I fell off...

The wagon, the pony, the face of the earth....in other words, I admit I have certainly fallen bank into my bad habit.  But hey, at least it's only been a month this time! 

With Easter, I celebrated one month in site.  It's incredible how fast it's going, and how much I still feel like I have left to learn.  I have most certainly stayed busy. I go to school five days a week, sometimes in both the morning and afternoon sessions.  A quick explanation: school in Panama is divided into two schedules, morning and afternoon.  The morning session is from 7 AM-12:30 PM, and the afternoon goes from 12:40-6 PM.  In my school, the morning schedule is for 7th, 8th, and 9th grade, and the afternoon for 10th through 12th.  In an effort to get to know as much as I can about my teachers and their classes, I have crafted a heavy schedule, but I don't mind.  I spend my weekends hanging out in town, reading, or visiting counterparts from nearby places like Las Tablas.  The rest of my free time is spent enjoying the fruits that are readily and freely available around here, which has lately been mango.  MMMmmmm.

Easter in Latin America is known as Semana Santa, or Holy Week, and always includes vacation time.  We had Thursday and Friday off last week.  People often take advantage of the time to visit family and head away from home to the beach or the mountains.  Wherever you are, though, nightly processions and masses are a daily part of life, starting on the Saturday night before Palm Sunday.  Some masses and processions last until midnight or 1 AM.  At any hour, time slows down when processions pass by the house, and even if people aren't in the procession, they stop what they are doing and stand up to watch out of respect.

One of my favorite processions of the week was Palm Sunday, as it was just too ridiculously cute to not like.  An altar of Jesus is led into town atop a donkey, and little kids, girls dressed up in their Easter dresses and boys dressed as apostles, wait for his arrival.  Upon arriving, girls throw flowers in front of the donkey, and the boys, part of whose costumes include a little cape, take their capes off and lay them in front of the donkey as he walks through town.  Other processions include a men's only procession on the Thursday before Easter (commemorating the the apostles accompanying Jesus to the cross), and an incredibly reverent, silent, women's procession on Saturday night, as women accompany Mary to the tomb. 

Semana Santa reinforced the fact that here, religion is a constant part of life.  A morning prayer is included in our Monday national anthem assemblies, national television stations broadcast religious programs during Holy Week, and everyone knows what do to upon hearing certain phrases or prayers.   There's really no pressure for me to do anything, and luckily most people are eager to share and patient with me in my curiousity.  

More to come on fruits, festivals, and my new favorite baseball team.