I am here on the main island called Colon, of the Bocas del Toro archipelago. Christopher Colombus came to these islands and he actually named them. "Colon" in Spanish means "Colombus."
Yesterday we went to the indigenous community called Ngobe-Bugle. Wow! It was awkward at first because we stared at them just as much as they stared at us. After receiving an informal lecture from the leaders, which I translated, we listened to the kindergardeners sing some songs and then we sang some kids songs for them. Then we all played cat-and-mouse with the children. The best ice-breakers in most activities are the kids. We then were able to walk around the community and see where and how the people live. That small community only has 516 people and their greatest worry regards the future of their children. There are so many kids and there is not enough land to sustain their needs, (just like anywhere else in the world). When we left, all of the children ran to our sides to hug us and walk hand-in-hand to our boat. It was an amazing day because we formed friendships quickly and learned from each other.
Today we had a lecture from an Afro-Caribbean lawyer that is a descenant of one of the founding families on the island. We learned about Afro-Caribbean history and culture, which is extremely unique in the Bocas del Toro region due to their mixing with other races of people. After our lecture, an Afro-Caribbean children´s group danced for us and it was so beautiful to see youth with very very black skin dressed in white cloth moving to traditional calypso music.
Oh, and yesterday morning we hiked to the other side of the Bastimentos Island and swam in a totally secluded beach paradise.
We return to Costa Rica on Tuesday and I will write when we get back. Tomorrow we are going snorkeling.
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