The first annual Feria de la playa Barqueta was a success! The highlight was a traditional performance by a dance group. The group of kids travels around the country to different events, where they perform four distinct traditional Panamanian dances. Also represented at the fair were artisans who made jewelry, woodworking, dolls, clothing and sweets. Hopefully next year the fair will be bigger and better! After all the hard work to plan the fair, it was worth it to have people ask me when the next fair would be. The event attracted about 400 people, many of which would not have otherwise come to the area. With our efforts to plan the fair and other events, we are slowly defining playa Barqueta as a respected tourist destination!

This weekend I'm off to a sea turtle conservation seminar in Bocas del Toro. Then, next week, I'll have the opportunity to take some notes at the International Feria de David. I'm hoping to make a trip to Colon at the end of the month, to see a different part of the country and enjoy the Caribbean before the rainy season sets it and I begin teaching again. The summer here is at its close, and classes started on Monday. The weather is becoming more humid by the day, and I anxiously await the refreshing rains that will come in May!