My turn with the dentist

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

I was many months overdue for a cleaning and checkup, so I figured it was my turn to see the dentist. This was accomplished in short order for $30, and cleaning was done by the dentist himself.

I’ve had trouble with my teeth for most of my adult life – gum problems, bone loss, gum surgery, deep cleaning, loss of two back teeth, appointments with the hygienist every 3 months, etc. and even with all that, it’s been a battle to maintain my teeth. If I didn’t brush and floss and water pick religiously, my gums would get irritated and start to bleed.

But, I came to Panama with one suitcase and didn’t have room for the water pick. I hoped I could manage for a month with brushing and flossing. As it turned out, I was without my water pick for much longer than that, but I haven’t had any problems. Since coming here my gums have not felt irritated, have not bled, and seem to be healthy. I brush and floss but not as frequently as before. My visit with the dentist confirmed what I thought. He says my gums look very healthy, my teeth are clean, and all is well.

What is up with this?! Gum disease is caused primarily by bacteria. Is my immune system better here? I have a strong feeling it’s the food. Is it the pineapples and papayas every day? Do they keep my mouth in better condition? Is it the home cooked with fresh ingredients diet? The lack of chemicals and pesticides that I believe permeate the US food supply? I really feel like my health in general is better from this healthy food and lifestyle, so it makes sense that my mouth is also very improved.

Whatever it is, I’m  happy. I’ve always been very healthy except for teeth, so if they are so much better in Panama, this is wonderful news.

I do plan to get some work done though – replace two old silver fillings with white ones on the backs of a couple front teeth. One is already making a tooth look a little dark and he says this will only increase over time. And, I need to get a crown on a tooth that is much more filling than tooth. From what I’ve seen of his work with the rest of the family, I expect this will go well and won’t ruin my budget either.

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A Day in Panama

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

I thought today I’d just share some random photos of things going on here. If you click on a photo you can scroll through the gallery.

My friend and neighbor Haydeé gave me a baby coconut palm.
There is a rooster and two hens that wander our street. Lately the rooster has been out by himself. We haven’t seen the gray hen in a while, or the black one for a long time. Today we found out why!
My neighbor confirmed that these are indeed guanaba flowers that will become fruits.
We have a guanaba tree in the back yard (aka soursap) which has quite a few small but growing fruits on it. The neighbors think this is a wonderful thing, but we don’t like them at all. This is a lucky thing for the neighbors.
There is a rooster and two hens that wander our street. We haven’t seen the gray hen in a while, and the black one hadn’t been out for a long time. Today, we found out why!
Two of the chicks managed to climb up something and fall over on our side of the fence, so Joel rescued them. Thankfully when we put them back on the other side of the fence they spotted their mom in the distance and took right off towards her, so all is well now.
Another pretty photo of Joel’s – the ginger growing next to our fence in the neighbor’s yard.
Our first tomato! This plant is a volunteer that came up in the yard. Photo by Joel.
We got some sunflower bird seed to grow some sprouts, but decided I like them better growing in the yard. Funny, the birds don’t seem interested in this or any other kind of seed in the bird feeder, but they sure love fruit peelings. This photo was also taken by Joel.
Another photo of Joel’s – morning dew on a flower
Joel went to put the trash out this morning, and while he was out he took a photo of the bananas growing in the valley below our house
I have seen these red birds occasionally but they are very shy and hard to catch with the camera. When I saw two in the tree outside the window, I snuck up to the window with my camera and was lucky enough to catch a few photos.
This is the other red bird of the pair who visited the tree outside our window.
We went to the supermarket and found a party! There was music at the checkout, and the place was packed. I do not know what the occasion was. We went to the other supermarket and it was quiet over there, and no lines.
A pretty blue gray bird that visits sometimes, but rarely stays long enough for us to get a photo.
I found the green nut with the red center under this tree.
I found what looked like a seed pod that had opened to reveal a green nut. I put it on my desk, and the next day the green nut opened to show me this bright red center!
It’s nice to go back to a cooler car because it’s parked underground, not out in the sun.
Lets go to Arrocha and ride the cool elevator with the glass walls
Underground parking at the nearby shopping area
Volcan Baru is erupting! (with clouds)
116a The day ended with an outing to the movies, and this very large grasshopper was on the doorjamb when we returned.
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Walking Around the Neighborhood

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

I love the bicycle, but sometimes you have to set out on foot for something different. I’ve been walking the last couple days and thought I’d share some of the photos I’ve taken.

 

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Unique

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Weekly Photo challenge: Unique

These may not be unique, but they certainly are unique to me!

A very interesting spider web. I'm not sure what the white threads are. (photo by Joel)

A very interesting spider web. I’m not sure what the white threads are. (photo by Joel)

A very cool looking red headed lizard! (Photo by Joel)

A very cool looking red headed lizard! (Photo by Joel)

A very pretty bug that flew in one night and landed on our kitchen wall near the light.

A very pretty bug that flew in one night and landed on our kitchen wall near the light.

A tiny but beautiful bug on my finger.

A tiny but beautiful bug on my finger.

Maybe the most unique of all – this tiny bug collects lint and carries it on its back. The bug itself is very hard to see so usually you only see a lint ball running across your table. It’s very small, and this one is on Joel’s finger. (Photo by Joel)

Maybe the most unique of all – this tiny bug collects lint and carries it on its back. The bug itself is very hard to see so usually you only see a lint ball running across your table. It’s very small, and this one is on Joel’s finger. (Photo by Joel)

Thank you Joel (of FindingMyselfInPanama) for letting me use a number of your excellent photos for this post!

Here’s some other posts for this photo challenge, found by Zemanta.

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Guandu con Arroz

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Guandu are pigeon peas, and very popular in Panama. Guandu con arroz (with rice) is a traditional Christmas dish, so guandu are very expensive around that time. Many people grow them in their yards, including a number of my neighbors (the picture above is a guandu flower across the street). My neighbors say they come in green, black, and speckled. Haydeé, my Panamanian friend and cooking instructor, says the black ones have the best flavor and she usually uses the green ones in soup.

Haydeé came over yesterday, and our main objective was for her to teach me how too cook guandu con arroz. It’s not very complicated, but we have a lot of fun and I’m happy to see how she does things.

I had a bag of guandu, maybe 1/2 pound, and an equal amount of rice, or maybe a bit more. She started by putting oil in the pot, turning it up fairly hot, and then adding the guandu. She stirred it in the oil until it was sizzling and hot. Then she added the rice and continued to stir until it sizzled. Then, she added water, it seemed enough to cover and a couple more inches. This was left to cook with the cover on until the water was all absorbed, maybe 20 minutes.

Next, she added salt, some more oil, and some more water, maybe 1/2 cup. It was like a generous sprinkle to moisten everything well. This all was stirred and left to cook (covered) for 10 more minutes.

That’s it! Done and ready to eat. It made a lot but she insisted she wasn’t taking any to her house. It could wait in the fridge where it would be ready for a quick warmup in a frying pan for another meal. There seemed to be quite a bit more rice than guandu since the rice expands a lot when cooked, so I might adjust the ratios next time just because I don’t eat a lot of carbs, especially white ones. But, I certainly think it tastes good and so does my husband. Haydeé says it’s even better with pork so we’ll have to try that too sometime.

Extra guandu con arroz ready to store in the fridge.

Extra guandu con arroz ready to store in the fridge.

I have a feeling we will be growing guandu here next year. It is planted when the rains start again (beginning of April) and starts producing before Christmas, and is still producing now. The plants look like shrubs maybe 6-8 feet high with lovely yellow or yellow/purple flowers. Pretty things in the yard that also produce food sound like a good idea to me.

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Tortillas

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

I’ve been making tortillas for a while but yesterday I was instructed by the pro, who was instructed by her grandmother.

It starts with corn.

This is a bag of corn from the vegetable stand down the street. It's also available in the supermarket or pretty much anywhere that sells food.

This is a bag of corn from the vegetable stand down the street. It’s also available in the supermarket or pretty much anywhere that sells food.

I know, it looks like chicken feed or something, but you can turn this into something very good! Start by boiling it in water for maybe an hour? Try a bit, and if it’s soft all the way through, then it’s done. Drain it, and salt it to taste.

Them, put it through your food grinder. Mine looks something like this

grinder

What comes out is a nice soft corn dough that can be shaped into tortillas or whatever other use you want.  I was kneading it on the cutting board until it felt right, but Haydeé took it a bit further.  First, she grated white cheese into the dough. There is a local Panamanian cheese that is soft and mild. Some brands are more crumbly than others but they all seem to be good.

This is the cheese I happened to have in the fridge the day we made tortillas.

This is the cheese I happened to have in the fridge the day we made tortillas.

After the cheese was kneaded into the dough, she put a ball of dough in a plastic bag, rolled it out flat with a glass, then used the end of the glass to cut out a circle. She then patted the circle with her hands to flatten and thin it further.

Tortillas ready for frying

Tortillas ready for frying

Tortillas ready for cooking

Tortillas ready for frying

Hers came out much better looking than mine with smooth edges and perfectly round circles.

I like tortillas for breakfast with beans (or lentils) and salsa. Haydeé thought I was a bit odd for eating them this way, saying they just fry them and eat them plain. I did that this morning and they were very good, but I still like them with beans.

She told me that this is also the beginning of an empanada. Roll the tortilla until it is bigger and flatter, put in filling of your choice, fold over, and pinch the edges closed. Then it is ready to fry. I need to try that!

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Chicha de Arroz con Piña

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

My neighbor Haydeé came over yesterday, and we had cooking class in my kitchen. What fun! She is Panamanian so of course she knows how to cook all kinds of Panamanian food, and I’m interested in learning.

We made a drink called chicha de arroz con piña – drink of rice with pineapple. (Chicha seems to cover a lot of drinks, usually with fruit, and occasionally fermented. I’m getting the feeling my neighbor makes chicha out of any kind of fruit she has on hand)

When you peel a pineapple, take all the peelings and the core, and put it in water, enough to cover it. Add some rice (maybe 1/4 – 1/2 cup). Boil this for 30-60 minutes. It’s interesting to see her cooking is not an exact science either, but rather “some” of this, “more” of that, and “a little” of something else.

So anyway, you end up with this very aromatic pineapple water that smells wonderful. Let it cool and remove the pineapple peels. This is the base for your drink.

This is some I have leftover in the fridge, ready to make more chicha.

This is some I have leftover in the fridge, ready to make more chicha.

Put some ice in the blender, some of the drink base, some sugar to taste, some milk, and a splash of vanilla. Blend it until smooth, put in a glass and enjoy.

Joel thought it tasted like ice cream and he’s right. It’s smooth, creamy, cool, and tastes surprisingly rich for only having some rice and milk in it. And, what a good thing to do with your pineapple peels that you would otherwise throw away.

I have a couple more things that she taught me, and there will probably be others in the future too so I’ll share what I learn here.

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Climbing the Mountain

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Cerro Santa Cruz

OK, so it wasn’t exactly a mountain, just a hill but near the top it felt like a mountain! I didn’t make it all the way up, deciding to be sensible and not stress my sore knee any further, so some of these photos were taken by Joel.

Our Target, as seen from the entrance of our neighborhood. Joel made it up to the top where you see the bushy tree above the gray roof. I made it maybe 3/4 of the way.

Our Target, as seen from the entrance of our neighborhood. Joel made it up to the top where you see the bushy tree above the gray roof. I made it maybe 3/4 of the way.

I think we took a difficult route up. The higher we went the steeper it was, and it was hard to get a solid footing in the dry leaves and loose dirt. We found out later that there are easier routes so if we go again, we’ll try something different.

But, we did manage to get some photos. Click on one and you can go through the gallery.

We head out across the field
This is a shack next to the field, and a man says he has lived there for 20 years. I need to write a blog post about him one of these days!
OK, continuing through the field approaching the hill.
Starting to climb, looking back down on the field
It’s getting steeper as we head up the hill
We’ve come up quite a ways. That’s the field way down there through the trees.
and then it gets more steep.
Joel leads the way
Wow, we are really getting up there
the vine!
You can see our neighborhood and the rest of the city below. This is about as far up as I went.
We usually look UP to this water tank.
Joel goes higher still with the camera
Joel makes it to the top! The sun in shining through the clouds over Volcan Baru, making an interesting rainbow effect in one part
And then, we get to make our way back down the steep hill!

 

 

I’m glad to report we both survived relatively unscathed except for a bunch of seeds clinging to us, some scratches, and tired legs. I hope we give it another try sometime because I’d like to see the view from the top.

Joel also took a bit of video.

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Our First Three Months in Panama

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

It’s hard to believe it’s been three months since we’ve moved here. Actually it’s been more than that for me because I arrived three weeks earlier to get things set up.

It’s been better than I dared hope and I am very very happy here. I know we’re still in the honeymoon phase and there will be things that annoy us, but I can’t see anything changing that much. I think it will only get better as my Spanish improves, we learn more about our community, and make more friends here.

  • I like the city of David. It is big enough to have everything we need, but not so big that it’s overwhelming. It’s lively, colorful, and growing.
  • I like Chiriqui. It’s so beautiful, and there is everything from beaches to mountains. Every day I love seeing the beauty around us everywhere we go.
  • I like the country of Panama. Unemployment is low. Construction is happening. It is growing and prospering, and people are optimistic and happy to be here. The stresses of life here are so much less.
  • I like the climate. How nice never to worry about cold weather again, not even the chilly weather of winter in Florida.
  • I like the cost of living, which is a fraction of what it was in the US.
  • I like the food, the abundant fresh fruits and vegetables, fish fresh from the sea, delicious and healthy food. And, if you want familiar US food, you can get that too.
  • I like the attitude. It’s calmer here, happier. People aren’t scrambling to keep up, to produce, to achieve, to stay on the hamster wheel. People work, but they also have fun, and smile, and enjoy life.
  • Most of all, I like the people. They are gentle, loving, friendly, strong, and resourceful. They are family oriented, and treat their children with such gentleness and kindness. They are friendly and welcoming to strangers, and lend a helping hand to anyone if they see a need. I feel very fortunate to live with such good people.

This isn’t a complete list of everything I find good in Panama, only the main points. The things I find difficult are all from my side – difficulties with communication because my Spanish is far from fluent, and problems finding things because I’m still not familiar with everything in the city. But, at this point, there is nothing I can think of that’s a problem with Panama or this area, at least not for us.

I would say our first quarterly report is overwhelmingly positive!

Photo above from cheezburger.com
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I felt an Earthquake last night!

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

I was sitting at Joel’s desk looking at photos, and I felt the floor vibrate. For a city girl this isn’t anything unusual. Who’s doing construction in the street, or was that a subway passing underneath us? But, here on our quiet street, in our sturdy block house, the floor shouldn’t vibrate. I’m sure I felt something, but I wasn’t sure it was something noteworthy.

Then, today, I saw these headlines, and some of the local forums also have comments from others who felt it too.

In all my years I have never felt an earthquake! Thank goodness it wasn’t anything serious that did any damage. I know earthquakes happen here but from what I understand the plates slide over each other instead butting into each other, so there’s less chance that there will be a very destructive earthquake, thank goodness.

Panama doesn’t have a lot of natural disasters. According to Prevention Web, floods are the most frequent problem. The most people killed were from epidemics, then storms,  earthquake (1991 – a 7.8 in Costa Rica that also affected Panama), and floods. Over the last 30 years, 276 people died from natural disasters, an average of 9 per year. That’s not bad odds.

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