So I went to church...

Padre talking to a family

... and I'm so glad I did.  I have had a hard time getting used to my family's new church so I haven't gone at all recently, but I really enjoyed this one!  I grew up in a Congregational church, and although this was a Catholic mass it had tons of lively music with guitars, tambourines, and drums, and we only had to kneel once :).  The padre is the man who owns the "compound" where we are staying in San Felix, but this was my first time meeting him.  He only speaks Spanish, but he was a really sweet guy and made a point of welcoming us during his sermon.  The other thing I loved about this church, and really about many buildings in Central America, was that they leave the doors and windows wide open so you are constantly surrounded by fresh air.  The sun was shining, the fans were going, it was really very pleasant.

            After church we went back to the compound for lunch and then some of the group went to Las Lajas (a beach nearby) and some of us stayed behind to try to catch up on school work.  This was the first time in two weeks that we weren't ALL together, so having some peace and quite was soooo nice!  I have to say, this trip has been incredible and I have learned a ton about the people here and my classmates, but more than anything it has made me realize how much I value spending time alone.  With 22 people living, working, eating, and sleeping together finding any time or space to be by yourself is nearly impossible.
               
               At dinner later that night we were hoping to get to have a movie night (a bunch of girls brought DVDs with them and there is a TV and player in one of the rooms), but that idea was squashed by a last minute meeting to discuss assignments.  Most of us are taking three classes this summer, and the one we are in Panama for seems to have new work added left and right (i.e. tallies of what we do in the clinics each day, having to translate our projects into Spanish instead of being able to deliver them in English, group papers, etc.).  However, I was able to catch my family and Nick on Skype that night which totally made my day :).  As I said before, I have really enjoyed the experiences I have had in Costa Rica and here in Panama, but I think I'm ready to head home.

The church