October 6, 2010

Interesting day on Wednesday. Wayne was going to drop me off at school rather early, so he could get downtown to meet our lawyer’s assistant and give him a paper that I had to sign for immigration. So, just before we were leaving to go to school, I got that “great phone call”. School was called off due to a wide spread water outage down in the city. The government called off ALL public/private schools in the city. We did have water, but you can’t fight the government! Having not had a break for 9 weeks (plus two weeks of in-service) and none for the next 4 weeks, it was a welcome relief. So I went downtown with Wayne. It was fun, as there were literally hundreds of school kids roaming around. Most of the kids that go to public school wouldn’t have had a clue they had no school until they arrived at the school building. But what was fun is that there were dozens of various uniforms. By law, all students have to wear a uniform. The kids ALL looked so nice, clean, well groomed. Most of the guys had a shirt and a tie that matched the color of the girl’s uniform. I guess we are really casual at my school with knit shirts (with a collar) and beige pants. But you know these kids are very poor just because they go to public school, yet they all looked so nice. As we were going by the Children’s Hospital downtown, we saw dozens of “fondas” (see the picture). These are little eating establishments that were certainly busy. We walked through them more than once just looking at the food that they had prepared and that the people were buying. Every place had big pans of fried chicken available. At 7 in the morning!! No donuts, no bagels, no pastries. Lots of fried chicken and hot dogs though. Really, which is worse? Fried chicken or donuts???
Wayne had to go downtown the day before, again for an immigration run. Coming back, he got stopped by a street demonstration that can be frequent here. It was during lunch time and many construction workers were in the middle of the street waving flags, blocking traffic and yelling something. All they did was to completely screw up the traffic and the “protesters” seemed to be completely delighted in doing so. Wayne just waited it out knowing that when their lunch hour was over, the protest would be over as well since they had to get back to work. But, he heard sirens in the distance, so the workers started breaking up and allowed traffic flow to resume. A typical occurrence in Panama, I guess, just the first time one of us was caught in one.
You will see two pictures of critters on this blog. One is a crocodile that they captured in a drainage ditch just a couple miles from our apartment. Three meters long and approximately 800 pounds. I did not see it and I am glad. That picture came from a news story. The other is an iguana. My neighbor “caught” it in our back yard. It was eating his newly planted bushes. No deer or rabbit problems here, just iguanas. Now, why would he catch it??? And why plant bushes when the jungle is just about 30 feet from our back door?

October 4, 2010 Tourist and facts

Ace and I were taking our morning walk before church and while walking near the canal, we saw two cruise ships entering into the locks. I guess there are not a lot of cruise ships that actually go through the canal since the tolls can be very expensive. In fact, the most expensive toll ever paid was for a Disney ship that went through one time. The cruise ships have to pay for each person that “could” be on the ship whether the ship is full or not. But right now, many of the cruise ships are repositioning themselves from Alaska to the Caribbean. However, there are at least two cruise lines that do take regular trips through canal.
Saturday, we did the tourist thing and went to visit the Miraflores locks. Actually they are just across the street from our neighborhood, probably less than a mile from our apartment. In one of the pictures, you can see our “city” in the background. It has all the “army” looking building left over from the days when the US was here. I guess the average ship costs over $100,000 in CASH paid 72 hours prior to entering the canal. Some can cost upwards of $300,000 to $400,000 to transit the 50 miles or so, but it can sometimes save the shipping company up to $1,000,000 by not going around South America. New and larger locks are to be finished in a few years and can handle ships a lot larger than the current locks can handle. Toured the museum at the lock’s visitor center afterwards and got to see samples of all the “bugs” that live in the jungle. Oh my. Don’t want to go there. Yet, we live surrounded by jungle. All of it is protected by the government to provide a watershed for the canal. Beautiful, absolutely BEAUTIFUL. But don’t want to step in it. And some people actually go camping in the jungle????

October 2, 2010

Being the beach people that we are and to walk along the beach is one of the most pleasant things we can do, I am surprised we haven’t done that since arriving in Panama. Come on, no place in this country is more than 50 miles from an ocean! Granted, we often go to the causeway to walk, sit, eat overlooking the entrance to the canal, but that isn’t a beach. So on Sunday after church, we drove to Vera Cruz to visit a nearby beach (20 minutes). Large beach, great for walking, but no one was swimming and few were walking or even sitting on the beach under an umbrella. Most were sitting at a beach bar / restaurant. Guess few in Panama swim. Few walk. Many drink. We did get stopped at a check point on the road for an ID check. Thankfully, they only asked for Wayne’s. Who knows who they are looking for? If for illegals, they check everyone in the car; if for someone else, it is just a glance into the car. I now carry a letter from my lawyer saying they are working on my visa, just in case. It is just strange to have check points where they stop your car, especially when one of the policemen is carrying an automatic rifle. I am getting used to it though.
It was an OK beach, (check out the pictures), but most of the really nice beaches are an hour or more away. I guess the best ones are on the Caribbean side, but along with more rain and bugs. The tide was so far out when we were there. But, it was partly sunny and windy and just perfect for being outdoors.
About immigration. I had to go to the lawyer’s office to sign more papers on Wednesday morning. The lawyer wasn’t there, since he was delayed at a doctor’s appointment. So the meeting was basically with his two secretaries who spoke NO English and the lawyer on the phone. At one point, he needed to talk with his secretary. I asked which one and he just said, “Oh, she is the FAT one”. I was really taken back by that comment only to realize after talking with others that “fat” is NOT a big deal here. It is really an endearing comment! It is NOT an insult. Thus, I guess that is why all the women at the mall that are quite heavy wear clothes many sized too small. It is just the culture. Many Americans would get really put out when a Panamanian man calls you “gordo” (which is fat). Yet, they really think you are pretty and they are attracted to you. This information was from the single girls from the states that I teach with. So, the immigration saga continues. What we have to do is almost insane. Like who is escaping from the US to come to a third world country? Why do they make it so difficult? Eventually, according to several at school that have done this process, we can expect a multi-hour interview where Wayne is in one room, me in another and they ask us the same questions and compare answers “just to see” if we really are married and he isn’t trying to sneak me into the country. Good grief! One gal said immigration actually showed up unexpectly at her door step on Saturday morning. Again, the fascination continues with being in a foreign country.
We have a favorite pizza place that we occasionally walk to for dinner. We have had several different pizzas, NONE with sauce. I guess that is a custom here. No sauce. Tonight, several people sitting next to us were all eating various pasta dishes. Again, no sauce. I had a terrific Greek Salad. It was really good, yet I bet it had maybe a tablespoon of lettuce in it. All green peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, etc. Different.

Several months ago, I went to an area of town that I mentioned I really wanted to go back to, but wouldn’t until I had a grasp of the language. Well, we went back to wander around and check it out. We do NOT have a grasp of the language yet, but if we waited for that, we may never go. How interesting because, again, we were the only gringos there, and I am sure the people were as much amazed to see these two tall white people wandering around as we were amazed at watching the community of people that lived there. People were getting manicures and pedicures out on the street. Ladies had their little shop set up on the sidewalk with a couple of lawn chairs and a basket with their “tools” in it. Scary to wonder about the sanitary conditions, but they had the whole works of multiple colors of polish and fake nails. I finally remembered to take my camera with me only to have a battery die after the first couple of pictures.
There were lots of outdoor “cafes”, although I would almost be afraid to eat at them. Apparently, there are many that do eat at them that obviously don’t get sick, or else their stomachs are immune. One picture is of the lottery tickets being sold. Every place you go around here, there are ladies sitting on the streets at these card tables selling lotto tickets. We noticed there were many tables right outside a bank setting tickets. How sad that they are probably selling to people as they exit the bank after getting their paycheck cashed. See the picture of the baskets on shelves. One of the big “super Wal-Mart type stores” was located in that neighborhood, yet you can NOT go into the store with a package. So, people have to check everything they have prior to entering the store. Just ONE more line to stand in with slow service.
Got my first “tropical virus” this week. Here, I came to paradise thinking colds/flu were not around, since in Ohio those generally happen during the winter months when people are cooped up, right? But, as some wise person told me, germs just don’t die here! Well that is a downer. Anyway, when stuffed up, you certainly don’t need a humidifier. Just step outside.
Wayne went to get a tire fixed this week at a place that has no clue what customer service might look like. Anyway, as he was waiting he met a Panamanian man that spoke excellent English. The gentleman was disgusted as he needed to get his required annual car inspection. He started the process, but they discovered he had an outstanding parking ticket. So they refused to inspect it until he went to the government office to pay it. So he left, went to the office nearby. However, he had shorts on and you are not allowed in a government office (and most banks) wearing shorts. So he had to go home, change his clothes, go back to pay the ticket, then return to the repair shop and wait forever to get his car inspected. He “thought” what would take several hours, ended up taking all day.
My school had an “international” fair yesterday (similar to CHCA’s Fall festival). We all had the opportunity to work at it. With a small school, there are a lot of “those opportunities”. But the best part was all the international food available. Parents made food that was particular to their country to sell. So, with the international mix of people that live in Panama, we had some of the most amazing food I have ever tasted.

September 17, 2010

As we left for church on Sunday, one of our neighbors was cutting down a rather large tree. He (or someone he hired) had climbed to the top and was chopping away at branches with a machete. When we got back home, all branches were off and they were starting to cut the tree trunk down (still using ONLY a machete). Later, it was all on the ground and no chain saw any place to be seen. These people are amazing with a machete and a weed whacker. I see them in the jungle cutting it back with just a machete. But in that jungle, I would probably want to be armed with one in case a snake appeared. I am still amazed to see dozens of men with weed whackers “mowing” the park. It looks beautiful afterwards. You wouldn’t know it was done without a mower.
The women I was with on Saturday (all had lived in the states before) were talking about when they fly back to the states and get into a car that they have an “out of body” experience - everyone is driving normally. You just get used to people driving crazy here. But, they all are happy to get back to Panama because the faces here are friendly and always have that warm smile on them. THAT is something that I still enjoy immensely. These people are so warm. I am clueless as to what they are saying to me, but that smile says it all.
Wayne had a very interesting week. He needed to get his Panamanian driver’s license. But, he said getting one was like a giant treasure hunt. Having done his research beforehand (mostly on the internet), he thought he knew exactly where to go and what to do. First stop - go to the US embassy to get your US driver’s license authenticated. Next, you go to the foreign ministry office to get the authentication “authenticated” by the Panamanian government. But, upon arriving at that office, it was an empty store front (they had apparently just moved). However, there was absolutely no information posted about where they had gone. Fortunately, there were some nice ladies in a nearby government office that drew him a map (easy to translate, no Spanish required). OK, so he found the new office and then had to get some government stamps (like a postage stamp, but it indicates you paid a fee) to put on the back of the document. Well, you had to go to the bank to get the stamps. Guess what, the bank had run out of stamps. Sitting outside the bank with a bewildered look on his face (a frequent occurrence around here), a delightful Panamanian lady (who spoke English perfectly) had overhead his dilemma and offered to go with him looking for the stamps, which took going to four different banks. Then, he had to wait in another line to have the government stamps, stamped with an ink stamp. Goodness, these people love their stamps. So, then he had to have a test for his blood type, which is shown on your driver’s license. He went to a lab, got the test done and was told to come back in five hours. He did, but there was a problem with the test. Wayne has B negative blood. I guess people in Panama do not usually have Rh negative blood. So, he had to wait 24 MORE hours, so the lab could confirm it was really B negative. The last leg of the treasure hunt was the driver’s license office. Let’s say it is just like the BMV in the states, but all in Spanish (there are no bi-lingual signs) and with lots of people waiting. After two hours, in which he saw six different individuals, took vision and hearing tests (fortunately, no written test (that, of course, would have been in Spanish only) and no driving test), he finally got his license after three days of running all over town. Now, I guess that gives him the right to drive like a madman, because that is what everyone in Panama with a license apparently does. The really funny thing is after all the trouble with getting his blood retested to “Prove” it was Rh negative, they originally put on his license that is was B+. He had to have them change it. They just can’t understand someone here can NOT have positive blood.

September 12, 2010

Busy week. We had conferences half a day Wednesday and all day on Friday. Every parent is scheduled to meet every teacher for every class. And 85 percent of the parents came. I had a few conferences that took a little longer due to the fact that someone had to translate. Funny how their children speak English without an accent, yet the parents don’t know any English. Sometimes, one of the parents could speak it well enough to translate for the spouse. Other times, I had to grab another teacher who knew the language. But the parents were just thrilled that technology was into the curriculum.
Wednesday, Wayne went with one of the pastors of the church to go work in the slums. The church has a ministry in one of the larger slum areas in the city. They purchased a building and are now trying to set up a school to teach the kids some English and eventually some computer skills to help get them out of the slums. Currently, there is only a single kindergarten class, but the plans are to eventually have a K thru 12 school. Wayne enjoyed the experience and he hopes to go back. I would love to go myself, yet don’t have time at the moment. I guess they have these huge dumpsters for trash at the edge of the neighborhood (like you would find in the USA). Except in the US, the trash truck comes, connects to the dumpster and it is dumped into the truck. Well, in Panama, those type of trash trucks are not common, so on trash days (yes, the trash men are once again working) they come, someone gets in the dumpster and tosses everything into the street. Then, a front loader is used to scoop it up and transfer it to a dump truck. When Wayne was there, there was huge pile of trash in the street since the dump truck was filled up, then had to go empty it and return. Funny and totally inefficient
Somehow I got connected to a group of women that meet monthly for a ladies luncheon. We did that yesterday and went to another place I have never been. Interesting group of ladies. There was one there this week that was the first woman jockey ever in Panama.
Wayne found a government office in Panama that is actually efficient (rare?????). He went to try to get a Panamanian passport, since he is considered a Panamanian citizen. Anyway, he dropped me off at school at 7:00 AM and took off to go downtown to meet the “non-English speaking” lawyer’s assistant. He walked out of the office an hour later WITH a Panamanian passport in hand. Needless to say, he is still in shock. However, he is married to an almost illegal. Nothing has been accomplished with me yet about my immigration status. Getting a visa for me to stay is so much more complicated. Most of the other teachers have their missionary visas now (or a least a temporary one). Yet the school suggested I should try for a different visa being that I am officially married to a Panamanian. Just getting that paperwork in line is a major task. All these hoops I have to jump through to “prove” we are truly married. I guess they think I only married Wayne to get into Panama, so I can work for a fraction of what I made in the US??? All you can do is just look at every situation and smile. It IS a different country.

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.