A Visit to a High School

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

One of our neighbors is an English teacher at the Instituto David, and it’s English week. There are contests for speaking, poetry, singing, and other activities all week. She asked us to be judges at the singing contest, so yesterday off we went to the school. (This post is about the school and the Father’s Day festivities that we also attended. There will be another post about the contest.)

This is a large school with over 2000 students age 12-18. The students wear uniforms, blue shirts for the younger ones and white shirts for the older ones. The building is not new and lacks a lot of things we take for granted in the US, but it is spotlessly clean. The courtyards have flowers and plants, and there are many painted murals.

It feels very happy at the school. Students were quiet and orderly (extremely so by US standards). There were smiles everywhere and lots of affection. Friends and groups often had their arms around each other, or a hand on a shoulder. The students seemed interested in us also and it felt very easy to talk with them.

Amarillis, our friend and neighbor
Amarillis’ board promoting English Week, and technology.
There are two courtyards in the school. Notice the mural on the side of the staircase.
There was nice landscaping and plants all around the school.
This is the other courtyard with a statue of the Virgin Mary on the side.
These teachers were painting disks red, maybe for some sort of decoration?
This is the hallway as you leave the library. The library was minuscule compared to a US high school. We could fit all the books in our living room. There was also no water in the ladies staff bathroom so you have fill up a container in the men’s room to flush the toilet. I was told it’s always like that. But, there were computers all along one wall, as you will see when I get the pictures of the contest posted (it was held in the library)
The physics teacher.
The physics class. Amarillis told the teacher about my daughter, the new PhD physics, and he told the students who looked at me with increased interest and big smiles!
There is a snack shop on the grounds.

.

After the contest and a walk around the school grounds, we headed to the gym for the Father’s Day festivities.  This was an experience that can’t be described with photos so be sure to check out the video below!

The gym, where they are apparently building a covered walkway to connect it with the rest of the school.
The fathers are seated waiting for the party to begin. Notice the gifts on the table, and the prizes on the stage.
Lunch was served to all the dads by a staff of students who were on hand to do whatever was needed.
The gifts had been handed out, and balloons were then put on the table.
On our way out we saw a few students mopping the floors.

.

Notice the last photo of the student mopping the floor, It was explained to us that this is punishment. That girl had a skirt that was too short. This seems a lot more useful than detention, in my opinion.

OK, on to the videos!

This is the Father’s Day celebration with bit of each performer and a taste of what it was like.

.

I especially love this boy. I uploaded the video of his performance separately so I can share more of it.

x

I was so impressed with these students. They had such  gusto, and courage, and confidence on stage. There were also some really excellent singers! My friend thinks we were doing her a favor by coming to her school, but she really did us a big favor by inviting us. I had a wonderful day. I think we are going back Monday to judge a speaking contest and I’m looking forward to it!

Enhanced by Zemanta
Posted in Panama | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Panama Shopping – the Doit Center

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

A lot of people wonder how it is in Panama. Can you buy the things you need? What is available here? Let me assure you that here in David, we lack for nothing. the Doit Center is only one of the stores similar to Lowe’s or Home Depot. Another is located across the street, and a couple others are down the highway.

The hardest thing about taking these photos was the number of employees in the store. I didn’t want to get in trouble for taking pictures so I tried to stay out of sight (and that is my excuse for the quality of some of the photos). Unlike many stores in the US, you won’t have any trouble finding someone to help you. If they see you in their department they will often approach you and offer assistance.

Francisco speaks very good English, so he’s a good man to know if you get stuck on something. He can often be found at the customer service desk near the front doors.
The photos are in no particular order, and only show a fraction of what is available in the store. But, I did my best to give you a general idea of what it’s like there. Here I am about in the middle of the store looking all the way to the back.
The appliance department – stoves, refrigerators along the walls, air conditioners and water heaters on the right. They didn’t have dishwashers or clothes dryers in stock but are expecting some in soon. I had to be quick with this photo because the employee who works there helped me that first night when I had to buy everything for my house. We have been friends ever since.
One aisle of the car department – wiper blades, wax, cleaning products, etc. and tool boxes on the left. There are two more aisles of car related items as well.
Lights, fans, light fixtures, light bulbs, and all things electric are in this area.
An aisle in the garden department. I’m a little surprised to see chain saws because we were told you need a special permit for one and it’s harder to get than a gun permit. Apparently there is a big problem with smuggling lumber, especially teak and some of the really expensive hardwoods that grow here.
Near the garden department – BBQ’s, outdoor furniture, and wall full of all the coolers you could possibly want.
The pet area is also in this area – doggie beds, pet food, dishes, animal carriers, bird cages, bird food, etc.
Past the outdoor furniture area is a small sports department with some exercise equipment, balls, tennis rackets, fishing poles, and other sports related items.
You can also buy a riding lawn mower, a wheelbarrow, and a plastic chair in about any color you could want.
The bedding area – sheets, comforters, pillows, pillow cases, mattress covers, etc.
Bathroom organizers!
The cleaning aisle with about any cleaning product you could imagine, as well as mops, brooms, sponges and brushes.
On the left is the back of the paint department with the 5 gallon buckets. In the center area is furniture, mainly desks, chairs, filing cabinets, and some tables.
Irons, ironing boards, laundry baskets, clothes organizers, drying racks
Pots and pans, kitchen gadgets, dishes on the right. They have a very good selection of small appliances and all sorts of kitchen items.
Coming around the corner past the appliance department is the lumber area – doors, windows, boards, etc. I like how they set up a whole tiny kitchen on the back wall with the price stickers on everything. Are those bags of potting soil in front on the left?
Mattresses, beds, wardrobes. Here I was standing at the back of the store, the little kitchen behind me, the doors on the right. This gives you some idea how far it is to the front of the store.
Flooring options
Toilets, sinks, towel bars, and all things bathroom related including a shower bench.
Faucets, shower heads, and everything you would need for plumbing. The next aisle has every PVC pipe item you could imagine.
The paint department. You can chose a color from the color samples and they will mix it up for you in the type of paint you request – just like the US.
The trim aisle – baseboards, molding, decorative items, and lots of hardware on the left.

.

Are you dizzy yet, with all that stuff? 😀

We have been very happy with the quality of things we have bought at Doit. They seem to have good mid-range items, and offer a good selection. I’ve seen appliances for a lot less at smaller local shops, and for a lot more at high end stores and even at PriceMart. The tools seems good, and we’ve bought some that were much less expensive that we expected. They have done the jobs we needed around the house without a problem. Since we can find pretty much everything we need for a house, the staff is nice and helpful, and the store is close to home, this has become our go to store for most things.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Posted in Panama | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: Fleeting

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Weekly Photo Challenge: Fleeting

about the fleeting moments in our days, and in our lives. The quiet, precious moments between the ones we love. A hummingbird in the backyard, among the blossoms. Chalk art on the sidewalk, with broken bits of colorful chalk left there, by the kids in the neighborhood. Or perhaps a glimpse into a rare occasion.

There are some birds here that we rarely see, and when we do it’s only a fleeting glimpse in the trees. I’ve seen them in the woods behind my neighbor’s house. She says they never sing, never make any sound whatsoever. Yesterday these birds were on a tree next to our backyard, and stayed long enough for Joel to grab the camera and get a few photos.

.

I don’t know what they are. A careful search through my two bird books didn’t give me a clue either. They are fairly large and usually found in a small group. When they fly they are dark brown but with a stripe of light beige along the end of their long tails. In these photos it appears that their bellies are also a lighter brown. Usually we only catch a glimpse of their dark shapes in the trees as they silently fly off, so it was exciting to be able to catch them in these photos.

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta
Posted in bird watching, Panama, photography | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Bloggers United in Panama!

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

I’ve met a lot of internet friends in person over the years. Since I started this blog, I’ve met people who found me here. But, today is the first time I’ve met someone I also read on a regular basis.

http://hollycarter184.wordpress.com/

We’ve been following each other for months! She and her husband went through a very similar process of visiting, making the decision, doing a major rehab on the house, selling the house, dealing with the “stuff”, wrapping up business, etc. I can certainly understand what they were going through since we did it all just months before them. Now they are finally here, and today it worked out that we could get together.

So, hello Holly and Scott! Welcome to Panama, and we’re both so happy we got to meet you both in person. I have a feeling there will be lots more fun times to come.

It’s interesting. People are who they are in their words. I have been surprised by what people looked like, especially in the past before sharing photos was common. But, I have never been surprised by who someone was. I was not surprised today either. Holly and Chris are fun, friendly, thoughtful, easy to be with, and a real pleasure. We talked and laughed and talked until we made them late for their next appointment! 😀

Enhanced by Zemanta
Posted in Panama | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: The Sign Says (and thoughts on travel and living in Panama)

Posted on June 8, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Weekly Photo Challenge: The Sign Says

002

I have just been on a major trip. One week ago I traveled from Santa Rosa, CA back to David, Panama. There were signs all along the way! Photos of these signs could represent our progress from the US to Panama. Do you think I could grab the camera to take a couple decent photos? I started out with very good intentions but all I took was this one in the San Francisco airport. After that, we rushed to make connections, arrived in Panama City at night with customs, a taxi to the bus terminal, etc. By then I was tired and the whole idea had just disappeared from my head.

And, in addition to that delinquent behavior, I am a week late!

But, I did make the trip, and a major trip it was. It seems that TSA always wants to inspect my luggage. This trip I had spices (bulk and bottles), coffee, vegetable seeds, and other assorted things we could buy more easily in the US and they didn’t even look. I would think any drug sniffing dog would check the coffee! But, I was happy because on a couple other trips, they took the tops off the spices and neglected to put them back on, and the spices were all over my clothes. Grrrr.

It was a great time in the US but I’m happy to be home. Going back to the US is always a change though. The first thing that shocked me was the prices! In Santa Rosa, CA I spent $700 in grocery stores for 2 weeks/4 people (and that’s not counting some things that others paid for). That’s our entire food budget for 2 months. We could have shopped at cheaper stores and cut corners, and not left the kitchen as well stocked for my daughter, the brand new mom, but it still would have been a lot. My daughter has a nicer and somewhat larger house than we do, but she pays literally 6 times more for it. Don’t even ask what her health insurance costs, now that she’s temporarily off work and paying out of pocket.

Everything also seemed so quiet and orderly in the US. Northern CA is beautiful and I really love it, but I miss all the people in the streets, the activity, and energy of Panama. Sometimes there is too much trash in the street, and you have to dodge pedestrians and bicycles when you drive, and guys are taking cars to pieces in their front yard while the chickens run around, but it’s so full of life here.

I also missed my friends. I literally have to walk out my front door to find my best friends. Others are around the corner and up the street. I love greeting people in the street. First is the look of surprise that these gringos actually say hello, and then comes the big smile as they return the greeting. Here the basics of life are family, friends, kindness, helpfulness, and respect. In the US it seems so much harder for so many to just survive, and they can’t enjoy life and each other in the same way.

I’m so thankful for the visit to both of my daughters, to celebrate a huge graduation with my younger daughter, and to help my older daughter get settled in with her new baby. I’m also very thankful for this opportunity to be in Panama, to experience this place and these people first hand. It’s really changing my head and my life.

Apologies again for the photo challenge. Even the one photo I do have is pretty pitiful! 😀  I will put my mind on the next one and try to come up with something more suitable (I hope!)

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta
Posted in expat, Panama, travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Reality TV comes to Panama

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

The Hero (on TNT) with “The Rock” Johnson is  being filmed in Panama City, and the premier was tonight.

http://www.tntdrama.com/series/the-hero/    The site says you can watch on line if you log in through your television provider with your user name and password.  I don’t see CableOnda on the list though. (That’s no surprise because you generally can’t access USA TV shows from here without jumping through some hoops.)

There’s a yahoo news video about it also http://omg.yahoo.com/video/yo-exclusive-rocks-heroic-reality-170000143.html  I am definitely NOT a candidate for this show! It might be fun to watch though, and see other people with way more guts than me.

You just never know what might go on around here. Panama is on the map more and more.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Posted in Panama | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Returning to Panama in the Rainy Season

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

The rainy season finally arrived in Panama. We were told that it rained almost every day while we were away. Everything looks so green, and the previously neat yard is a bit overgrown.

But, with rain comes humidity, and mold. The house had been closed and we smelled a problem as soon as we opened the door. My mouse pad was the most impressive! There was also mold on other odd places – the office chairs, the front of the fridge, the bicycles, a few of the clothes, and the frying pans.

lots of mold, yuck!

lots of mold, yuck!

the clean mousepad

the clean mousepad

My first couple days home were spent scrubbing the house. It was probably due for a good cleaning anyway but it got the full treatment, especially in the kitchen. Windows and doors were opened, fans were turned back on, and things quickly smelled a lot better.

Humidity control measures are back in effect too –

  • The shower walls are squeegeed after use, and wet towels are put out in the laundry room.
  • Any previously worn clothes are not allowed back in the closet area – which is a part of the bathroom. (that sounds convenient, but it’s not so good for keeping clothes dry)
  • There is a light and heat bar in the closet area, and a fan in the bathroom/closet.
  • My husband also bought a dehumidifier and it’s making the rounds from room to room.  It seems to heat up a room, but it sure dries it out!

We first arrived here in the rainy season and had mold problems before. These measures seemed to take care of it (even without the dehumidifier) so we shall see how it goes from here. I’m liking the change of season though. Summer was interesting but we’d had enough of hot and dry. I love the balmy moist air, the cooler temperatures, and the green everywhere. It looks especially lovely now down by the river.

greenRiver61

Enhanced by Zemanta
Posted in expat, Panama | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Travel to and from Western Panama

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

We’re in David, close to the Costa Rica border. We love it here but travel to the US is difficult. There has been talk about direct flights from David to the US for a long time. The airport is ready and I’ve heard rumors about a couple airlines looking at the possibilities, so hopefully something will change. It would be a lot easier.

We recently returned from Santa Rosa, California, and wanted to make the trip home in one day. Our son in law convinced us that he should drive us to San Francisco on Friday night. A hotel there didn’t cost much more than the bus fare we would have paid, and we didn’t have to go in the middle of the night to make our early flight. So, we slept in until 5AM (ha!) so we could get some breakfast and get on the 6AM van to the airport.

We made it through the check in process with a comfortable amount of spare time before our 8:30 flight. After a four hour flight, now 2:15 with the time change, we were in Houston. There was the 3 mile dash to the other end of the airport, four more hours in a plane, and we were in Panama City – 7:15 PM.

We took a taxi across town to the bus terminal. The terminal was nuts! There were long lines at every window, and the line for the non express bus stretched all the way down the hall, and looked like enough people to fill two buses. The line for the express bus was much shorter but wasn’t moving. We were told that the staff was outside waiting for the arrival of another bus. It was only a little after 8 PM, but when ticket sales resumed the 9:30 bus was full and we were sold tickets for the 10:30 bus. People in line told us that it’s payday in Panama and that’s why there were so many people traveling.

But, typical of Panama, we made new friends while we waited. The lady behind me had three kids including a darling but active 3 yr old boy, and we chatted about her kids, travel, and life in general. The guy in front of us is an aspiring singer and musician, and now I have one of his CD’s. He hopes to make a living as a singer, and maybe give concerts in the US as well.

The rumors you hear about the express buses being cold are true, and I was happy for my sweater with a hood, and my husband’s extra shirt which he draped over both of us. The bus was so cold that the windows were covered with condensation and you could hardly see out. If I fell asleep a drop of cold condensation from above would land on me, or the lights would come back on for something – the assistant helping someone to the bathroom, a stop, the assistant putting in another CD, etc. The seats were as comfortable as a bus can be and reclined way back, but I’m just not good at sleeping in seats so it wasn’t the restful journey we hoped for.

There was a stop in Santiago at a cafeteria, but a smaller one, not the one I remember from other stops. It was good to get out and stretch though and have a snack. The bus stopped at the checkpoint but unlike other times, the officials didn’t even board the bus or detain it for more than a couple minutes.  Finally, we arrived in David at about 5:30 AM, though we hardly recognized the unfamiliar section of the terminal through the fogged windows. Thankfully, our musician friend was watching out for us and made sure we got off at our destination.

It’s surprising how many people were out and about before dawn. Thankfully, some of them were taxi’s so we had no trouble getting one to take us to the house. It felt so good to finally be home! I was tired though. I generally don’t sleep well in my normal waking hours, but I slept almost straight through until 2 PM, and I was pretty worthless for the rest of the day.

Would I do it like this again? Maybe. We saved the expense of a hotel in Panama City and got home quicker.  I think I would try to avoid payday though, and the express bus. I noticed some of the more experienced travelers had winter type jackets on, so the cold must be expected on the express buses.

I’m not going to think about more travels at the moment though. It’s time to settle in at home for a while, and do some things around here. Later, I will work on arrangements for our August trip to the US!

Enhanced by Zemanta
Posted in bus, expat, expatriate, Panama, travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

the Last Set of Baby Pictures

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

I still had another bunch of baby photos that I hadn’t sorted through, so before we return to Panama subjects I figured I’d better get them up.

Hanging out on the sofa
sleeping in my baby seat
Hanging out with dad
Grandma was holding me while dad played with my legs, which made me smile!
Sitting on mom’s lap at the breakfast table.
Watching TV with dad
My first bottle! It went very well.
Grandma loved the color of these roses so much she had to bring them home.
Sleeping on the sofa with mom.
Grandma is playing with me.
Yeah, we are having a good time of it here!
My goodness! Grandma propped me up in the corner of the sofa.
This swing is pretty cool
After I fell asleep in the swing, mom trimmed my fingernails.
Occasionally even the best of babies must cry.
Sleeping on grandma while she and mom watch a movie.
Check out these cool pants.

.

Posted in family, Panama | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

Look what’s parked down the street!

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

http://www.chiriquichatter.net/blog/2013/06/03/getting-ready-to-roll/    There is a jet car at the new service station in the neighborhood. Don Ray wrote a post in his blog (Chiriqui Chatter – click on the link above) if you want to check it out.

Me? I’m still getting settled back in. We came home to a closed, musty, moldy house because of the rains and high humidity, so there has been a lot of cleaning and airing out going on. We also had to restock the kitchen, unpack and do laundry, and I borrowed a weed whacker from my neighbor to clean up the overgrown yard.

I’ll be back soon. I have more baby pictures, the trip home to talk about, and what’s going on in the neighborhood now. But, at the moment, it’s time to go to Canasta Basica to see if they have chicken in stock.

Posted in expat, expatriate, Panama | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments