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!