Blog 2- The Central Plaza of Los Santos

Blog 2: Alicia Francis, Suzanne Prichard and Valerie Englehart

                The central plaza of Los Santos is the heart of the city, it is where there festivals are held and families come together to mingle and connect.  Several cafes line the area around and the park in the middle has one gazebo that is the focus.  Music can be heard at different times of the day, especially on the weekends and any festival, from children playing wind instruments to adults playing percussion and guitars. Political ideals are displayed on signs around the plaza and politicians both nationally and locally come to make sure their campaign is heard. Political offices also touch the square and provide a central sounding board for the members of the city to have their grievances or requests heard.  People from several cities come to Los Santos because on the northern end of the square there is a cathedral that is the largest in the area.  It was built by the Spanish in the early 1700s to awe native Panamanians with the splendor of Catholicism.  Also, there is a huge police station that is the main police station for Los Santos. As for the connection with technology all buildings have electricity and most have air conditioning.  There is free Wi-Fi available in the square for those who have laptops or PDAs and for those who do not there are two internet cafes as well.  All the buildings have connection to local water and sewer supplies. The restaurants and buildings also have inside kitchens with stoves that are either gas or electric. Ventilation works through fans, AC or both and is usually good.  There is minimal trash in the square and on the streets in comparison to Panama City and certain areas of the USA. The trash is collected by a public service every few days. Families come in groups to the square but mostly men of all ages congregate in the city square and gazebo during the weekends and evenings to talk, to play music and to play games.  During the daytime, it is also a hangout for local students after school. The buildings are built of block with stucco, the walls are made of cement or paneling and the roofs are made of zinc. As for insects there are several flies, mosquitos and spiders.  There are also several stray dogs with ticks and fleas that wander the streets. There are no rats in the city that we have observed.  Health education is prominent with posters displayed and flyers available in local restaurants and at the government offices ranging from HIV to HTN to breast feeding.  There are no medical clinics within the square itself. We would improve the square by working with the stray dogs by encouraging the ministry of health to remove stray dogs and cats from within the area.  Also, we would promote garbage cans that lock down so that the dogs cannot get into and it would also help with the fly situation because most garbage cans are open or old oil barrels. We also could encourage the homeowners to have screen doors and screened windows to tackled part of the fly and mosquito situations in the restaurants. Also, we could encourage the use of insect replants such as bug lights, citronella and fly tape for those that get past the screens. One other safety issue is the uneven sidewalks that encourage people to walk in the streets, if they were repaved and conformed to the local square instead of individual buildings it would be beneficial to preventing sprained ankles and decrease the risk of getting hit by a car.

Welcome to Panama Blog 1

Welcome to Panama City

                Excitement and apprehension is what I felt when the plane was taking off for Panama City.  Last time I had been in the country I was in elementary school and from what I remembered it was a country seven years from having the control of the canal returned to them. When I flew over Panama City I saw the new addition of skyscrapers and the stunning contrast of mountains and ocean. I was prepared to witness the growth of the country but the splendor of the city and its modern feel caught me by surprise. We had very little interaction with the local people in the main city but everyone said Buenas when you smiled at them. The old city had the feeling of history and some buildings you could feel the spirit of the past five hundred years seep from them.  The old city is also protesting progress that will take away the UNISCO world heritage status and alter the tourism by taking away from the views and removing some of the historic façade of the area.  There are several alternations currently being undertaken so they are fighting as adamantly as possible for the government to stop focusing on a road and focus on today where litter cleanup is an issue. In the more modern area of Panama City you feel as if you are walking the streets of Miami or another major metropolitan city.  Advertisements for local cultural events clash against posters of youthful activities.  The youth have created a city for themselves and the nightlife is thriving in certain areas.  The city also boasts unique food dishes that can carter to any culinary palate and provides you with refreshing vegetables and fruit mixtures not seen at home.

Welcome to Chitre
                Research of Chitre provided me with a semi-idea of what to expect upon arrival in the city. I knew it was a historic location established in October of 1848 by the Spanish but it also is a surprisingly charming city. It is famous for its beaches that I am looking forward to explore. I also found it has numerous individuals who enjoy talking to you about their culture and would provide you with an open home.  The city has all the necessities of life and helps bring to mind a different way of life that is more peaceful and focused with family values.  We have been here only a few days but already the restaurant we visited on the first night gave us with a breathtaking view and tasty seafood.  The university has provided us with an open location to learn and a view of how democratic the process is for the students and faculty vote for their new university president. The clinic showed me a new insight of medical treatment where services are one dollar each and includes dentists to women’s health to pediatrics’ to general practice.   It is a city that seems to have a lot of secrets to discover and we shall see what adventures I will have during my next blog.