Fires and Tsunamis and ... bears? Oh my!

Last week it was a massive fire on the hillside nearby.

Tonight (Tuesday), it was an earthquake in Chile and a subsequent tsunami warning for Panama, as well as for the Pacific coast of South America.

I found out about it when an email came around from the Fulbright folks and the State Department, asking that we urgently get back to them with our location.

I must admit, it derailed me.  I had been working on the slides for tomorrow's class when I got the email and immediately went information seeking online and on Twitter.  I couldn't find much online aside from a rather sketchy announcement of where the Warning zone was.

I talked with David who was wonderful and who pointed out that I was up a bit of a hill.  Which is true, but I couldn't get those images of Fukishima out of my mind.

But shortly after this, I found out that the Warning for Panama had been downgraded to a Watch.

Whew!  Dodged another bullet!

Post-its for a whole day? Really!

The object of my desire

Just when you think it's going to be easy, it isn't.

So I learned yet again today (Monday).  "All" I wanted was a large stack of post-it notes for us to use when we do the analysis after our class does ethnographic visits.  Plus for Elba and me to use as we do our design exercise for the HCD course being given by Acumen+/IDEO.

Oh, and brightly colored ones please.

That doesn't seem like such a tall order - especially since I have a lovely stack on my desk that I brought with me from California when I came down.

But apparently, it was.

First I went to Amazon.  Post-it's, yes.  And even some lovely colors but not many and not the ones I wanted - just like the ones I have on my desk.

Finally, I gave up and tried Office Max.

No dice.

Office Depot?  Nope, not them either.

Yes, there were post-its but not the ones I want.

I wracked my brain to figure out where I got my stack from and came up with a blank.  So much was happening right before I left that I just couldn't recall.

Drat!

I decided to "look away from the path" and do something else, hoping that my brain would kick in with the right answer if I just waited long enough.

It got to be 2 pm.  3 pm. 4 pm.

And then... Eureka!  It was Staples!  I went to the Staples.com website.  Sure enough, there they were.  But, since I was on the Computer Engineering department network, I couldn't access my VPN.  And therefore, Staples "thought" I was in, well, Latin America.  Because I am, physically, but it will be ordered using a US credit card and sent to a US address.  So I am and I'm not.

Curses, foiled again!

So tonight, I carefully logged in to my VPN and - voila! I was able to order just what I wanted.  They should come to our neighbor and then David can unwrap them and bring them along to CHI.

He may not be so thrilled but I'm going to be!

Sunday's portrait: Minnesota Nice (PPPP#2)

Gerry and Grace

Today's portrait is of Gerry and Grace, the membership folks at Balboa Union Church.  Turns out they are from - you guessed it - Minnesota!  No wonder they were so incredibly nice!

I met them at church, where I immediately noticed Grace's fabulous bead bracelets!  And then, she mentioned they were from Minnesota - and, well, that totally clinched it - I knew I had to get to know her better.  And her husband.  Gerry is tall and handsome with twinkling eyes and a wonderful smile. The two of them are so Minnesota Nice - in the very best way (that term is sometimes used in a derogatory manner - not so here!)  We talked at lunch, and then they volunteered to bring me back home - quite a distance from downtown!

We stopped at a grocery store I've been told I HAVE to go to - Riba Smith - and it's as great as folks have said it is (though, truth be told, I didn't really explore because I needed to be back home to meet Karla, my Fulbright "handler" and co-teacher of the HCI course at UTP to discuss the course)  I will definitely have to return for a more leisurely explore!

Then, the funniest coincidence of all:  They lived in the adjacent building when they originally moved here a couple of years ago!  They were waiting for their furniture to arrive and needed a furnished place for a couple of months so they rented in Torre - or Tower - 200 (I'm in Torre 300) in Green Park!  Is this a small world or is it a tiny one?!

I'm looking forward to getting to know them - and a number of other fascinating BUC folks - and know their presence in my life will make it even richer!

See?  Another Sunday blessing!

Sunday Blessings: Balboa Union Church

Today, I set off just after 9 am to head to the Balboa Union Church.  The guard called a cab - after yesterday's "adventure" I had no desire for a repeat, plus on Sunday, there is very little traffic and almost no cab traffic on Via Condado del Rey (my street)  So it was an un-eventful and pleasant trip through town to Balboa where the Balboa Union Church is.  I had chosen this church after much web surfing at home because it was the only English-speaking church in Panama City that is not evangelical and fundamentalist.  For me, that made it a better fit.  I also really liked their motto:
"Unity in Essentials; Liberty in Non-essentials; Charity in all things."  If that intrigues you, you can find out more at their website (where I first found them):  http://www.balboaunionchurch.org/index.php

Upon arriving, I was greeted by Martha M - a wonderfully extroverted and inviting woman who swept me in to meet others who were gathering for the service.  The building is quite large, but the congregation itself numbers only around 20ish.  I got to meet most of them and they were wonderfully welcoming.  I felt right at home, despite the small size.

The chancel is quite lovely and the pianist played on a Steinway grand!  It was a really nice service - and the sermon was extremely insightful and interesting.  I had never seen the opening chapters of Genesis quite this way before, and it got me thinking in the best of ways.  We sang a number of hymns that were familiar - and some that were not.  All in all, a very nice worship experience.

But the best part came afterwards.  One couple was moving back up to Canada for the northern summer, so a significant number of the congregation went to lunch to bid them adieu.  They took me right along with them and made me feel completely at ease and accepted.  It was a very, very nice way to get to hang out with them and to get to know them better.

Needless to say, I plan to "see them in church" come this Sunday!

Adventuring on Saturday

Saturdays are a good time to catch up on things - like laundry and cleaning - but they are also a good time to go on an adventure.

Some Saturday Adventures are planned.  Others are not.  Today's was in the latter category.

After doing enough around the apartment to feel justified in it, I left to go to the El Dorado Mall again because on Friday night, I had made a very significant swath in the beads I got there when Aris took me there.  I was totally engaged and had a fabulous time doing so - but this did mean that I needed to buy a few more beads.

So, as always, I walked up to the entrance to the apartment complex and waited for a cab to come by.

And waited.

And waited.

Oh sure, some cabs did come by, but all were full or unwilling to stop.  Finally, one honked (the sign for "do you want me?") and pulled over.  Although I knew it was too much, I agreed to pay him $5.00 (it should have been $2.00)  I asked him not to pick up anyone else in slow, but clear Spanish.

Which he did.  Now, this isn't an altogether strange thing here - although I try not to share cabs - so I was annoyed, but not alarmed.

But where he veered off of Tumbla Muerte (a not-so-nice nick name for one of the main thoroughfares - the "Muerte" part means "Death" which is the likely outcome of trying to cross it unless traffic is stopped), that changed.  All of a sudden, we were careening down streets, turning quickly at corners, barely avoiding kids and others in the street, and lurching up hills.  Each hill was a challenge - his car seemed to be on its last legs and died frequently.  His brakes were practically non-existent and when he pulled all the way up on his emergency brake, it did just about nothing.  With each "sleeping policeman" (traffic calming "hump"), the bottom hit regardless of how slowly he went (thought, truth be told, that was never all that slowly) as we bounced over.  But, as bad as the condition of his car was (WHY didn't I see this before?!), it was where we were that had me freaked out.  We were twisting and turning through what looked like a rather less-than-great part of town, and each turn took us further from where we were supposed to be going.

The cab driver went up one street, then turned around and headed down to another, then repeated the sequence in another street.  I had read about how hard it can be to find addresses and this seemed to be a case of that.  But the cab driver and the other passenger talked and then seemed to quarrel.  Or so it seemed to me.

I got scared.

I texted Elba - thinking that, at the very least, there would be a record of where I was if I went missing.  I also took photos - though I didn't send them, not thinking that they would be of very little value if they were only on my phone since, presumably, my phone would be on my person should I go missing.

Finally he found the right address and left off the other passenger.  We headed for more main roads.  I asked him to tell me where we were.  I punched these into text messages to Elba.  Finally, it seemed like we were on the right road, when he picked up two more people!  I would have gotten out be we were in the middle of the Parque Metropolitano where there were no other people around.

At last we got to the Mall.

But not the El Dorado Mall like I had asked.  Rather, the Albrook Mall.  Quite a distance away.  I considered just getting out and not paying him but worried that he'd come after me, so I insisted we go to El Dorado.  He argued that I had said "Albrook Mall" but I stubbornly insisted that I had said "El Dorado Mall" from the beginning - because I had.

Grudgingly, he turned out of the Mall and drove back up into the city, hellbent for leather.  I was being thrown around in the backseat (no seat belts of course) but I almost didn't care - I just wanted to get out of that cab.  At El Dorado Mall.

Elba called having seen my panicked texts - herself sounding quite stressed at the prospect of an American from UTP being kidnapped or worse.  By this time, we were already getting closer and when she asked what stores were around, she told me we were very nearby.  Whew!  We pulled up to the front of the Rey supermarket and I bolted for the inside, drenched with sweat only a small part of which was due to the heat (and it was HOT!)

The rest of the visit to the Mall was completely uneventful, as was my return home.  This time, the driver also picked up a passenger, but she was a trilingual Spanish-English-French speaker who apologized for flagging him (there had been no other cabs - which I completely believe) and then explained to the cab driver what I had been just trying to say.

So, all's well that ends well and it sure makes a good story from THIS side, but I really don't want to be in the back of that guy's cab ever again.

Ever.

Friday's Portrait: Aris (PPPP #1)

I am meeting and getting to know a deliciously wonderful panoply of people here in Panama (hey, that's PPP!) that I want to share portraits of some of them with you (that's PPPP!)

Today, meet Aris.

Aris has the office directly across from me, and as a result, she has had the "privilege" (ahem) to teaching me the ropes.

And one thing that she has taught me is how giving Panamanians are.  Despite being incredibly busy at work AND at home (where she has 6 yr old twin boys!), she has offered to take me places - on Friday it was to the El Dorado Mall.  And not only did we find the shops, but she also stood in line with me at the Post Office and bought stamps for me.  Thanks to her, 20 postcards and three letters will be winging their way to the US.

She also showed me the best place to get a smoothie or even just a juice.  Yum yum yum!

Last week, it was to go down to Avenida B where the inexpensive bead stores are (since I was low on beads for projects).

And that's not all.  She has invited me to come across the hall to share lunch and to share conversation in English (she is a Fulbrighter who studied in Syracuse, NY - talk about a different climate!) And she invited me to join her and her students as they head to Veraguas, where they are installing an antenna and school networks next Friday.  She even offered to pick me up at my apartment at 4:45 AM (!) so I could get to the bus that leaves at 5 am!

She has made me feel so at home and welcomed.

So THANK YOU, Aris!  You have shown me how incredibly lucky I am to be here.  Both here in Panama and here at UTP.  And in this department and on this hallway.

Fire in the Belly, Fire on the Hill

It's been a day for fire.

It started this morning (8 am!) when I met with the Dean, and two English-translating people, Victor and Doris, about the redesign of the university's website.  Nicolas asked me to describe the process we might use - and I immediately launched into a description of human-centered design (a review for him) and how we might do it.  AND how we might involve the Masters students in the process - helping them to learn AND getting the job done well.  He's excited about this as am I!

Doris and I spent the morning planning (or should I say plotting?) We mapped out the early steps in some detail - more to be done next week.  I need to confirm this with Karla of course, but overall, I think it's going to be great.  PLUS Nicolas agreed that we could use one of the walls in the main hallway for the data analysis phase.  The tentative plan is to do a visit study and collect field data.  Then, we'll do the analysis.  We're going to do affinity diagramming followed by paper prototyping, usability evaluations and, of course, additional iterations as needed (expected).  You know me - I love colors - so we'll use many colors of sticky notes and by doing it in the hallway, the rest of the faculty will be able to see how it looks.  The colors are natural attractants.

I'm floating about 10 ft above the ground!  I'm so happy to get to work with Doris and Elba and the other Masters students - and I'm thrilled that I can help them with this task.

Elba had classes today but we had planned to grab a bite to eat together after work, so we left kind of late.  As we left the building we smelled smoke, and as we drove through the gates of the university, we saw dense smoke up on the hills.  Then, much to our horror, we saw that there were huge flames leaping into the air.  I thought at first that it was my apartment building but luckily for me it was not.  But the flames were huge and the smoke was billowing, filling the valley in an almost surreal way.  There was a traffic jam that we thought might be related to it and at that point, Elba wondered aloud if perhaps they were evacuating a nearby area - the homes behind the Super99 market.  Way too close for comfort!  Mentally I started an evacuation checklist.

By the time we got to the pizza place, though, the flames seemed to have been tamed at least a little, and not only were the other diners seemingly unconcerned, so also the TV, which was on, did not have any breaking news updates.

So we relaxed, ordered and ate a delicious pizza.

Then Elba left me at my apartment.  As soon as I got upstairs, I had another look and now, the fires appeared to be building again.  One seemed to be leaping up to the top of the ridge, while another had cloned itself, and the two fires were blazing adjacent to each other.

So there I was:  An American with very limited Spanish on the 18th floor wondering what I should do.  And being very scared.

However, the Girl Scout in me thought "Be Prepared" so I put my essential meds into a bag, and packed up the contents of the safe (passport mainly), packed up my briefcase (while charging phone and computer) and I decided to keep checking on the fires.  I checked frequently for about several more hours as the fires morphed and ran and damped down only to rise up again in an adjacent spot.  I decided that if the fires got close to the homes across the way, I would go downstairs with my "bail bags" - but then what?  I have no car nor do I have any place I can go, except perhaps the University - but surely the doors to our building would be locked.  And it's not very far away either, so surely it, too, would be at risk in such a conflagration.  I considered calling the Embassy, but realized that they are in Clayton, far away from where I am, and, unless there was something broadcast by the fire department, they were unlikely to have any more information.  I also considered going to the Embassy if the fire advanced and I had to leave, but again, wondered how I would get there, assuming that all the taxis would be full.

It was tense.  And scary!

Luckily, there was a happy ending for me anyway.  Over the course of many hours, the flames finally were quenched and have stayed quenched for the past hour, so I feel comfortable going to bed.  At last!

However this experience made me realize that I need to have a plan in the unlikely event that something like this happens again.  I looked up the number for the Duty Officer at the Embassy and will definitely call them should anything similar happen - and I need to figure out what I can do to get to safety.  I recalled being in Cape Town during the xenophobic riots in 2008 when we were doing an ethnographic study in both the Townships, Khayelitsha and Mitchell's Plain, and in the rural Transkei.    We were told to shelter in place - but the violence was far from our hotel and, although we had to cancel our final visits in Khayelitsha that weekend, we were pretty much fine.  It also made me realize how incredibly lucky I have been not to have to face this kind of violence - of people or of nature - with any frequency.

So now, dear friends, your exhausted chronicler is heading to bed.  I expect I'll be asleep almost before this posts.

And tomorrow, I'll post some photos.

And now, adieu until tomorrow (or rather, later today)