Fin de la Semana- Azueran

This weekend we went to the Azueran Peninsula, Chitre specifically. We visited a rum factory, built an adobe house, and went to a festival.

 Haha so we started "modeling," too bad I'm wearing a t-shirt and shorts

 The founder

 Sugar cane fields. There's a picture of us all chewing on the leaves because one of the guys was unfamiliar with the properties of sugar cane and tried it.

 We decided we had to give buildering a try. Would have gone higher, but we were afraid someone would see us and yell at us :)

I don't believe the rum is ever gone here

 Pottery wheel that you had to turn by foot. So cool. Want one.

 Gary made a little clay guy to smash Peatree. He's jealous.

 We had to make an ice cream run because they fed us so much fried food that weekend, that McDonald's was the "healthy" alternative. Detoxing this week.

 First you stomp through the mud, then you add grass, then you stomp through it some more.

 Then you kick together a brick

 Then you do summersaults in the mud- oh wait, that wasn't really a step, we just did it for fun

 Gary eats more than David and Cody combined. If you don't know David and Cody, that's a lot. This is not even close to his entire meal.

This weekend was exciting. It was more of a true cultural immersion than anything else we've experienced so far. Now I want an adobe house of my own. It was fun to make and it's honestly something to be proud of. Plus, it's a party. There was a band playing and we were dancing in the mud. And throwing it at each other :) We went to the rum factory, but afterward we all still had no idea how rum was made, only that it's stored in barrels, which gives it its color, that it's made from sugar cane, and that it plays a major role in the Panamanian economy. Lauren and Grant got sick after today. It seems like every time we go on a trip, everyone comes back sick (I'm sure they'll spread it around.) We all got food poisoning after San Blas, we were sick the week after my birthday, and now another one is going around. It's like our bodies can't handle Panama.  Maybe I'll be used to it by the time I leave. Other than that, I'm having a blast. Still really excited to be here, and can't believe I'm signing up for classes in two weeks. I definitely miss you guys though, no worries on that front.