Day 1!

Hello everyone! We thought we might be able to use Ben's "Internet everywhere" card to post blogs during the week, but unfortunately it wouldn't work :(. But that doesn't mean we didn't keep up with journaling. Enjoy!

Day 1, January 6, 2010

4:00 PM

Buenos Dias! All eighteen brigaders arrived safely in Panama City just a few hours ago! Everything went smoothly and as planned at the airports. We are all so excited to finally be on the last leg of our journey before being introduced to the community members of Rio Oeste Arriba.

There are so many things I could describe! When we arrived in the city, Daniel, a GB staff member who will remain with us for the rest of the week, greeted us. We made our way through the hustle and bustle of taxi drivers, resort staff, and other friendly Panamanians to our transportation for the rest of the week: two twelve passenger vans. With eighteen team members, two GB staff, two drivers, and luggage for everyone, things are a little cramped. We’re just beginning the eleven-hour drive to the Bocas del Toro region, our final destination. I’m sure when we arrive we’ll all be best friends!

Panama City is full of life and development. We were told that over the past five years, 180 high-rise buildings have gone up. Seventy-five percent of the wealth is concentrated here, but only a quarter of the people reside in the city. Where we are going, many of the families survive on $1 a day.

As we crossed the bridge, the scenery changed dramatically and quickly. There are no suburbs; instead, one minute we were in a large city, and the next we were in the countryside. We stopped at Quesos Chela, a roadside store known for its empanadas and chicheme (milk and corn blended together….tasted like melted ice cream!), to use the restroom and stretch our legs. As the natives conversed we took pictures and ordered drinks. Adriana told us we still have five hours before we arrive in David where we’ll stay the night.

The mountains are covered in lush foliage and the sun was just setting as we made our way Northwest towards David. Every turn presented an opportunity to take a photo. Young took over the camera and I’m sure we’ll be blessed with thousands of great shots J.

Our day has been long, as most of us set our alarms for 2:15 AM this morning, but we still have quite a journey ahead of us before we can rest peacefully. Tomorrow we’ll travel the final three hours to Almirante, and then from there it’s just a short distance to the community.

Tonight, please pray that the rest of the trip to David is safe and that we can get some rest before another long day tomorrow. In the morning, prayers that we make a good first impression on the community members would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for all your support! Continue to check for updates regularly J.