May 13, 2011

We had Field Day at school this week. Actually, it was one of the most fun Field Days I have ever had. Maybe it was just the mix of kids from 4 years old to seniors in high school. But Wayne and I were in charge of the water slides. They got a couple of huge inflatable water slides from a local company. They were to have them up and ready to go at 8:00 am. So, our first group came to play exactly at 8:00. Absolutely nothing was ready. Ninety kids waiting to play and nothing to play on. The recreation company just started to inflate the first slide at 8 am. While waiting, we were reading all the “warning notices” on the slide (In English by the way). Absolutely nothing was being followed. The electric cords used to power the fans to blow them up had the grounding prongs removed from the plug, so they could easily be plugged into an extension cord that was also not grounded. Wires were everywhere, hoses were in a tangled mess. It was a comedy of errors. So the first group missed the water slide completely. The second group came and waited in line for their turn. Eventually, both slides were inflated, but water was needed. However, the workers must have felt like they deserved a break, so they stopped to eat and drink!!! Finally one lady (who thankfully spoke Spanish) went up to them and reminded them these kids were waiting! How funny. All the rules written on the side of the slides were totally ignored when the guys from the company assisted with getting the kids on and off the slides. But, the kids had a blast and not a single one got hurt. They all survived without any the rules and regulations being followed.
The big news of the week was that after ten months, I finally got my Panamanian driver’s license. We went to the license bureau (which is NOT a government agency, but actually a private enterprise) and the process went pretty smoothly. Can’t complain about that trip. However, the large parking lot in front was full and Wayne had to wait about 10 -15 minutes before somebody drove out. It was amazing how many people that visited the driver’s license bureau didn’t drive there. Now, I just have to get the guts to actually drive around here.
Apparently, when shopping here you are not allowed to try on white tops. Stores are afraid that if you get makeup on them, they won’t be able to sell them. However, almost all stores have a no return policy. What to do?
And Peanut Butter. The librarian read a book to the kids about peanut butter and jelly. He asked the kids how many liked peanut butter. Only the Americans in the school raised their hands. So, he continued to ask all the classes during the week. Absolutely none of the Panamanian or Latin American students said they did. Guess they wouldn’t survive in America! Stores here sell very little peanut butter, the ones that do sell only very small jars. Thank goodness for PriceSmart (our Costco). There you can get the big jars!
Here is another great short story. One of our neighbors left the country for a period of time. His house burglar alarm (5 minute siren) kept going off every half hour or so for a few days. It was driving all of the neighbors nuts. We found that we could sleep in our back bedroom and not hear it, but otherwise, the dog-gone thing went off all night long. So, someone who was to watch the house finally came by and disarmed it. BUT, it was connected to some Panamanian alarm company that was “suppose” to call them and check it out as soon as the alarm went off. I can only guess that the monthly monitoring fee wasn’t very worthwhile.