Phyllis Mc

I think that if Chiriqui.life does not want fundraising posts such as these unless they include all the information that Fran asks for that they should not be re-posted here by News Boquete. Perhaps you need to take this up with Admin.This will eliminate all the negativity and innuendo directed toward agencies who have done good work in the community, but did not do such a great job posting an announcement for a fund-raiser. If News Boquete believes a post is suspicious (asking for money which will not be used for the benefit of the community), they certainly have the right to refuse to post the announcement. Bid for Boquete gave $1,500 to this organization and I assume that they did their due diligence and vetted it. This whole interchange makes me very sad indeed.

I don't understand why a fundraising announcement posted on News Boquete should include the agency's complete history because it is re-posted on Chiriqui.life. First of all, it is a fundraiser, not a request for donations. Second; it is an agency that has been around for a several years. Third: if you are suspicious, check it out by all means, but I really do not understand all the negativity. Just because you do not know about a charitable organization who chooses to announce their fund raiser on News Boquete does not mean they need to give a full accounting of who they are and what they do to the readers of Chiriqui.life. Again- the announcement was on News Boquete.

Volunteering. In some ways, it's a tricky business. Just like a paying job, a volunteer needs to balance what they give with what is given back to them. If it isn't a good fit for some reason, then you start making excuses not to go. You're late one day, and then the following week you don't show up at all. What do the experts say about volunteering? I read a bunch of articles and took away four gems. To volunteer, find your passion, your talent, and go from there. The good folks at Amigos de Animales have been working with volunteers for a long time and most people I talk to say good things about them: their mission (spaying and neutering dogs and cats), their commitment (over 10,000 spayed so far and counting) and their attitude toward their volunteers (they think volunteers walk on water.) Alicia McGuigan, the Co-president and Director of Volunteers for Amigos de Animales, told me that her philosophy of providing good volunteer services is to: "Give a person a job that suits them and say Thank you." Ruby McKenzie, one of the founders of Amigos de Animales, noted: "Our volunteers are given options as to where they would like to work and if that is not working, we move them into other areas that might be more appealing. We put new people with people who know what they're doing. We don't let them feel neglected or confused." Sounds like a no brainer, but often agencies are so immersed in what their needs are that they forget about the volunteers who need to meet those needs and what they need. Because when looking at volunteers, you've got your techies/logical/practical types vs. your creative/pull a trick out of the hat types, or your extrovert vs. your introvert." A chatty people-person stuck in a small room using the copy machine is not going to stick around a long time. Find something that fits your talents and your personality. Then as you give, you're giving truly of yourself. Make sure the agency gives you training and then follows up to help you be successful. Alicia said that training is essential for their organization. They offer formal classes and then pair new volunteers with experienced ones so the newbies learn how to do things correctly. For Amigos de Animales, it is especially important because they don't want animals or volunteers getting hurt because they don't know they are doing, but all agencies that use volunteers should offer some sort of an inservice on their mission and how they will use your talents to accomplish it. Every organization has its own culture and value system, as well as its own way of doing things, and without training, there will be problems. I've seen agencies throw volunteers into complete chaos, and then complain when the volunteers contribute to, as oppose to minimize, the bedlam. Speak up, and do so with respect and consideration. "We are all wonderful, beautiful wrecks. That's what connects us--that we're all broken, all beautifully imperfect.” Emilio Estevez There is just no way that you can volunteer, or frankly do anything in life involving other people, without misunderstandings or hurt feelings. Because we're beautiful wrecks. "Everyone has gifts. Everyone has quirks. Our job is to give practical ideas how how to handle tricky situations, " Alicia points out. When someone's quirks, or maybe your own quirks, cause problems for you, speak up. An agency won't know there is a problem if you don't tell them. Keeping your mouth shut just hurts everybody, but most of all it hurts you and those you want to help. If the agency blows you off, that tells you something. But if they address the problem, and the outcome is not what you wanted, know that just because it isn't your solution doesn't mean it isn't a good solution under the circumstances. Just say something. Work with people who appreciate you. "Volunteers come for 4-8 hours," Ruby of Animales told me."They are fed and watered and appreciated for the work they do." This makes sense from a volunteer appreciation perspective and also from a practical viewpoint. No one wants a volunteer with low blood sugar dealing with scared or angry animals. But any agency should provide tangible proof that they appreciate what their volunteers do for them. Because it's not what you say, it's what you do. Animales shows appreciation and respect for their volunteers through a gala every year. They host a big thank you party with food and drink for all. A fuss is made over those lovely volunteers, all who get an "Animal Lover" pin. I know of other agencies who make a big fuss, and it makes a big difference. Parties celebrate us and what we do, and what is more cause to celebrate than humans giving of their time and talents and doing wondrous things with them? It doesn't have to be expensive, it just has to be done with love and thoughtfulness. It just has to say to volunteers: "Damn you're good. And we know it. And we thank you."

Monsanto bullies and intimidates farmers (please read the following links). If their products are so safe, why are they opposed to labeling them? Consumers have a right to choose for themselves based on reliable information about the products they are buying. Even if the science says GMO products are not harmful, (and I'm not convinced) consumers have the right to know what they are buying. I try not to buy GMO products, in part because of the bullying tactics of Monsanto. That is my choice, and the US legislature should not protect Monsanto from labeling their goods. http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2008/05/monsanto200805 http://harringtoninvestments.com/uncategorized/press-release-shareholder-resolution-calls-on-monsanto-to-disclose-financial-risks-from-gmo-products/

Great music, talented singers, yummy food, and delectable drinks. No cover charge. This coming Saturday at la Villa in the Hex room at BCP. You're going to love it. Dr. Rhody's Medicine Show.

Dr. Rhody's Show at La Villa at BCP Hex room is going to be a great time. Singers like Jeanne Brown, Kent McNaughton, McKayla Chase and Bob Moyle will be there, with a huge variety of songs to sing. Lucy will be serving sandwiches, desserts, wine, beer , coffee and fruit drinks. There is no cover charge, and if you want to get up and sing you are most welcome to. It starts at 6:00 PM Saturday, May 28th. There is no cover charge, and this is going to be one hell of a musical experience.

All my critters thank you! I do too.

I wrote a review on it. Check out the blog section.

Wow, regarding all those fer de lances. YIkes. They are so lethal and aggressive. Never have seen one-- thank god. Be careful.

What happened to your neighbor who was bit on the hand by the fer de lance? Did he go to the hospital? If it was a true fer de lance, he would be hospitalized now and lucky to be alive. Are you sure it isn't a false fer de lance, which is non-toxic? From Wikipedia: Bite symptoms include pain, oozing from the puncture wounds, local swelling that may increase for up to 36 hours, bruising that spreads from the bite site, blisters, numbness, mild fever, headache, bleeding from the nose and gums, hemoptysis, gastrointestinal bleeding, hematuria, hypotension, nausea, vomiting, impaired consciousness and tenderness of the spleen. In untreated cases, local necrosis frequently occurs and may require amputation. In 12 fatal cases, the cause of death was sepsis (5), intracranial hemorrhage (3), acute renal failure with hyperkalemia and metabolic acidosis (2) and hemorrhagic shock (1).[16]

I've lived here 13 years, have seen 8 scorpions in the past month, am phobic of them and kill them every chance I get. It depends a lot on where you live, I guess. I freely admit that JudyS is a better person than I am. It is not that they are aggressive, but they get in your bed, bathroom, in dark places, and they are stupid and will crawl on you and when you see them and try to get rid of them they will sting. And it hurts. The more you let them breed, the more you will have them. Grubers is great if you are stung. The Panamanians have a white powder (some sort of culandero) that they ingest as opposed to putting it on the sting that you can get from Any's (sorry, don't remember the name) that really helps also. Most people just feel like they've been burned with a match stick when stung, it lasts an hour or more. Not pleasant, but not terrible either. Baby scorpions are worse than older ones in terms of their venom. If you have a lot of swelling, you have an allergic reaction and need to have some sort of medicine on hand in case you get stung again. If your throat swells, or you have numbness in the lips or tongue like JudyS said, go the the doctor right away.

http://www.ask.com/pets-animals/lavender-repel-scorpions-28979960ad9c2b94 I love the smell of lavender and it really works for me. I buy the lavender essential oils that you can get at the BCP market and I think HArmony shop., and probably Arrocha and Conway in David. I dilute it with water and spray dark places, my clothes, drains and anyplace else scorpions can lurk. Do on a regular basis. You can also call pest control company, but in between times, , I advise filling the sweet smell of lavender in your home . If you can find real lavender plants, let me know. Then you can plant them around the home to keep those nasty critters out.

I think you can usually get it at the Tuesday Market at BCP. That's where I got mine a about a year ago. Other than that not sure- Arrocha?

I use lavender essential oils or you can use the dry plant to repel lots of insects (look it up) including scorpions. I spray it on clothes in shelves to keep moths away. Easy, cheap, and smells good.

As I have said before, Brandy, I will always remember your kindness to me on a personal level a few years ago, and I think what you do for babies is wonderful! Keep on keeping on!

I think that one thing that restaurants might want to consider here in Boquete is that tourist season brings in a lot of customers. Rainy season can be dismal. There are few if any tourists, and restaurants need us full-time residents as customers in order to survive over the long term. Know your market. Courting Juliados can be very important to a restaurant's survival, since if they choose not to go to your restaurant during rainy season, you may very well find yourself empty much of the time. There are many restaurants in town with consistently excellent food and they are all in competition in rainy season. Whether a restaurant is following the letter of the law on the Jubliado discount or not isn't so much the point, as what is the perception of your Jubliado customers who will choose to patronize or not patronize your restaurant as the rains keep coming down for months and there is not a tourist to be found. Just something to consider. It is all about perception.

Volunteers in Boquete I remember as a young child (first or second grade), I got into a fight with a friend. As my mom held and comforted me, she gave me a good piece of advice for life: "You know, honey, if you want your friends to be nice to you, you have to be nice to your friends." Several months ago, I volunteered for a project with an organization, was told repeatedly that I was doing a wonderful job, and then I was fired. Abruptly. No warning. No explanation. No thank you for the work I had done. When I wrote to say how destructive this action had been to me, this organization let me know what they thought of me. Nothing. I was never dignified with a response. When I told others about my experience, I was saddened to learn that although there are some organizations here in Boquete who treat their volunteers like the gods and goddesses they are, many don't. Here are some examples of other volunteers who have had bad experiences. "I kept showing up and they weren't organized so I sat around doing nothing and waited for them to get their stuff together. My time is valuable- but not to them." "I love what they do. But they don't treat their people well. Maybe it's a power thing. They feel like they don't need to be nice since they have a lot of volunteers, so they're not." "They didn't train me and frankly the job they gave me was a bad fit for me. They called me on the carpet and told me I wasn't trying hard enough. I was humiliated." "I told them about a serious problem I was having with another volunteer and they just ignored me." This list could go on and on. But I'll stop here. Do your own experiment. Ask people who have volunteered how they were treated, and I guarantee that in addition to hearing good experiences, you too will get horror stories from hurt/angry folks. It ain't pretty. When we first came to Panama 13 years ago, there really weren't any volunteer agencies except for fund-raising organizations like the 20-30 charity. As Boquete residents saw so many needs in the community, grass roots efforts began to grow. Soon, animals were being neutered and hungry were people being fed. As needs were recognized, volunteer organizations began to grow. I'm amazed and awed by their dedication and service. But I am also really saddened by the stories I hear of how many volunteers are being treated. Some may argue that these volunteers (including me) should have stuck around and tried to make things better. Somebody told me to develop a thicker skin. But if you want to volunteer to make things better in Chiriqui, there are organizations that help the handicapped, give us great jazz and blues, knit baby blankets, provide care for the sick and dying, help stop crime, lead us toward God, sterilize or rescue animals, feed hungry folk, and share their love of nature, the arts, and photography. What it boils down to is that if these organizations want to keep their friends, they need to be nice to their friends. All the people quoted above quit volunteering at the agencies who treated them poorly and moved on to other volunteer opportunities. Why stay friends with someone who isn't nice to you? Folks who volunteer do so because they like the social interaction, they like the feeling that giving to others gives back to them, they like the satisfaction of seeing their good works come to fruition in all sorts of ways: people dancing to good jazz, a once abused dog finding a good home, a dying patient finding solace at the end of their life, or a new born baby all cuddly and warm in a hand-knitted blanket. Those agencies who cultivate and keep their volunteers happy are those who thank them and then thank them again- verbally, in writing, in their newsletters, with certificates or other tokens of affection and with parties. Parties are a huge way of saying thanks: these celebrations encourage their volunteers to eat drink and be merry, have fun with all these other folk who are as wonderful as you are for giving so much. Volunteers also like to hear how they've made a difference. Not just in statistics, but in individual stories of the positive ways they have impacted the community. But the most important thing is for a volunteer is to feel that his/her specific gifts are being used and are being appreciated. That their time and talents are valuable to and respected by the cause that they are giving their blood sweat and tears to. That when there is a problem (and as long as there are people, there are problems), that they will be listened to and some kind of action will be taken- even if it isn't what they necessarily envisioned it to be. That the friends that they have been nice to are being nice back to them. My next blog will highlight an agency in town who has a reputation for doing superb work and treating their volunteers well. Amigos de Animales.

I've been there twice now for lunch and both times was happy with the food and service. Tacos were tasty, the antiplasto platter used quality ingredients. My friend had the burger one time and the Greek salad the other and also liked both.

As Bud suggested, I contacted Michelle with our previous concerns that when we went there a couple weeks ago there were no sandwiches and the salad was mediocre at best. As a result, Michelle comped us two burgers at Casa Vieja. I am so glad we went back! The burgers were by far the best in town, thick and juicy with good fresh condiments. Again, the service was excellent- very attentive without being intrusive. Will definitely go back there again. If the burgers say anything about the rest of their food, Casa Vieja is a winner. And so nice that there is a concerned co-owner who listened to my concerns and took action.

It was an incredible evening. We had a wonderful time. Great music with talented musicians. Lucy/Elizabeth always does a wonderful job keeping her customers happy with fresh, delicious food and drink. We've been to open mic about 5 times now and have never been disappointed.

I will not be belly dancing since people will be eating and it would induce nausea, but we will so be there! Sounds like fun.

They're not speed bumps, they're speed mountains. There's no reason for them to be so huge. Small vehicles have a hell of a time getting over them.

We love La Villa! Thank you for such a lovely spot to gather, to eat and drink.

Thank you so much. Great ideas. I will start working on them. If you have anymore suggestions, just let me know.

I started writing blogs for Chiriqui.life after another creative outlet in my life was abruptly closed to me. Bud and Marcelyn had started "a free online community information forum for the exchange of ideas, the posing of questions, and the sharing of local information." What the hell, I thought, I've written on and off throughout my life, most recently for the Bajareque Times. I could start a blog. Share my wealth of knowledge (heeheeheehee). It has been a pretty good fit for me. Bud and Marcelyn are incredibly supportive and encouraging, and correct all my tech problems for me. I like to write, and I like it when people comment on my stuff. I even like it when they disagree with me because people on Chiriqui.life disagree in a nice, thoughtful manner. What I am struggling with now is what blogs would be of interest to my readers. I imagine that most of my readers are from Boquete; or are people who are thinking of either moving to/ or visiting Boquete. I'd like to know what you are interested in. Restaurant reviews, the culture, the people/community who live here, what it is like living in a small Latin town, what to do, interviews with local folks, or tours/stuff to do that isn't posted on Trip Advisor. Better yet, I would love ideas for blogs that I haven't thought of, or wouldn't have thought of if you hadn't steered me in the right direction. Help me out here. I am no investigative reporter-- not a "scoop" kind of gal. But if there is something you want to know that would appeal to most of my other readers, please leave me your ideas in the comment section. I would be ever so much appreciative.