Ready for Service Rap

Ready To Serve Rap


By clicking on the link above, you will be subjecting yourself to the brilliance of three talented hip-hop aficionados who share their unique perspectives on their readiness to serve their new found communities. Currently, the song will not play through the webpage so you have to download it by clicking on the arrow (trust me, you're going to put this jam on repeat anyway).

A Definitive Guide to Nicknames

Nicknames can be both terms of endearment and destructive blows to the ego.  Although there is not really a formality to it, there is an art to coming up with good ones.  Just like most art forms, you have to follow general rules for success in the beginning. If followed correctly, it will result in an exemplary name that will haunt its host for potentially the rest of their life.

Rule #1- Context

As with a newborn baby, an individual must be christened with a name that will both align with the culture and represent the nature of the individual. Obviously naming an American baby from the Midwest Vlad or Helga would turn some heads, but this is where naming babies and nicknames diverge. Within the appropriate context of nicknaming, all names are potentially valid. Vlad could be the weird guy down the street that wears a little too much black or Helga could be…the weird guy down the street who when not wearing black wears a blonde wig, dances polka, and eats piles of schnitzel and egg noodles. Because the individual exhibited the characteristics of someone typically named Vlad or Helga, there was a context for the out of place names. Out of place people equal out of place names.

Rule #2- Application

As you saw in the previous example, to have a good nickname, it must directly apply to the person/s you are dubbing unfit for their government name. This provides the glue that helps the name stick. Most nicknames have something that connects the name to the individual whether it is an observed action (usually failed action), physical characteristic (deformity), location (associating the worst parts of said location), or just a funny story (specifically singling out that person as the joke). Without this rule, it is hard to justify a name that doesn’t really apply.

Rule #3- Intrigue

People love to be entertained. If someone has a good nickname, people can be entertained for hours. The only thing is, the name has to have enough oomph, pizazz, or comical effect that it captivates the audience and leaves them asking “What?! Where in the world…?”

Rule#4- Am I a little pissed off?

The MOST important rule and key to a successful nickname is determined by the person receiving the name. The test is to ask yourself, “Am I a little pissed off?” If the answer is no, it is not a quality name. If you are infuriated, then it’s gone too far and has become derogatory. Nicknames are supposed to be fun rather than a full-on personal assault. You know it is a good nickname when after saying it to yourself you first react with pursed lips and a muttering of “son of a…” under your breath but then finish with a couple of chuckles and say, “I hope this ends soon.”

On a related note: you cannot give yourself a nickname. No one can accurately poke fun at themselves as well as a peer can.

Rule #5- There are no Rules

Once you’ve mastered the first four rules, there are endless possibilities as to where, when, why, and how a nickname comes, the trick is just figuring out what it is.

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So far in Panama nicknames have flourished within our group. Some of the names include but are not limited to: Dengue Sam, Sun Beam (now [Pre] Case Study Sam), Momma Bear, Rambo (who is female), the Jaguars (or team Jaguar when in a group), JC Penny, Jota, and in my Latino community, mine is Papa Dulce. Papa Dulce can either mean Sugar Daddy or Sweet Potato depending on where the accent over the last “a” in Papa is. In this context and in keeping with the rules of this guide for proper name distribution, I would say it is probably the latter.

Now that we are exiting training and beginning our actual service, some of us have moved into indigenous communities where volunteers receive names in the native language of Ngäberi. My new indigenous name is Krächi Palacio. Not only does it mean skinny in Ngäbe culture, but it is also pronounced Crotchy. A friend was so kind as to reveal that with a little bit of Latino influence and English interpretation, my name is Crotch Palace. Yes…I have done the Rule #4 test and it passes with flying colors. These people have obviously mastered the art of nicknames.

Group 75, Panama

It has been nearly two months since entering into the Peace Corps training program, and since my last blog post updating anyone on what my life has turned into since arriving in Panama. I would like to say I’m sorry for not posting in such a long time, but please realize that training has been incredibly busy and hopefully it will be apparent in this post that as slow as the life may be in some areas of Panama, life as a trainee is moving at a chaotic pace and we haven’t slowed down yet.

Since arriving, we have been non-stop learning in some form or another. We started out in the Regional Peace Corps office located just outside of Panama City where 50 new trainees in the Sustainable Agriculture Systems and Environmental Health (S.A.S., E.H.) sections begun learning about Peace Corps role in Panama’s community development projects. I am currently a S.A.S. volunteer and I will be working on Cacao projects in the Bocas del Toro region of Panama. S.A.S. deals entirely with agriculture as a way to increase food resources, create or disseminate sustainable methods of farming, and demonstrate best practices for both food and cash crop production. E.H. volunteers consist of mostly engineers focusing on water acquisition for communities that don’t have direct access to potable water systems. Although these are mostly unrelated fields, we share the same training class and also have the same hardships, which make us brothers and sisters from different mothers and misters.

As new volunteers, we’ve all dealt with our share of difficulties. To list a few, I have provided the following list: Living with host families; language barriers; strange animal encounters/infestations; sudden bouts of unexpected illnesses; food or lack there of; loneliness, and dealing with changing relationships/lifestyles.  In regards to the illness topic, we heard a joke at the beginning of service that “Every fart’s a gamble.” Initially, every one thought that was the best joke ever. There were even little aftershocks of snickers because the thought of it was so amusing. Now, a few of us know the truth, and it is not only a cruel joke, but also a prophecy of what is to come.  After going through my own bout of extreme diarrhea, an aspiring thrown queen herself asked me, “In relation to the gambling joke; have you ever gambled and lost?” I slowly turned my head to the volunteer and gave an acknowledging nod. She looked back at me and said “Me too…” with a sullen look on her face. It was a sad, but comforting day for the illness ridden, and we embraced our shared experience with a frown-like smile. Life can be difficult and suddenly a lot of things don’t seem so bad. Initially I had a real problem eating fried food and rice for every meal, and I had a hard time even mentioning boiled green bananas (B.G.B), but at this point, my whole philosophy of diet and hunger have changed. I will down a plate of rice in no time, and as far as B.G.B.’s go, if you repeat over and over to yourself that they are potatoes, and mix them with anything that has flavor, you can choke a couple down eventually. I’m totally stocking up on gravy mix because mashed “potatoes” is definitely on the horizon.

Relationships are also significant challenges we face as volunteers. Distance can put a real strain on relationships whether they are with family, friends, or significant others. As someone who has been abroad before, I sometimes feel in some ways I could mentor some of the others that are experiencing the imminent difficulties of long distance even though I am experiencing some of the same problems. My best advice would be to do what you can and give everyone their fair share of your time, because that’s about all anyone can do. I know the people I care about, and they know I care about them.

Aside from the difficulties, we just recently found out about our new sites and half moved in. I think everyone is excited, nervous, anxious, and any other additional emotions that you can think of that normally accompany those thoughts. These two months have gone by fast and like I’ve always been told, “the older you get the faster the time goes.” In no time I will be looking at the final days of this trip and wonder where the time has gone. See you soon America.

Destination D.C....(This is also a photo blog)

My first destination of this excursion is our nation's capitol: Washington D.C. After a day of exciting planes, names, and automobiles; I felt obligated to see some of the cities grand attractions:

The Lincoln Memorial: an international attraction

World War 2 Memorial and Washington Monument

Duck, Duck, Duck, Panama!

There’s a “Here we go again,” sigh of disbelief that sneaks out almost on a daily basis now. I’m just less than 24 hours away from heading back to Latin America, this time, Panama edition.  Why am I going you ask? Well, I would say it is for a main course of self-fulfillment, a side of masochism, with a hint of wild hair, but that’s just my opinion.  I can’t rightly say what it is that says, “Yes, James, this is where you’re supposed to be,” but someone deep inside is saying it and that voice is quite convincing (figuratively speaking of course…)

For the past four years, after returning from a previous excursion to South America, I’ve been working in manufacturing learning the ins-and-outs of mass production.  As fun as high stress monotony is, I have chosen to pursue other career opportunities rather than continuing to pump a well of satisfaction that has gone dry.  I thought when I initially got the job that a real job equals real adult. I can honestly say after spending countless hours answering the beck and call of the production machine, making informed decisions that you believe in are more important than maintaining the façade of maturity by torturing yourself with a REAL career. Obviously everyone has his or her own niche, but that was not mine and I believe it reflected in my work.  I believe work should somehow be fulfilling, whether it be in the nature of the work, the opportunities it provides, or just the simple fact that it makes you happy. I lost the ability to find any of those things in that setting, so I finally just said, “I’m joining Peace Corps.”

Was this decision on a whim? No, in fact, it is as far from a whim as could be. It was a very methodical process of being turned down by everyone else that lead me to the Peace Corps. Initially, I discounted the Peace Corps as being something that was not a viable option for me, because honestly, it sounded kind of feminine. After more failed attempts to escape my shift work prison and a little more research, I found that Peace Corps and I are much more suited for each other than I previously expected. Getting the opportunity to contribute whatever abilities I have in a remote part of the world while learning another language is right up my alley, and I’m happy I made that decision.

Panama was a decision made by both myself and the Peace Corps. They give you three things to rank in order of importance when determining where you will be placed (amongst other things): 1) Where you want to go; 2) What you want to do, and 3) Length of service period. I chose location, Latin America in particular because of its importance for communication once English becomes the second language in the United States.  I’m joking of course, but it is important to have an international understanding now that we are becoming a global community rather than just ‘Merica.  Pretty soon it won’t be an option whether to learn multiple languages, and hopefully I am putting myself ahead of the curve by taking some initiative.  

The other reason Panama has tickled my fancy is the jungle. I’ve heard Panama described as being “everything you wish Costa Rica was.” I can’t wait to escape the drive-by tourism of national parks and immerse myself in real wilderness with all the danger and survival of the fittest in live action. You may call me crazy, but I’m going to go ahead and quote my dad on this one and say “No Guts, No Glory.” I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

I hope this gives you a glimpse into my decision to embark on a 2 year stint in the Panamanian wilds and I look forward to posting more misadventures.