A Panamanian Christmas

Feliz año nuevo mis amigos!  I hope you all had a merry Christmas and have started the new year off on the right foot!  I was very lucky to have my family come to Panama for Christmas this year.  It was great to spend some quality time with them and for them to get a better idea of what my life is like here.  I picked them up at the airport on the 22^nd of December and we drove back to my site in Parita.  It was very stressful trying to navigate Panama City because there are no street signs and we didn’t have GPS.  My mom brought me a family size box of Cheez-Its, and it was gone before the time we got out of Panama City because we were all stress eating!  But we eventually found our way out and arrived to my site that night.  My family finally got to meet Neci, Reina, and our new friend Doug who is just a huge, sweet lion who I’m trying to make more fat and healthy. 

            The next day we left for RIU Playa Blanca, which is this beautiful all-inclusive beach resort about 2 hours from my site.  I didn’t even know such a nice place existed in Panama!  We spent the next three days there relaxing by the pool, reading, eating, and taking advantage of the swim up bar!  On Christmas morning we opened our stockings and my parents and sister opened up the Panamanian presents I got for them.  It was incredible to leave my site and eat a ton of food, but after three days I was ready to go back and show my parents my site!

Relaxing on the beach with my family, doesn't get much better than that!

Dad sandwich!!!

Christmas came to Panama this year!

This was our incredible view from our room!

      From the 26^th-28^th my family stayed at my house in Parita and we explored my site and the surrounding towns.  First and foremost, I brought them to Yahois which is this discount clothing store where they found some great things!  Then we went to a fonda where they had their first experience with Panamanian food.  My dad said it was the best potato salad he has ever had!  We spent the rest of the day buying stuff for my new house and then went back to get it approved by the Safety and Security Warden of the Azuero.  We spent the rest of the day moving my stuff in and cleaning out the house.  My parents also got to meet my host mom Dora, who didn’t really understand that they don’t speak Spanish but it was a good encounter anyways.  We walked around my town and I was able to show them the church, plaza, and most of the town.  They were also able to meet a few of my friends.  I wish they were able to have spent more time here in my site, but we made the most of the time we had here. 

             On the 28^th we left for Panama City.  On the way there we stopped off in Santa Rita and I introduced my family to my original host family.  It was really cool to have my mom meet my host mom, who I still keep in contact with and visit whenever I go to the city.  Unfortunately we weren’t able to stay very long, but my parents wanted to get to the city before it got dark.  0462

We didn’t, and we got horribly lost.  We ended up trying to follow a man delivering pizzas on a motorcycle, but he didn’t know where he was going either.  Eventually, we were able to find the general area and by a stroke of luck I saw the hotel down a side street.  It was so stressful, but when we finally got there we went out to dinner and were able to unwind.

            The next day we got on one of those “Hop on Hop off” busses and were able to go see the Miraflores lock of the Panama Canal which was really cool. They have an incredible museum and we were even able to see how a huge barge passes through the Canal!  After that we went onto Isla Flamingo where we ate lunch at a really cool Nepalese restaurant.  We decided to call it a day after that and went back to our hotel.  Emmy wasn’t feeling well so mom, dad and I went out bar hoping around our hotel and had dinner.  The next day I dropped them off at the airport.  It was hard to say goodbye but easier knowing that I would be seeing them in May for Emmy’s graduation. 

At the Miraflores lock!

A cargo ship passing through the canal!

Dad, the super-tourist

            Ever since I’ve gotten back from Panama City though it’s been something of a nightmare.  I had to move out of my old house where I had been living in since August because the landlord came back.  The only house I found before I had to move out was this huge house with 3 bedrooms, a big kitchen, living room, dining room, pool table, pool, and fenced in backyard.  It was way outside of my pay grade, but I didn’t have a choice because I couldn’t find anything else.  I was planning on renting it for just two months until Carnival was over at which time I would have hopefully been able to find something.  But after only three days in the house, the city electricians came by and cut the electricity because the landlords hadn’t paid the bill for the previous month.  Then began a very long and stressful two weeks of trying to work with the landlords to pay the bill and fix the electrical problems, but I eventually realized that they were not going to do anything about it.  Thanks to the help of my neighbors though, I found another house that I will be moving into today!  I am very excited because this could be a permanent house where I can finish the rest of my Peace Corps service without having to worry about finding another place!  Next week I leave for a Peace Corps training that I’ll be attending with my friend Cesar from Parita.  It’s a PCV and community member training about how to be leaders for your community.  After that, I’ll be leaving for the Darien where I’ll be translating at a medical clinic for a day then as a youth camp facilitator for Peace Corps Gender and Development sector.  I’m so excited for all of these new developments, expect updates soon!