So Cerro Papayo.

I haven't been there, but I can explain what I've been told. It's a town of about 300 people, spread out over a large area in the mountains. The town is about a three hours drive from the Panamerican Highway, which means it's remote. Somebody recommended that I buy a horse because buses seldom bother coming all the way up that road. There's no electricity or potable water, and the road has only arrived recently. The community is unusually organized and motivated. There's a group interested in reforestation of watersheds to reduce soil erosion and the loss of water sources, a one-room school, and a women's group that sells artesania. The people there are farmers, raising cattle and growing a mix of yuca, otöe, and corn for personal consumption. They are in the process of installing basic latrines.

That's all I know about my actual town, but it's easier to find information about the region, which is the poorest area in Panama. In the Ngöbe-Buglé Comarca, literacy is around 50%, the infant mortality rate is about 1 in 12, and there are often food shortages. Even when food is plentiful, there are nutrition problems because the food is so plain. People mostly eat boiled plantain and tubers. I will be planting chiles first thing. Permanent villages are relatively recent to the indigenous community and the houses are still made of bamboo and palm leaves. Ngäbere, the language, is beautiful and I'm excited to continue studying. The only frustrating part is the five sounds that are impossible to make and are absolutely essential to be understood. So it goes.

On Tuesday I'll meet my counterpart and go with him to visit the town for the week. I'm kind of nervous. I'll have to meet a bunch of new people and be really friendly, not knowing the language at all almost. I hope I get along with everybody.

I'll be sure to write again next week with my first impressions of Cerro Papayo.