I was just about to bad mouth summer reading. Not because I don't think it is bad to read in the summer. Reading any time is a good thing. I was wondering about assigned summer reading and how much it actually helps. I found an article supporting reading in the summer. I'll bite my tongue. However, do the projects that go along with summer reading make kids want to read more or just make reading seem like uninviting work? I consider myself lucky in that I grew up in a time before schools invented summer reading projects. I have spent some of my happiest hours with a book in hand. I may need to modify that to say most of my happiest hours. My life is pretty good, I just really like reading. I do not need an assignment to make me read. I read. This summer I was assigned some summer reading. Luckily, I don't have to turn in a book report or a picture or poster or brochure or whatever it is they make students do these days. The book in question is Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck, Ph. D. I have been reading it out of order, picking it up and starting on whatever page the book opens to. One particular moment is sticking in my brain today. More than half of our society belongs to a negatively stereotyped group. First you have all the women, and then you have all the other groups who are not supposed to be good at something of other. Give them the gift of the growth mindset...Even when the negative label comes along, they'll remain in charge of their learning. More than half of society belongs to a negatively stereotyped group, and yet those of us both in and out of those groups help to perpetuate the stereotypes. That's what I am thinking about today.
0 Comments
Take a pencil, for example. A tool whose purpose is writing. Fits hand, check. Can be sharpened to a point, check. Has eraser on one end, added plus. There are a few variations on a pencil, but there are certain attributes that we come to expect with the idea of a pencil.
Then, take a shower, as another example. Water comes from a point above head level? Usually. Water drains? Water doesn't wet floor outside shower area? Yup, usually those things are in place as well. There is a place to conveniently put shampoo, conditioner, and soap? Almost never. Somewhere to put the washcloth? Even less likely. With the exception of my bald friends, most people go into the shower at least a couple of times a week with the intent to wash hair. Even my bald friends use soap, I presume. And yet, it seems to be the exception rather than the rule that showers are created with the practicality of what is going to happen in them. We have been making showers for a long time. Many people use them on a regular basis. Nowadays probably more people take a shower daily than use a pencil daily, and yet, showers are regularly flawed for maximum ease of use. Much amused by the pet dog (pictured) when visiting my sister-in-law. Frustrated by the dye she used on her hair, she decided to try some new brands. Rather than risk an unwanted tint, she tried it out first on her dog. You can see a little of the purple above the right eye. She wiped it off pretty quickly once she realized that it was too close to the eye and there was another patch of purple on the dog's back. Needless to say this was not the shade of brown she was aiming for, and this batch of hair dye was nixed. I guess they also had to remove the animal friendly labeling. Temperatures in most parts of Panama range from 72 to 94 degrees Fahrenheit. In the cloud forest, it can get down into the 50s. In the areas that I spend most of my time, it never gets below 70. When I used to teach science in Panama City, every year students would conclude the weather lab report that the wide range of weather was the cause of one thing or another. Then again, that's what they knew. No matter, I can't seem to help grinning when people talk about how cold it is and start pulling out the sweaters. I know, I know, I am culturally insensitive. In the interest of full disclosure, I always pack a long-sleeved shirt and have even been known to put it on from time to time. Yes, there are cats, too. What I wanted to show here was the penca roof made of a specific type of palm frond. When made well, the roof can last about ten years and does a pretty good job of keeping the rain out and keeping a house cool. Unfortunately, it also is a good place for bugs and things to hang out and apparently a really nasty parasite, too. While some families still have penca huts, you are most likely to see these structures behind a house for storage and/or as a place to hang out during the day heat of the day, complete with chairs and hammocks. I have always appreciated the juxtaposition of old and new. Panama City has long been modern in many ways, but the rest of the country is also being catapulted into the new. I relish the sight of a young man in his Nike sneakers walking down the street with a friend jauntily sporting a sombrero pintado, folded just so. I also love all my friends from the countryside with their cell phones even when their floor may still be carefully swept dirt. Pictured on the left is a practical tool that I was happy to see still finding a place in the increasingly plastic world. The gourd has a small hole that is stopped with a cork. This can be used to carry water and probably works for making some chicha fuerte, a fermented corn drink, if you were so inclined. The original cantimplora. We left around 8 am to go out in our lancha. Wearing our rashguards, hats, and sunscreen, we set out determined to have fun without the sunburn. First destination -- looking for macaws or guacamayas. We did not see any. Undeterred, we went up into the manglares/mangroves of Rio San Juan (I think that's the name). Here we saw lots o' sardines and some very happy crocodiles. We then got out of the boat to go explore the island and look for birds. Javier tells me that his birding groups will happily spend two days on this particular trail looking for birds. I jotted down the names and now I am stuck with my garbled hand-writing. Forgive me if I get these wrong. Here is what I wrote down: several blue-throated golden tail (hummingbird rarely seen on the mainland), juvenile black hawk, landstail mannequin aka saltarín colorido, brown-back dove aka paloma de Coiba, white throated thrush, common and royal terns, sangre de toro. We also saw and heard howler monkeys. Javier explained the behavior of the monkeys found on Coiba has been studied because of its differences to that of monkeys observed on the mainland. Without competition with or fear of humans, different habits have emerged for the species found on Coiba. At the end of our path lay the aguas termales or hot springs. Javier kindly provided snacks which included pixbae which to me taste a bit like a winter squash, yum. And, yes, he had some good old saltines for my daughter's more American palate. On our way to Granito de Oro for a little snorkling pleasure, we ran into some spotted dolphins. After lunch, kindly provided by Javier's wife, Kenia, which we had to fiercely protect from the hermit crabs, and a fight with a too friendly pelican over my flipper (yup, that's the one near the boat in the above photo), we had time to look under water. Highlights included a green and several hawksbill sea turtles. Right at the end of our swim I saw a jeweled moray eel. Lots of other coral reef fish, just don't have their names written down. My daughter also saw a small shark. I saw several on my last trip, not this time, though. Small ones, just the small ones. We couldn't head back until we paid our park fees. Here we saw both green and black iguanas just wandering around as calm as can be. We also saw a ñeque for good measure. The day was made complete as we saw a humpback whale as it dove down into the water, giving us a tail salute. August is the month for calving. Seeing this is late June was an unexpected bonus to our day. Most of the time I spend in Panama is used visiting in-laws and family friends. While this is indeed time well spent, it means that I rarely take time to be a tourist. This year we took a couple days of as a family to go down to Santa Catalina and visit a friend from my Peace Corps days who has settled there. Santa Catalina is what I call a true destination since it is not on the way to anywhere else. The road ends at the beach. As such, it is still primarily a cash only economy so I came prepared with a wad of twenties and a few smaller bills. Large bills are general considered suspect in Panama due to fear of forgery. First point of business was figuring out where to stay. There are a lot of great options and the prices are still affordable. (In general, although Panama prices are still cheaper than those in the States, since they use the US dollar prices are often not as low as those found many other Latin American countries.) We ended up going with Coiba House because of its proximity to my friend Javier's house. With a convenient place to park, hot water shower, air conditioning and a great view with the requisite hammocks, I was pretty pleased with our choice. We also opted to eat breakfast there both mornings; that was good too. I looked around some of the other options once we arrived and there seem to be plenty of good options. At the same time I did not regret our choice; we did good. For the truly frugal, there is a camping option by Playa Estero, a BYO opportunity. Our first night we had dinner at a restaurant right on the beach at Pinguino Cafe. I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner of fried fish and patacones (fried plantains -- much better than french fries.) Since Santa Cantalina is a tourist destination and also a community where you will find a mix of Panamanian and international residents, you can also find a place that makes oven pizzas and other types of food. My regret is that we did not return to this same restaurant the second night. The meal was simple, fresh, and appropriate to our setting. Last time I was at Santa Catalina I went to the pizza place. Go early since the pizzas are made fresh and take time. I remember the food being quite good there too. Santa Catalina and Playa Estero (a mile away from each other) are known as surfer beaches. I do not surf and the rolling waves and lack of undertow made them delightful for us as well. These boys played while we ate dinner. What you can't see here is how warm and relatively clear the water is. I fear I may be ruined for all other beaches. On our second day we went to the island of Coiba which is the second largest island off the Pacific coast of the Americas after Vancouver Island. It used to be home to a penal colony. In recent years it has been converted into a national park and a place of international interest because of its amazing biodiversity. Javier and his wife, Kenia, own both Casa Kenia and Bird Coiba. Javier has the reputation of being the best guide for Coiba. I have not used another guide, but I can vouch that he knows his stuff. I will make another post later this week just about Coiba. Our final day, we spent the morning at Playa Estero. The natives will say it is a short walk from Santa Catalina. We were happy to drive rather than walk the twenty or so minutes each way. The people of this area have embraced the economy that tourism has brought their way and the crime rate is very low. We were able to park our locked car, filled with suitcases of gifts that we still needed to deliver to my husband's family, and were assured all the pieces would be there when we left the beach. I am happy to report that the assurances held true. I'm back! Did you miss me?
The last time I went to Panama was winter 2007-08, well, summer there, winter here. Some time has passed. Last year my husband got a flight voucher which covered his return trip to Panama with a little left over. A bit like winning the lottery. Seemed like a good time for me to go too. Here is my first set of observations from this trip: A lot of construction has/is taken place and not just with the Canal. Lots of concrete. New shopping areas, new roads, some towns got entire facelifts while others look the same. If the news is to be trusted there a lot of the money that flowed into projects, flowed even more freely into the pockets of politicians to the tune of several million in some cases. Corruption happens, but rather than improving, it may be getting worse. There is a new president as of this week. We'll see what the new administration brings. If past predicts future, probably more of the same. It was nice to have trips take less time since I was not avoided pot holes at every turn. I was sad to see that the roads were built without any consideration that most people in Panama do not own car. The roads rarely have a shoulder and almost never have sidewalks outside of the major cities. While we were there an elderly woman from my sister-in-law's town was walking home from the store and was run over by a school bus. She was on the side of the road, but without any shoulder, the side of the road is still the road. On a more personal note, everyone said, "Estás gorda. Te veo más joven." -- "You are fat. You look younger." Now there is a compliment combination you will never hear in the States. That's right, I look younger, folks. I definitely need to get back to Panama more often even if it is just for my ego. |
To Blog?Why not? Categories
All
Archives
April 2022
|