Willie Colon and Marc Anthony

Last week we were invited to see the Willie Colon/Marc Anthony concert.  So we headed into the city on Saturday to run some errands.  And then there was a downpour.  And then we found out the concert would be outside at the baseball stadium.

We called our inviters and asked "Do you think it's going to rain tonight?  Should we buy rain jackets?  umbrellas?"

"No way" was how Macy responded, "There's no way it's going to rain!  It's done for the day."

Not living in the city, I took her word that maybe during the rainy season it only rains once every 24 hours and it was clearing up.

So that evening we met at the Decapolis Hotel for a quick drink and sushi.  Around 9pm we headed over to the concert which was scheduled to begin at 9:30.

For those who aren't familiar with either, Willie Colon (born 28 April 1950) is a Puerto Rican salsa music icon. First and foremost a trombonist, Colón also sings, writes, produces and acts. In September 2004, Colón received the Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award from the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Over the course of his career, he has collaborated with musical greats such as the Fania All Stars, Héctor Lavoe, Rubén Blades, David Byrne, and Celia Cruz. Siembra, his record with Rubén Blades, was the best selling album for its genre.

Marc Anthony, most famously married to Jennifer Lopez, an amazing Pop Latin singer. 

So we get into the stadium at 9:30 with an expected start time of 9:30.  We head to our seats.  The ground level seats are tables set up with 6 seats around them.  We take our seats and immediately are met by our waiter - a guy dressed in white button down and black pants asking what we want to drink.  Next thing I know, we're buying a bottle of Abuelo (Panamanian rum) and there's a bucket of ice, some cokes and cups.  We sit around and drink and drink and drink.  We look around.  Everyone is drinking Abuelo or Seco.  I thought "wow this is the way a concert should be."

And in typical Latin form, the opening act (Willie Colon) FINALLY comes on at 10:30.  He was amazing...horns, singing, dancing.

He finishes about 11:30.  And then we wait and wait and wait.  It starts to sprinkle and then rain and then rain harder.  Marc Anthony decides to come out on stage at 12:30am.  Now I'm usually asleep by 9:30 and have already been woken up twice by the kids by 12:30 so this is turning into a late night.  And it's raining.  

He finishes his set at 2:30 in the morning.  Fabulous show, great singer, well worth it and now it's time to get home.  And in typical Panamanian fashion, we get to the car (parked on the highway but that's another story) and we sit in traffic until 3:30am.  We end up arriving back at the hotel at 4am.  We fall into bed, shivering and shaking.  But another amazing night in Panama.  And of course it was going to rain - it's the rainy season!

A Growing Trend of Leaving America

A Growing Trend of Leaving America

By some estimates 3 million citizens become expatriates a year, but most not for political reasons

PANAMA CITY, PANAMA—Dressed in workout casual and sipping a soda in one of the apartment-style rooms of Los Cuatro Tulipanes hotel, Matt Landau appears very much at home in Panama. One might even be tempted to call him an old hand were he not, at age 25, so confoundingly young. Part owner of this lovely boutique hotel in Panama City's historic Casco Viejo, he is also a travel writer (99 Things to Do in Costa Rica), a real estate marketing consultant, and editor of The Panama Report, an online news and opinion monthly. Between fielding occasional calls and text messages, the New Jersey native is explaining what drew him here, by way of Costa Rica, after he graduated from college in 2005. In addition to having great weather, pristine beaches, a rich melting-pot culture, a reliable infrastructure, and a clean-enough legal system, "what Panama is all about," he says, "is the chance to get into some kind of market first." Landau cites other attractions: "There is more room for error here," he says. "You can make mistakes without being put under. That, to me, as an entrepreneur, is the biggest draw."

American voters at a polling station in Ajijic, Mexico. Expats also voted by fax and Internet.

(Guillermo Arias/AP)

Long a business and trade hub, Panama has been booming ever since the United States gave it full control of the Canal Zone in 1999. But as Landau says, it is precisely because so much of Panama's economy has been focused on canal-related activities that opportunities in other sectors, from real estate to finance to a host of basic services, have gone largely untapped. And among the many foreigners coming to tap them—as well as to enjoy the good life that Panama offers—are a sizable number of Americans.

These Yankees, it turns out, are part of a larger American phenomenon: a wave of native-born citizens who are going abroad in search of new challenges, opportunities, and more congenial ways of life.

In his recent book Bad Money, political commentator Kevin Phillips warns that an unprecedented number of citizens, fed up with failed politics and a souring economy, have already departed for other countries, with even larger numbers planning to do so soon. But that may be putting too negative a reading on this little-noticed trend. In fact, most of today's expats are not part of a new Lost Generation, moving to Paris or other European haunts to nurse their disillusionment and write their novels. Some may be artists and bohemians, but many more are entrepreneurs, teachers, or skilled knowledge workers in the globalized high-tech economy. Others are members of a retirement bulge that is stretching pensions and IRAs by living abroad. And while a high percentage of expats are unhappy with the rightward tilt of George Bush's America, most don't see their decision to move overseas as a political statement.

Southward trend. Europe still draws many of these American emigrants, but even more have relocated in Canada and Mexico. Others are trying out Australia, New Zealand, or one of the new economies of Asia, while a growing stream flows southward to Central and South America. John Wennersten, author of Leaving America: The New Expatriate Generation and a retired historian who has taught for many years abroad, says Panama is the "new new thing" for those who are part of what he calls "a long-term trend."

Exactly how many people are part of this trend is hard to say. Precise emigration figures have never been easy to come by in the United States. "It's been an implicit assumption that people come here to stay, not to come and go," says Mike Hoefer, head of the Office of Immigration Statistics at the Department of Homeland Security. The government's last trial effort to count Americans overseas, in 1999, was deemed inordinately expensive. Elizabeth Grieco, chief of immigration statistics at the U.S. Census Bureau, puts it bluntly: "We don't count U.S. citizens living abroad."

But if the government is not counting, others are. Estimates made by organizations such as the Association of Americans Resident Overseas put the number of nongovernment-employed Americans living abroad anywhere between 4 million and 7 million, a range whose low end is based loosely on the government's trial count in 1999. Focusing on households rather than individuals (and excluding households in which any member has been sent overseas either by the government or private companies), a series of recent Zogby polls commissioned by New Global Initiatives, a consulting firm, yielded surprising results: 1.6 million U.S. households had already determined to relocate abroad; an additional 1.8 million households were seriously considering such a move, while 7.7 million more were "somewhat seriously" contemplating it. If the data collected in the seven polls conducted between 2005 and 2007 are fairly representative of the current decade, then, by a modest estimate, at least 3 million U.S. citizens a year are venturing abroad. More interesting, the biggest number of relocating households is not those with people in or approaching retirement but those with adults ranging from 25 to 34 years old.

According to Robert Adams, the CEO of New Global Initiatives, the motives of relocators are almost as hard to pin down as the numbers. "The only Americans who understand what's going on are those living abroad," he says. "There is no movement, no leader. It's just millions of people making individual decisions to do it."

Now living mostly in Panama City, Adams finds that the reasons people give for moving abroad often change, particularly among those who stay overseas for any length of time. In fact, he says, those who claim they came for a specific reason—for example, dissatisfaction with American politics—tend to be least happy with what they find in the new settings. By and large, most successful Americans abroad "are running to rather than running from," Adams stresses.

A new "West." Some observers even wonder whether words such as migration, emigration, and expatriation accurately describe most Americans' ventures abroad. Today, moving from the States to a place like Panama is almost tantamout to moving from the East Coast to the West Coast 50 years ago. And the Internet, Skype, and satellite television make it easy for people to stay in touch with the homeland. "While people are looking for something new, they're not giving up their citizenship," says Adams, who prefers the word relocation to emigration.

While American relocators are in some ways typical pioneers looking for a new "West," they are also participants in a larger, international development, "a global economic shift," Wennersten writes, "that is fostering real economic growth in heretofore-neglected areas of the world, like Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia." U.S. citizens are certainly not the sole beneficiaries of this shift, but they are active players in countries where the privatizing of former state-run industries and the opening of new capital and trade markets are creating an array of opportunities. "From computer consulting firms in Hong Kong to bagel shops in Budapest," Wennersten notes, "Americans are helping to revitalize or sustain economies that are receptive to Western entrepreneurship."

Talk to some of the successful American relocators around the world and the broad generalizations about them tend to hold up—though not so much as to overwhelm the huge variety of experience and achievement that distinguishes their lives. Michael Sheren, 45, who worked for Chemical Bank in New York in his early career, came to England in 1997 primarily to apply his background in leveraged buy-outs to the European market. Now working in the London office of Calyon Crédit Agricole, a French bank, he credits his American training and drive for giving him a leg up in his work. America's image abroad has suffered during the Bush years, he acknowledges, but he finds that Europeans still value the can-do spirit of Americans. "People equate Ameri-ca with success, even now," he says.

While business is what initially drew him to England, Sheren is now deeply attached to the British way of life. That includes everything from a generous government-backed system of social supports for all citizens to a mentality that is more comfortable with leisure. "I consider the quality of life here significantly better than what I would have over there," he says.

Sheren acquired British citizenship and has at times been tempted to abandon his American one, but he attaches relatively little importance to nationality. His closest friends are an international lot, and he greatly values the freedom of movement that comes with a European passport. "I feel more like a sovereign individual," he says, using the label coined by authors James Dale Davidson and William Rees-Mogg in their book, The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age.

Immersion. Cynthia Barcomi, a Seattle-born artist, writer, and entrepreneur who came to Berlin in 1985 to launch her professional dancing career, stresses how different the expatriate life is from that of Americans who have been sent abroad by the government or private business. To her, it involves a much deeper immersion in the new culture. Like many of the relocators that Adams and Wennersten have dealt with, Barcomi says her motive for moving was more a deep hunch than a single, clearly articulated reason. She had seen a lot of German dance while a student at Columbia University, but she calls her final leap "a blind decision." She didn't even speak German.

After eight years with a professional dance troupe, Barcomi decided on another leap, this one into a new career as the founder and operator of what is now one of Berlin's most prominent coffee and baked goods stores. So successful did that venture prove that she later opened a deli under the Barcomi name. And between raising her children, she has written two respected cookbooks.

Barcomi's reflections on her expatriate life are nuanced: "I feel like the longer I live in Germany, the more I identify with being an American. It takes a while to realize how different we are from the Germans." But Barcomi also says that she has no intention of returning to the United States, even though she would never give up her passport. "I can't imagine living in the American rat race, even though I love Ameri-ca. I wouldn't leave here. I'm at the top of my game."

Like Sheren, Barcomi feels that her American attitudes and education, including her Girl Scout training, prepared her well for a successful life abroad. "I think perseverance is a distinctly American quality."

One big question is whether America is ultimately gaining or losing from this movement of bold, talented Americans into other countries. The answer is not simple. Wennersten cites what he estimates is a loss of about $30 billion in payroll, but he considers the outflow of expertise an even bigger potential drain. "It's not the average guys who are going," he says. "It's these 'crea-tives' who will be establishing the paradigm of the future."

Whether the relocation trend is heading toward a zero-sum outcome is something that you can't help pondering when you meet young American expatriates in Panama. If what they bring here in terms of skills, knowledge, and energy is Panama's gain, is America necessarily a loser?

Not if you look at what Jon Hurst is doing. Before starting the New York Bagel Café in the Cangrejo ("Crab" neighborhood of Panama City, the 38-year-old Arkansas native had spent a good part of his life helping others, from working with disabled adults in California to stints in the Peace Corps and the Crisis Corps in Central America. In fact, he sees the business he launched in 2006 as an extension of what he had recently been doing for an organization that focused on sustainable development in Panama and nearby countries. "One of the reasons I opened this place is to create a sustainable business that would help the local community," says Hurst.

Coupling hard work with idealism, Hurst has built a store that has become a hub in this oldish, artsy quarter. His eight Panamanian employees are well paid and are learning about all aspects of the food business. The free WiFi and all-you-can-drink coffee, in addition to bagels and sandwiches, draw a lively mix of customers who conduct business, check their E-mail, or simply meet with friends. And while there are great challenges to life in Panama City, from appalling traffic to difficulty in getting equipment repairs, Hurst finds the Panamanians friendly and the local conditions (particularly the free trade zone and a modest regulatory regime) especially hospitable to small business. The Panamanian government encourages foreign entrepreneurs by giving microinvestor visas to those who put up at least $50,000 and employ at least three Panamanians. "I couldn't have opened this type of business in the States," says Hurst, who makes the same point that Landau does: "Here there's no one competing against me."

It may not be much of a stretch to say that today one of America's strongest exports is its skilled, energetic, and often idealistic relocators. If America's information-driven economy is the engine of globalization, it is fitting that Americans are working in those parts of the world that are being transformed by the process. They make up an entrepreneurial "peace corps"—establishing businesses, employing, instructing, setting examples, and often currying goodwill. It is a cliché, but still largely true, that many foreigners say that they distrust America but like Americans. These relocators have something to do with this.

And America itself is also learning something from those Americans abroad. "We're developing a breed of Americans who won't find it easy to go back home," says Adams, stating a truth that is not as negative as it sounds. Two Americans who exemplify that breed are Coley and Allison Hudgins, a couple with backgrounds in political and corporate consulting who now live in a small Pacific coast community about two hours from Panama City. She and a partner run a small short-term rental agency, while he and an associate head Latin American Venture Partners, locating investors for assorted building proj-ects in the country.

Escaping "sameness." Doing most of their work out of their condo, the Hudginses have two young children whose edu-cation at a local Spanish-language Catholic school is supplemented with materials that their mother downloads from the Internet. Describing themselves as libertarians, the Hudginses went abroad out of discontent, not with American politics but with a dull sameness they found in American suburban life. Even though they did extensive planning for the move, they admit that the challenges of the new life are considerable. (Some of the greater ones are imposed by the U.S. government, which, though it grants an exemption of close to $86,000 of earnings, is the only developed nation that taxes citizens who are living abroad and paying foreign income taxes.) But both are quick to say that the rewards far outweigh the difficulties. In addition to valuing the warm weather, the idyllic setting, a close family life, and a busy social schedule, both are clearly invigorated by days that that are demanding but not stressful in a culture that blends the modern and the traditional in a comfortable way. They appreciate the irony that American know-how and technology (largely the Internet) make it possible for them to enjoy what is in many ways a very un-American lifestyle. But they are doubtful whether they can go home again. "We may decide to pack up and move on one day," Allison says. "But it's more likely that we'd find some new port of call than move back to the States."

Even if they don't return home, though, it is unlikely that what the Hudginses and other creative American relocators do will be lost on their compatriots back home. These relocators are part of a vast, generally benign cultural exchange, channeling different mores, attitudes, and ways of life back to America, even while bringing some distinctively American skills and attitudes to the wider world. Globalization may still seem like a grand abstraction, involving vast, impersonal forces, but the millions of Americans living and working abroad are part of its very human reality.

 

 

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!

Walking the Pan-American Highway

Every few months or so, I see a few interesting folks walking the Pan-American Highway.

For those who don't know, according to Wikipedia:

"The Pan-American Highway is a network of roads nearly 48,000 kilometres (29,800 miles) in total length. Except for an 87 kilometre (54 mi) rainforest gap, the road links the mainland nations of the Americas in a connected highway system. According to The Guinness Book of World Records, the Pan-American Highway is the world's longest "motorable road".

The Pan-American Highway system is mostly complete and extends from Fairbanks, Alaska in North America to the lower reaches of South America. Several highway termini are claimed to exist, including the cities of Puerto Montt and Quellón in Chile and Ushuaia in Argentina. No comprehensive route is officially defined in Canada and the United States, though several highways there are called "Pan-American".

The Pan-American Highway passes through many diverse climates and ecological types, from dense jungles to cold mountain passes. Since the highway passes through many countries, it is far from uniform. Some stretches of the highway are passable only during the dry season, and in many regions driving is occasionally hazardous.

Famous sections of the Pan-American Highway include the Alaska Highway and the Inter-American Highway (the section between the United States and the Panama Canal). Both of these sections were built during World War II as a means of supply of remote areas without danger of attack by U-boats."

I'm on this highway at least daily and every so often I see a few interesting folks, non-Panamanian, usually American, sometimes Australian or European.  They're biking the highway in pairs with bicycles loaded down with their gear, traveling on motorcycles and oftentimes just walking.

I think the most interesting one I saw was late 20-something guy walking along with a donkey packed down with his gear.  The first day I saw him he was in between Penonome and Anton.  The next day I saw him nearing Rio Hato traveling in the direction of Panama City.  Ok, I thought, I just have to stop and ask.

I pulled off the road onto the shoulder and stopped about 25 yards in front of him.  "Hi!" I shouted.  He replied.

"I just have to ask," I said.  "In 2 minutes, what's your story".

Well he proceeds to tell me that he's been walking from the state of Washington for about 1 1/2 years.  He picked up the donkey in Mexico to help him carry his stuff and he was going to keep walking to Panama City. 

I told him we lived just a few miles off the highway.  He was welcome to bring his donkey, rest a night, clean up, eat, etc.

His response, "Well I'm in kind of a hurry."  He couldn't say it with a straight face and I cracked up.  "Oh really?", I asked.

He went on to explain that he needed to get to Panama City within 8 days so he could fly to the Middle East for a friend's wedding.  He was hoping a farmer would take his donkey for a month or so and then he would be back to continue on his trip.  I gave him a granola bar and wished him luck.  Now that's a free spirit.

Another visit to the pediatrician

So during our visit to Bocas last week, my daughter Lila cut her foot on one of the many starfish while playing in the water.  There was actually a small puncture wound with about an inch long slice.  No big deal.  When we got back to the house that day, we cleaned it up, put on a bandaid and off she went.

Well yesterday we noticed it looked a bit infected.  There was redness down to the middle of her foot.  By the afternoon it had reached her ankle.  Decided it was time to make the phone call to our pediatrician in the city.  He recommended an antibiotic that I could pick up at a local pharmacy but suggested that we make the drive in the next day if it hadn´t improved.

Today, it hadn´t improved.  In fact it looked a bit worse.  So we made the drive into the city, my daughter and I, with me promising McDonald´s, candy, new toy, anything to get her to stop crying.  We finally pulled up to the doctor´s office on Balboa Avenue and she had pulled herself together.  We waited about an hour in a small 4 room office for our turn.  The doctor prescribed a stronger antibiotic and some cream.  The doctor´s visit was $45.00.  That´s without using any insurance.  The medicine totaled less than $20.00 and we were on our way.

While some things are more difficult to accomplish while living here, we´ve had nothing but positive experiences with the medical field, both with our interations with the professionals and in the cost associated with visits and medicines.  More importantly, cutting your foot on a starfish, not a bad problem to have.

Ziggy Comet Hudgins

Ok so we got a puppy.  She´s very cute, 12 week old Black Lab, and after 1 day she already knows how to sit.

Here´s what happened.  We went to XS Memories Thursday night for dinner, the restaurant I wrote about a few days ago.  We´re finishing up our dinner and the owner brings out a 4 week old kitten who has no mother.  Black and white, very cute.  He set us up because immediately the kids were begging us to keep him.  (I guess our turtle, Baby, just isn't cutting it anymore.  Although he did run away twice, which in my eyes, counts as a real pet.)  So a few minutes later we´re walking out with a 4 week old kitten in a crate and I don´t even like cats.

The kids are very excited and start thinking of names.  Lila shouts out her suggestions "Napkin! Table! Tree!" 

Max offers his "Venus, Mars, Moon".

We decide that since he is black with a white tummy he should be named Sylvester, even though, as Max points out, the coloring doesn't exactly match Sylvester.  For example, he has a white foot or something like that.

In any case, we take him home and put the crate in Max's room.  We feed Sylvester, clean off the towel where he did his thing and try to play with him although he keeps running under the bed.  After we settle everyone down, Max explains that he's going to have to sleep in his room all night because if he lives, Sylvester will be scared.  Why didn't I think of this sooner???

Max wakes me up at 5 am because Sylvester is crying for food.  We feed him and hang out until the sun comes up about 45 mins later.  Max is really attached. 

We decide we have to play with him only in the bathrooms because he can't hide so easily except behind the toilet.

My nanny arrives a bit later and lo and behold, she has a severe allergy to cats.  Oh darn, I'm not going to be a cat owner.  So we break the news to the kids.  Max begins sobbing, oh so sad.  Lila tries to eek out a little tear for affect.  This is really hard for her.  The crying continues off and on for 45 mins.  Coley, who has always been the one to say no more dogs, finally caves.  "Fine, get a dog."

I promise the kids that I will not come back from the city that day without a puppy.  Ok, to keep this very long story short, I found a breeder in La Prensa, called, located the puppy, last of 13, bought all the gear and headed home.  Arrived home at 6pm carrying the puppy.  Max looks over and says "That's not a puppy."  "Yes it is."  "Well it's bigger than Sylvester."  Oh geez.

The kids quickly decided on a name, Ziggy after Ziggy Marley, Comet, because Max likes space.  So our newest addition is Ziggy Comet Hudgins!

Life Living Abroad

We´re often asked by those back in the States as well as expats living in Panama City "How do you LIVE in the middle of nowhere?" and "Don't you get BORED?" and "How long do you plan on STAYING there?"

I've answered these questions so many times that I can acutally sum it up in about 5 seconds.  "We like living here.  We have hobbies and plenty of things to do.  No idea."

The more accurate answer is much more complicated than that. 

How do we live in the middle of nowhere?
I think like anywhere you live, you settle into your daily life and it becomes normal life.  My husband and I have had the fortune to travel and live in many different countries.  Our favorite ones have always been the 3rd world countries.  But living with kids in the 3rd world would be difficult.  That's part of the reason we love Panama.  It's not 3rd world no matter what anyone tells you.  But it has that good feeling of being a developing country.  It's got the excitement of growth mixed with the strong feeling of authenticity.  Living here definitely isn't for everyone and even less so for families who really like and enjoy the luxuries of the States.  While our daily life is significantly different than a similar family in the States, it's become normal life for us.

Don't you get bored?
Of course we get bored!  Doesn't everybody?  I remember some of the most boring weekends in one of the most fast-paced cities in the world...Washington DC.  Oh wow, those long, boring, rainy, cold weekends would kill us.  Ok, we'd say, another trip to the Smithsonian museums.  When we get bored here, we can easily spend 2 hours at the beach, I can take my kids to go run around the Equestrian Center and ride the horses, we can feed the animals at the zoo, pick fruit from the tree, give the kids their swimming lessons at one of 3 pools around here, bbq on the beach, go fishing at the lakes, tube down one of the rivers at low tide, check out the sting ray that washed up on shore.  That's just to name a few things within 5 minutes of our front door.  Expand that to watching the sea turtles come in at night, go to the zoo at El Valle, take weekend trips to the mountains, islands or other getaways...in reality there's not enough time to do everything we want to do!

How long do you plan on staying there?
Oh how I wish I knew that answer.  I guess we'll stay until we feel like moving on.  That's the great part about having the freedom to live how and where you want to…

Shopping in Penonome

I picked my 5 year old son up from his little school in Penonome today with 2 things in mind:

1.  He needs a haircut.

2.  He needs a new bicycle

So we headed into the wondeful town of Penonome to do a bit of shopping. 

Penonome is one of Panama’s last undiscovered treasures. It is the capital city of the province of Cocle and boasts beautiful mountain views, crystal clear rivers. Penonome plays a very important role in Panama’s agricultural industry, and is home to many ranches, and orchards.

We headed down the main street as I drove about 2 mph looking for that bike shop I know I had seen before.  A lady honked at me for going too slow.  That's their version of road rage out here.  Ah-ha!  I found it! 

We hopped out of the car and went inside.  The selection wasn't enormous but they had a bike that fit his size.  And I even found a little pink one with a basket and training wheels for my 3 year old daughter.  As I inspected the bike, my son wandered next door to a movie store.  After a bit of adjusting by the owners, the bikes were ready for my purchase.  My son's bike was $40.00 and my daughter's was $25.00.  I never know if I'm getting the real price or not.

Next we went across the street, down a hall where I found a salon.  We popped in and the wonderful woman placed my boy up on the chair.  I'm very very picky about my son's haircuts and she did a really nice job.  Mid-way through, she asked if my husband had visited her the week before.  I told her yes.  It didn't really surprise me though.  I think we're the only American family with no Panamanian roots living out this way.  Her cost...$3.00...and I think that was gringo pricing.  But you can't beat a $3.00 haircut.

Sunday in the City

Contributed by Donna Wilkins 

We all know Panama has some of the best beaches around and you would think that ever Sunday you want to rush out of the city to take them in but let me tell you there is nothing like a beautiful sunny day in the city. Yes you heard me right! Well for one thing I don’t have to get into the car and drive instead I just have to pack a picnic and off to the pool you go.

It rained cats and dogs yesterday so most of the day was spent in avoiding getting wet but today brought on a whole different day look to Panama. That is the good thing about Panama.  It never really rains more than one day in a row. If you get a down pour one day for sure the next day will be bright and sunny.

So with pool bags packed down we headed to the pool to take in the sun and get wet. Our son Kyle loves to do cannonballs into the pool followed by his father. Mom on the other hand is the referee deciding who has the best splash and who made the most noise. Now take this and add a couple more kids and adults and you soon forget who the kids are and who the adults are.

When pool time came to an end we all dried off and changed and headed off to the Causeway for a drive. The Causeway is a very popular area for the Sunday drive. It is a located on the outskirts of Panama City. The Causeway connects three small islands to the mainland. It is basically one long road from the main land out with the ocean on both sides. As we drove down the Causeway we passed people running, on bikes, roller skating and just out taking a walk. The breeze is amazing as you don’t have anything to obstruct it. The city is in the background and frames the view.  It feels like it is a day’s drive away but really within 10 - 15 minutes you are back in the city.

Kyle is always amazed seeing the large ships that pass by. Funny thing that even for us living here for the last 8 years I am too still amazed with the Panama Canal and the large vessels you see pass. One of the those views you just don’t get tired of seeing.

There is a new Bennigans at the end of the Causeway so we stopped by for a cool drink and something to eat. Kyle always asks for the same thing, calamari so a plate later and a cool one inside we finished our afternoon off with a stroll around to look at all the beautiful boats at the marina before heading back to the truck and home.

School starts early here, 7:15 am and for a 6 year old that means getting up at 6am so it is dinner, bath, book and then bedtime.

So our Sunday in the city...while it isn’t the beach...it is nice!

Back to Riding!

Yesterday was my first day of riding horses again since I have returned.  Unfortunately my horse Canelita, a beautiful young Peruvian mare, has been sick so she´s not able to be ridden for the next few weeks.  So I took out one of my friend´s horses, a handsome older Peruvian named Lucero.  We immediately headed down one of my favorite trails following a meandering smaller river. 

We passed a mango tree where all the of the mangos had fallen and were beginning to rot.  The mango season ended about 6 weeks ago.  Passed a colorful blue butterfly.  As always, I looked for crocs in the river.  I have an obsession with crocs and sharks for some reason.  I saw a very small one about 10 months ago.  It must have been less than a foot long.  Nothing since then.

And then the trail opened up to the beach.  I looked to the right and didn´t see anyone.  I looked to the left and saw one person.  Wow, it´s crowded today.

We did our regular loop of riding and headed through the development.  A lot has building has occurred since we left and it´s amazing to watch.  I stopped to talk to one of the guys cleaning the paddle boats on the river.  Any crocs in there I asked in Spanish?  Nope not in this one he responded.  Ok good.

We turned back to the Equestrian Center and Lucero picked up speed.  He's a beautiful horse and likes to "dance".  So we danced our way back to the barn. 

I dismounted and soon realized that I was going to be a bit sore after today.  Not a big deal though.  I'm heading back out this morning.

See Canelita below....

It´s good to be home!

We just spent an amazing 3 weeks in the States visiting museums, riding the Screaming Eagle at 6 Flags (made our 5 year old son ride it...I have my fair share of guilt about that one but my husband says "it's good for him!", spending lots of time with family, loading up on new books and activities for the kiddos. 

We flew back just yesterday from St. Louis, to Dallas, to Miami, to Panama City, 2 hour drive to the beach.  The kids are now seasoned travelers and my son announced last night that his favorite song is the American Airlines song.  We arrived to Tocumen and made it through customs hassle free.  Unfortunately our car battery was dead.  We rented a car and made it home by 11pm.  Got up today to find out that my horse is sick and our other car, which has been in the shop for 3 weeks, is still not working.  I heard my husband on the phone trying to spit out a few words in Spanish until he finally just handed me the phone.  Like my spanish is so much better. 

But with all the little complications that Panama tends to throw your way to keep your day interesting, it still feels good to be home.  One day we may be ready to move back to the States, but I don't see it happening any time soon.

Living in Panama: The Good

There is no Shangri la anywhere on this great earth as far as I know, so it should come as no surprise that after you separate all the hype from real estate agents and project promoters, even Panama has it’s bad and ugly points as well.  Anyone thinking about moving to Panama should come with a realistic view of what it’s actually like living in a developing country.  This is my stream of consciousness list of the good points of living here.  I’ll post more in the future on the “bad and the ugly”, but if you want a general idea of one family’s observations about the “good” Panama here they are:

Fewer rules, regulations and laws than in the U.S:  That’s right… For the most part, you can be as stupid as you want to be here.  If you want to drive drunk you don’t have to worry about huge legal fees and jail time if you get pulled over.  On the other hand, if you wrap your car around a tree and lay dying, you’re on your own as emergency trauma care and ambulance service doesn’t exist out in the provinces and barely exists in the city.

Laid back culture:  Exceptionally laid back culture and in fact “tranquilo” nicely sums up the general attitude of the overwhelming majority of Panamanians.  We’ve been here close to a year, and haven’t experienced one case of road rage, rudeness or arrogance or surly service.  Service can be slow (sometimes exceptionally so) to be sure, but man it makes it so much easier to bear when there’s a friendly smile and a laid back attitude to go along with it.

The outdoors:  If you like the outdoors, if you like nature, if you like getting away from it all, this is the place for you.  There’s only about 3 million people in the entire country and close to 1 million of them live in Panama City.  The country boasts an unbelievable variety of gorgeous mountains, breathtaking beaches, dense rainforests, stunning rivers and very few people.  Panama’s natural beauty is second to none.