March 31, 20100

Been married for almost 35 years and Wayne has seldom expressed his desire to do something strongly. But he really wants to stay in Panama, so we have made a decision to stay. I miss my job in Cincinnati. Miss my friends, my connections. CHCA has been my second home for 19 years and I can’t imagine not being there. But on the other hand, Panama has it pluses too. It is great here. I love the school I am at, the kids, the teachers, the WEATHER, new friends, the church. But I was looking for more of a challenge. After saying that, I was offered a job at a brand new school that is just opening next year in Panama. It is an international school and will be totally infused with technology. They needed someone to set up their technology program, develop the pedagogy, work with teachers and teach a few classes in a lab. I am so excited, needless to say. Every kid will be given a device (iTouch, iPad, or MacBook) upon entrance to the school, so someone has to figure this entire thing out. What a challenge. So, with that opportunity, the decision to stay was sealed. And on top of that, I decided to “retire” (sort of) and I told them I only wanted a four day week. Anyway, I want my fifth day to do volunteer work with the church in the slums (again trying to set up a program with technology) or going back to my current school and helping out some of my friends with the computers there. So after months of wondering “what should we do”, decisions are finally made. Of course, this opens up an entire new spectrum of problems. Wayne and I have been stretched every which way since coming here. We are different people now. Taking risks has been difficult and wonderful. But taking risks has certainly made life more interesting to say the least.
Guess that means we need to find a more permanent place to live. I need to get a driver’s license, but we certainly don’t need to worry about winter clothes, boots, socks, or gloves. We will have more long lines to stand in, traffic jams to endure, more government bureaucracy to deal with, but lots of sunshine! I am scared to death, yet really excited about these new challenges. Really, who would have ever thought 18 months ago we would be doing this??