Batipa Day Seven



 May 25


Today we went into the Comarca. It has about 200,000 people in total, but we visiting with a much smaller part of that community. (It seemed like there were less than twenty people there.) We started out with introductions from everyone in the room. I tried my best to speak in Spanish even though I know very little. (Apparently my pronunciation is alright, at least.) They did their portion first; they spoke to us and showed us a dance that some of the younger folks put together. We were given a brief tour before it started to rain. After that, we went back to the central building to give our presentation! We had posters about ways to keep water from getting contaminated, and a few activities— including a microscope and that we left with them.  


It was a really interesting experience. The people of the Comarca are in a tough position; the Panamanian government seems to work against them more than it ever does for them. They’ve had a lot of promises made to them, only to be broken. I was really grateful that the community we went to was welcoming anyways. We were given the chance to buy some of their artwork, which is very beautiful. Just one of the bags they make can take a few weeks to make!

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