Wrapping up 2012 and Starting 2013 off with a.... swim!

On September 23^rd, my host sister had a baby girl!! Andrea Paola Ramos is a beautiful new addition to my host family. Now she’s almost a year old, but here are some of the pictures from when she was born.

Youngest baby I've ever held!

The proud older brother with a sign saying "I <3 Andrea Paola. From: All of your family." Of course, there are a few mistakes, but I love that he's trying!

Then, in July, she was baptised!

Baby's not sure about this...

The family! Rodrigo (dad), Susi (mom & my host sister), Roderik (proud brother), baby Andrea.

Me with extended host family and the godparents (on the right).

Also, at the beginning of December, I was invited to go to a neighbor’s wedding! It was a wonderful cultural experience. Many of the traditions are the same, but there are also marked differences. Instead of having bridesmaids, the bride and groom have a godmother and godfather for the wedding stand at the front with them. There are still a flower girl and ring bearer though! At the reception, there was no first dance and while they did cut the cake, it wasn’t distributed to guests! It was just for the family to save and eat later haha. A new tradition for me that I really enjoyed was “Crazy Hour”. At midnight they passed out beads, hats, masks, and noisemakers and we all danced crazily for a little while – it was a ton of fun. Also, the bride and groom went around to each table and took a photo with all of the guests – I really liked this, though it took a while, because it ensures that they get a photo with everyone. It was a beautiful wedding and I feel very lucky that I got to experience a Panamanian wedding!

My host nephew, Roderik, and I during "crazy hour"!

With the flower girl, Ana Sofia, another young friend.

Bride and groom! Nyleen and Miguel.

After a good trip home, 2013 started off with a bang with two of my best friends coming to visit Panama! We spent some time in the city and in my site, but my favorite time with them was in San Blas – the islands to the northeast of Panama. It was stunningly gorgeous and I’m so glad I got to share it with them!

Island where we stayed!

Love these girls! And so appreciated them coming down to visit me.

Kuna women wearing their traditional clothing.

View of Panama City from Casco Viejo.

Here are a few other pics from the past few months:

Something else I love about Panama: all of this cost $4.

Azuero PCVs at our Regional Meeting in February. With our former Country Director, Brian, and Regional Leader, Annie. They are both sorely missed!

Beautiful sunset at Playa Venao after the Regional Meeting.

Another gorgeous panamanian sunset from a hill in Pesé.

Trip to a river near Pesé. The cows decided to take over at one point. They got thirsty.

Beautiful river.

Juicing sugar cane! Pushing the trapiche/grinder.

Me with Roderik in his NC t-shirt at a school event.

Lastly, when my group hit our one-year point in site, we decided to celebrate together by going to Santa Catalina. A few of us also took a day trip to Isla Coiba. It was soooo stunning. There were gorgeous beaches and wonderful snorkeling! We saw some (small and harmless) sharks, awesome colorful fish, and even a couple of turtles!

On Isla Grano de Oro (Island Grain of Gold).

My happy place during our lunch stop in-between snorkeling stops.

Contrary to what it seems like, I do actually do some work down here! That's what the next post will be dedicated to... But I hope you enjoyed some of my photos of the gorgeous places around Panama!