Thursday, February 24, 2011

One more time...

Okay, here are a few remaining canasta. I've decided, after much consideration, not to bring canasta home with me on this trip since I'm going to California instead of Minnesota and I won't really have the opportunity to try to sell them. So, if you have interest in a specific canasta from one of the last 5 posts, I'll bring it. But, I'm not going to bring any that aren't spoken for. That's the only way I can manage the number of baskets that I have pouring out of my tiny house.

The large butterfly piece is by a woman named Irenia. It's about a 9 inch diameter, about 7 inches high.












This lovely spirally piece is by Isela. It has a 6 inch diameter, about 5 inches tall.









Finally, the Guacamayas (parrots) are by Libia. It's the same size as the last piece.









That's it! If you're interested, let me know! I'm leaving site on Saturday. Much love!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

More pics

I'm not going to write a full post. I just thought I'd send along photos I have of more baskets that I'm going to bring home with me. I know, you guys are probably sick of this. I'm going to have to find some other outlet for selling these things. These ones are really exquisite. Hope you enjoy!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

ONE BEAUTIFUL CANASTA!

I don't usually create a blog posting around one, single canasta. But, I'm bringing some home in a couple weeks when I go to my friend's wedding, and I'd like to sell all of them. These women trust me to sell their stuff, so I'd like to do so when I have the opportunity. The canasta from my two postings ago are for sale (all the smaller, tightly designed ones). Also, the bigger one's could be made for you if you'd like one (such as the little yellow bag with handle, and the larger yellow and green basket). They generally don't make those, and they tend to run cheaper since they're much easier to make, but they've been making them specially for me, so I'm sure I could get more.

But, here is the photo of the canasta that this posting is centered around. It's done by a woman named Ariseli. She's about 23, pregnant with her first child, sweet and super shy. In fact, it took her two days just to tell me how much she wanted to charge for it. She's asking $80 for it, which I don't think is unfair considering the almost flawless and delicate stitching that it demonstrates.


If you know anyone that would be interested, or if you yourself are interested, let me know. Like I said, I want to know who's interested before dragging all these baskets to California with me.


Despite my disparagement of Valentine's Day, I do want to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day! Know that I love and appreciate all the love and support that I've received from you during this journey called Peace Corps. Enjoy your heart shaped, red velvet cake with dark chocolate frosting!

Friday, February 11, 2011

Valentine's Day in Panama

Valentine’s Day always irritated me in the States, probably because you absolutely cannot avoid it. Thankfully there isn’t any Valentine’s Day paraphernalia or racks of cards to make my feel terrible for not having found someone to buy a card for in Panama. In fact, there is virtually no relationship between the Valentine’s Day of the U.S. and the Valentine’s Day of Panama.

Despite that, the internet still manages to remind me, via pop-ups and advertisements, that Valentine’s Day is on Monday. So, in honor of Valentine’s Day, decidedly my least favorite holiday, I’m going to throw those lame “10 Reasons it’s AWESOME to be single on Valentine’s!” out the window, and write my own list. It’s not awesome being single on Valentine’s in the States where everyone and everything constantly reminds you that you’re single. But it is kind of awesome in the developing world. So, my list is titled “10 Reasons it’s AWESOME to be single in the developing world”.

10 REASONS IT’S AWESOME TO BE SINGLE IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD (on Valentine’s Day…or ever, really)

  1. Traveling sucks. 16 hours on a bus is not fun, no matter who’s at the other end of the ride. If I make that trip, it’s generally so I can sit on a beach with my girlfriends, and that’s ALWAYS worth it.
  2. I look BOMB in Panamanian clothes! And most boyfriend’s are not real cool with girlfriends throwing on skin tight jeans and mesh to dance with random Latino guys. Good thing I don’t have one!
  3. I can’t help being dirty. It’s not that I don’t try to be clean, it’s just that it’s hard to maintain cleanliness in 90 degree heat in the jungle. All that extra scrubbing and primping and spritzing is exhausting, and my water supply is limited, so it’s great that I feel no obligation to do it.
  4. Sometimes I enjoy basking is the inappropriate attention from Panamanian men. It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes, like when I get free drinks or free rides, I enjoy the attention I get from Latino men. Especially when I know I look like crap and they tell me I look guapa (hot, basically). Who says chivalry is dead?
  5. I get sick a lot more. This one could go either way. It’s nice to have someone to help out when you’re sick, but I’m the kind of person that wants my mom to make me soup, not my boyfriend to bring me extra Kleenex because he’s grossed out by the snot on my face. Mom, wanna come visit again?
  6. The ladies in my town think I’m badass. You’re not married? You don’t have kids!? I’m like a pioneer woman in their eyes. Going to college, getting a job, joining Peace Corps, living my life. They’ve come around, so now the question isn’t, “when will you get married?” but “what are you going to go back to college for, Molly?” Let the liberation begin.
  7. Infidelity + Telenovelas = bloodlust. I’ve met only a handful of Panamanian men that are faithful and trustworthy. The rest cheat, a lot. To make matters worse, Panamanian women watch a lot of Telenovelas (soap operas) where people are always getting stabbed or shot at for cheating and lying. No wonder there are so many crimes of passion in this country. Just happy I’m not a part of it in any way.
  8. I have no money. Phone calls, visits, food, entertainment. This is the stuff of relationships, and it all has a price. And on $340/month, I just can’t afford it. Even booty calls are precipitated by a “call”, and when I’m running low on saldo (phone $), I’d rather use it to text a girlfriend something funny. It’s all about prioritizing.
  9. No one has any idea what or when Valentine’s Day is in Panama. It’s awesome! No one knows what it celebrates, no one bakes heart-shaped cakes for their sweetie, no one buys cards or chocolates, no one sees rom-coms after a romantic dinner out. I love it. It’s just like every other day.
  10. Someday I won’t be single and living in a developing country. And I’m looking forward to that, too. But right now, I only have to worry about myself and my dog, and that’s fine. I know that there will come a day when I’m married, maybe with kids, and will wonder why I didn’t take advantage of my crazy, fun, adventurous single gal years. I don’t want that to be my prevailing thought in the future, so I vow to enjoy flying solo for as long as it lasts.


Honestly, I don’t actually hate V-day. I like the part about chocolate and cake. It’s nice to call someone and say I love you, and hear it back. I just hate all the commercialization, because it’s centered around couples, so what do the rest of us do? Call our mothers, I s’pose. I think it should be about everyone we love, and everyone that’s been there for us. So, to all of you that have supported me throughout my service and my life, I love you and wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day. Bake your heart shaped cakes and eat them too. Don’t forget to send me a piece.