September 7, 2010

Just when you think of your new place as home and really not that much different than where you came from, you see your neighbor putting bananas out in our common back yard. Why, because there was a troupe of monkeys in the trees behind our apartment. Wow. Sometimes we just forget we live in a different part of the world. Then that happens.
We had our first pep rally at our school today. It was rather interesting to have a pep rally with no cheerleaders. The kids told me that there just are not cheerleaders in Panama. Interesting. But the school spirit (at least at the pep rally) was nothing like I have ever seen. The kids were really “into” it. Right now, it is basketball season. Girls and boys both.
There is a mall downtown that we visited for the first time on this past weekend. I really had no desire to go, since it is a super pricey place. But you can tell the difference in “classes” here by seeing the stores. A Rolex store, Mont Blanc, Jimmy Choo (shoes), Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, Cartier, Chanel and on and on. Most of the stores had armed uniformed guards standing in front. Beautiful, beautiful mall though. Someone told me their friend from the states loved shopping there since things were cheaper than comparable places in the states. Beats me.
Garbage has still not been picked up (fourteen days and counting). This is not something that is desirable in the tropics. Heard that the garbage workers are on strike. Also, the government toll collectors on the two major highways going around the city were going to strike as well. We would know more if we could understand what was being said on the local news programs. Seems like the government workers like to strike often around here. But, they are usually resolved quickly. However, it could be hard to tell if the workers in some government offices are on strike or not, considering how long it takes to get some things done.
I am finding it both fun and challenging to once again be working with K-4 all the way through grade 12 kids. On Mondays, I work with little 4 years olds in k-garten, then turn around and 5 minutes later am with 12th graders. Quite the change. I asked someone if “senioritis” was a disease here in Panama. Guess that it is. I was hoping that maybe this part of the world somehow escaped it.