waking up in the morning before you drink your first sip of coffee, while cleaning your house, doing the dishes or folding clothes, while running, taking afternoon walks, going to the grocery store, driving, doing mindless work like formatting/editing. When you find yourself wanting to go to bed so you can wake up an podcast, you'll know you've broken through to the MLP (Major League Podcasting). Here are my suggestions to get you to the top: 

1) The Axe Files by David Axelrod - Currently the founder/director of the Chicago Institute of Politics and once the Chief Strategist for the Obama campaign, interviews fascinating political figures who shed light on politics in fascinating ways. Political history and current events are brought to you through stories of experts retelling their journeys to the top. Just brilliant! 

2) The Economist Radio - A quick (10-15 minute) podcast offering a quick synopsis of the key articles and news stories from the Economist magazine. Prepare to feel smarter by osmosis of the information in this podcast. A similarly wonderful brain busting podcast is Planet Money. 

3) The World Next Week by CFR or Financial Times Big Read hosted by super smart fellows from the Council on Foreign Relations who sit down to analyze and predict world events for the upcoming week. Makes me feel prepared for the crazy that is the world! 

4) And then there are podcasts for working out! For workout/meditation/yoga - try Yoga Download for 20-30 minute yoga flows (this was my saving grace in the Dominican Republic and PS they offer a free subscription for Peace Corps Volunteers). For longer yoga flows, download Power Yoga with Dave Farmar who has various 1.5 hour Vinyasa flow. And for guided meditations, Meditation Oasis is a great start. To become an inspired and enlightened runner, download Run to the Top! 

5) Death, Sex and Money with Anna Sale is a podcast about the big questions and hard choices that are often left out of polite conversation. Absolute must-listen: Living Alone, One Year Later. Sometimes tough to get into, but once you decide you like the host and the premise of random life and death topics, you'll be hooked! 

6) The New Yorker Fiction - A monthly reading and conversation of works by famous authors reading other famous authors. Favorites include: Edwidge Danticat reads Jamaica Kincaid and Thomas McGuane reads James Salter.

Level 3 Podcast Training Plan: For the burgeoning Spanish speakers

Spanish language podcasts are fabulous way to listen to stories and news in Spanish. They require more concentration (for obvious reasons) but are a wonderful way to learn news/facts while simultaneously practicing Spanish comprehension. 

1) To listen to the news in Spanish, try Buenos Días America by the VOA or Democracy Now! en Español (which is a bit easier because they start every news story with the headline in English and this helps to orient yourself to the story coming up in case you get lost in the Spanish). 

2) Radio Ambulante - A radio program in Spanish chronicling stories all over Latin America. Favorite episodes include: El corresponsal, Confesión, Los huérfanos, Mudanzas and El coyote. 

3) Latino USA - While this is actually in English, it takes you on journeys of news and culture from a Latino perspective with a great host and amazing producers finding diverse stories from latinos around the globe. 

4) Nómadas by RNE - This podcast takes you on a journey to discover new cities and countries through explorer hosts finding special corners of the world! It's like a vibrant virtual tour of places you can only dream of someday visiting. A sensory explosion! 

Level 4 Podcast Training Plan: Training hacks to increase stamina
Ok ok, so you've decided what you like and what you don't like. You know your ideal format, content area, style of host, average time length of a perfect podcast. You've found your grove, you know your style...congratulations. You have made it farther than the average podcaster! There is now so much out there to soak up, but there aren't enough hours in the day. Fear not, I have the answer for you. Now, you must perfect your technique.

1) Listen to your podcasts on 1.5x speed. Podcasts especially made to 1.5x include Presidential by The Washington Post which is a fascinating exploration of our 44 presidents. However, sometimes it's slow-going but always intriguing content. Which is why the 1.5x is necessary. Other 1.5x candidates include How to Be Amazing with Michael Ian Black (interviews with interesting famous people) follow these interviews of celebrities and newsmakers as they discuss what the what. Reason for 1.5x is that the material comes out quick so you'll need extra time to listen to them all! Other podcasts suggested for 1.5x include: The Diane Rehm Show (for current events, books, politics and a kaleidoscope of everything), and On Being with Krista Tippet (interviews with religious figures and/or people speaking on religion). 

2) For a podcast about podcasts, listen to The Big Listen and/or Sampler by Gimlet Media to get a recap of the weeks best podcasts and segments. Helps expand your podcast horizons and give you a glimpse into new podcasts you could start!

3) Nerd out. Get your fix of data shows with Whats the Point by FiveThirtyEight and FiveThirtyEight Elections. You'll be a pollster in no time. Dry material at times, but mega important and expressed in interesting ways. Other nerd-alerts include: Trumpcast by Slate (who is Donald Trump, anyway?), Lexicon Valley by Panoply (the history of words), Reply All (stories of the internet), Slate's Audio Book Club (read along with Emily Bazelon and her crew!) and Amicus with Dahlia Lithwick (about the Supreme Court with actual audio from SCOTUS).

But Bea, you say to me, I have the opposite problem - what happens when I "stall out" aka when my favorite Podcasts don't have enough new episodes and I've already gone back through all of the archives since 2011. Well - it's time to expand your horizons, try something new, gain new knowledge and new information. I have vetted many a Podcast and understand different tastes in different people so below are shows that I appreciate, but do not follow. I know that I am podcaster who appreciates news value, learning information and a succinct and easy to follow interview format. However, I have friends who are conversation style lovers, interested in pop-culture but less invested in the news aspect to a podcast. That's fine, agree to be different. But here's a few they suggest!

1) Moth Radio Hour and Mortified Podcast for a compilation of stories and dramatic readings. Moth is more serious while Mortified is a bunch of adults reading their younger years diaries/journals.

2) Call Your Girlfriend and Millennials for your quick taste of sassy social commentary. Bunch of millennials sitting around gabbing about millennial things. Not my style, but I see the appeal.

A very special thank you to Zoe and David, Hana, Caitlin and Shannon for your wonderful suggestions to augment and enhance my podcast training plan. I am deeply grateful for your offerings, energy and solidarity in the process of becoming better podcasters. 

And finally, would like to send a huge shout-out to certifiable Master Podcasters Katie and Jessie!!! You have been so great in sharing with me your love of the sport, analyzing new episodes with me each week and providing guidance on my own training plan. Because of you two, I am a better podcaster each and every day. Thank you for your patience and support while I was in Level 1 of training. Together, you brought me to Level 3. Congratulations, I only dream of being you one day. 

And that's it folks, my guidance for podcasting! And not that you asked, but if you are looking for book suggestions, here's my favorites of the season:

1) Euphoria by Lily King - Enthralling book about an anthropologist studying tribes in New Guinea, based on the life of Margaret Mead...fascinating and wonderfully written, goes fast! She also wrote another great book about a woman navigating the world with an alcoholic father. It's called Father of the Rain and I also highly recommend. 

2) Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick- This is a well-told history lessons of North Korea made more digestible by telling it through the lens of six North Korean citizens who eventually defect to South Korea by way of China and Japan). 

3) Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff - It was Obama's favorite book of 2015, enough said! Read it, do it.

4) Room by Emma Donahue because it's been a favorite since I read it and am actually being paid by the movie business to convince everyone to read and subsequently watch it before Brie Larson (aka Ma) goes up for an Oscar later this month.

5) Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates which should be required reading for every human who cares about race relations in the USA. A powerful narrative of being black in America as told through a letter from Coates to his son.

The one about Colombia

Howdy-doo!

I’m finally sitting down to write after a whirlwind few weeks! I hope you all had wonderful New Years and are sticking to your resolutions!Yes, I have been reading every night before bed (mostly) but no yoga yet, gulp! Maybe I'll amend that resolution to be “run a half marathon" - who’s up for training!?

I’m feeling kick-ass and on top of the world after an amazing vacation to Colombia to see friends new and old. Turns out, when one group member claims that they don’t want to summit the Nevado del Tolima, it doesn’t mean that you aren’t hiking, only that you aren’t summiting the almost 6,000 meter snow-capped mountain in the middle of Colombia. I learned the hard way when I called bff Kris the day before take-off and asked, “So what are we doing in Colombia, anyway?” and she replied, “Are you serious? We’re hiking!” Queue me scrambling to prepare! Thank goodness 1) I have an amazing mother who super prepares me for everything and sent me to Panama with a passable assortment of camping equipment and 2) I grew up in Idaho where outdoor things can be sprung on me in a few minutes notice and I’ll roll with it and 3) Kris and Katie had enough extra clothing to help me survive the cold. Thanks to all!

Beautiful vegetation along the way

Us at the base of the Nevado del Tolima

I made it to Bogotá on 1/1/2016 where everything was closed except a 7-Eleven style store where I ate breakfast and lunch and the cable car up a big mountain called Monserrate with a stunning view of Bogotá and a bustling church where I attended my first Catholic mass of 2k16. I had a wonderful day wandering and exploring alone despite the deserted streets and lack of tangible Colombian energy I'd heard so much about. Kris and Bob made it to Bogotá in the evening and we caught up over a cold brewski and hit the hay pretty early. On 1/2/2016 we woke up and fumbled our way through the streets of Bogota, on a taxi and through various confusing bus lines, to Jake’s town. Reunited with the entire crew at last, we recounted plenty of stories, made up for lost time between best friends, and got ready for our trek. And then the fun started!

Cool hilly streets of Bogotá

Obligatory selfie at top of Monserrate

The church in the background is where I went to my first mass of 2016 

Top of Monserrate

Bogotá was sprawling!

Day 1 – Trek Nevado del Tolima:

Wake up time: 2:45am

Hike start time: 5:00am

Duration: 10 hours

Terrain: Uphill, grade 85% (probably)

Slept: At a school (apparently with seven enrolled students, though I never saw one, nor even another house from which a child could come) turned hikers hostel in the middle of the greenest field I’ve ever seen in beds nearly shared with cows, chickens, mules, horses, ducks, pigs and piglets.

Momentous occasions:

1. My headlight batteries were dead when we started the hike at 5am so I got my (tennis) shoes muddy minute one of the hike. Solution: Bob had extra batteries and was quickly voted MVP of the morning.

2. Our meal of the night was meat. Yes, just meat. We quickly ran out of gas because of the long frying time meat takes. I would have voted Guide Wilo off the island at that moment if I could have.

3. Sleeping in a caved-in bed after four hours of sleep the night before and starting the vertical hike up with a breakfast of four vanilla wafer cookies. As Kris astutely remarked, “Why are we doing all this crazy uphill on wafers, are you serious?!”

Day 2 – Trek Nevado del Tolima:

Wake up time: 6:00am

Hike start time: 10:00am (due to a stolen camera mystery and lack of cooking gas for stove)

Duration: 6 hours (little did we know it’d be our shortest day and we should savor it because Guide Wilo and Guide Alex kept pushing us to go faster because of the impending rain to which I wanted to yell, Yes, we see those ominous rain clouds and hear the nearing thunder and if we could go faster, don’t you think we would?

Terrain: Paramo desert (only found in these here parts in Colombia) with plenty of fryholes (Dr. Suess trees similar to lambs ear and grow 1cm each year) and lots of uphill

Slept: On a dirt floor under a smoky enclosed cooking space at the edge of lukewarm thermal baths

Momentous occasions:

1. The wonderful lady who greeted us with agua de panela upon arrival to camp when we most needed it due to probable hypothermia (you know, for someone used to living in a tropical climate, 50 degrees feels cold) and rain

2. When the clouds finally cleared up, we could see the entirety of the Nevado del Tolima and its glory – a beautiful site to see and much needed morale booster.

3. Someone stole my coffee and I got REAL mad – two more days and I had no coffee...I was in quite a mood.

Day 3 - Trek Nevado del Tolima:

Wake up time: I never actually went to sleep, so uhhh...1am, 2am, 3am, 4am, 5am and finally out the sack for real by 6am.

Hike start time: 9:00am (but only after tuna pasta breakfast)

Duration: 8 hours

Terrain: Winding up and downhill with beautiful pastures of green passing the base of the Nevado del Tolima and a green lagoon

Slept: On the floor of a structure in the middle of a cow field with endless fresh cheese (mmmmm que rico)!

Momentous occasions:

1. Kris and Bob busting out the Fireball Whiskey!

2. Hot chocolate with cheese chunks thrown in (actually quite delicious and a Colombian specialty)

Day 4 - Trek Nevado del Tolima:

Wake up time: 6:00am

Hike start time: 8:00am

Duration: 8 long long hours

Terrain: Beautiful green trees, jungle forest trails next to rockbed rivers and creeks, and a grand finale into the Valle de Cocora with insanely tall palm trees (another Dr. Suess like endless expanse of funny-looking trees).

Slept: In coffee country in a tiny artesian village called Salento at a hostel that was essentially someone’s room in the back of a bakery because there was a town festival going on and all the hostels were booked up (Said hostel had limited running water and we smelled horrible).

Momentous occasions:

1. Arriving

2. Coffee

3. Dancing (after a long 4 days of hiking, nothing gets them quads burning like a good round of salsa and bachata dancing)

4. Food (including, but not limited to, a peanut butter brownie with ice cream, a peanut butter brownie milkshake, a peanut butter browniesans ice cream, huevos rancheros, rice and beans, and fresh mango juices).

5. WE DID IT!!!!

I’m proud of my crew of hiking bandits – we had an amazing team and worked together to survive the infamous Nevado del Tolima trail – Ibagué to Salento. It will forever go down in history as one of the top three hardest hikes of my life (topped only by some hard hike trips I did with the XC ski team in high school and Pico Duarte in the Dominican Republic).

WE DID IT!

The next few days passed swimmingly, apart from the four hour “night of sleep” I got lying on the floor behind a flower-selling kiosk in the Bogotá airport before my 6am flight and the stench I managed to carry with me off the mountain. Apart from that, I made it to Panama and met another bff Jessie who came to visit me! We had a blast exploring beaches, hiking, running, biking, volleyballing, eating and gabbing about podcasts, trivia, film and everything in between.

This week, it’s back to the grind! Bummer city womp womp!

Until next time, stay weird!

Bea

The one about new years resolutions

Happy Holidays!

Christmas time (especially Christmas week) is basically the only time I’ve ever feel homesick in the past three years of living abroad. I knew what I was getting into when I signed up for this crazy Panama gig, but I knew it’d be hard. And it has been. I think of being home with my family, cutting down the tree, working with my ladies at the Elephant’s Perch, being in the refreshing and energetic presence of my amazing brother, and skiing of course! That said, I’m doing okay this year. We had a Christmas miracle arrive in the form of Shannon, Katie’s girlfriend and she brought with her Christmas joy and American chocolate and coffee! And tomorrow, I head to fly to Colombia on vacation! I will be exploring/hiking to coffee country with college buddies and my partner in crime, Krissy! 

Since it’s the end of the year and I’ve been binging on “Best of” podcasts and news articles, I’ve been reflecting back on my Peace Corps journey and how it’s now the third time I get to ring in the New Year abroad and as a volunteer. The years have brought much change – personally, professionally and spiritually and it’s been a pretty powerful thing to look back on. I dedicated 2014 to working on myself. In this very blog I wrote, “In 2014, I turned alone time into a coping mechanism for that discomfort. And at first it was awkward and the hardest thing I ever had to do was spend four, five or six hours alone. But, I’ve really taken control of it. I’m better at setting goals, holding myself accountable, being patient (still working on it). I have become the ruler of my own mind, which sounds maybe like a lame thing to work on for an entire year, but it wasn’t. It took 17 months of Peace Corps service to get here and yes, I’m still working on it, but my alone time is no longer uncomfortable and awkward, it’s a shiny new tool for my life toolbox.”

My goal for 2015 as I wrote was “This year is the year of expansion, pushing myself to the limits, growing from others, and truly giving host-country nationals the energy they deserve.” I believe that I did a good job on this one. I finished my service strong and I really invested in the people I lived with. I learned to rely on others, to trust my project partners, to speak up for my community. The year 2015 has been an amazing one – one that I am very proud of. The growth and accomplishments we achieved in my community were pretty remarkable. And now I’m in a totally new community and developing a new project.

For 2016, I’d like to focus on professional development. I have a wonderful set of personal strengths that I’ve honed over the past 30 months of Peace Corps. I’m more creative, resourceful, and comfortable with myself, self-aware. I’m a better leader, friend and listener. I’ve spent so much time becoming who I am and I know that I can create a strong program here in Panama. I want to develop a curriculum that I am proud of, but that also serves Ngobe communities in the best ways. I hope to make this year much less about me and more about dedicating my skill set to pursuing a noble goal – of bringing health education to indigenous communities!

And now the moment you've all been waiting for....my own personal “Best of 2015” lists!

Best Songs:

1) Hello by Adele

2) American Oxygen by Rihanna

3) Travesuras by Nicky Jam

4) Tokyo Sunrise by LP

5) Dearly Departed by Shakey Graves

6) Me Voy Enamorando by Chino y Nacho

7) Ginza by J Balvin

8) Yo Te Amo Tu Me Ama by El Alfa

9) Rechazame by Prince Royce

10) Lean On by Major Lazer

Best Books:

1) All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer

2) Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

3) Room by Emma Donahue

4) The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

5) Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham

Best TV:

1) Transparent (Amazon)

2) The Mindy Project (Hulu)

3) Scandal (ABC)

4) How to Get Away with Murder (ABC/I love Shonda Rhimes)

5) (And the obligatory) House of Cards (Netflix)

Best Podcasts:

1) Serial

2) Slate Political Gabfest

3) Global News Podcast by the BBC

4) Radio Ambulante (Spanish language)

5) Huff Post Live Audio by Huffington Post

6) Ted Radio Hour

Top life events of 2015:

1) Climbing the 76^th tallest mountain in the world (February)

2) Graduating our first group of paramedics in Manzanillo (March)

3) Convincing all seven of my Commune ladies to come visit me, it was very special that I got to see them all during my service!!! (March)

4) Luis and Enriquito’s wedding (September)

5) Closing my service in the Dominican Republic with surprise guest appearance by the one and only Grayson Caldwell (October)

6) Watching Henry win Idaho State Mountain Bike Championships (October)

Goals for 2016:

1) Finish developing our Community Health Worker curriculum and implement it in 20 Ngobe sites

2) Read every night before bed

3) Journal/yoga/write more

4) Listen to more podcasts (double points for Spanish ones), read more of The Economist

5) Work on a political campaign (or get a really cool big girl job)

That’s all for now folks! I’ll write you next year!

Paz, 

Bea

The one about my arranged marriage

HEYO!

I finally finally feel settled in and things are going well (for the most part). We wrapped up our last follow-up clinics (to bring medications to chronic patients with diabetes, epilepsy, asthma, high-blood pressure, etc) and then all the Floating Doctors staff was gone, just gone. They all go home for two months over the holidays and regular clinics stop, holidays are celebrated, the weather doesn’t get any cooler (womp womp) and Katie and I keep chugging along.

Our work is computer based and we might turn into zombies soon, so instead of becoming the crazy anti-social losers that many of you American office workers/software developers/aspiring writer types end up becoming, we take breaks. We’ve found ourselves in a pretty great routine these days. I would describe it to you in painful detail, but then I remembered one time reading a friends’ friend’s blog about being married and each month for the first seven months of marriage, she did a recap of that month of marriage – explaining in vivid detail what it was like to be married. I could not relate, but I passively enjoyed and digested her observations of living on top of another human and the routine they ended up finding together. Well, week 6 into my “arranged marriage” with Katie and I now totally understand what the purpose of those blog posts were – do you even realize how crazy it is to be sharing a life with someone who literally knows everythingabout you and is there for every second of every day and not even two months ago was a total stranger to me? It's insane. 

The Raffalongs (Bronwen Raff + Katie Long = The Raffalongs) Month 1 Update:

It’s us – the Raffalongs, sending an update after Month 1 in our arranged marriage! Phew! I know many of you have been holding your breath for our first update and we report with good news is that our arranged marriage has thus far worked out perfectly. We haven’t even fought yet, we haven't even gotten in little tiffs about who does more dishes (me), who fixes more things (Katie) and who hogs more covers (Katie) but shhh, don’t jinx it.

Our daily schedule

7:15*: Alarm goes off, snooze til 7:33, wake Katie up by turning over, go for a run on the beach

8:45: Breakfast – Katie makes the toast, I poach the eggs and make the coffee, we listen to the BBC Global News podcast

9:30 – 12:30: Work on the computer and just when we start to lose our minds, we alternate making lunch (typical options include: leftovers, vegetable/bean wraps, something with peanut butter)

12:30 – 3: More work or errands around town

3:30 – 5: Movement/afternoon activity – typically beach volleyball, sometimes substituted by swimming or paddling on the surfboard we borrowed from a friend

5:30 – 6: Decide what we want for dinner and bike to get ingredients

6 – 7: Make dinner - Katie specials include: omelets, sushi (!!), stir-fry; Bea specials include coconut Thai curry, papaya sticky rice and tuna mac n’cheese.

7 – 10:30: Play the ukelele, play brain-expanding trivia and/or invent mind-stretching games, spend hours picking out a movie and watch half of it before falling asleep

10:30: Lights out!

*If it’s a Tuesday or a Thursday, we exclusively speak to each other in Spanish.

Favorite meals:

5) Tuna mac n’cheese

4) Papaya sticky rice

3) Stir-fry

2) Anything with peanut butter

1) Coconut Thai curry

Favorite snacks: Papaya, popcorn, ginger cookies with peanut butter, shortbread cookies with peanut butter, oatmeal cookies with peanut butter, chocolate

Favorite games this month:

5) Trivial Pursuit

4) Sporcle

3) Use an iPhone to record ourselves making music with the ukulele and sending them to friends

2) Beach volleyball

1) Improv games

Popcorn flick picks:

4) Frozen (Katie’s first time!)

3) We Need to Talk About Kevin (highly recommended by Katie, in her words “The most visceral viewing experience I’ve had in a while”)

2) The Place Beyond the Pines (highly recommended by Bea, in my words, “Ryan Gosling, what else do you need?”)

1) Serena (not recommended by either of us, from the mouth of very own film critic Katie, it was “Pretty people, pretty country, pretty bad”).

Books on the proverbial coffee table this month:

5) Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shtenygart (pretty decent read about a love story set in the near future, not on my top ten list though)

4) La Ceguera by José Saramago (Katie enjoys, didn’t seem too enthusiastic when I just asked her...she seems lost in her work)

3) Serena by Ron Rash  (Good book, fatal movie)

2) Donde No Hay Doctor by David Werner (I can’t tell if looking up weird medical conditions at the one flat surface we have that serves as our kitchen table/work desk/coffee table counts as business or pleasure)

1) Room by Emma Donahue (comes highly recommended by both Bea and Katie, beautifully written from the perspective of a five year old boy trapped with his mother in an 11’ x 11’ room – that said, we do not suggested reading this book if you literally live in an 11’ x 11’ house with one other person)

Favorite questions:

5) ¿Que es eso?

4) What’s that sound?

3) Should we go to the beach?

2) What game should we play?

1) Do you want to build a snowman?

Favorite Words: Astronaut, Clinic, Game, Popcorn, Coffee, Trivia, Improv, Leishmaniasis, Sloth, Ukulele, Run, Room, Tiny House, Clos 

What we’re learning this month: Patience and acceptance

Other interesting facts:

- Longest time spent apart: 4 hours

- Spines Katie picked out of Bea’s foot: 3

- Back and forths on the volleyball: 29 hits in a row

Characteristics we realize we share: Disinterest in small children, love of running, taste in food, critical lens for analyzing international development, always thought the Disney “D” was actually a backwards “G,” musical talent (I'm getting there)!

Characteristics we don’t share: Love of dogs, sense of direction, pop culture/movie references, improv expertise

Gallivants: This month we’ve been to eight Ngobe-Bugle communities as super star interpreters for Floating Doctors clinics/follow up, we’ve also explored two nearby beaches and hope to add a few more to that list this week!

In summary - month one of arranged marriage is working out great and it’s all been happening so fast! I guess we really know now what people are talking about when they say time flies when you’re in love! Wish us luck in Month 2 :)