UW25 Panama - Part 2

A few weeks ago I was blessed with a trip to Panama as part of a mission trip designed for teen agers. Read the first part of the story here.

After work on Friday came a beautiful evening worship and then sleep. The next morning (Saturday/Sabbath) we had a quick devotional after which we got to go to church at the church we were going to paint the following week.

During the church service my Spanish improved immensely. The whole service was in Spanish, so it was fun to try and figure out what they were talking about. I discovered I can read Spanish pretty well, at least, I can sorta understand the meaning. But comprehending what people were saying was much harder because I didn't know which syllables were emphasized in pronunciation and what not.

Anyway, after church we got to go out to a nearby public pool which sat at the top of a mountain and had gorgeous scenery.

We painted all day Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, with a few afternoon games squeezed in between (pictures below). But by Wednesday we were pretty well worn out and ready for a break. So we had Wednesday off and got to go to the beach! God worked a miracle because there was a severe thunderstorm that day and we wouldn't have been able to go, but the weather cleared up at just the perfect time. The water was very clear and at a perfect temperature. I even got to see some really cool creatures (pictures below), including a cuttlefish, which I've always wanted to see. However, I don't have any pics of it because it was about 15 feet underwater and my camera ain't water proof.

I'll stop here since it's a nice place to stop. Check back soon to hear about the rest of the trip!

Everybody on the Guabito painting crew, including me!

Some of the painters, not including me.

After a hard rain shower, everyone decided to go play soccer in the now very muddy field.

Say hello to my little friend! His name is Horacio and he lives in the sand.

UW25 Panama - Part 1

Hey everybody! Sorry I haven't posted in... like, a month (the Word of the Week's are automatically posted). But I was in Changuinola, Panama for two weeks meeting new friends, painting a church, trying to learn Spanish, and entertaining little kids at VBS. Really!

In case you don't know what I'm talking about (you probably don't), I participated in a mission trip organized by Maranatha. It's called Ultimate Workout (UW), and this was the 25th trip. About 150 teenagers went this year, including me.

But anyway, let me start at the beginning. I flew to Panama City on Wednesday and stayed at a school with the other participants right out side the city. The mattresses on the bunkbeds were... questionable. But the next morning all the kids loaded up on buses and headed out on a 14 hour drive to Changuinola in north-west Panama. That was Thursday (so exciting). On Friday we split up into 5 teams that focused on a certain project throughout the next week. That afternoon we visited our worksite; my team worked in Guabito and painted a church.

Anyway I'll leave it at that for now! I'll continue posting about this amazing adventure in the next few days, to stay tuned. For now, here are some photos so you can experience it visually, too.

Me on the bus!

One of the many amazing critters I got to see.

My team walking through Guabito.

A local cabinet maker.

A local grocery store

One of the church members who was very helpfully sanding the window grates.

Painting!

The Intuitive Elephant

This was a informal essay I had to write for school last week. It was only allowed to take up one page, so it's rather short. My great-grandfather used to tell me this story, which is true. When he was a little boy and lived in British-controlled India, his father worked as a surveyor for the government and he owned the elephant in the story.

           "Halloo! You there! Yes, you! Take us to Kanpur," the British soldier commanded, gesturing towards the behemoth beast of burden. The man calmly yawned and stretched before finally arising and responding to the mandate. Back in a day which youngsters might now consider ancient, this man was known as a mahoot. His sole job was to train and care for the monstrous animal, including his feet, at which the soldiers had just flung their belongings.

            "I am sorry sir, I cannot take you to the next town," answered the mahoot, emphatically.

            "You must take us! We are soldiers of the queen. We protect your country. The least you could do is give us a ride!"

            "No sir, I cannot take you," the Indian mahoot wobbled his head in a small figure eight, and slowly uncovered a raw spot on the beast's back. "He has a sore on his back and cannot be ridden."

            "We have an appointment in Kanpur and must go immediately. I command you to take us."

            "Very well, but elephant's can do strange things when they are unhappy." The mahoot looked apologetically at his charge as he gently placed the blanket and saddle on the elephant's back and loaded the soldiers' female-sized wardrobes. Assisting the soldiers onto the animal and then finally climbed on himself,  he situated himself just-so over the beast's neck, so he could steer the animal by pushing his feet behind the ears.  Soon the trio were off, the military personnel comfortably reclining and the mahoot soporifically steering. Eventually they arrived at a stretch of pathway that meandered beside a rice field. Sharp young minds might recall that rice grows in large flats of knee deep water, and so it was in this case. Suddenly, the elephant stopped. Gingerly at first, then more pronounced, the animal began swaying from side to side. Soon the saddle was tilting precariously.

            "What's the meaning of this!?" asked the soldiers, quickly made aware of the movement.

            "I don't know sir," responded the mahoot innocently.

            After several seconds, the beast was swaying drastically. With a final shove, the soldiers and their belongings were bathing  in the muddy rice paddy, issuing profanities not repeatable.   The mahoot seemed to say "I told you so", and the elephant looked quite pleased with himself.

Vine's Flora Friday: Baobab Tree

The boabab tree is probably the most interesting and intriguing species of tree in the world. It is by far my favorite tree.

There are nine different species of baobab, which are native to Madagascar, Africa, Australia and the Arabian Peninsula.

But their shape is by far their most interesting feature. Usually, their trunk is a tall, smooth cylinder, reaching about 100 feet. The branches can only be found at the top, where they grow out somewhat parallel to the ground. Sometimes baobab trunks are hollow, and the crescent shaped branches act like chutes catching precious rain which runs down the branches and is stored in the hollow trunks. Natives of Africa use this to their advantage so they can have a steady supply of water, up to 32,000 gallons, during dry periods.

In addition to these remarkable features, the fruit produced by baobab trees is not only edible, but tasty! It is reported to taste like grapefruit, pear and vanilla all in one. African natives use this fruit as a food source, which provides carbohydrates, vitamin C and many other vitamins. However, the fruit is not the only edible part. The leaves can be prepared like spinach, young tree sprouts can be eaten like asparagus, and the seed can somewhat replace coffee beans.

Someday, I'd really like to try some baobab fruit, but until then, keep checking this cool blog!

 

To Kenya and Back

The Robot's curiosity (and the travel plans of his grandparents) have led him to Africa this summer! What an exciting, remarkable trip. Here are a few photographic snippets from the 2 week excursion:

Who's their?

Bird of Paradise Flower

Mmmm... Warm soft, comfortable dirt.

A Red-Cheaked Cordon-Bluea

A Dik-Dik, or officially, a Blue Duiker.

Buffalo 

A Sausage Tree

A Topi

Lion king... 4?

Mama and her wittle bitty cubs

"African suns set fast"

Modern art with giraffes

Zebra herd.

Young Elephant

Gorgeous view of the Maasai Mara Game Reserve.

Hippo behinds

A locust that was promptly eating by a cat after I snapped this picture.

Feeding Giraffes

A Peregrine Falcon

Vine's Flora Friday: The Bird of Paradise

The Bird of Paradise, a tropical flower native to Southern Africa, gets its name from its heavenly bloom which resembles a bird of paradise in flight. It is truly a gorgeous bloom which seems to symbolize heaven itself.

The plant itself usually grows to about 4 feet tall and bears 1 or more flowers. The leaves resemble banana leaves, and the flower contains a shocking, and delicious, palette of colors. It contains a royal blue, sunny yellow, lime green on the stem, and hints of pinkish red.

Birds of Paradise Flowers are usually pollinated by sunbirds, who, while searching for sticky nectar that oozes from the bloom, are dusted with pollen. When the bird flies to another meal, the pollen is transferred to another flower and the result is a leathery, oily fruit. But beware! The seeds are toxic to humans and dogs.

These are one of the Curious Robot's favorite flowers, along with Walking Iris' and Pink Lady Slippers.