On a role

First of all, I haven´t mentioned yet the state of joy and national pride Panamanians have been in for a couple of months now. It all started back in the Olympics when a Panamanian by the name of Irving Saladino jumped 8.34 meters (just over 27 feet) in the long jump, winning him Panamá´s first gold medal EVER. He´s only the second Panamanian to win any Olympic medal. The last was a runner 60 years ago who won two bronze medals in the same year. But this, a GOLD. The day he returned from China was declared a national one-time holiday in order to give him the proper reception. He was paraded around Panama city and then up to his home town in the province of Colón (directly north of the city, the canal port on the Caribbean side). The highway to Colón was closed for this return so people could stop and fill the shoulders of the road in order to cheer him on. And he has been at every major national festival or party since. His picture is still all over the place. On billboards, on school walls. Inspiring other Panamanians (especially the younger generation) to follow the dreams, that Panamanians can be like the rest of the world and maybe win more golds. Then, to make it even better, the 26 country competition known as Latin American Idol just finished up in Argentina a couple of weeks ago. The final competition was a Costa Rican woman against a Panamanian woman. And for the week leading up to the big day of final singing the Panamanian, Margarita, was all over the news. Or rather, her name was. Every day the country would be reminded to vote for her by sending a text message to this certain number on this certain day. It was crazy hysterical getting everyone to remember to vote for Margarita! And it worked. She won. So now Panamá holds the title to Latin American Idol as well. And it´s been quite impressive for the national atmosphere and pride. This all of course comes just in time for November, which is the month of national pride here where it feels like every other day is another holiday of some sort or another. So it´s been good.
I just finished up my last week of teaching! Yea, school´s not over until December 12th, but I´m cutting out early. Why you ask? Well, first of all, I have enjoyed this teaching job. I like my school. I have awesome teachers and good kids (mostly) and it´s been fun. However before starting I never received any training on how to teach. Or how to make lesson plans. Or plainly what to do. I just kinda winged it. And it worked and it was fine. But now I´m just exhausted. Kinda burnt out on it. Can´t for the life of me think of another week´s worth of lessons. So I´m done. That and I won´t be around to teach anyway. The Captain Planet team is traveling all next week then again in November to visit other school´s before the year is out. I´m also going to spend a week at a friend´s site to turtle watch. And next month is full of holidays with hardly any school days anyway. Then it´s Thanksgiving. And then in December the class days are spent planning the Christmas party and celebrating Mother´s Day. So it´s pretty pointless after this month anyway. And frankly, I´m glad. Cause like I said, I´m a little burnt out on the teaching. I gotta recuperate for next year.
Another volunteer stayed at my house the other night, just for a normal visit. We were talking a lot and the conversation turned to living here in Panamá and developing roots. He´s not extending, he´s returning to the States as planned to go to grad school. And he mentioned that one of the reasons he feels he has to leave sooner rather than later is because if he stays any longer he´s afraid he´ll grow roots here and it´ll be harder to leave. Well I´m already there. For both of us, this time in Panamá has already been the longest we´ve lived in any one place (besides our parents´ house). It´s comfortable here. I like the weather (which has turned back into being very summer like lately. a lot less rain this year). I like that it´s chill here. I like that I don´t have any worries. I have a house (though if I stayed I wouldn´t stay in my current town). I have a dog whom I love. And it´s just a matter of the fact I´ve been living here continuously for a year and a half now. Longer than anywhere else since I became an adult (though I don´t know when that actually happened). And I´m growing roots. Doesn´t help that I currently have a boyfriend whom I love. But even if that were to break up next month (just being realistic because you never know how these things go, but everything right now is good) I still wouldn´t be ready to leave Panamá. Don´t worry, I´m not saying I´m going to live here forever and never return to the states. I´m just saying. I´ve got roots, for the first time since leaving my parents (whom I miss terribly). And I can´t say I was expecting that to happen.