How do we begin to tell you....?

Tonight at dinner Noah said, "its just too much... How would I even begin to tell anyone about all of this?"

It's true.  Just about everyday living here in paradise feels surreal.  The beauty and the experiences are unreal. What sparked that thought most recently is that Noah and Poppy went yesterday to see baby sea turtles hatch from their eggs, and got to watch as they skirted out to sea!  They even got to help to a certain degree.  Don't worry, they were with people from a turtle conservancy so it was all monitored and not exploited.  Even to the point that they don't want us to reveal exactly where they were when the turtles hatched.  Suffice it to say, it was a once in a lifetime experience that will likely be burned into their memories because it was so amazing.  Not to mention, it was another beautiful day here in paradise with blue and green water, perfectly blue, cloud-scattered skies, calm seas, and mountain peaks off in the distance.....

We learned that they were Hawksbill turtles, which are one of the most endangered sea turtle species in the world!  And Noah and Poppy got to help release them to the sea!!  I sure hope that their help made a positive difference - there aren't too many nesting sites left in the world, considering how big the world is....  See the attached sites and maps to find out more about the Hawksbill Sea Turtle.

Sy and I had a fun day too because we got to take a field trip to Almirante - the closest town on the mainland, for a science fair with the 2nd and 3rd graders from his school!  The boat ride was fun, the school's presentation went well, and we got to experience more of the local culture!  It was wild because the Science Fair was at a Catholic school, so it started with a prayer, followed by an opening ceremony that consisted of dancing "Disney Characters", and then led to the science demonstrations.... Very interesting.  The schools' displays were pretty awesome - hydroponics, recycled materials, and renewable energy, etc, but my favorite part was seeing all of the different colors of skin!  That is one of my favorite things about living here  - the diversity!!

The diversity is amazing here - so much mixed heritage and culture.  Bocas' history is part of what has led to its diversity.  There are the "Indians" (the local indigenous), the Antilleans, and a whole lot of in-betweens!! It's amazing and so friendly and welcoming!  I have never once gotten the feeling that the "locals" are upset about having "gringos" around.  This island seems to be very accepting of its diversity and foreign visitors/ inhabitants.  Just one more reason to love it here....

Again, this is just a tiny piece of some of the amazing experiences we have had.  Last week we were beach hopping with Aura (needs no explanation if you already know us...), enjoying the calm seas and beautiful sites of the archipelago.

We've recently started keeping gratitude journals that we write in each day.  Here is a snapshot.  LOTS to be grateful for!!

Life in Bocas

The sidewalk down to our house.

We've been here in Bocas del Toro for about 7 weeks now and definitely have a found a routine.  The
kids go to school each day from 8-3, I volunteer at their school 3-4 full days a week, and Noah

is occupying himself by playing Bass and working on fixing up a golf cart at a fantastic place
called Skully's.  If you come to visit us, you'll likely want to go to Skully's; they have a bar and pool
on the beach, a hostel, and most popular is their 4- wheeler rentals!  You can rent a 4 wheeler and
go into the jungle!!

Having a Balboa at Skully's

Seems funny to say, but its kind of like we're back to a busy life already.  Don't get me wrong,
everything is simpler here, so its not stressful, but the days are flying by and chores are being put
aside just like at home.  We spend a lot of our time after school and on weekends swimming and
"socializing" honestly. The afternoons (school pick-up time) are the hottest part of the day and the
thought of riding our bikes home is dreadful sometimes.  So, we often decide to go swim somewhere
first! Sometimes we swim at Skullys, sometimes at Carenero Beach, and lately, we've been heading
over to Aqua Lounge to jump off the platform and right into an "ocean pool"! (Aqua Lounge is more of a
party bar/hostel, but we go between like 3-6 and its empty, perfect for the kids, and the food from
JJ's Real Food is fantastic!!) I am also helping out at the local community center 3 afternoons a week
and that fills parts of my afternoons as well.

People here are super friendly and there is definitely more of a "village vibe" than back at home.  
Everyone is social and welcoming and the kids and Noah and I are invited to go do fun stuff regularly!
I had a perfect birthday weekend with the family and some friends on one of the most beautiful beaches
here - Red Frog Beach!

Since we've been busier, I haven't posted in a while... However, we have been to many beautiful
places ( everywhere here is beautiful!) and are always enjoying ourselves.  But I thought for this post,
I'd add some general info about Bocas - the town, some of the places that we go regularly, and some
of the business that we frequent often.

As Sy mentioned in his last post,
the kids go to school from 8-3 at the Tangerine School here in Bocas.  They have two teachers, and I
volunteer there 3-4 days a week. Its been awesome to join this community in Bocas as we have
met many great people starting our first week here!  The school is very different than Allen Brook
in Vermont, but I know it will be a memorable experience nonetheless!

One of the great couples that we met through the Tangerine School is Dave and Molly.  They have
been in Bocas for 9 years and own a few businesses here. Molly is one of the most amazing people
I have ever met and makes her living making soaps here.  Many may not know that she makes a
MILLION other awesome things too, she just doesn't mass produce them (Yet......). Please check out
her business, PuntaCoco .  I especially recommend the body sprays and the bug spray!!  You can
order her products online. That lady can do ANYTHING!

Another wonderful person we met is Amelie.  She is originally from Canada, has a daughter in 1st
grade with Poppy, and also plays the violin!  Consequently, she has introduced us to all of the
musicians on the island! She plays out with her violin or her bass regularly and also teaches music
classes in town.  She's invited Noah to play at open jam nights and even to be part of a "new project"
she's put together. Noah is psyched to have the opportunity and its been great to become part of the
musician group on the island! Most recently they've been playing at a place called the
Bocas Bookstore Bar here in Bocas.  

The community center that I've been helping out at was built by a non-profit organization called
Give and Surf.  I found the organization online and will be taking a TEFL course through them!  
They've been around for a few years and have helped build schools and community centers here
on Colon Island and other islands in the archipelago.  

A community center right on the beach!  Its beautiful and the ocean breeze keeps it cool!

Next week, I will stop my current activities at the school and community center and start my
TEFL course. Its just a month long but will include teaching English classes in town,
at the community center, and hopefully on a few of the other islands nearby.  I'm looking
forward to it!

Another thing we're looking forward to is Aura coming to visit!  She'll be here the 2nd week
of October when she has a break from her classes!!!  Her visit is something we're all looking

forward to!! Stay posted to hear about our adventures together with Aura!!

Look at that water!! Swimming at Carenaro Beach!!

School

Monday to Friday I go to school.  Monday, Wednesday and Friday I have English class.  Tuesday and Thursday Spanish and math.  Mrs. Del is the English teacher.  Mr. Hector  (with a silent H) is the Spanish teacher. Mom comes to school and helps on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.    
Me, Emi and Eon are the only third graders.

After School
After school, I have a snack and ride my bike home. I play after school.  Sometimes I go to Emi or Eon's house.  I  have to take a boat to Emi's house.  Eon's house is next to the school.  I like school!!

Ethnobotany!!

eth·no·bot·a·ny

ˌeTHnōˈbät(ə)nē/

noun

1. the scientific study of the traditional knowledge and customs of a people concerning plants and their medical, religious, and other uses.

How cool is that!  Today, I was lucky enough to visit one of the local Ngobe tribes and learn about some of the medicinal plants that they use!  This was an amazing trip for me because it combined my love for plants, the rainforest, and indigenous people. The tour was organized by a woman who started  The Darklands Foundation, which benefits the native people by working to empower them.  We took a boat over to San Cristobal Island, briefly stopped in their village, and then took a sidewalk into the rainforest!  One of the women of the community, Veronica, led the way, stopping to show and teach us about some of the plants that they use for medicinal purposes.

 We learned so many things about the Ngobe culture in this short trip, like how significant the Cacao plant is to their culture, that they plant a species of sugar cane to honor their dead, and that the phases of the moon are very important to their customs.  We also, of course, learned about plants that they use for infection, stomach pain, fever, insect repellent, bruises, and more.  

After our hike through the jungle, we went back to the village and ate a specially prepared lunch of fish, chicken, coconut rice, yucca, and plantain served on wooden dishes.  I had the chicken, rice, and plantain, and it was all very good.   Following the meal, the women took us back to their "community center" to show us the process of making chácaras.  These are handwoven bags that the women make out of a plant related to the agave plant.  The process is VERY labor intensive, beginning with harvesting the leaves from the forest.  The leaves must be cut, edges trimmed of thorns (before they transport them back to the village),  and scraped so that the fibers can be pulled out.  Once the fibers come out, they must be dried for 5 days, then woven into rope, possibly dyed, and THEN they can start weaving the bags!  The process is amazing!  I bought a beautiful bag for $40.  They also showed us how they used some of the plants we harvested during our hike to dye the rope for the bags.  

 I am grateful to have had the opportunity to go on this amazing trip and to have met both some of the Ngobe women, and Mathilde Grande who is working so hard to support the indigenous communities of Bocas Del Toro.  

Of course, there is really so much more to what I learned on this trip.  Please follow some of the links I've included to find out more.  

Next week, I start volunteering at the kids' school!  Stay tuned to get the inside scoop! :)

First Week

Well, its been just over a week and a half since we left Vermont and we've officially experienced a full week of living here.  The kids started school last week and seem to be adjusting quite well.  They're making friends already and are getting into the routine.  Noah and I are also happy to be meeting people and families from the Tangerine School, but are still working on our routine. :)  This week has been quite lovely I confess, as we drop the kids off at school, then go enjoy a cup of coffee at a different location each morning.  Its been great.  Our caffeinated journey then takes us on errands for items for the house and meals before we head home to relax and settle in.  

Each day that we're here, I experience mixed emotions.  Sometimes I am in disbelief and thrilled with the realization that we did it!  We're here for a year and I am living my dream of spending a year abroad with my family!!!  Other moments, I experience fear.  Fear that we won't make it a year, fear that we'll come to dislike this beautiful place, fear that we won't be able to stay busy enough and will need to go home to get back to the rat-race, fear that something bad will happen,... But today, as we rode a boat over to Bastimentos for our daily walk and coffee, I again was reminded of the beauty and friendliness of this place.  I've loved it here since I first came in here in 2000.  Bocas isn't for everyone, but to me, it is magical.  

As part of our settling in this week, Sy and I got bicycles so we can ride to school together (and not have to wake up poor Miguel our Taxi driver....).  It's been lovely riding along the beach into town each morning.  We've been spoiling the kids, bringing them a fun snack for afterschool and stopping to play somewhere, before heading up the hill to Vista Linda.  

It'll be so interesting to see how we all evolve over the next year.  So far, so good!!

Island Wildlife! with SY

Armadillo-
Today I was walking out the door and saw  2 !!!!
FACTs- Armadillo is Spanish for little-armored thing. There are 20 different kinds.  The kind that we saw was a 9-banded armadillo. 

Sloth-We saw one from our window and another in a tree by the neighbors! There are both 2 and 3-toed sloths in Bocas. I think we saw the 3-toed sloths because 2 toed sloths are mostly nocturnal.  
FACTs- they live in the rainforest. Sloths are the worlds slowest animals. 

Walking stick-I saw one up close at the neighbors house.
FACTs-they eat at night so predators can't see them. They can shed a leg if an enemy grabs it.

Here is link to a site that names some of the mammals on Bocas.  I also used Pebblego.

Sy's perspective

We got on the overnight bus. It was about 11 hours long. We left at 8:00 and arrived at 7:00. Then we went to Taxi 25 and took a fast boat to Bocas del Toro and took a taxi to Vista Linda.I got a cool new purple Pok'emon. hat  at the bus station THANKS Vasanthi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dinner

on the boat

my new hat

at the bus station

How to Pack for a Year Abroad

If you think you will find the answer to that - How to Pack for a Year Abroad - I fooled you!!!😀  What a question!  Even trickier, how to do it in 6 suitcases, with 2 kids and 3 instruments!

Well, actually though, I think we did pretty good.  The majority of the work was in packing and cleaning up the ENTIRE house.   I would not have been able to do it without many weeks off and the super duper help of my friend Joy.  Together, (but Joy did WAY more than me) we cleaned every nook and surface around here from top to bottom!  She rocked it out with me.

There were weeks of cleaning, packing, donating, cleaning, packing, donating, ...... etc until each room only had left in it what I hoped to pack.  Then, it was more cleaning and sorting/prioritizing and packing up the things that I knew weren't reasonable or too important.  We leave in about 12 hours, and I think we still have 2 last minute bins out and open so that we can throw in the remainder of things that we can't bring with us.

Overall, we rocked it!  Got 3 bags packed last night each with every initial thing I wanted to put in them, so I had room to throw in some of the smaller, non-clothes items.  I was definitely psyched on my success.:)   They're pretty close to 45-50 lbs too!  Not a bad start, though its the end that's the hard part.  But I know we're gonna make it JUST by the skin of our teeth!  No doubt we will be a sight to see heading out in the morning! 

In the end,  we made it, with one small (huge) problem -- our luggage got soaked in the downpours at our ATL layover! 6 suitcases with all of our stuff for the year WET!  SOME of it is soaked, SOME partially, and SOME is untouched.  I'm too afraid-  and overwhelmed, to check it all. It's too big a pack job to undo, and we are catching a bus at 7 .  Fingers crossed that it's ok🤞.

We'

ll be to Bocas by tomorrow at this time.  Keep ya posted.  

For now, this is the scene.....

Getting ready to leave!!!

T - 5 days!!  We're scheduled to leave for Panama next Wednesday, 8/1!  We've been working towards the big move since spring, but have been especially busy preparing this summer.  We've had multiple lists going for months!    It sure is hard to know how to pack 6 suitcases for 4 people for a year.....

The kids are in camp this week so that we can pack and clean and are trying to squeeze in as many play dates as possible before we leave.  Me too.... :)  Everyone is very excited and as the day nears, we're becoming even more excited, and also a little nervous.  Emotions are flaring a bit already and we're not even in the airport yet!!!!!! :)  

This is a dream i've had for years and I am so grateful to be in a position to make it happen.  Thank you to Noah and both of our families for supporting us in this journey - and all of our friends and colleagues!!  It's about to start!!!

Sy and I will be the primary bloggers.  We also are going to try to use a site called journi.  Not sure how that will appear to "followers" but I will try to link it in the blog and Facebook.  

Sionara!!