Admittedly, I am nervous about traveling to and living in a country I have never been to, and where I have never met anyone. For the past few months I have been reaching out to anyone who might have a remote connection to Panama, the Kuna, Albinism, and possibly all of the above. My past experiences have taught me to be bold and not be afraid to ask even the most elite of researchers, but to be ready for rejection. To my relief and quite frankly, surprise, most everyone I have contacted has responded with an outpouring of support and encouragement. Additionally, it seems that each person I contact sends me on to yet another contact (or three). Whereas I thought I would be struggling to meet people who might be able to show me where to live, how to get to Kuna Yala, and how to get into contact with persons with albinism, I have been happily inundated with more contacts than I can easily keep up with at the moment. My struggle right now is being focused enough to continue conversation with these amazing people who have offered their assistance and to really take advantage of their expertise.
I would like to briefly recognize some of the people who have guided, and will hopefully continue to guide, me through my preparations for this Fulbright. (I hope they won’t mind). This list is by no means exhaustive. There are many more people who helped me significantly with the application process and in other ways, and I hope that they know how much I appreciate them.
First, I must mention Ane: Through the mother of a grade-school friend, I met Ane. Ane lives in my hometown of Louisville but is originally from Panama. Through Ane I met:Javier: A relative of Ane’s and a medical doctor and researcher who immediately arranged for me to have my affiliation with his Institute:
The Gorgas Institute in Panama City: This group of doctors and researchers will provide me with a base from which I will be able to research the medical capabilities Panama has to deal with the condition of albinism. Additionally I will be able to learn about the relationships between such institutions and indigenous communities.
Once I received my Fulbright, a girl at school introduced me, via facebook, to her friend:
Libby: who is currently working as an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Panama. This program is also done through the Fulbright organization. Libby’s blog alone has given me great incites into living in Panama and conquering a lot of the fears I have regarding living and researching abroad. In addition, Libby has personally helped me through some issues I have come across while preparing for Panama.
This next map of connections begins with my Beloit advisor:
Rachel Ellett: Besides helping me every step of the way through the Fulbright process, Rachel connected me to a colleague in Panama:
Gloria: while I didn’t speak much with Gloria, she provided me with two key contacts: Jorge and Francisco
Jorge Ventocilla: a Panamanian researcher who focuses on the Kuna population
(I was also referred to Jorge by Staff Anthropologist Fernando Santos-Granero of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama. I contacted him by just emailing STRI and informing them of my research. Additionally, Fernando has offered me access to the STRI’s library and other resources)
Jorge has put me in contact with:
Marden Paniza: a Kuna musician with albinism who lives in Panama City.
Fracisco Herrera: another Panamanian researcher who works with Kuna, put me in contact with:
Elisa Julia: a Panamanian French professor who has traveled to the Kuna Yala province with: Pascale Jeambrun: a French medical doctor and ethnologist who studies albinism amongst the Kuna (JACKPOT!). Pascale’s expertise is possibly the most closely related to my topic of anyone out there. She has been absolutely amazing; sending me multiple articles of her work (which are written in French). Elisa and Pascale have connected me with:
Awiber: a Professor of the Kuna language in Panama City who is himself a Kuna with albinism.
About a month ago, I received a call from a dermatologist, Dr. Strasswimmer of Florida, who had read my paper on albinism in Uganda. He is the head of Dermatology Medical Mission and he was preparing for their next trip to Tanzania, where they will work specifically with persons with albinism. He wanted to get some contacts for people in Uganda who might be interested in forming a partnership. I was able to contact him with my base in Uganda, while he was able to give me contacts in Panama!:
Dr. Guadiano: a Panamanian dermatologist in Panama City who takes frequent trips to Kuna Yala to treat Kuna persons with albinism.
I’m getting a little anxious to meet these people in-person. I know that each one of them has so much to teach me and probably knows another handful of people who will allow me to take full advantage of my Fulbright opportunity. However, I am grateful for the time I have before I leave to work on my Spanish, prepare my research, and just enjoy time with friends and family.
