Hola Amigos! // Hi Friends!

Our last week in San Juan started out with a definite bang. While I was curled up in bed with a 102 degree fever, wishing I were snug at home with chicken soup and my momma, the rest of the crew cracked down on the finishing touches to the garden. This involved painting the rest of the herb signs, laying down gravel to create pathways through the garden, putting up the remaining few yards of fence and planting three more tablones of medicinal herbs. No rest for the weary! Luckily after a day of sleep, many cups of herbal tea and good wishes, my fever broke and I was back in the garden to see things through.

What amounted of our sweat and calloused hands was actually quite phenomenal. What started out as a trash ridden, fairly forgotten about piece of land was transformed into a completely live medicinal herb garden. The women weavers of the San Juan cooperative now have an abundance of herbs that can be used to make teas, tinctures, shampoos, and other holistic remedies. Seeing firsthand how difficult and expensive accessing proper healthcare can be in primitive areas taught us to truly appreciate and dedicate ourselves to the garden. The value of sustainability blossoms in such a renewable resource. We knew that although our time in San Juan was coming to a close, the women were going to ensure the garden lived on.

On Thursday we gathered in Vicenta’s garden one final time for English lessons. We had decided that a review of all the topics we covered in the form of a gigantic game of jeopardy would be a great way to end. The kids broke into two teams and were able to select questions from different categories such as weather, emotions, clothes, colors, animals and more. Although we still heard a few calls for the “keen-fay” (how the kids pronounced knife) our spirits were lifted as we saw just how much the kids had learned, and remembered. Our closing lesson was immensely gratifying for us and we were sad to see the kids pick up their backpacks and walk out the door.

We took the weekend to enjoy time with the families and the community that served as our hospitable home for the past 4 weeks. All the interns (except me, yes I realize this makes me a little perezoso), woke at the early hour of 4am to hike up the San Pedro Volcano. The top reached an elevation of nearly 10,000 feet; it was concluded that the trek was well worth the sore muscles the following day. While the interns escalated to new heights, I took the time to help out in my family’s tortillera one more time. Sadly, I cannot say I redeemed myself as my tortillas were far below retail worthy. However, it was an honor that Cecilia, my host mother and her sister’s even let me near the maíz.

On Monday morning it was time to say goodbye. We leave San Juan just as the community’s festivities are heating up. Their annual fair that brings ferris wheels, trampolines, merry-go-rounds, music and fun, starts a week after our departure. Yes, we are bummed we’re missing it. Cecilia prepared spaghetti for breakfast, the woman knows me so well, and after a teary-eyed, elongated look of my house in San Juan, we headed to the boat dock. All of our families accompanied us to say farewell. We must have been a sight, carrying our overstuffed suitcases, half of us already sobbing. Throughout our time in San Juan we have grown to adore the families that cared for us. It was an awful thought that we were leaving them at last. About 100 photos and 1,000 tears later we boarded the lancha and said a final adieu to San Juan and those we loved.

We spend our last week in Pana. Stay posted for our upcoming video that will showcase our work in the garden, our time in San Juan, and the interviews we collected along the way documenting the amazing work of our families.

Thanks for reading! See you soon, U.S.A!

Sincerely,

Julianna Xiabai Goldring