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Max´s Last Day of Kindergarten

We officially finished school this past Friday.  Wow and I needed a break.  Max and I left each morning for school by 6:30am.  School began at 7:00am.  Quick kiss and a wave goodbye and I would head home to get a few things done.  Then back on the road at 11am for an 11:30am pickup to return home at noon.  The drive itself isn't that bad, but 5 days a week for 9 months is a bit tiring.

Max attended Kindergarten at a private Catholic school in Penonome called Santo Domingo.  It includes Pre-K through Highschool and probably has close to 500 students.  It costs about $50.00 per month and it truly is a bilingual school.  He made some great friends this year and we met a lot of great parents.  And they definitely know how to have a party at the school.  It seemed there was some kind of celebration every couple of weeks, whether during the school day or for the parents.  One party for the parents required me to get a Peter Pan costume made for Max.  I still don't understand what that was all about.  But all the kindergartners marched onstage to really loud Latino music, sang a song and then marched off.  Max was really sour the whole time and I guess I would be too if my mom had put me in that costume.  He said later it was because his friends said his costume shoes were too big.  I told him to turn around and tell his friends that their shoes were too small.  (See Peter Pan pic below).

Last week was Mother's Day in Panama.  They had a Mother's Day celebration.  I dragged Coley along.  He looked around and soon realized he was one of two men in the entire outdoor auditorium.  I never know what the men are supposed to attend or not.  We watched the Pre-Ks do their thing on stage and then Max and the Kindergartners took the stage.  They sang a song and danced.  Max had a huge smile on his face this time.  When they started exiting the stage, Max put his hand to his forehead in a salute and marched off like a soldier.  Oh great, look at the little American soldier in the middle of all the tranquilo Panamanian kids.

So last week was the teacher's conference.  I didn't fully understand what I needed to do but they said to bring Max.  We drove to the school for our 3:00pm conference.  I sat in front of the room while Max and his Spanish teacher worked at the chalkboard.  For about 20 minutes, the teacher gave directions in Spanish as Max wrote on the chalkboard, described the parts of his body, counted and recited...in Spanish.  He did a phenomenal job. 

Then we went with the English teacher.  The teacher provided the directions in English and he answered everything correctly...and in a Spanish-English accent.  As I explained later to Coley, Max is learning 3 languages....English, Spanish, and English with a Spanish accent.

The school seems  to be working out and Lila is excited to start in March (school year is March to December).  We're watching it to make sure the kids are progressing and I supplement with some homeschooling several days a week, but so far so good!

Hola Ola!

Hola Ola!

One of Panama’s best-kept secrets has to be the hundreds, maybe thousands, of really cool waterfalls (“cascada’s” in Spanish).  Waterfall hunting has become a great weekend activity as it seems that virtually all of the dozens and dozens of rivers here in the Cocle province have hidden waterfalls and swimming holes somewhere, often known only to the locals.  In fact, the first question I now ask when exploring Cocle’s dusty back roads and small pueblos is “Donde esta la cascada?” – where is the waterfall.  Inevitably a local will break into a smile and explain exactly how to get to his or her favorite waterfall and swimming hole.

On Monday I set out on another waterfall hunting expedition.  I took the afternoon off and drove about 25 minutes past Penonome – the capital of the Cocle province, past the “Tu y Yo” pushbutton on the edge of town (click here for a description of Panama’s world famous pushbuttons) in search of a massive waterfall that we’d seen from the Panama America Highway previously.

I took the third right past the Rio Grande river in a little pueblo called Chula Ve, and then drove about 10 km on improved dirt roads right to the base of one of the most spectacular waterfalls I’ve seen in Panama yet, The falls themselves are two-tiered, with a lower tiered fall that cascades into a perfect, deep-blue swimming hole.  

I hiked up past the first waterfall (very strenuous) to the river above and then hiked (actually it was more like bouldering) for another hour or so past hundreds of massive boulders, aqua-blue swimming holes and smaller falls.  The reward was an enormous upper-waterfall that I estimated was probably 100 yards high with a great swimming hole below.  There were no signs of humans anywhere, and it was more than a little eerie swimming in the pools below the falls absolutely alone.

I was told by a couple of locals I ran across when I was driving out that the land had recently been purchased by a gringo or “paisano” (Italian maybe?).  One thing; the hike to the upper falls is not for the faint of heart… It’s definitely a strenuous hike and navigating between the pools and over the top of some fairly massive boulders definitely carries its share of risk.  Probably not a good trip for kids unless they are older.

On the way out as the sun was setting, I drove up to the small pueblo of Ola which is nestled in a gorgeous valley between spectacular green mountains.  I stopped and asked an old woman in my broken Spanish  “where am I exactly?”  Her response:  “Ola…El lugar mas lindo en la mundo”  Indeed!

Here’s a few pics, but they don’t begin to do it justice.