Do
you remember your high school science fair? Well, Panama has a nationwide
one, and you can open your students' minds with a field trip to the nationwide
Science and Technology Fair in Panama from October 23-25. I went last
year to check it out, and I saw all these great projects and many visiting
schools. Mostly the yay yay schools in Panama participate in putting
together the projects, but there were many other schools visiting, and it is a
great opportunity to open people's minds to the possibilities of both science
and technology. I'm working with the association de padres of my school
to bring our sixth grade, and I thought that some of you would be
interested. The registration form has all the contact information (web
page, phone number, etc. that you need).
The web page is www.senacyt.com.
AVC
Gives Thanks
We
cannot help our smiling selves…the decision to ‘volunteer’ to help make AVC
happen this year was daunting. Where to
get the food? How to coordinate between
two venues? How, most especially, to
PLEASE THE MASSES!?!?!? But we have
been smiled upon in a very real way.
Although there are many to thank for their help with contacts, ideas and
time, Itza took the cake last week…
During a brief meeting,
she presented the answer to all our AVC-committee prayers: numbers and prices,
beautifully organized into little spreadsheet boxes. Done. Four volunteer jaws
hit the ground in unison. What can we
say: THANK YOU, ITZA! You
are amazing.
Bagel
shop
Pacific Plaza, beyond the DO-IT center in Paitilla is rumored to have a place with some mighty fine bagels. To get there, leave the office and turn left onto Balboa. Walk past the Gran Morrison and Arrocha and turn right on, not that next corner, but the one after that…Walk past the DO-IT center, (will be on your left) and keep heading down until you hit the Pacific Plaza. Enjoy!
Gourmet
Deli. It’s across from the Matrix Pharmacy in
Obarrio and about 25 to 30 minutes walking distance from the office. Beth’s been there: ask her before she’s
GONE!
at AVC
Por Jacobo
What do wild-West lawman Wyatt Earp, Mexican revolutionary Emiliano
Zapata, and Hall of Fame pitcher Rollie Fingers all have in common? For those of you not familiar with cowboy
movies, Mexican history, and baseball, the answer is this: outrageous
mustaches.
Wouldn't it be grand if we lived in a world where
outlandish mustaches were considered cool? I mean, the mustache has had some
great moments throughout history, such as the shootout at the OK Corral, Rollie
Fingers winning the 1981 Cy Young Award, and Pancho Villa's invasion of
Columbus, New Mexico. These days, however, the mustache has fallen on rough
times, exiled to the kitchens of Mexican restaurants and trailer parks
throughout the Midwest.
What could we do to help the mustache make a
comeback?
I spent many hours pondering this question while
lying in my hammock. Unfortunately, I could never find an answer. However, my
comrades in the Environment Health program came up with a wonderful solution to
pull the mustache out of the fashion netherworlds - A fun mustache contest at
AVC.
The purpose of this announcement, I suppose, is to
let all the guys know about the contest ahead of time so they can throw the
razor away and let the fuzz sprout upon their upper lips. And then, when AVC
rolls around, he with the best 'stache will win, dare I say it, a fabulous (though
still undetermined) prize, as well as the admiration of all fellow PVCs.
What about the ladies?
Good question. Being as this is a rather
male-oriented contest, markers will be provided for drawing your own moustache
and a select panel of ladies will be the judges.
¡Viva los
bigotes!
LIBRARY
ANNOUNCEMENT
The last week of September saw some changes in the
Resource Library, so read on and be IN THE KNOW.
First of all, the volunteer
computers have been permanently moved into the library. This change was necessary due to space
pressures for our increasing staff, but also compliments the process we have
been aiming for, which is to make the library a more accessible and useful
resource for volunteers. A fourth
computer is on its way.
Kara has joined the library crew, and with her help,
we have begun the major overhaul in the resource center. The goals are to maximize the use of our
space and make it as user-friendly as possible. The old metal cabinets are gone, and with them most of the ‘hidden
treasures’ that had been locked and sealed for so long. We are digging up the gems, however. We will soon be arranging some videos that
may be available for those of you with electricity. Also, a list of available equipment for volunteer use will be
coming soon!
But how, do you ask, does one USE the library,
especially during these times of transition?
The BLUE BINDER is still in
the library. You can find it on top of
the metal filing cabinets. For the time
being, continue to check out books by signing your name and filling out the
information. When you return the
books, sign them back in. Then you have
two options:
IF THE BOOK HAS A NEW, WHITE LABEL reshelf it based on
the simple letter and number coding system.
IF THE BOOK IS UNLABELED OR HAS AN OLD LABEL put it on
the “Unlabeled Books” area (on top of the glass case) located in the Resource
Center (i.e., Library) and we’ll take care of it.
There are more improvements to come!
We hope the changes make this a better place to
work, learn, and surf.
-Las Niñas Poderosas
As you walk into the lounge you will notice a major change. The CUBBIES have been emptied of all items that were not labeled. The very small amount of labeled items on the day of the purging indicated two possibilities: 1. Items in the cubbies were SO OLD that their owners were as long-gone as ‘the good old days’ or, 2. Folks didn’t bother to label their stuff. We had previously announced the cleaning out event in the VAINA, via email and with notes posted on the cubbies themselves.
Upon closer inspection, you
will notice that your cubby-mates may have changed. We moved names around based on COS date to facilitate the cubby
changeover as people arrive and COS.
There will be exceptions resulting from ET’s and Extendees, but we’re
just trying to improve the system, not solve all the problems of the
world. Also, although five-per-cubby
seems quite tight, the increase in numbers makes it ‘tight-but-right.’
The cubbies are now ready to
accommodate the new group that is currently in training and we hope that this
‘fresh start’ will inspire you all to keep the cubbies relatively neat and
user-friendly. Please keep in mind and
respect that this is communal space.
All items that were removed from the cubbies have been placed in the
right-hand corner area of the lounge as you’re looking at the WID-GAD
board. They will be there until just
after AVC, December 1st, to be exact. On that day, all that “STUFF” will find a new home. Any questions, comments or thank you’s can
be directed to Kara, Toni and/or Noelia, a.k.a.,
Las Niñas
Poderosas… 
My Name is
Peace Corps Panama.
On
sale NOW from WID/GAD...Great Christmas Gifts!! For only $5!!