A hug from dad has never felt so great!! Papa Scho came to
visit last week and boy did we have a blast?!!! I kept him busy, showing him
all the sites, stuffing him with the best food, and throwing him into Spanish
conversations with the locals from the minute he arrived till the morning he
left. It was go go go, poor guy was pooped! He was here for the first week of
Futbol Club at AMA! 20 something kids, grades 2-12 gathered at the town dirt
field for a mad scrimmage. My friend and co-teacher, Emily (who started the
club) had initially thought we would do some kind of drills or organized
practice but once she split the teams, the kids took it from there. We played
hard, for an hour, in the scorching heat of the afternoon! It was a blast
seeing my kids outside of a school setting. I had to demand their attention but
for reasons other than “we are here to learn, I need eyes on me.” This time it
was “HEY!!! LOOK AT ME I’M OPEN!!!!”
Dad, Emily and the AMA futbol club!
I remember being in elementary school and being certain that
my teachers lived at school, were only friends with the other teachers, and
only ate goldfish, carrots, celery or whatever our the school’s fridge was
stocked with. The idea of them having a life, family and passions outside of
school was unfathomable! Well guess what kids, I have a dad, a house, and can
run around a soccer field…and that’s just my life in Pana…let alone the whole
life I’ve left in a country so far and foreign to them. They really loved
meeting Dad. It made it real, and they just kept staring at us, saying things
like “Is he really your Dad?” “But he has a beard…” “You kind of look the same
I guess.” Dad was a hit at school…I mean what kid doesn’t love the happy, smily
guy that comes equipped with a brand new soccer ball, flies airplanes in lands
they haven’t even heard of, seen wild animals that they’ve only read about in
books, and will play soccer with anyone, anywhere, at any time! Ya, let’s just
say, I had 3 kids almost in tears in my classroom on Tuesday….”you mean, he
really left, and he’s not coming back tomorrow?”
Community helper guest speaker: Pilot Mark!
Having him here made me prioritize all the adventures I’ve
been putting off, like climbing the Volcano across that lake that taunts me
every morning when I see it! Ya…that’s right, Saturday morning we caught a boat
at 6 am, and climbed one of the 3 dormant volcanoes surrounding the lake, San
Pedro. We were in such good company, with Emily, Jason (fellow AMA teachers) and our two trusty guides, Kpu and Juan. San Pedro stands at 9,908 feet, and can be seen from any angle of the
lake. We hiked through the most lush forestry, volcanic soil, complete with
avocado and veggie picking, coffee plant sprouting, and Tarzan vine swinging
all along the way. It took us 3.5 hours to reach the summit, where we ate our
PB&J lunches and soaked up the elevation we had gained. We really were on
the top of the world! In just the hour we were up there, the clouds rolled in and
out three times, each time revealing new frames of Pana and the lake below.
A view of San Pedro before we boarded the boat
father-daughter moment
a moment of reconsideration...possibly?
The dream team!
Emily and pop, all smiles boarding the boat
Our trusty guide Kpu
A Tarzan swing is always good for the soul!
Feeling on top of the world!
The crew! (me, Juan, Dad, Emily, Kpu and Jason)
Shining his light!
Sunday morning, we ventured down to the lake for a lesson
reading and father-daughter bonding session. We spent the rest of the day
resting and just strolling the main street. Monday Papa Scho guest spoke in a
few of the classes, showing pictures of his planes, Alaskan adventures, wildlife
encounters, and discussing his impact as a community helper. He truly was a
great asset to our school for the week and man was it awesome having his energy
and sense of adventure here!
The dance teacher at AMA runs the dance studio in town and
asked me to be a guest performer for their production today. UMMM an
opportunity to dance?!! Of course!!! She then informed me that we are
performing on the main street of Pana….so yes, this afternoon I will be the
token Gringa (white girl) doing a little hip hop gig solo on the main streets
of Pana. In the words of LeAnn Rimes, “When you get the choice to sit it out or
dance, I hope you dance….” Well folks, I’m dancing! I will post pics and a
performance review soon. Much love to you all. Thanks again for following
along!
**HUGE SHOUT OUT to Mama Scho who sent my dad with treats on treats and school supplies galore! My students are so excited about the new prizes, globe ball and squishy creatures. I am excited about the fresh pairs of jeans, and chocolate covered pretzels! Thank you so much. I love you and sent many hugs home with pop.
