We had friends visiting last week and another friend arrives on Friday. Tourist central! It's exciting to share Panama with our U.S. friends. It also forces us up and out! No matter where you live, you get complacent with your life just getting the daily stuff done -- school, practices, work, laundry, dishes, grocery shopping,…
Laid off in a foreign country. Hello. Wow. We weren’t expecting that. Sure, we had made comments among ourselves that this doesn’t seem like the most cost-efficient business model. We had talked about the huge outlay of money to move so many people, support so many people with housing, schooling, relocation assistance. Sure, it is…
We were just tagged by the door-to-door vaccination crew in Panama. A very friendly woman in an official white uniform, with a bright vest, several badges, clip board and a shoulder ice chest filled with vaccines rang the doorbell and asked if we had children under the age of 4. We don’t so we were…
The tap, tap, tap of the woodpecker on the tree just outside of our yard is a pleasant sound that isn't out of the ordinary. The sound comes and goes. Birds flit and fly about the yard on a regular basis. Birds so colorful and so beautiful I really should document them. But the tap,…
Fruits and vegetables have been hit and miss here. I've never tasted anything as sweet and perfect as pineapple can be in Panama. Soooo very good. But then I've never been as disappointed in the availability of fresh produce as I have been here. Actually, that's not true. Former Communist Prague winter of 1991 was…
Have I talked about my fear of sloths? I get that it is an unfounded phobia, but there it is. Something about their long digits, squished faces, I don't know... Just do not want to run into a sloth. I get it. They are slow. Even I could easily flee from one. But that's the…
The language barrier is always a challenge. It can be isolating to be in a place where you understand about 1/10 of what is being said around you. But it an odd way it also makes you a public sight. We are gringos. We stick out. There are other gringos so we aren't alone, but…
It's not Trader Joe's, but Foodie specialty produce market makes me think of one of my favorite stores. One opened near Dean's work. It was nice to peruse fresh fruits and vegetables, seasonings without additives and to just explore some culinary options I haven't found elsewhere. Guess who's gonna get grocery lists to bring home from…
Carnival is happening in the country of Panama, but the city of Panama is EMPTY. The place clears out. Traffic Friday and Saturday morning was ugly, but now you can cruise the city with ease. We were a little worried when we saw maps showing street closures that last from Friday morning through Wednesday... We…
We are from California. Earthquakes are nothing new to us. But ... last night at 11:45 p.m. when Panama was hit with a couple of quick but decent-sized jolts, it felt a little new. Our concrete bunker of a house jumped significantly. This is NOT a California quake-code structure that sways with the movement of…
The Yerems in Panama 