Panama Ponderings: Wrapping Up

It’s time to say goodbye.

Well, it’s been time for a while, saying goodbye little by little, slowly extricating myself from the community in all the ways that I’ve become entangled here. Reflecting on my time here, what we’ve done, looking toward what I’ll do next. Having last conversations with people – some whom I’ll miss, other whom I won’t – and relinquishing every last shred of responsibility for all the projects to their owners.

The construction of the aqueducts was entirely completed at the beginning of July. Finally. There was no pomp and circumstance in their completion, just relief for me and water for their users. We had our final meetings – tying up loose ends, collecting information for the final grant closeout report, and mostly reassuring me that they were ready to handle the operation and management of the aqueducts. The As-Built Report was submitted and a copy printed for each Water Committee.

When I gave Angel his copy, he told me that this document – nicely bound and filled with all the details about the work we achieved – was the best of all the gifts I had given him. With this report, he said, he could now be the next Peace Corps Volunteer of Quebrada Pastor. It was incredibly satisfying to hear. In giving him all the information that went into the project – the data, calculations, designs, maps, resulting structures, agreements, construction schedule, final budget – information I had been using and controlling throughout the process, I had finally turned over the last part of the project over which I had any influence, my last contribution. With that, he and his water committee became total owners of their aqueduct. I like that Angel thinks of himself as the next Peace Corps Volunteer. That was the idea, in the beginning. He is already involved in helping the neighboring Volunteer with her Environmental Health work, inspiring the leaders of her community – so he is well on his way.

Also in July, I repeated the WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) surveys that I had conducted during my first 3 months. I went to every house in the community – all 116 – in 8 days, and did 84 surveys (it was exhausting). But it was also very satisfying, a fitting symmetry to my service, a means of comparison to the community’s health upon my arrival, and a summary of how Environmental Health concerns turned out after Quebrada Pastor’s 7 years of Peace Corps Volunteers – which I hope Peace Corps can use going forward. I got to see the results of the direct impacts I had, and even some improvement in places where I didn’t do any work. Finally, people were building their own latrines without waiting for someone else to do it for them!

I’ve had to write my own Description of Serve, the official document signed by the Country Director that explains how I spent my time in Peace Corps, used primarily for job application but also stored in the Library of Congress (cool!). This is the Summary of Accomplishments on mine:

1. Ms. Litofsky designed and implemented 2 new aqueducts to serve a total of 180 people and trained 2 new water committees and their users to build, maintain, and manage their new aqueducts.

2. Ms. Litofsky hosted, organized, and facilitated the week of Field Technical Training for Trainees during Pre-Service Training, which included the construction of 5 pit latrines, benefitting 22 people and training 6 people, and 4 rainwater catchment tanks, benefitting 17 people and training 5 people, and experience for 11 community counterparts as trainers and facilitators.

3. Ms. Litofsky supported the existing school aqueduct water committee in analyzing technical and management problems with the aqueduct, training water committee members, and making repairs to the aqueduct that serves 116 users plus the 300 students at the school.

4. Ms. Litofsky facilitated community members’ organization of a Project Management and Leadership Conference In-Site to improve leadership skills of 16 leaders of 5 community organizations.

5. Ms. Litofsky developed youth leadership by bringing 5 attendees and 1 co-facilitator from Quebrada Pastor to the Acting Out Awareness Theater Camp and 1 attendee and 1 co-facilitator to the Sport and Development Girls Soccer Camp.

6. Ms. Litofsky assisted the efforts of the community-run cacao products business Heidy Organic Chocolates to increase sales, diversify products, and expand the current and potential client base through promotion, translation, communication with potential clients, and training events.

Of course, all of those things were only possible because of the leaders of Quebrada Pastor, and the relationships my previous Volunteers, Eric and Catherine, developed working here before me. And now, as I tell every community member who asks why no follow-up Volunteer is coming here after me, Quebrada Pastor doesn’t need us anymore. We’ve taught all we can teach about Environmental Health. Everyone who has wanted to work with us could. Plenty of people here can advance Environmental Health development without the help of Volunteers. Time to move on to communities with greater needs.

All work complete, all that is left is to say goodbye. I’ve been invited to several family goodbye parties, and a final community-wide farewell is scheduled for August 20. Then (teary-eyed, I’m sure), pack up and leave August 22, to wrap things up in the office in Panama City before my flight back to Columbia, Missouri on September 2. And start a new adventure!

Note:

If you have any suggestions about what that new adventure could be (preferably water resources engineering related), let me know! I’m still looking.

Another note:

I’m going to have to say goodbye to Hobbes, too. She’s been a faithful companion, but Panama is her home. She’ll be adopted by Chelsea, my neighboring Volunteer, who will take amazing care of her.

A few pictures:

A mother sloth and her baby spotted (by a community member, I still never notice them without help) while doing WASH surveys.

Anaica’s birthday party! Classic brownie cake and the gift – a couple puzzles – enjoyed by all

Volunteer visit – hosted a new Trainee for a week (like when I visited Michelle, two whole years ago) – spent a lot of time with Chelsea and her Trainee, doing all the fun things – like reading Goodnight Moon to Heidy, going on Willy’s ever-more-perfected cacao tour, etc.

Angel’s birthday! More brownie cake!

Undu’s birthday! Best gift of all: a trip outside the house around the center of town. Not easy navigating that wheelchair on the rough terrain, but a super special experience.