Pueblo Nuevo

We had a 9 day Field Based Technical training at a volunteers site called Pueblo Nuevo.  The site is located in the Darien region and is a village of the Embera and Wounaan tribes that spreads cross eastern Panama and northern Colombia.  Most of the campesinos in Pueblo Nuevo have crossed over from Colombia and settled in Panama - it was all one land at one point however.  I stayed with a host family who were extremelly warm and welcoming.  I instantly became a source of excitement for my 12 year old brother and my cousin.  Every night we would play English language word games and one night there were about 6 kids at the house playing.

Unfortunately I arrived a day late because I came down with chronic dehydration - but really I was fine.  I also came down with an alleric reaction to the river shrimp that I got served, which amounted to a full blown body rash and inflamation.  I sucked it up and spent another day traveling between the Darien and Panama City to go see the doctor who cleared me out.  It was annoying, but I was fine. 

Anyway, we were split up into two groups and our tasks were to build a composting latrine, a pit latrine, hook up a tapstand to the existing waterline, build a bridge for a pipe to cross a very small ravine, learn how to survey, and deliver a charla to the kids at the school.  I will get into the technical aspects of Environmental Health work in another post.  It was a lot of hard work, but we accomplished all the tasks together as a team. 

We were working from 8 to 5 everyday, and the women of the village would cook us a communal lunch everyday.  The best food I ate however, were the coconut duros.  Duros are homemade frozen juices which are delicious at the very affordable price of 10 cents.  My host mom also made a delicious type of bread called ohaldra which thankfully can be found all over Panama.  Imagine the fried bread that is in funnel cake, but without any of the sweet stuff and a bit saltier.  Combine that with huevos and some ketchup and youve got yourself a delicious meal.

Life in the village seemed to be paced around the kids coming in and out of school.  I would say that there was about a 65 percent to 35 percent ratio of kids to adults.  The women in the community got together and hired a teacher to help them make traditional Embera Wounaan baskets and jewlery which they can then sell.  The men would go out to the monte everyday and work in the fields.  Unfortunately I didnt have time to go out with my host dad, but there will be plenty more of that to come.  It is possible for campesinos in the Darien to make 10 dollars a day.

We were all lucky enough to be body painted with traditional Embera Wounaan designs using a fruit called Jagua.  It turns out to be a bluish color and lasts for about 3 weeks.  Pueblo Nuevo was so excited to have us visit and work in their community that we had a despedida the last night we were there.  It was a humbling experience for all of us to be given gifts.  I recieved a necklace, a bracelet, and my host mom hand wove me a basket the night before I left. 

Thank you to Molly Peterson and the people of Pueblo Nuevo for hosting us.  I hope to visit you again soon.

Embera Wounaan dance.  My host mom is in the middle



Jagua



We hiked to the small waterfall which is the source of the towns water




Host brother and host cousin