We bought used cars, and we have to insure them before we can drive them off the lot. We contact the insurance company, give them the needed info. We get back forms in Spanish. We expect forms in Spanish. We are in a Spanish-speaking country. Just makes it a little harder on us. Thankfully, someone…
Our U.S. phone numbers are done, we think
I cancelled our AT&T lines yesterday. At least I think I did. We tried to cancel our phone lines ahead of time while in the U.S. You know, just end the contract at the end of the next billing period. Thought it would be neat and easy. AT&T didn’t agree. They had never heard of…
First the good news!
We have phones. Phones that work in Panama! We can WhatsApp. We can Facebook on the go. We can text each other from our separate hotel rooms. We can get an Uber ride! I know these are superficial pleasures and privileges, but they are also lifelines right now for us. I think Neil spent most…
Some days
Some days, moving just stinks. You feel like you are trying to swim through mud. We keep trying to get cell phones. We are trying to use our perfectly good and expensive phones from the U.S. We've paid them off. We've unlocked them. We've applied for new sim cards. We've verified Dean's employment. We've explained…
Along the Amador Causeway
We went to the Biomuseo today and just looking at the views near there makes me want to convince you all to come see this! I need a better camera with me next time. Not just my phone.
We’ve got mail!
We got mail today! Two letters and two packages! It's like we might really live here. I can't believe how excited we all were. Jack got a card from family friends (Thank you Tish!) and his official high school transcripts in a sealed envelope for delivery to FSU. Dean had bought a book on Amazon…
One week recap
We arrived last Friday. One week in a hotel trying to get phones, furniture, cars, house keys, electricity, water and internet in that house ... We have house keys. Yay! We have electricity and water. Yay! Rental furniture is scheduled for Tuesday delivery. We are hoping it is this coming Tuesday, not the next. We've…
My second first impression of Panama
We made it through the flight. Each of us sitting in a randomly assigned middle seat. My sweet innocent husband (he does travel for business right? Shouldn’t he know better?) thought someone would gladly trade with us. Haha. Or as they say down here, jaja. I said goodbye to California – place of my birth…
A really rainy day
Today we woke up to rain, wind and warmth. It's very gray out. If I crank the hotel A/C I could pretend it is a cold day, eat soup and read books from bed. We are holed up in the hotel, playing games and debating what to do next today. The boys have been working…
“Mr. Watson come here — I want to see you”
Day Two of trying to unlock phones. It’s making me crazy. AT&T kindly puts “unlocking your phone is simple with a few steps…” on its website. Liars. We need phones. Phones with Panamanian numbers so we don’t just rely on the hotel Wi-Fi to communicate. We’ve paid good money for perfectly good phones. Why…
The Yerems in Panama 