Just a smile away from happiness

Beautiful Panama

01 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment

by jemelikova in Stories from the world and me Tags: Afghanistan, Development, Panama, Veronika Jemelikova

I have to interrupt my Peruvian adventure serie because there are so many things happening and I just love Panama from the moment I came here…

Beautiful Panama. Only two months ago I could not imagine I would  be here, sitting in nice apartment overlooking seafront with enormous skyscrapers and getting ready to participate on amazing Kalu Yala program which will enable me to implement my own independent project in little community in San Miguel. Two months ago I was in Afghanistan. I also worked on development of the country but conditions were very different. No matter how beautiful and breathtaking the country is and how interesting the work I was doing there was, it is hard to escape feelings of frustration and disappointment. Working in war affected environment is always hard and trying to make it better does not always bring the results we are expecting. I wish we could all live in an ideal world. World where suffering, poverty and violence were long forgotten and had given path to prosperity and mutual understanding and tolerance. This world unluckily does not exist now. Sometimes the biggest obstacles for such a world to become reality are the conditions people are living in and these are very often too difficult to change. But sometimes the obstacle of growth is embedded in attitude of people and their unwillingness to change and make effort to develop.

Before going to Panama I spent about three weeks in Peru and this experience was truly inspiring. I went on three days trek to Colca Cañon which is one of the deepest valleys on the world (twice as deep as Grand Canyon). There was only couple of villages living there. It was incredibly beautiful place with no roads nor other access apart from steep trail climbing up the hill more than 1000 meters of altitude. Anything that was not grown in the valley had to be brought on people’s backs on mules. No matter how difficult conditions here were, people were amazing happy and able to organize themselves so there would be no shortage of anything. The thing that amazed me most was this perfect system if irrigation canals flowing all over the valley and bringing fresh water to every one of its inhabitants. The community would get together on regular bases and with big festivities they would go and clean the canals,, repair them and make sure they work properly. It was in everybody’s interest to maintain these canals because water means life.

Peru, Colca Cañon

The experience from Afghanistan was very different. There are traditional systems of water irrigation called karez – underground canals bringing water from mountains to the villages. But nowadays so many of them are destroyed and badly maintained. And although there used to be the tradition of maintenance by the community, nobody takes care of them anymore. Villages are suffering from lack of water because they are not able to take buckets and spades and take care of themselves. But there was still hope in the eyes of people, especially children and women, who had all the future of the nation in their hands.

Logar province, Afghanistan

After being in Afghanistan for more than 14 months I got this feeling too many people stopped caring about their future. The role of international community and great amount of money flowing to the country made people dependent, demanding and not willing to do anything for them. It is very sad to see peoples potential being wasted in environment of fear and insecurity. No matter how many schools were built and farmers trained, health centers equipped…. Everything always comes down to security of the country and its citizens.

After finishing my job in Afghanistan, I was full of skepticism but also hope. I learned a lot a I wished I could use all of this knowledge in safer environment. When I found out about the great opportunity with Kalu Yala I was thrilled. Group of young people are getting together to create community based on earth-friendly principles, tolerance and sustainability. We will all get space to express our opinions and put our knowledge in practice.  Over the course of following weeks we will get chance to work with little community, identify their needs and potential and try to help them make their dreams and aspirations become reality. The thing that amazes me most about all of it is the never ending energy, passion and determination of all the people involved.   Not only the interns who will be implementing their projects, but also the community which is excited to learn, grow and profit from mutual cultural exchange and knowledge of all of the members of our team.

I am certain that experiences like the one we are going through right now with Kalu Yala will contribute to creating a better world in our future.  And hopefully this knowledge and spirit will eventually reach all places even Afghanistan.