whims

Random Notes

After the whirlwind change of plans, I’m left focusing on the time I have left in Panama, instead of dreaming about how to get out.

The woman who cleans our house speaks really odd Spanish, it sounds like it’s not her first language, so I asked her if she was Kuna. She said she doesn’t know. It’s obvious she’s got some indigenous roots, but she has no idea, neither do her parents. I thought that was shocking.

The think there are more protestants in Panama than Catholics. I’ve seen almost no Catholic churches, but many Baptist and Evangelical ones. Evangelical conversions are on the rise worldwide, I think, but it might be because of all the US influence that Panama left Catholicism behind early.

Panama is an interesting place, so diverse. My supervisor says it’s geographically Central America, historically South America, culturally Caribbean, politically dominated by robiblancos (greedy white people who steal from the poor to get richer), and sentimentally American (as in USA). Sarah, the girl who came down from McGill that it’s a hard place to get as a tourist because it’s so diverse, there’s so much of everything: “You can’t tell who’s Panamanian, who’s a tourist, who moved here, etc. I like diversity at home but when you’re travelling it’s easier to just go another culture.” It’s true the “Panamanian culture” is hard to figure out. It’s not so apparent, like in Cuba, or even Peru. They’ve got influence from Spanish, Colombian, French, and the USA. They had slaves and more blacks that came from other parts of the Caribbean to help build the railroad. Bocas del Toro is primarily black people, who speak both Spanish and creole English. There are 7 indigenous groups, 7 in this tiny country. They’re strong, too. As a rule, you don’t often see people walking around in their traditional attire in the capital city. In Panama, you certainly do. There are also quite a few Asians (thank God, otherwise there would be zero vegetarian food. Yum yum, went to a veggie restaurant yesterday. YAY Tofu!!). I think the average Panamanian is the color that we’ll all end up after a few hundred years more of globalization. They’ve got a caramel everything: skin, hair, eyes. There’s a new influx of immigrants: retired Americans, Canadians, and Europeans. So, I guess Sarah’s right that this is a place of everything. She may also be right that it’s harder to handle as a tourist. For me, for example, I know I’m not happy with the super obvious American influence. I travel to see places not like the US. Hm.

Things go stale really fast here. Leave a bag of chips overnight, and you’ve got yourself food for toothless.

Rackataca: These are women who walk around the city with curlers in their hair. I thought it was kind of cool when I got here, but now I don’t get it. We prepare ourselves to go “out”, including the grocery store sometimes. I thought it was nice they weren’t so obessessed with their appearance that they went in public obviously not primped. But, the other day when we were at a music festival in Casco Viejo, I saw a “Rackataca” there. We were at a party for heaven’s sake! For whom/what/when was she getting ready? Someone suggested work, that could be true.

The growth of tourism and its effect on locals and local economy is complex. On the one hand, tourism certainly creates new jobs and attracts investment, which is generally thought of as a good thing. Roads may be made better for the tourists, too bad it wouldn’t be done for locals, but it’s a reality. Water services may be extended. Electricity. Police, even…not always great for locals, especially if they’re corrupt. So, these are good things. But, tourists can dominate. They can take over local settings, imposing themselves and their culture. They can be noisy. They can bring drugs and sex desires (Yay Southeast Asia + HIV got into Peru that way). They can also bring new, less morally questionable diseases. They can bring trash and not care where they throw it because it’s not their place. The majority of these things can be managed by national law, but the question is always if the country will do it, and then if the law will be enforced. Also, it puts the disproportion of world income right in the eye of both the observant tourist and the local. This could be a good thing, it could inspire the tourist to do something at home or cause the local to demand more from their government…both of which are really long shots. But, it’s been proven that perceived poverty is more powerful than actual poverty. If you see others with much than you have, you’ll feel poor, causing perhaps depression or anger, inspiring crime, even worsening health. Lastly, while tourism certainly creates jobs, a) they’re not always reliable. If a disease breaks out (like malaria) people will be scared and not go. Civil strife deters tourism, e.g. Kenya after the election…no one went. Now, with the cost of gas skyrocketing, tourism will also go down. B) The new jobs/agencies are often dominated by foreigners themselves. To deal with tourists, you should be able to speak at least English and locals often. So, foreigners move in, take the good jobs, sucking up the potential payoffs of this new trade and perhaps hire a few locals and disproportionate salaries to that which they’re making. Yeyes serving Yeyes in the end. (yeye is a Panamanian word for yuppie).

Without recycling services, I throw out a bunch of crap. It’s disgusting. I’ve been thinking about getting it all smashed and brining it back to the north with me. Poor Earth.

posted by Marielly @ 10:54 AM