All in a good days work

Yesterday, I think that I had my best Peace Corps work day of my entire service. I have to brag about it. Everything worked out!

So the day was filled with our 17th recycling day at the school, a visit with a group of individuals interested in starting a recycling project in their community and their Peace Corps volunteer Alex Boom who also came with our Supervisor for Peace Corps Panama's Environmental Conservation, Francisco Santa Maria, and a meeting with parents about the field trip next week(!).

I showed up at 6:30 at school to set up the recycling tanks in the center patio, I set out tables, and got the cookies and crystal light ready for our recycling volunteers and for the visitors from Piedras Gordas. Our counting volunteers distributed the notebooks and starting counting, while committee members set up a table with all of the things that we have "re-used" in the community. They displayed their crochet bags, their vases, baskets, mirrors, picture frames, flowers, bags made out of lays chip bags, and "cutarras" traditional sandals made out of newspaper and cardboard. The group of visitors showed up and the principal of the school expressed very nice words about the project.

We hosted the group for about an hour and a half. One of the greatest things was that Sara and Judi, our committee's President and Vice president were responding to the questions. The group asked so many questions about our volunteers, how did they get involved? are they paid? They just do it out of the kindness of their hearts?! Do we have support from ANAM (environmental agency) and MEDCUA (Ministry of Education), yes we do! We also have had support from Peace Corps (Volunteer Advisory committee grants) and the PCPP (incredible support from back home).

While we were hosting and explaining the project, parents continued to count and separate the trash. The group even got their hands a little dirty and helped us separate the recycling. We were able to coordinate days in which Sara, Judy, and I would visit Piedras Gordas for recycling education charlas for the community and a re-utilizing seminar.

Shortly after they left, the pizza arrived for the kindergarden class that had the most amount of recycling for the day and the recycling truck arrived to take the recycling. Everything worked out. It was absolutely incredible. We had volunteers, a group of visitors, wonderful hostess', pizza on time, and a recycling pick-up all on the same day. Thank you universe and karma, son increible.

As Alex was leaving, he told me that its one thing to hear me talk about our recycling project in Membrillo but it is quite another to see it. And he told me to brag about it all I wanted, what we have is amazing.  My supervisor concurs.

Anyone who is interested in seeing it, our 18th recycling day, the last one this school year is on December 10th. Come on down.