VVPA launches its first Economic Mentoring Program

Today was the official launch of VVPA's Economic Mentoring Program.

The mentors and mentees with the U.S. Embassador, Phyllis Powers

All the program participants arrived eager to start the program and to meet their respective mentors and mentees.

Several of VVPA's partners also arrived to support the event including INADEH (National Institute for Professional Training in Panama), EMPRETEC, the U.S. Embassy in Panama, and SUMARSE (a foundation that works with promoting corporate social responsibility in Panama).

Leilani Greene, my friend and roommate, described the event as having a "positive environment, which encouraged a healthy exchange of ideas between people of different socioeconomic backgrounds."  It was a huge success! 

Congrats to the incredible mentors and mentees, and good luck! 

The big day

No, Voces Vitales Panama is not getting married.

VVPA is going to launch its very first Economic Mentoring Program, and I would like to be the first to invite you to this exciting event!

La Embajada de los Estados Unidos en Panamá

y Voces Vitales de Panamá

Invitan al

“Lanzamiento del Primer Programa de Mentoría Económica”,

Con la asistencia de S.E. Phyllis M. Powers,

Embajadora de los Estados Unidos en Panamá   

                                         

     Dia: Jueves 18 de agosto 2011                           RSVP: 507-270-7464
     Hora: 12:30 M.                                                  Correo: direccionejectiva@vocesvitalespanama.org

     

Interview with Jackie Hyland

La doña Jackie

I met Jackie the first week I arrived to Panama.  After hearing about all the amazing projects she's involved in, I expected to meet a woman who was at least in her late 20s.  I ended up meeting a woman who is my age, and who has already accomplished more in her life than most could ever dream of.  She's started her own NGO, traveled throughout Latin America, and is a respected female leader in her field at the ripe old age of 24. 


Below is a brief questionnaire I asked Jackie to fill out.  Much like Jackie, her answers are thoughtful, insightful, and radiate courage and hope.  I expect big things to come from Jackie in the future. 


I took the liberty of bold-ing some parts I thought were particularly interesting.  Enjoy! 

1.     Name: Jackie Hyland 

2.     Job title:  Education and Training Lead - Project Manager of La Red de Mentoras with Global Brigades.

3.     Please describe your professional experience from the last 5 years:

Over the last 5 years my professional experience has been diverse. In the latter years of college, I was a writer for my university campus newspaper, wrote for local magazines, and then was the Editor of the student magazine focusing on immigration issues.

After college, I worked at Elsevier Publishing as en editor for online international health materials. During that time, I also worked part-time teaching English to Mexican students who came to Texas for an intense conversational and cultural immersion course. In January of 2010, I was given the opportunity to begin working with Global Brigades Panama as part of the travel team and in September began working as the alliance and business project coordinator. January 2011 I became the Education and Training Lead as well as manager of the Red de Mentoras project and will be completing two years in Panama this December!

4.     What is La Red de Mentoras? What services does it provide its participants?

La Red de Mentoras is based on the international mentoring program “Pathways to Prosperity”. The focus of the program is to connect businesswomen executives with micro-enterprise owning women in rural communities in Panama. Our mission is to create a network of businesswomen throughout Panama through these mentoring programs that open economic opportunity and contributes to the economic development of Panama.

The program began in February of this year (2011) and will end in November. The Mentees and Mentors meet 5 times in the City of Panama throughout the 9-month program for business training, leadership, and personal development workshops. They also receive one-on-one Mentor development, which is the required communication of once a week (more if possible) between Mentor and Mentee. The mentees not only receive capacity building, but a woman Mentor who supports them in all facets of their ventures.

For this year we have a group of 20, 10 of which are Mentors and 10 Mentees who represent 6 provinces of Panama and 2 Indigenous reservations. The Mentees for this year’s program are women from rural communities who lack resources to make their business grow. They work in sales, tourism, eco-tourism, artisan crafts, beauty salons, and more. The Mentors are successful professionals with backgrounds in leadership in various kinds businesses.

5.     Why did you decide to create La red de Mentoras?

La Red de Mentoras was born from various ideas and people. One morning I had coffee with the Economic Officer of the U.S. Embassy in Panama to discuss how the Global Brigades business projects could possibly be sponsored and expanded through the Embassy. In the next weeks, we began discussing instead about the idea of a women’s mentoring program. Based on the U.S. program, Pathways to Prosperity, and my passions for women and entrepreneurship, I wrote up the specifics of the program proposal: what it would look like, where the money would go, how we would develop and follow-up, and then in November of 2010 we received our first check to begin marketing and finding our Mentors and Mentees. It was a very, very exciting moment.

6.     How did you get involved with Voces Vitales Panamá?

I got involved with Voces Vitales through the local chapter here Panama. La Red de Mentoras had already started in late February when in March the Executive Director and President of Voces Vitales Panama courteously invited me to lunch a few times to talk about the program, share advice and contacts, as well as to establish a base alliance to continue working together for the future. Since then, I have met some of the wonderful Voices Vital staff from Washington D.C. and we have continuously collaborated as two distinct but similar projects improving economic opportunity for women and promoting women in business.

7.     What does ‘women’s leadership' mean to you?  Why is it important to empower Panamanian women?

Women’s leadership to me means guts. It means perseverance, heart, and strength shown over and over to overcome large personal, political, or economic barriers to achieve one’s goals and/or dreams. It means inspiring others to make a positive change and taking risks. I believe women’s empowerment anywhere in the world is important, but particularly in Panama. It’s a country that is economically growing so quickly that women could easily be leading a large majority of the country’s political and economic dealings, but without capacity building and empowerment they could just as easily get left behind.

8.     Why is mentoring so important for developing women’s leadership? 

When I think about mentorship and it’s role in my life, I know that I wouldn’t be the woman I am today without strong and passionate women role models in my life -- someone who not only guides you professionally, but can be a personal support. In a mentoring relationship, there is a built-in positive environment with someone who genuinely desires to help you reach your goals and dreams. Through that support system, women who often do not have goals, self-esteem and/or leadership qualities begin to gain more confidence in themselves through a mentoring relationship. It is the simple act of one person believing in and taking the time to invest in another person that empowers and changes lives every day.

9.     What advice would you give to young women to advance their professional careers?

Don’t be afraid to fail. I think a lot of young ambitious women are used to succeeding at most things they do because they are smart and talented and the fear of actually failing seems paralyzing. If there is something you are passionate about, go for it, and don’t think you have to wait to be 40 or 50 to climb the corporate ladder to do what you would like to do. Connect with people in that field, connect with everyone, and ask them their advice. And if it doesn’t work out, and you fail, you will have learned a thousand times more than someone who played it safe. 

Meal of the Week - 2nd Week of August

Last week, I got to try lots of different tapas from Panama during the Mentoring Training.

mini-cakes, Jany , and I

The food came from Momi, a bakery in Panama, and everything was mini - empanadas, dulce de leche cakes, guayabana cakes, ground chicken sandwiches (sounds gross, but it's really flavorful), meat balls, and donuts. 

My favorite had to be the ground-chicken sandwiches and the mini guayabana cakes!! 

Anna cooking the mushrooms

The week culminated in a delicious potluck with some folks from Global Brigades. A mentor and I brought left-overs from the training, but there was also bruschetta, chicharron (fried pig skin - no judgement, please), baked stuffed mushrooms, and spicy, pesto quesadillas.  Drinks included Panama national beers, mixed rum drinks, and more rum.  The quesadillas and the rum were definitely my favorite! =) 

Jefe sharing his rum

*Photos courtesy of Jonathan Lee

Training the Mentors

Since Monday, VVPA has led intense training sessions for the mentors in the program.  We have about 22 mentors who come from various professional backgrounds.  There are lawyers, consultants, directors of organizations that work with small and medium enterprises, economists, and marketing folks. 


The first day was an overview of mentoring - what it is and what purpose it serves.  The mentors also discovered their working styles according to the DISC test (DISC = Dominance, Influential, Steadiness, and Compliance).  The test demonstrates what work ethic they prefer, and how they might clash or mesh with their mentee.  All mentors had to take the test to be eligible for the program but have not received the results of the test yet. 


It was interesting to hear them discuss the different personality types.  As a quick summary: 

D=demanding, forceful, good with solving problems, can be egocentric  

I=convincing, social, can be manipulative, emotional, enthusiastic, warm

S= like harmony and security, calm, don't like changes, unemotional

C=like structure, rules, do quality work the first time, careful, exacting 

The majority of the women related to either D or I and everyone spoke very negatively of the Cs comparing them to "cold" Germans or accountants.  Not to worry, my German and accountant friends - I know y'all are legit. 

Evidence of my participation 

These reactions definitely reflect the Latino culture, which is very open, boisterous, and not necessarily a fan of rigid policies or rules.  It's no surprise then that they preferred the social butterfly, domineering types over the more reserved, stickler-for-the-rules types.  The truth is though, a lot of the women actually scored high as a C.  It's useful to understand the difference between how we perceive ourselves and how the world perceives us.  Fact: I scored very high on S and second highest on C (WHAT??! me=exacting??)  I was told that I must work on developing my "D" qualities, which I think is true. 


Another interesting topic we went over was how to get to know your mentee.  I liked how much the facilitator, Lourdes Navarro, emphasized getting to know the mentee before learning about her business.  It's a very different point-of-view than the U.S., as, almost always, the second question we ask someone new is, "what do you do for a living?".  I don't think asking about someone's job is necessarily bad; assuming the person chose the job because it's something they like, it can reveal interests, passions, and life goals, which can be very personal. 

It shows once again where Latin American values lie, which is very clearly with the individual.  Information like, family, hobbies, faith, and where people come from is sought out much more than work details.  In my personal experience, I've never been asked what I do for living upon first meeting someone.  If I am asked that, it's after they've heard all about my personal life.  It's always, "Married? Kids? Do you like Panama? How does your family feel about you living here? Do you like to dance/go out?" etc.  The juicy stuff. ;-)


The training sessions have been dynamic and thought-provoking so far.  More to come tomorrow! To see more pictures, click here.

The RUSSIANS!

So the Russians were on Isla Contadora this past weekend. 

View from the Shah's crib

Apparently, Isla Contadora has hosted Survivor multiple times.  Survivor has not elevated Isla Contadora to a hot-spot tourist location, but it has benefited the local economy.

It is, however, a hot-spot for some high-profile individuals like the Vice President of Panama, the exiled Shah of Iran, and the Representative of Christian Dior.

Unfortunately, we only interacted with the eliminated folks, and even more unfortunately, they could not speak English.  There were about 4 women and one guy among the bunch - all of them were beautiful and looked ready to cause drama.  Too bad they were kicked off the island so soon. 

The Russian Survivors (the small specks in the sand)

Oh yeah, I ran into some models too. 

Meal of the Week - 1st Week of August

The meal of the week was definitely in Isla Contadora, Panama. 


Isla Contadora is the island where the Spaniards would count (hence the name contadora) pearls that were Europe bound. 

Nowhere else in the world can you find a more delicious Piña Colada than in Central America.  The pineapples are so sweet and ripe - they just don't compare to the ones flown up to the states.  After adding the delicious Caribbean rum (most likely Abuelo) and the condensed milk, you're sippin' on a drink that tastes like paradise. 


Now that I've got the most important part of the meal out of the way, let's talk entrée.  Shrimp!  Big, beautiful, and fresh shrimp right off the boat.  They're so tasty, they hardly need anything but a little bit a butter (not a la Paula Deen), parsley, et voilà!  Throw some salty, fried-to-perfection yuca on the side, and you've got yourself the meal of the week. 

Pssssst! I have a secret!

I'm on island where they're filming Russian Survivor!! It's quite surreal seeing the 'tribal' heads and crewmen scattered about the isle.

More to come on Sunday!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Certification schmertification?

My supervisor, Annie Vial, recently went to a conference in El Salvador that was sponsored by the GIZ (formerly known as GTZ), INTEGRARSE, and SUMARSE.  Integrarse and Sumarse are both foundations that work with Corporate Social Responsibility issues, and GIZ is Germany’s foreign aid agency. 

The conference was called, "Transferencias de la Metologia de Mentoring," and it covered topics such as 

1) How to implement a mentoring Program

2) How to guide mentors and mentees

3) Types of Mentoring Programs 

4) Recommendations on how to be an effective Mentor

The goal of the conference was to train program managers to conduct mentoring programs for women leaders in small and medium enterprises.  This conference is only one of many workshops to come that seeks to make mentoring programs more robust in Latin America. 

The women who participated came from El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and Panama and all received a Diploma upon its completion.  They had two key action items to complete upon receiving the Diploma. 

A. Receive RSE certification 

RSE stands for responsabilidad social empresarial or corporate social responsibility (CSR). I asked Annie why it was necessary to receive the RSE certification, and she said it was a guarantee of program quality.  In order to get the RSE, Annie will have to design an agreement with SUMARSE, a renowned CSR foundation in Panama.  As part of the agreement, VVPA's projects will fall under SUMARSE's programs, and both organizations will work together in future projects. 

Overall, I think it's a great idea.  As everyone is saying here in Panama, CSR "es muy de modo" or "it's very in," which is as true here as it is in the U.S.A..  Having the RSE certification and the partnership with SUMARSE will attract future partners to VVPA and place VVPA in the arena they need to be in -- creating viable economic opportunities for women in Panama. 

The certification reminds me of a project my roommate carried out this past semester.  She researched the meaning of CSR and how different organizations utilized this ‘brand’, focusing on Net Impact, a student organization I'm involved in at GWU.  My roommate interviewed three of Net Impact's Board Members (including myself) and the results were eye-opening.  Each of us had a different response for how Net Impact defines CSR…that's bad, right?  Maybe not.  

According to her paper, adopting a flexible, less defined CSR definition is helpful because it allows organizations to pursue a wide-range of activities.  Everything from constructing green roofs, to holding a conference on alternative energy solutions, to managing a mentoring program for women entrepreneurs can be considered CSR if you adopt a broad definition.  

However, using too broad of a definition can lead to some fuzzy situations.  For example, should something like using recycling bins qualify businesses for a RSE certification?  No.  Under an expansive definition though, recycling bins might qualify a firm for an RSE certification.  Don’t we want more from the RSE brand?  If a RSE certification is to have real value, it must have a meaningful and clear definition.  

Furthermore, once you have the RSE certificate, how are you accountable to it?  How will GIZ and SUMARSE follow-up with VVPA and the other participants to assure they are adhering to the RSE brand? 

B. Train 10 Mentors

Annie informed me that each conference participant must return home and train at least ten mentors by August 15^th, and launch her Mentoring Program by August 30^th.  VVPA already has double those numbers, and will have started its program by August 8^th.  These requirements are a good start. I’m anxious for SUMARSE’s website to start working again, so I can read up on its differing policies related to RSE programs.

Corporate social responsibility is an important and relevant issue today.  It would be a shame, then, if lax certification processes damaged its reputation as a powerful tool for development. 

Hazing Panamanian Style

Hashers are a group who gather once a week to run an impromptu, but still marked, course.  Oh, and they drink together in an undisclosed location afterwards.  

Hashers

Jackie Hyland, the Director of Education for Global Brigades Panama, invited me to check it out.   A designated person marks the running path with chalk to make sure everyone stays the course.  On the path, there are Xs or arrows.  Arrows point you in the direction you need to go, but Xs are bit trickier.  They're placed at intersections and indicate that the group must figure out which way to go.  Usually, the faster folks run ahead to find the next arrow, i.e. not me.

Not actual view from the hill 

We ran up a famous hill in Panama that has a fantastic view of the city.  Throughout the run, people are grunting "on on!" and "vamos abuelas" or "let's go grandmas!"  Despite the macho goading, there was actually a real sense of camaraderie among the bunch.  


When we were running up the 1600 ft hill, one of the veteran runners hung back to encourage me to keep going.  He'd walk with me, but when the time was right, he'd say, "Vamos! Corremos!" or "Come on! Time to run!"  Thanks in large part to him, I was one of the few people in the group who made it all the way to the top!


Upon completing the run, we were greeted with coolers of beer and juice.  People of all nationalities (gringos, Italians, and Panamanians of course) hung out for while, until it was time to haze the newbies. 


They made all the 'virgins' circle up with a full beer in hand.  Then they began to sing a song, whose words I couldn't decipher (there were a lot of grunty-old dudes singing in the crowd), and when they gave the signal, we had to chug our beers.  


If you finish too early, they pour beer on you.  If you stop chugging before your can is empty, they pour beer on you.  Basically, you can't escape it.  By the end, I was soaked with beer and sweat.  Mmm -- the sweet smell of victory!!

Taxi Driver of the Week - August Edition

I know it's only Monday, but I'm pretty sure this guy is going to beat out all the rest. 


Within the first minute of getting in the taxi, I thought 'and today will be my last.'  OK -- that was a bit dramatic, but he was driving like a prison escapee on speed. 


Then I realized that he was 'salsa driving.'  That is, every turn, acceleration, and lane change he made (which he made many) was exactly like a paso in salsa!  He even held the steering wheel as if it were the waist and hand of his dance partner.  He'd so vigorously snap his fingers and tap his feet to the rapid salsa tunes thumping from his radio that I couldn't help shaking my hips and tapping my feet by the end of the trip.

VIP service at the movies

That's right. V-I-P.

It's like the Alamo Drafthouse in Texas - you get your own waiter and can drink adult beverages - but you get to do it all while chillin' on a lazy boy.

I felt like I could stay there all day and watch movie, after movie, after movie.

Eye Candy

Oh, we saw Captain America. Other than having great eye candy, it was only so-so in my opinion.

Gehry Museum in Panama

Model of the Museo de la Biodiversidad

Today, VVPA was invited to a special tour of Panama's Museum of Biodiversity, which is designed by Frank Gehry.  As a reminder, he's the Canadian architect who designed this:  

Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao

Sarah and I exploring the grounds

What is a biodiversity museum, you might ask?  It's a collection of photos, displays, and information explaining different ecosystems and cultural groups in Panama.  The Biodiversity Museum is meant to be very interactive, with each room providing a unique experience to its viewers.  Its message is: nature affects humans as much as humans affect nature; we must work to develop a healthy symbiotic relationship if both are to survive and thrive. 

We listened to an interesting presentation which places Panama at the front and center of evolution.  The presentation's findings are based on a book by Dr. Steven M. Stanley called, Children of the Ice Age.  Essentially, Panama's emergence a bajillion (technical term) years ago caused the ocean currents to change directions and carried warmer water over to Europe and Africa --> climate change --> our ancestors in Africa had to adapt, which involved carrying their young.  Carrying their young --> more developed brains --> 'harder, better, faster, stronger.'

The museum is set to open in 2014!  Here's to at least one more reason to come back to Panama! =)  

Beer of the Week

Panama has four national beers: Cerveza Panama, Balboa, Atlas, and Soberano.  Of the four, I think I prefer Balboa, even though some compare it to Budweiser (I guess I'm not as big of a beer snob as I thought).  Much like Budweiser, the Panamanian beers are nothing special, but they've got a smooth taste and they're cheap. 


There's a little bar down the street from my apartment called, La Rana Dorada.  La Rana is a neighborhood bar, but because of its wide variety of beers and pub-like appearance, it attracts a lot of foreigners and young Panamanian professionals.  

Not only do they have a wide selection of foreign beers, but they're reasonably priced!  This, my friends, is truly rare for Panama.  I tried their house-made beer called, (conveniently) La Rana Dorada Ale Ingles.  It was delicious!!  Slight hop, neither sweet nor bitter, and refreshing enough to drink on any hot day in Panama.  I might compare it to lighter version of Saint Arnold's Amber Ale.  AND it's only $3.50. 

Congrats, La Rana Dorada, you have found yet another enthusiastic patron. 

El Chorrillo, Panama

A diablo rojo passing through El Chorrillo 

El Chorrillo (where Annie and I ate lunch one afternoon) is one of the poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods in Panama.  The houses are in meager condition or abandoned, and there is a large number of homeless people that aimlessly walk the streets.  Over the past thirty years, it has struggled with gangs, drug trafficking, and high levels of violence. 

The former dictator of Panama, Manuel Noriega, kept his military headquarters in El Chorrillo.  Before becoming the military dictator, Noriega worked for the CIA as an informant on drug trafficking in Panama.  However, Noriega was secretly building a relationship with the infamous Medellin Cartel in Colombia and laundering drug money under the protection of the CIA.  He was responsible for numerous disappearances, widespread government corruption, and economic strife in Panama.

According to several accounts, the U.S. bombed El Chorrillo in an effort to capture Noriega after one of his men killed an unarmed U.S. Marine.  There is a record of over 442 bombings during the night of the invasion, and somewhere between 400 and 2,000 people dead.  The records of the attack are not very clear due to the government's efforts to diminish the severity of the event. 

Because of the bombings, thousands of people were misplaced or forced to rebuild their homes.  It seems as though El Chorrillo never fully recovered since the attacks in 1989.

As a side note, Noriega served 17 years of prison in the U.S. for drug trafficking, racketeering, and money laundering (Wikipedia.org). He was then transferred to a prison in Paris. Panama has currently requested his extradition to Panama to serve the remainder of his incarceration. 

The music of the Rastas plus photos

Apache Ness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QI8Qw0Vy7DI

Karims: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6VyW2ZpS5s

Rasta Nini: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx7p6iEkb2o

Punisher, Demolition, and I

Demolition, Annie, and Ness

See above

Continued: Rastas and Mentoring

Did you know that 6 out of 10 children in Panama do not have a positive way to spend their free time?


That 47% of Panamanian children think they live in a family without values?


and that 6 out of 10 children feel threatened in their community??


Alcance Positivo, a program of USAID, is working to change these statistics with a system called, El poder de 5, or "The Power of 5".  The Power of 5 involves (you guessed it) 5 action points:

1) I have a life plan

2) I have a mentor and will be an agent of change in my community

3) I use my free-time constructively 

4) I'm committed to my education 

5) I make healthy decisions 

To reach out to the at-risk youth in several communities in Panama, Alcance Positivo is enlisting the help of a group of Panamanian Rastafarian Artists.  Most were musicians, but there were also fashion designers, visual artists, and dancers at the workshop. 

Brainstorming their message

The group of Rasta musicians will make a jingle containing a positive message for the kids in their community. This Link is an example of a jingle USAID Guatemala's youth organization made.  The main singer is a famous rock artist in Guatemala. 

Alcance Positivo invited Voces Vitales Panama to attend the first of several workshops that aim to guide the Rasta artists in developing a message of encouragement for the youth of their community to adhere to the Poder de 5.  As one of the 5 presenters, Annie Vial (my supervisor) gave a short presentation on what it takes to be a great mentor, and everyone loved it.  We got a lot of positive feedback from them, like "raresa!" and "bien chévere!"  Both are slang for 'totally awesome'...more or less. 

Annie speaking about the power of mentoring

The Rastas were fun-loving, and obviously their favorite musician was Bob Marley, but they were also very dedicated to the Program's mission.  Most struggled through painful childhoods in dangerous neighborhoods themselves, and felt passionately about helping the youth of today.  They were eager to develop a plan to encourage their community's young people to stay in school and pursue activities that keep them out of trouble and "thinking positively" in the Rasta way. 

The guys listening attentively to Annie's presentation

I spoke to some of the artists about the importance of the program.  All agreed that when young men and women don't have their minds and bodies occupied, they get involved in things like drugs, gangs, and unwanted pregnancies.  The guys also spoke to me about how important music is as a medium to deliver this positive message.  "Music is the only way to reach out to young people today," one of them said. 

Karims (his artistic name) sharing his thoughts with the group about El Poder de 5 

Eduardo Brown, aka Apache Ness, sharing with the group

After the workshop's close, the artists were challenged to begin writing their message of hope and encouragement.  I could sense that this was no easy task for them, as many struggled to find the right words.  However, the Rasta tenets of love, positivism, and unity are likely to be very suitable messages for the troubled youth of Panama, and I look forward to hearing about their successes in the future.

Rastanini giving his last words of wisdom to the group.
Rastanini is also a reggae producer in Panama. 

Sneak Peak: Rastas and Mentoring

With Alcance Positivo

Just got back from a loooong day in Colon, where Annie and I met about 20 Rastafarian artists.  More to come tomorrow!

Meal of the Week

Technically, this was a meal from last week, but I have to include it. 


A potential mentee for VVPA's Mentoring Program runs a small restaurant in El Chorrillo.  El Chorrillo is one of the poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods in Panama, but it has a very interesting history.  More to come on El Chorrillo later. 

The chef is Dadsenia, and she and her sister work together serving comida criolla ("creole food" in English) to the people of El Chorrillo.  Creole food in Panama has many different influences, but it's mostly Caribbean.  Her kitchen is pretty tiny, but it grills, fries, and boils, tons of meals every day.  If you want to enjoy her tasty cuisine, you MUST call early and reserve a meal, or you'll be out of luck; the ladies usually run out of food by 12:00PM! 

Annie and I (not quite ready for the photo!) chowing down 

Annie (my supervisor) and I both ordered rice cooked in coconut milk with guandu (which is similar to a lentil) and pork cooked in Caribbean spices.  The rice was creamy and slightly sweet, which complimented the salty guandu perfectly.  The pork was fatty (as all good pork is), but the Caribbean marinade was divine!! Spicy, with a hint of red curry...rico. 

I highly recommend this restaurant, but I'd also advise you to go accompanied by a Panamanian!  El Chorrillo is not for the inexperienced traveler. 

Buen Provecho!