So this past Saturday & Sunday our team took a little journey to the jungle. Here is my journal entry of 24 hours of our excursion:
"Wow it's been one heck-of-a past 24 hours. Luckily it's Saturday which means we got to sleep in today until 7:30 I woke up to my roommates (Madi, Laura & S'mores(Moriah)) screaming HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOU OLD FART! YOU'RE 19! I finished packing up my bag for our overnight trip to the jungle and went up to breakfast to find the rest of the team scurrying around avoiding all contact with me while passing around a yellow piece of paper & pens. HMMM….wonder what they could be doing…I soon found out as I sat down to eat. The whole YWAM base came into the dining hall singing happy birthday. I also got some cut-up bananas smothered in sprinkles, honey & dark green food coloring (thanks to Andy & Madi). I could tell that today was going to be a good day. After eating & sharing my birthday traditions with the team, I went back to my room to brush my teeth and get my bags to leave when I was attacked with about 50 balloons , a coconut, pink Gatorade, cookies, and some new deodorant. It wasn't even 9 am and I was having a blast.
I would've been completely fine if that was the high of my day
BUTTTTTT…we still had a whole day in front of us. It wasn't until about 9:30 that we were packed up in the van driving towards the river. We drove for about 30 minutes until we reached a quite little village and were dropped off in this field-looking area. Well actually the field looked like it had once held water (a lake). Two men were working at the bottom of the empty lake carving a canoe out of a big tree. We were taken by Emilio (our driver) to two men standing under a lone tree. We were told to follow them to the boat, & that we would meet in this same place tomorrow at 2:30. That was it. "Here go with these 2 men that you don't even know, into a boat, into a remote village in the dangerous jungle for a night" HA ok see you never again Emilio! Nah just kidding mom and dad–it was extremely safe and we knew it before hand. After hiking for about 5 minutes we came to a wooden boat obviously carved out of a tree that sat 9.
The next two hours would be the new high of my day.
Pretty much our whole boat ride my jaw was dropped in awe of how incredible this world and Panama are. We should have been in a National Geographic photo or premiered on Planet Earth. The views were incredible. Surrounded by green, plush mountains a crystal clear river & bleach white cranes taking flight around us as we disturbed their path in the water; absolutely breathtaking. Occasionally our captain would shout "Ayuda" (help) and we would jump into the 2 foot river to push the boat further down the river when it got stuck on the sand or rocks. After about 2 hours, we come around a bend in the river and our captain points to some huts a ways up the hill. "Home" We were greeted by about 40 men, women & children and ground shaking drums. As we were warned women wouldn't be wearing shirts, men would be dressed in a loin cloth and children would be sporting their god-given birthday suits. It wasn't a shock, but definitely a little different culture than we're accustomed to. Once we were welcomed in, we were asked to leave our bags in one of the grass huts that we would be staying in that night. In the center of the village there was a large shelter, which held crafts made by the families, and there was also a red-dirt soccer field. Once we got all of our things situated, we joined our boat captain(now in only a loin cloth) for our welcome orientation. The leader of the village told us about how the village works. There are 27 houses and 27 families. 122 people living in the village. One school house. Hunting is their main food source. Tourism is their number one source of income. Spanish is spoken by most (a few know broken English). The surrounding jungle is full of many medicinal plants and beautiful flowers. The orientation went on for about 30 minutes and then we were brought lunch–fresh Talapia & banana chips.
Being in this exact spot in time was my new high.
Once we finished lunch we were told that we were free to hangout for the afternoon. We could look at the different tables of hand-made grass bowls, fabrics, wooden sculptures, etc., we could go on a plant hike to learn about different medicinal plants, we could go swim in the river, or we could just hangout with the villagers. Our team (at least the girls) were instantly found at the different tables admiring the different forms of art each family had spent weeks making. I'm pretty sure the boys were getting owned by the village kids at soccer. At around 2 we decided to head down to the river. The part of the river nearest to the village was only about 3ft deep but had a pretty quick current. So being the adventurers we are, about 6 of us walked as far (on the shore) up the river we could and walked out into the middle of the river, plopped down and let the current take us down to our other 3 teammates sitting on the shore. After the first time we were addicted. We headed up the river about 10 more times, just to float down. Crystal clear and cold as ice, this swim was just the right medicine for the victims of the 99 degree weather. After swimming, we dried up and the team went on a hike to check out all of the different plants & flowers. I stayed back to hang out with the little village kids. We played a little soccer, sang and dance, and once I was trusted by little Christa, I was invited to hang out at her house. I was introduced and instantly amazed with her mother. She was 50, married with 6 kids, and was intricately involved in weaving a basket out of palm leaves. I asked if I could also try to make one and she provided me with all I needed and got me started. We talked small talk for a while for that is the only spanish I know until I was begged by the kids to come back outside.
You guessed it, new high.
We played for a while more and the hiking team got back just in time to hang out. We mostly talked and hangout with the little kids until dinner which was chicken, rice & plantains. It got dark around 6:30 and that is when the real fun began. We started to have star-gazing contests with the little ones. For those of you who don't know what that is, here's a short little explanation: first, it has to be dark outside. You have the player look up into the sky, pick a star and spin around 15 times while keeping their eye on the star. After 15 spins you shine a flashlight in their face and they will instantly fall to ground. I'm not really sure how it works–some thing with your brain and balance or some scientifical thing like that We played that for quite a while and then went down to the river to hangout under the bright moonlight. It was extremely peaceful.
A couple of us snuck off to go rock hunting which was the new high of my day.
The night was closed in deep prayer with the 8 I love. After crawling into my sleeping bag, cockroaches crawling all around, bats flying in and out of our room, I looked back on how the day went. I honestly couldn't have asked for a better birthday. "
I had 5 recorded highs today. I didn't just have this many because it was my birthday and I was in the jungle in the middle of Panama, but I had this many because this is the way I see life. Lows for the day? Who needs 'em. I wake up every morning with a fresh pair of glasses on seeing only the positives and how I can help others have more highs than lows. "We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm & adventure. There is no end to the adventures if only we seek them with our eyes open." –Jawaharlal Nehru. I challenge myself to live by this quote daily and I hope that this blog of a day in the life of Liz inspires you to find adventure and highs in the little things.
"May you eat an unfamiliar dessert in a strange land at least once a year" –Rob Brezsny
& here is just a photo my mom sent me on my first birthday. Man how time flies!
