Freedom!

That title has more than one meaning. #1 I'm free from doctors for a couple days (and doing well, btw, thanks for the concern!) and #2 I like our new President/my boss.

I just got back from a fun-filled day of touring around Panama City and my tummy hurts a little from my dinner of a waffle with tons of Nutella, creme, and ice cream. It was amazing and totally worth the minor indigestion. My mind is continually being blown here, yesterday I went to a supermarket and probably stared at the cheese section for a good 10 minutes. There are American-style supermarkets in Managua, but cheddar cheese is really expensive and still doesn't taste quite right. This stuff was right on the money and is half gone already. Some more stuff I bought that I can't get in Nicaragua or is really expensive so I never buy it:



Grapes!!!!



There's a business volunteer here in Panama as well, so we hit up the Panama Canal today:







Then we went to a big mall. Not a big fan of malls in general, major overstimulation and the malls in Managua aren't that big so this one was a little woah for my brain. However, we kept ourselves entertained and sane (you be the judge) by taking pictures with the giant animal statues that marked the different sections:









I'm amazed at how similar Panama City is to any American City, it's so different from Managua which doesn't have tall buildings or a sensical transportation system, let alone a Dunkin Donuts. My next doctor's appointment isn't till Friday so I can't wait to go see more of the city.

Last night I happened to turn on CNN en Espanol right as Obama was named President-elect. As you may have guessed, I'm happy with the results. Part of me really wishes I was in the U.S. right now to join in the celebrations, but part of me is also really glad to be representing the United States in the Peace Corps at this moment. I don't expect Obama to be the perfect President, I'm sure he'll make mistakes especially considering the domestic and international situations he's inheriting. But I feel like America has shown both itself and the world that we're ready for something different. More than one person in Nicaragua told me prior to the elections that America wasn't ready for a black president and I can't wait to get back to my site to find out what they think of the fact that we apparently are. And it can't hurt that he might help us get some more funding for Peace Corps, which it desperately needs right now. *The opinions expressed are mine and mine alone, again*