Volunteers from Jesuit High School in New Orleans, Louisiana travel to Chepo de las Minas, Panama
For the week of May 28th, through June 5th, we, twenty-three juniors from Jesuit High School in New Orleans, Louisiana, traveled together to Panama to bring together two communities by building an athletic court.
Our destination was Chepo de las Minas, a rural town in the province of Herrera about 2500 feet above sea level. The gorgeous mountainous scenery, unfamiliar to us, amazed us.
After arriving in Chepo, the community never failed to make us feel at home. Despite the language barrier, they invited us into their homes, passed down their recipes and town’s history with us, and even invited us to their local bull riding competition. One of our absolute favorite cultural exchanges was learning how to make hojaldres from the local women. It is a traditional Panamanian breakfast that is basically like a fried bread. Knitting the dough allowed us to laugh together with them, trying not to mess up the recipe, and gave us a moment of connection with the community through food.
After acclimating ourselves to this new environment, we began to work. For three days, we worked hand in hand with the locals, shoveling sand and rocks, hauling around buckets of water and bags of cement, and loading it all up into the mixer. However, this trip wasn’t only about pouring cement.
Sports are a universal language. After we finished work on the court for the day, and the Panamanians returned from their jobs, we would all meet up on the field to share that language. Every day, without fail, we enjoyed games of softball and soccer where men, women, and children all played together. These spontaneous daily baseball games really opened our eyes to how incredibly strong their community life is. It seemed like absolutely everyone in town would show up to support each other in their daily activities, whether they were working hard or just relaxing. Seeing that kind of unconditional, everyday support taught us a beautiful lesson about what it truly means to look out for one another.
Upon completion of the court, we hosted a clinic where we taught the community’s children how to play basketball and other games like volleyball and four square. In the afternoon, the community hosted a farewell ceremony for us where they presented multiple songs, poems, and speeches.
To celebrate the end of our trip, we visited the beautiful Chame beach where we experienced yet another unforgettable moment in Panama’s beautiful landscape. The views here truly never fail to amaze.
But the trip wasn't just about learning from the locals; we also learned a ton about ourselves by living a completely tech-free life. Not having our phones throughout the whole week was definitely a huge adjustment, but it allowed us to finally be present again in the moment without any distractions. Some of us mentioned that one of our favorite memories was just brushing our teeth in the morning with the stunning view of the mountains right in front of us. Going back home, we want to continue to brush our teeth without instantly scrolling through TikTok, and instead just take these small, quiet moments as valuable opportunities to be present in our day-to-day lives.
Words can only attempt to replicate the uniqueness of this trip and the incredible time we had. Not only did we form countless bonds and memories with the community, but we have also grown closer to one another.
~ Carlos Gutierrez, Edited by Arthur Meade, Jesuit High School, New Orleans, LA
VOLUNTEER QUOTES:
Something I learned about myself on this trip is that I don’t need technology to function. This is the longest I’ve gone without my phone and I feel completely fine. ~ Will Britsch
I understand more clearly now that everyone is connected because they are humans. We don’t share a language with the people in Chepo but we can still connect because we have common experiences like soccer or baseball. ~ Brady Miles
This trip changed me by making me appreciate how good is my life, how I grew as a person and realizing that I don’t need my phone too much. ~ Peter Leiva
I learned about myself that humans adapt very quickly. Our group changed environments very quickly and adapted within two days. Going from clean running water to not being able to flush was a change but was very easy. ~ Blake Couvillon
COMMUNITY QUOTES
What I enjoyed most about this project was that we were able to share cultures, learn from each one of the volunteers, and play sports all together. ~ Ernesto Mendoza, Community leader
We enjoyed the active routine we had with the volunteers, their work ethic and the sense of accomplishment when we finished the court. ~ Isaac Murillo, Contractor
Outside of the social impact of this project, the court will be an incredible place for the community to play and come together. It serves as another center for community connection, while also offering local youth a place to practice new sports & play together. ~ Mia Goericke, PCV and cultural committee leader
