5 observations and thick tomato sauce

1. I haven't been blogging. I have been feeling kind of blah and then I was felled by a stomach bug. There was a moment, lying with my face pressed against the cool tile of the bathroom floor, when I seriously wondered if I was going to survive. This morning I woke up feeling much better. I even went for a little recuperation run.
2. As I have been a little under the weather, I am off my training schedule. It is frustrating. I'm not one for pushing myself to injury or illness and I stop when I don't feel good. But it's so easy to get discouraged and even though I did run this morning, I can't help feeling bad that it was 5K instead the 8 I have written on my calendar.
3. Have you seen the news here in Panama? It's alarming. The Pan-American highway has been closed by the Ngöbe-Buglé people to protest recent mining legislation. It's becoming more serious by the minute as food spoils, gas stations run out of gas,  and people just become angry. It looks like the government will send in the police at some point today to force them to open the road. It appears to me, that the government hopes that public opinion will be on their side, as the roadblock creates tremendous inconvenience to thousands of people. The thing is, all the images of young indigenous men wielding rocks that they can come up with, will be nothing beside the images of the riot squad confronting protesting women and children. I think they are missing a great opportunity to take the high road and resolve this peacefully. The whole thing just makes me sad.
4. I know this list isn't very cheering, but it matches my mood. I'm fighting discouragement on all fronts lately. It's so easy sometimes to  to see the worst. Thankfully I have wonderful students to cheer me, and my kids, well they are hilarious. And I get a double dose of both today, as camp is over and I have two classes this afternoon.
5. I like this song a lot and I chose this performance over the official video because I love watching Annie play: 

Today's recipe is ridiculously easy and versatile. It may seem overly simple but it's so good. I use this sauce for pizza and it's also good as a pasta sauce. Yesterday I browned some spare ribs before I added the tomatoes and it was delicious. 

Simple thick tomato sauce for pizza or pasta

2-3 tablespoons olive 

3-4 cloves of garlic chopped

a pinch of chilli flakes (or more)

1 big can of tomatoes (28 oz)

The main trick with this is to not burn or brown the garlic (you've been warned). 

In a medium sized saucepan, Heat the oil over a low flame. To the hot (but not too hot) oil, add the chili flakes and garlic. Let it sizzle in the oil for about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, crushing them in your hand as you add them. Stir everything and turn the heat up to medium and bring the sauce to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Then partially cover, turn the heat down to minimun and let it simmer slowly for an hour or more if you have time.

The sauce will be thick and delicious. 

I love you but...

This morning I had to go up town to pick up my new ID.  As we drove into the heart of the city where the public offices are, I was reminded of my first impression of Panama and the infatuation I felt.  Before my husband took his job here, my daughters and I came with him to check it out while he went to some meetings.  We explored the city, hopping in and out of taxis, going from park, to movie theatre, to bookstore.  We had a great time.  I was delighted with Panama, but it wasn't the city that captivated me, it was the people.

It was the Panamanian accent, and the 'tu' instead of 'usted.'  From easygoing and quick-to-laugh taxi drivers, to the friendly kids in the park, I fell in love.  And I still love this place and the people.  This morning, after some banter with a civil servant and then the joking between the guy watching the parked cars and the guy with photocopy business in the back of his van, I thought, I still have a big crush on these people.  Then of course we turned on the radio to hear to a couple of pundits talking about the latest political scandal.  And there's the rub.

I love this country but I am alarmed and dismayed by its politics.  Corruption is taken for granted and there is no evidence that anyone in public office has any real concern for the people of this country.  When I got home the first article I read was this.  How can I conscionably live in a place that treats its children so badly?  It's like being in love with someone who's beautiful and fun but totally destructive.  You know, one of those people who has to hit rock bottom before they can get their life together.  I hope, for the sake of the people of this country, that there is no rock bottom in Panama's near future.  I hope, but I wish I felt more optimistic.

dengue fever

The above photos were taken a couple of blocks from my house; it is the backside of a public school.   There has been an increase in cases of hemorrhagic dengue (which can be fatal) in Panama this year.  The number of reported cases varies between sources and honestly I have very little faith in the health authorities to count and report accurately.  My husband was diagnosed with dengue a couple of months ago, but the doctor didn't actually do a blood test to confirm it so I'm sure it wasn't reported to health officials.  I'm guessing the numbers we are seeing reported are low.  In any case, the outbreak has resulted in a great deal of public discussion about garbage, which is a serious problem in this city.

There are much uglier examples of heaps of garbage that I could have used to illustrate this post (we drove through 'El 24' last week and yikes!).  But the above garbage makes me angrier than most of the other garbage.  Yesterday, public health officials exhorted the population to get rid of sites condusive to mosquito breeding.  There has been a wide program of fumigation all over the city.  Meanwhile, trash is being thrown over the wall at a public school.

My kids' study the Panamanian curriculum in social studies.  The same text books are used in the whole country.  Last week my second grader was studying "the rainy season."  A big part of the unit on the rainy season was about garbage, and how important it is to deal with garbage responsibly because of dengue and as a cause of flooding (trash plugging storm drains).  This is taught in the second grade all over the country including the school in the above picture.  It seems incredibly ineffective to teach kids that they need to deal with garbage responsibly when the school itself does not.  Not even mentioning the fact that they are breeding mosquitos behind their school.

I don't know what it will take to get people to smarten up about garbage.  The municipalities have a lot of room for improvement in the area of garbage collection.  But people also really have to stop throwing garbage over walls, and into creeks, and on empty lots.  Hopefully this current outbreak of dengue opens  people's eyes.