July 20, 2010

I talked with a friend today regarding PUBLIC schools in Panama. Guess they just do NOT have substitutes. If a teacher has a medical appointment or doesn’t feel like coming to school, they tell the kids to not come the next day. Sometimes when the teacher calls in sick, they put a sign in front of the school saying that the kids in that class should go back home. Needless to say, that can be very problematic, since many women here work as well and no one is at home to watch the kids. If the kids are at school and their teacher doesn’t show, well, they have no teacher and need to sit in the classroom the rest of the day. Private schools are what most parents want, although most can’t afford them. Very sad for the children.
We bit the bullet and bought a used car yesterday. (ok, at least purchased it, don’t get it for a week or so) You would have loved the lot at the car dealer. Armed guards were sitting at the entrance of the car lot (which was surrounded by a barbed / razor wire fence) holding shotguns. First time we went there, we parked in the wrong spot and one of the guards came over to motion to us to move. We promptly followed his instructions. Actually, I am getting used to seeing such sights now. It was strange and unsettling to see all the armed guards initially, but now it is just part of the landscape. It will probably be completely reversed when we come to America and don’t see them anymore and wonder who is watching for criminals? Thankfully, we had a friend go with us to the used car lot. Our salesman was a great guy who spoke English, but just the process of getting this car was totally different than what we experienced in the states. It was really nice to have someone there with us that spoke Spanish and knew some of the ropes.
This was the funniest yet. After 3 weeks, it was our TURN to get cable TV. After two phone calls, which resulted in hang ups when Wayne and I kept saying “no hablo espanol”, an English speaking person finally called. The technician was in our area, but could not find out apartment. So, Wayne is on the phone trying to give directions. We haven’t any idea what the streets are called around here (even if they are marked) and we don’t even know N,S,E or W yet. We were totally clueless in giving directions. It was a comedy routine without going to a comedy club! So, we did discover where the cable guy “might” be (a nearby landmark, of course) and Wayne took off in the car to find him and hopefully he could follow Wayne back to the apartment. WOW, talk about being helpless!! Then the cable guys come in and guess who can’t communicate with them. No one will ever beat us at a game of charades in Cincinnati again. We are getting really great!