September 2, 2011

Attached are pictures of flowers around here. We are noticing them this year. Last year, I think we were with the “deer in the headlights” look all the time and didn’t see the beautiful flowers. They change season by season. They are just so delicate and beautiful. Season by season just means wet / dry / kinda wet. Speaking of wet, I just mopped my floors. Wonder if they will ever dry. Our apartment is never hot. We turn our air conditioning on only to try to get the humidity out. Being built out of cement and on the 2nd of 5 floors, our condo just doesn’t ever heat up. We could have our windows open almost all the time except for the humidity. If we ever finally own the place, we want lots of ceiling fans. However, the process to purchase is totally frustrating and beyond SLOW. The bank, deed office, etc. put these 90 day restrictions on various things, except just about nothing happens in 90 days. Everything expires and the process begins all over again. You would “think” that there would be competition within the process and things would move faster, but not so. This IS a third world country. Oh well, that makes things interesting (oh yes and TOTALLY frustrating).


Also pictured is Wayne in front of the Hotel El Panama. What is interesting is that when his aunt visited Panama just after he was born, she had a picture at the same place. The hotel had just opened and was, at the time, the most exclusive hotel in the country of Panama, perhaps in all of Latin America. It maintained that top spot for many many years. Our church had their annual combined service there last Sunday, so it was fun to go explore. The hotel is interesting in that the hotel lobby at that time had no walls, windows, or doors, one of the first in the country like that. In the past 60 years, they did have to put walls around the business area. It also touted the largest swimming pool in Latin America in its day.

Well, Monday was the first day of school EVER at my new school. I can’t even begin to describe the excitement that morning. All the founding families were there, all 180 students had their parents bring them, (well, six rode the bus that day), and it was absolutely a blast. The kids were perfect (because no one knew anyone). Granted since then, they have turned into real kids. They got comfortable, which is a good thing.

Me, I am having a blast in the BEST computer lab in Latin America. Now, it is a fabulous lab down here, but it would be just another “brand new” lab you would find in America. But, in Panama, it is really something else. People are constantly taking tours of the school and the lab is the high spot. The kids get their iPads eventually and then those will be cool. I am totally overwhelmed with learning new things, but that is as much fun as it is frustrating. I have taught everything from 4 year olds to college, and beyond. I love it. But this week I got my first class of 20 - 3 year olds. They were with me for just 20 to 30 minutes. I felt like a train wreck when that was over. And remember, if they “could” talk, they were speaking Spanish. But oh my, how adorable they looked. All in their little MET uniforms.