Today we woke up expecting to go visit our host families but due to the weather it was postponed until tomorrow. It was actually nice to be able to explore Pana some more, have a bit more of an orientation, and get to know my classmates better.
We took a walk around town with Erika (the social work program assistant) and Linda (the social work program director) and surveyed the damage done to the bridges on the river the night before. The river had risen so high that it took out two bridges and sent them downstream. The heavy rains from the tropical storm affected many communities around the lake. We talked with a few local families, including our host families, and most were safe in their homes. But there were a number of mudslides that took out a bunch of homes.
At night, we walked around town, stopping in various restaurants, cafes, and tiendas, getting to know our new city and enjoying the last day of real free time before our program started!
