November 26, 2010

Messed up my knee again, which is typical for me. So, I went to a store to try to find a knee brace. Found one that would work, but the package had a large label that said “Knee Warp” (not wrap). I guess the packaging company made a BIG error in the development of the package and they then decided to sell the product in a country where people likely don’t understand enough English to know the difference.
November is the “Independence Holiday” month in Panama. One holiday is for Panama’s independence from Columbia, another for a “Call to Freedom”, yet another for their freedom from Spain. Apparently, there were many parades (again, parades are very popular here) in which all the school children and teachers marched (all the public school children and teachers, that is). The president of Panama expressed his indignation at private schools for their absence from these parades. So now, he wants to force all kids and teachers of private school (i.e. international schools) to march next year as well. So the Ministry of Education is working on regulations that will require all private school students and teachers to participate in the parades in order “to encourage civic sentiment”. If they don’t, then those schools will not have their diplomas recognized by the government. Hummm, wonder how that will play out??
People shovel snow from their sidewalks in the states, down here we have seen folks power wash their sidewalks. Guess you don’t realize how dark they can get with mold and crud because of all the tropical rains. Goodness, there is a difference between before and after. When it is raining, they can be a little slick, at least to run. I certainly can’t run anymore with bad knees, but Wayne can. And the chance of getting caught in the rain is pretty high, but with the heat, it is actually inviting. However, we wish everyone washed their sidewalks, but like in the states, just “some” shovel them and down here in Panama, just some power wash.
Guess we had probably the most interesting Thanksgiving Day of our lives. I had to get up at my regular time and go to WORK!!! Our school only had a half day of school, then at 1:00 (when the kids got out), the church/school served turkeys, while the rest of staff brought side dishes. We had a marvelous Thanksgiving meal and gathering that lasted most of the afternoon. We could have attended another dinner at 4:00, but were way too stuffed and tired to do the food thing again. Came home and put on my shorts and sleeveless top and went for a pleasant walk instead. How great is that for November 25th. However, unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), there is no Black Friday mania in Panama.
Ended the evening with a SKYPE vist from our adorable granddaughter! Can't wait to see her in just a couple weeks. Great day even with working!