Oregon State University Student-Athletes Embrace Culture and Life in Embera Puru, Panama!
The arrival of the students from Oregon State University to my community has been what I have been waiting for the most, to share and start the construction of the field in my community, now after we have finished my excitement is great because I can see the children and young people from the community play with great joy and that fills my heart with satisfaction to see my people happy and with myself, I feel that I have fulfilled one of my goals and done a great job.
I am very grateful and also a little nostalgic to know that the day to say goodbye has arrived thanks to the Courts for Kids Organization for giving us the opportunity to apply this project that is very beneficial in our humble community. ~Yeviletzi Chavari, community member
Holy moly. My bucket is so so full. This feeling is what I imagine it’s like when reading that one book when we were younger, teaching us to fill others’ buckets up in order to fill our own; except, now, there is no space left in me for the amount of lessons, life shared, and love given from this small community in Panama. Never in my life did I think that so much love could be shared through relationships and a cement court for sports.
When we began our 24 hour travel day on June 18th to Panama, we had no idea how much of a ride this week would be. After landing in Panama City, giving our phones away, and taking our 6 hour bus ride to Embera Puru, we were welcomed by a small group of women and kids displaying traditional dances and songs from their culture. We spent the rest of the night unpacking and setting up our living area in the local school which was only a short walk ( literally 30 seconds ) to the location of the court behind the only store in town.
The food was wonderful. We received made-from-scratch meals for all three meals of the day, for every day we were in Embera Puru. The women were absolutely wonderful, treating us as their own. Some of our delicious meals consisted of fried chicken for breakfast, this local specialty of chorizo bites and elephant ears, called chorizo y hojaldras, tons of rice and beans with different meats, and so much more. I don’t know how many times we asked Juan Carlos, our Courts for Kids supervisor, if we could get the recipe for the fried chicken, it was that good!
Day 1 of work in the town of Embera Puru was on Tuesday, the 20th of June. We ended up working 8am-5pm days with a lunch break from Tuesday to Friday for the week. The work was spent filling in the court with dirt, packing it down, creating the cement with rocks, water, sand and cement packs, pouring the cement, and smoothing it all out. Some of our favorite phrases from this week were all created by El Campion, the work horse and leader of our project. They all come in segments of three, like “Agua, Agua, Agua” or “Vamos, Vamos, Vamos.” Each day ended with time to hang out with the children of the community and explore the area of Embera Puru and surrounding parts. And, we cannot forget the bucket showers between hanging tarps for our nighttime showers.
On our second day in Embera Puru, we took a walk through the city and I was in awe. In awe with how content and happy everyone was from simply existing together. We were gifted with mamones, a type of local fruit, and were able to see and learn about plenty of Panamanian customs. This is the first time I took a breath and realized how lucky I was to be here and be present, something I would continue to do for the rest of the trip.
On Friday, our fourth work day, we ended up working 2 hours past our usual end time to finish the court, and just like the whole week, it was all hands on deck. The feeling we shared when the court finished, El Campion turned off the mixer with a countdown, and the entire community had gathered to cheer for the end, was unlike any experience. As I sat in the mud with all the people from this group, I remember being so present and so unbelievably overwhelmed with the love and pride I felt for this group and the community for what we had all accomplished. We truly have no idea how much this will affect them for years and years to come.
On Saturday, we headed to a local store to invest in some local Panamanian snacks before heading up to a location in another city that El Campion was taking us to. Taking the bus to a middle ground, then finishing the trip with a couple of miles in the bed of a pickup with 7 other people through muddy, rocky terrain, was an amazing experience. We heard and saw monkeys, poisonous frogs, and plenty of chickens. This trip consisted of a hike to local water pools created by lava and a long group swim in a water hole. We also proceeded to cliff jump from rocks around the watering hole, which was an experience within itself. Another grounding moment, was floating on my back in the swimming hole with everyone from our trip there surrounding each other. On our way back, we stopped for Chinese food and more Panamanian snacks before returning to the community. The hoops were up when we got back and a high scoring game of soccer, 13-12, was played in the schoolyard, where my team ended up beating Eli’s in our version of a shootout.
Sunday, our last day in the community was wonderful. We learned new card games with the kids, and showed them some of ours. We all got Jagua, a type of plant based henna that the community draws on themselves to show cultural values throughout the morning as well. Before lunch, we ran a sports clinic which consisted of us teaching the kids our respective sports, like basketball, volleyball, and soccer on the new court. Then the girls got dressed in our new parumas and the boys dressed in their best, to head to the fiesta. It was a celebration of gratitude for all those involved, love for the new court, and expectation for a great future of the community and sports. We danced, played games, and had the opportunity to shop for artisan goods from the locals. This entire day was a moment I was so grateful to experience and be present in. We ended with our final reflection period after dinner, where some tears were shed for the amount of love we have for this community, and we headed to bed for our early morning.
Our last day would be spent driving back to Panama City to explore the city before staying the night in a hostel and flying home the next day.
Embera Puru, thank you for welcoming this group of students and staff with open arms and giving us something to call home these last 9 days. Your hospitality, kindness, and enthusiasm for life were nothing short of inspiring. And, if we take anything from this trip, it’s that by being present and not letting life pass you by can teach you some important lessons, like less is more, and all you really need to be happy is people to share experiences with.
With love,
Ryan White, Student Athlete
I learned that there is so much power in unity and if you want things done, you'll do anything you have to. There are so many obstacles from equipment not working or tools breaking apart, etc, everyone worked together to find a solution no matter what, nobody was going to stop them or us from finishing the court. ~Frankie Hammounde, Student Athlete
My high point from the trip was definitely the celebration to inaugurate the courts. Dancing with everyone in our fancy outfits with the kids and Mario was so energizing and gratifying on the finished court. The market of artisan work afterward was also amazing. ~Kinley Swan, Student Athlete
Very few people get this opportunity, and very few people get to fully connect and understand the impact. Especially the individual and team impact we have all had. This trip not only filled up the buckets of those around us, figuratively and literally, but I know If left all of us with overflowing buckets of love and joy. and that’s where confidence comes from, the feeling by doing these things and serving others, the feeling is all internal. ~Ryan White, Student Athlete
I feel like I grew my life perspective, these people work extremely hard for a lot less than we do. He was very inspiring to see and I will definitely remember the work ethic and attitude going forward. ~Amanda Minni, Student Athlete
The most difficult part of going home is leaving this incredible community and the kids. I just loved getting to know them over these past couple of days, even with a language barrier I was able to grow with them. Their consistent kindness, love, positivity, and just their energy is definitely going to be missed. ~Kristina (Kiki) Peterson, Student Athlete
Some of my favorite memories from the trip were getting to play soccer with the locals the game of soccer is the most widespread sport, played by people of all ages around the globe. I have connected with so many people over the last 18 years playing the sport. It bridges language barriers and brings people together unlike any other. I enjoyed seeing the kids' faces light up and hear their cheers when I would do a move or score a goal. It's just so cool to see how influential the game is globally. ~Emma Deane, Student Athlete
I learned that the world is a lot more similar than we think. Everywhere you go, people still love to laugh, smile, dance, and have a good time. Children love to play, no matter where you go, nobody where you are, and the love for good food is universal. ~Jennifer McMillan, Student Athlete
I learned a lot from the community of Embera Puru, I learned that there is so much more to happiness than money. There's such a strong bond between the people in the community. The kindness that they showed us was immaculate. I learned that I need to focus on only giving in order to receive. ~Dylan Black, Student Athlete
