Panama Update #110
December 31, 2009
Happy New Year and Feliz Ano Nuevo! We are taking off tomorrow (Thursday) to another part of Panama for a couple of days with a colleague of Nikki's so I probably will not have another blog entry until January 3 (Saturday).
Our cycling guests left our apartment this morning (see Pictures from Panama 19) and are in search for a boat to Columbia.
Today I gave Nikki a hand in her field work since all her other colleagues are on vacation. On the way, we saw Rod Carew National Stadium (see Pictures from Panama 20). The picture of me is taken by me. It was an experiment with our new camera and it worked OK. You can see a ship in the Canal in the background.
For New Year's Eve tonight we are hanging out at the apartment. Nikki has some work to finish up before we leave town tomorrow. The football bowl game that the University of Minnesota is playing in tonight is on a cable channel that we have here so I'll probably check that.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Panama Update #109
Panama Update #109
December 30, 2008
Today I spent some more time shopping. I found a bike helmet for Nikki and also bought some grocery supplies since it is the first time I have been at the store since we came back from the US. In the afternoon, Ariel ,our cyclist visitor, met up with her two biking companions that have been with her since Guatemala. She started her trip in Mexico City in March and has biked about 3000 miles so far. From here they are looking for a boat to Columbia. I took all of them out to the mall near us tonight because they were looking for some supplies such as a hammock, new sandals, sleeping mat, and pump. They found most, but not all the things. All three of them plan to stay at our house tonight and then they will be on their way tomorrow.
December 30, 2008
Today I spent some more time shopping. I found a bike helmet for Nikki and also bought some grocery supplies since it is the first time I have been at the store since we came back from the US. In the afternoon, Ariel ,our cyclist visitor, met up with her two biking companions that have been with her since Guatemala. She started her trip in Mexico City in March and has biked about 3000 miles so far. From here they are looking for a boat to Columbia. I took all of them out to the mall near us tonight because they were looking for some supplies such as a hammock, new sandals, sleeping mat, and pump. They found most, but not all the things. All three of them plan to stay at our house tonight and then they will be on their way tomorrow.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Panama Update #108
Panama Update #108
December 29, 2008
I called up the same guy who helped us move to this apartment and asked if he could help us pick up a couple of bikes. He has a pick-up truck and does this kind of thing for a living. We originally found him since he is a friend of our landlord. He does not speak English and is of Chinese descent, but communication in Spanish was not a problem. He drove us quite a ways (about 30 minutes)to the Goodwill store where they sell donated bikes for about $50. Nikki found one that she liked and I decided to get another to have for guests. The driver is also a mechanic and he adjusted one of the bikes on the spot to fix some minor problems. He charged us $20 for the round-trip and we gave him a tip for helping fix one of the bikes. Nikki is excited about biking with me tomorrow in the afternoon, after I buy her a helmet in the morning.
Ariel, our first guest in Panama, arrived today. She is the 24 year old daughter of a friend of my sister. She started her journey last March in Mexico City, spent 6 months doing volunteer work in Guatemala, and has finally biked to Panama City. She found her way to the large Police Station near here and I met her there. If her mom is reading this, I had enough bail money to get her out (just kidding). She was separated by her biking partner, but through email has figured out where he is and they will meet up tomorrow and both of them will probably stay here one more night.
December 29, 2008
I called up the same guy who helped us move to this apartment and asked if he could help us pick up a couple of bikes. He has a pick-up truck and does this kind of thing for a living. We originally found him since he is a friend of our landlord. He does not speak English and is of Chinese descent, but communication in Spanish was not a problem. He drove us quite a ways (about 30 minutes)to the Goodwill store where they sell donated bikes for about $50. Nikki found one that she liked and I decided to get another to have for guests. The driver is also a mechanic and he adjusted one of the bikes on the spot to fix some minor problems. He charged us $20 for the round-trip and we gave him a tip for helping fix one of the bikes. Nikki is excited about biking with me tomorrow in the afternoon, after I buy her a helmet in the morning.
Ariel, our first guest in Panama, arrived today. She is the 24 year old daughter of a friend of my sister. She started her journey last March in Mexico City, spent 6 months doing volunteer work in Guatemala, and has finally biked to Panama City. She found her way to the large Police Station near here and I met her there. If her mom is reading this, I had enough bail money to get her out (just kidding). She was separated by her biking partner, but through email has figured out where he is and they will meet up tomorrow and both of them will probably stay here one more night.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Panama Update #107
Panama Update #107
December 28, 2008
Yeah! Our luggage arrived today at about 8:00 PM with all the things we had bought in the US, so we were very happy about that. I didn't know what the proper protocal was, but the driver from American Air who delivered the things seemed to be waiting around for a tip, so I gave him $5. Today we refilled the refrigerator with items from the fruit and vegetable market and caught up on some sleep. Tomorrow is a laundry day and I am also planning to bike down to the Causeway. We are also expecting house guests. We just heard last week that a daughter of a friend of my sister Laurie's and her two body guard friends who have been biking across Mexico and Central America for the last several months are arriving in Panama City tomorrow. They plan to stay at our apartment for a couple of nights so I can report in the blog more information about them and their trip.
December 28, 2008
Yeah! Our luggage arrived today at about 8:00 PM with all the things we had bought in the US, so we were very happy about that. I didn't know what the proper protocal was, but the driver from American Air who delivered the things seemed to be waiting around for a tip, so I gave him $5. Today we refilled the refrigerator with items from the fruit and vegetable market and caught up on some sleep. Tomorrow is a laundry day and I am also planning to bike down to the Causeway. We are also expecting house guests. We just heard last week that a daughter of a friend of my sister Laurie's and her two body guard friends who have been biking across Mexico and Central America for the last several months are arriving in Panama City tomorrow. They plan to stay at our apartment for a couple of nights so I can report in the blog more information about them and their trip.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Panama Update #106
Panama Update #106
December 27, 2008
WE ARE BACK IN PANAMA afer 12 days of running around in the US. It seems funny to be back, yet familiar at the same time. Our flight today on American Air from SF to Dallas was over an hour late. We made our connection to Panama but our luggage did not. The airlines said they would deliver it tomorrow (Sunday), but I'll believe it when I see it.
In the 12 days we visited many places and people and it was too much running around but we had a good time visiting with everyone in SF, Berkeley, Oakland, Ceour d'Alene, and LA- Carolyn, Red, Marilee, Fred, Ran, Betty, and Barbara. We had a lot of back and forth and early morning shuttles, including this morning at 4:00 AM. Tomorrow I'll plan to post some more pictures from the trip.
December 27, 2008
WE ARE BACK IN PANAMA afer 12 days of running around in the US. It seems funny to be back, yet familiar at the same time. Our flight today on American Air from SF to Dallas was over an hour late. We made our connection to Panama but our luggage did not. The airlines said they would deliver it tomorrow (Sunday), but I'll believe it when I see it.
In the 12 days we visited many places and people and it was too much running around but we had a good time visiting with everyone in SF, Berkeley, Oakland, Ceour d'Alene, and LA- Carolyn, Red, Marilee, Fred, Ran, Betty, and Barbara. We had a lot of back and forth and early morning shuttles, including this morning at 4:00 AM. Tomorrow I'll plan to post some more pictures from the trip.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Panama Update #105
Panama Update #105
December 24, 2008
The shuttle picked us up this morning at 4:oo AM to bring us to the Spokane airport. We had a nice visit in Idaho. It was short but I think everybody had a good time. We arrived with our luggage in Los Angeles as scheduled. Even with all the weather mess and crowded airports we made it from Spokane to Oakland to LA on time. My cousin Barbara picked us up at the Burbank airport and because of the holidays, the traffic was very light. We had a nice lunch with my Aunt Betty and then went for a walk around the neighborhood. LA is surprisingly and unusually cold and rainy. The weather is very similar to SF with drizzle and highs around 50. On the way back from the walk we saw a sign advertising for a foot massage in the strip mall across the street. Nikki and I both made appointments and came back later in the afternoon for a one hour massage at a very good price. I think it helped both of us a lot. We needed something like that with all the flying and weather changes we have been experiencing on this trip. This morning we started to feel the effects of schleppling our things and bodies through so many airports and cities in the last few days. Tomorrow we may go for a walk or bike ride along the ocean or see a movie, depending on the weather.
December 24, 2008
The shuttle picked us up this morning at 4:oo AM to bring us to the Spokane airport. We had a nice visit in Idaho. It was short but I think everybody had a good time. We arrived with our luggage in Los Angeles as scheduled. Even with all the weather mess and crowded airports we made it from Spokane to Oakland to LA on time. My cousin Barbara picked us up at the Burbank airport and because of the holidays, the traffic was very light. We had a nice lunch with my Aunt Betty and then went for a walk around the neighborhood. LA is surprisingly and unusually cold and rainy. The weather is very similar to SF with drizzle and highs around 50. On the way back from the walk we saw a sign advertising for a foot massage in the strip mall across the street. Nikki and I both made appointments and came back later in the afternoon for a one hour massage at a very good price. I think it helped both of us a lot. We needed something like that with all the flying and weather changes we have been experiencing on this trip. This morning we started to feel the effects of schleppling our things and bodies through so many airports and cities in the last few days. Tomorrow we may go for a walk or bike ride along the ocean or see a movie, depending on the weather.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Pictures from Panama 16 (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho)
Daniel and Red (red jacket) and Nikki (blue) shoveling snow in northern Idaho. A slight contrast to Panama. Taken with our new camera. The previous camera was another victim of the Panama humidity.
Red taking off his boots.Nikki and her mom (Carolyn).
Panama Update #104
Panama Update #104
December 23, 2008
The snow let up today in the Spokane area and our plan is to be picked up tomorrow at 4:00 AM by a shuttle van that will bring us to the airport. It takes about an hour and a half to get there from Nikki's mom's house in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. We switch planes in Oakland and then go to LA where we would like to take a long walk in the afternoon to get some exercise. We haven't gotten much exercise here because of the cold.
December 23, 2008
The snow let up today in the Spokane area and our plan is to be picked up tomorrow at 4:00 AM by a shuttle van that will bring us to the airport. It takes about an hour and a half to get there from Nikki's mom's house in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. We switch planes in Oakland and then go to LA where we would like to take a long walk in the afternoon to get some exercise. We haven't gotten much exercise here because of the cold.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Panama Update #103
Panama Update #103
December 21, 2008
We arrived in Spokane, WA today from Oakland on SW air at about 11:30 AM. Our flight was only delayed for only about 10 minutes even with all the weather problems in the area. The people going to Portland were not so lucky. While we were waiting to board our flight we heard that the airport in Portland, OR was closed for the day because of an ice storm. They announced that all people at the airport who had a flight to Portland should go home and try again tomorrow. We were also slow to leave the plane once we landed in Spokane because a woman got sick in flight and they called any doctors on the plane to help out. They thought she was having a heart attack, but it turned out to be some complications from her blood pressure medication. The paramedics met the plane in Spokane and they took her immediately to the hospital. I found all this out by talking to some family members at the baggage claim. I had met the woman and her family before the flight, while we were waiting in Oakland.
It was a high of about 12F in Spokane today with a windchill of 0F. Earlier in the week they had 3 feet of snow on one day and the airport was closed here 2 days ago. We are scheduled to leave for LA on Wednesday so hopefully that will work out with all the weather problems. The contrast to Panama weather and the winter weather here is amazing. I haven't had culture shock yet on this trip to the states, but moving into deep winter weather is bringing me there. I have my silk long underwear with me and some heavier clothes, so I have been warm so far. Nikki's mom lives in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho which is about 50 miles from Spokane.
I have traveled to so many cities and different weather conditions in the last couple of months (in addition to all the places in Panama) that my head is spinning trying to get used to the idea of Miami, Houston,Austin, San Francisco, Coeur d'Alene, and still Oakland and LA yet to come on this leg. I know many people have this type of travel lifestyle, but for me it has been about 10 years since I have run around so much.
December 21, 2008
We arrived in Spokane, WA today from Oakland on SW air at about 11:30 AM. Our flight was only delayed for only about 10 minutes even with all the weather problems in the area. The people going to Portland were not so lucky. While we were waiting to board our flight we heard that the airport in Portland, OR was closed for the day because of an ice storm. They announced that all people at the airport who had a flight to Portland should go home and try again tomorrow. We were also slow to leave the plane once we landed in Spokane because a woman got sick in flight and they called any doctors on the plane to help out. They thought she was having a heart attack, but it turned out to be some complications from her blood pressure medication. The paramedics met the plane in Spokane and they took her immediately to the hospital. I found all this out by talking to some family members at the baggage claim. I had met the woman and her family before the flight, while we were waiting in Oakland.
It was a high of about 12F in Spokane today with a windchill of 0F. Earlier in the week they had 3 feet of snow on one day and the airport was closed here 2 days ago. We are scheduled to leave for LA on Wednesday so hopefully that will work out with all the weather problems. The contrast to Panama weather and the winter weather here is amazing. I haven't had culture shock yet on this trip to the states, but moving into deep winter weather is bringing me there. I have my silk long underwear with me and some heavier clothes, so I have been warm so far. Nikki's mom lives in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho which is about 50 miles from Spokane.
I have traveled to so many cities and different weather conditions in the last couple of months (in addition to all the places in Panama) that my head is spinning trying to get used to the idea of Miami, Houston,Austin, San Francisco, Coeur d'Alene, and still Oakland and LA yet to come on this leg. I know many people have this type of travel lifestyle, but for me it has been about 10 years since I have run around so much.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Panama Update #102
Panama Update #102
December 20, 2008
Today I took the BART over to Berkeley at about 1:00 PM. Nikki and I had made plans to meet after her meeting at about 5:30 PM at an Ethiopian restuarant on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. The BART took about 30 minutes from the Civic Center stop near us and cost $3.40. When I arrived I could see a big Farmer's Market down the street from the station, near a park and city hall. They had about 75 booths selling all sorts of different organic foods, prepared and raw. I hadn't eaten lunch yet, and I find a seaweed burrito and some Indian style pancake and ate in the park. After lunch I found a bike rental place and explored around the UC-Berkeley campus and some other parts of the city. There was a huge art fair on Telegraph Ave. that was packed with art booths and people. They had some Hare Krishna group chanting on the sidewalk, which I haven't seen in a long time. They also had booths that were selling radical bumper stickers and all the crazy stuff that you can imagine.
After I returned the bike and walked back over to meet Nikki, there was a UC/UNLV basketball game going on and they let me in for free since it was already the 2nd half. I watched for about an hour since I had some time before meeting Nikki. It was a pretty good game and I think UC won, but I left before it was over. When I met up with Nikki we found out the Ethiopian restaurant was closed, so we did not have a chance to eat that kind of food here. We haven't had good Ethiopian food since we were in Ethiopia a little over a year ago. Nikki found a tea and herb shop that she really liked and bought a bunch of different teas to bring back to Panama.
Tomorrow the shuttle is supposed to pick us up at 6 AM and take us to the Oakland airport and then on to Spokane, weather permitting.
December 20, 2008
Today I took the BART over to Berkeley at about 1:00 PM. Nikki and I had made plans to meet after her meeting at about 5:30 PM at an Ethiopian restuarant on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. The BART took about 30 minutes from the Civic Center stop near us and cost $3.40. When I arrived I could see a big Farmer's Market down the street from the station, near a park and city hall. They had about 75 booths selling all sorts of different organic foods, prepared and raw. I hadn't eaten lunch yet, and I find a seaweed burrito and some Indian style pancake and ate in the park. After lunch I found a bike rental place and explored around the UC-Berkeley campus and some other parts of the city. There was a huge art fair on Telegraph Ave. that was packed with art booths and people. They had some Hare Krishna group chanting on the sidewalk, which I haven't seen in a long time. They also had booths that were selling radical bumper stickers and all the crazy stuff that you can imagine.
After I returned the bike and walked back over to meet Nikki, there was a UC/UNLV basketball game going on and they let me in for free since it was already the 2nd half. I watched for about an hour since I had some time before meeting Nikki. It was a pretty good game and I think UC won, but I left before it was over. When I met up with Nikki we found out the Ethiopian restaurant was closed, so we did not have a chance to eat that kind of food here. We haven't had good Ethiopian food since we were in Ethiopia a little over a year ago. Nikki found a tea and herb shop that she really liked and bought a bunch of different teas to bring back to Panama.
Tomorrow the shuttle is supposed to pick us up at 6 AM and take us to the Oakland airport and then on to Spokane, weather permitting.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Panama Update #101
Panama Update #101
December 19, 2008
After 3 days of doing errands in San Francisco, I had completed all of the things I wanted to do, so today I decided to do some tourist activities and Nikki was able to join me. We walked down to Fisherman's Wharf and along the way stopped at a tea store where they make samples for you of exotic and expensive teas. At Fisherman's Wharf we rented bikes and went along the trail to the Golden Gate Bridge. We didn't go all the way to the bridge, but saw some nice sites along the way such as a view of Alcatraz and the Palace of Fine Arts. It was a beautiful sunny day here but windy and cooler than average, maybe about 50 for a high. We returned the bikes and took a cable car to Chinatown where we found a vegetarian Chinese restaurant. From there we took a bus to a huge Old Navy Store on Market Street in the shopping district and Nikki found a few things to buy. After that we walked back to the Youth Hostel. Nikki has a meeting in Berkeley tomorrow (Saturday) so the plan is for me to meet her there later in the day and go to an Ethiopian Restaurant. I may go early and rent another bike and explore around there in the afternoon.
It has been about 30 years since I have spent time looking around SF, but my impression this trip is that it is a city that works. The population is large enough and dense enough that the public transportation system here is great. The buses come so often that you don't need to check a schedule and they are only $1.50 to ride. We plan to take the BART system to Berkeley tomorrow. This is in contrast to Panama City, where the traffic is terrible and the public transportation does not work well. There also seems to be a vibrant, open, fluid, and accepting energy here with a large diversity of people. It is a real international city like Panama City is. There are a lot of street people, but even they (the ones that are awake) seem happy somehow. It is easy to see why people like it here. They have something for everyone and more.
We are scheduled to leave for Spokane early on Sunday AM. They have been having some big storms there and had to close the airport a couple of days ago, so whether we go there is a day to day decision and we will have to call the airlines again tomorrow night to check the status. We found out that Southwest will refund flight amounts, if necessary, without a hassle, which makes it very different than the other larger airlines.
December 19, 2008
After 3 days of doing errands in San Francisco, I had completed all of the things I wanted to do, so today I decided to do some tourist activities and Nikki was able to join me. We walked down to Fisherman's Wharf and along the way stopped at a tea store where they make samples for you of exotic and expensive teas. At Fisherman's Wharf we rented bikes and went along the trail to the Golden Gate Bridge. We didn't go all the way to the bridge, but saw some nice sites along the way such as a view of Alcatraz and the Palace of Fine Arts. It was a beautiful sunny day here but windy and cooler than average, maybe about 50 for a high. We returned the bikes and took a cable car to Chinatown where we found a vegetarian Chinese restaurant. From there we took a bus to a huge Old Navy Store on Market Street in the shopping district and Nikki found a few things to buy. After that we walked back to the Youth Hostel. Nikki has a meeting in Berkeley tomorrow (Saturday) so the plan is for me to meet her there later in the day and go to an Ethiopian Restaurant. I may go early and rent another bike and explore around there in the afternoon.
It has been about 30 years since I have spent time looking around SF, but my impression this trip is that it is a city that works. The population is large enough and dense enough that the public transportation system here is great. The buses come so often that you don't need to check a schedule and they are only $1.50 to ride. We plan to take the BART system to Berkeley tomorrow. This is in contrast to Panama City, where the traffic is terrible and the public transportation does not work well. There also seems to be a vibrant, open, fluid, and accepting energy here with a large diversity of people. It is a real international city like Panama City is. There are a lot of street people, but even they (the ones that are awake) seem happy somehow. It is easy to see why people like it here. They have something for everyone and more.
We are scheduled to leave for Spokane early on Sunday AM. They have been having some big storms there and had to close the airport a couple of days ago, so whether we go there is a day to day decision and we will have to call the airlines again tomorrow night to check the status. We found out that Southwest will refund flight amounts, if necessary, without a hassle, which makes it very different than the other larger airlines.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Pictures from Panama #15 (San Francisco)
Nikki explaining her Poster to someone at the conference (2008 American Geophysical Union).
Nikki setting up her Poster and making last minutes edits.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Panama Update #100
Panama Update #100
December 16, 2008
This is the 100th entry to the blog since leaving Minneapolis on July 10, 2008. If anyone ever has any comments about the blog, feel free to write me at my email address, since it cannot be posted directly.
I am writing today from San Francisco. We arrived at the downtown City Center Hostel at about 10:00 PM last night. We left for the airport in Panama at about 4:00 AM yesterday morning. It took about 18 hours to get here, including time waiting at the airport in Panama City and Miami. We had a 5 hour layover in Miami and the flight left an hour late. It is more than 6 hours flying time from Miami to SF. On the flight to Miami we were given seats right next to the bathroom, but found some empty seats and moved away a bit. We sat next to a Jewish woman from Panama who told us about the community there and wants to have us over some time. She told us about the popular Rabbi in Panama who had recently passed away after serving the community for the last 60 years. She said his son plans to take over. She has a place in both Miami and Panama.
Today in SF I had a bunch of errands to do and will continue on more tasks for the next couple of days while Nikki is busy at the conference. I accomplished more today walking around than I could in about 2 months in Panama with a lot of taxi rides. The place we are staying is very convenient to a lot of restaurants and stores that are on streets called Geary, Larkin, Polk, and California. I found a Best Buy and got a new wireless card, a tea shop that has exotic teas in bulk, a Whole Foods, a shoe repair, a drug store, a hardware store, a post office, and a bookstore. I had Thai food for lunch and we found a great Indian restaurant for dinner. We have plans to go to a vegetarian Chinese in the area and another in Chinatown, along with an Ethiopian restaurant if the timing works out.
December 16, 2008
This is the 100th entry to the blog since leaving Minneapolis on July 10, 2008. If anyone ever has any comments about the blog, feel free to write me at my email address, since it cannot be posted directly.
I am writing today from San Francisco. We arrived at the downtown City Center Hostel at about 10:00 PM last night. We left for the airport in Panama at about 4:00 AM yesterday morning. It took about 18 hours to get here, including time waiting at the airport in Panama City and Miami. We had a 5 hour layover in Miami and the flight left an hour late. It is more than 6 hours flying time from Miami to SF. On the flight to Miami we were given seats right next to the bathroom, but found some empty seats and moved away a bit. We sat next to a Jewish woman from Panama who told us about the community there and wants to have us over some time. She told us about the popular Rabbi in Panama who had recently passed away after serving the community for the last 60 years. She said his son plans to take over. She has a place in both Miami and Panama.
Today in SF I had a bunch of errands to do and will continue on more tasks for the next couple of days while Nikki is busy at the conference. I accomplished more today walking around than I could in about 2 months in Panama with a lot of taxi rides. The place we are staying is very convenient to a lot of restaurants and stores that are on streets called Geary, Larkin, Polk, and California. I found a Best Buy and got a new wireless card, a tea shop that has exotic teas in bulk, a Whole Foods, a shoe repair, a drug store, a hardware store, a post office, and a bookstore. I had Thai food for lunch and we found a great Indian restaurant for dinner. We have plans to go to a vegetarian Chinese in the area and another in Chinatown, along with an Ethiopian restaurant if the timing works out.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Panama Update #99
Panama Update #99
December 14, 2008
Nikki stayed up all night last night to finish her Poster for the conference in SF. The taxi is supposed to pick us up for the airport at 4:30 AM tomorrow. We have a 5 hour layover in Miami and are supposed to arrive in SF at 7:00 PM so it will be a long day.
While Nikki was busy working on her poster, I have been fixing up and riding a bicycle that I recently bought for $20 from a friend who is leaving Panama soon. I found a mechanic in Balboa (a section of town close to us) who normally works on cars, but has all the proper tools that were needed for the bike. Early in morning today (about 7:00 AM), the weather was very pleasant and I rode the bike out the Causeway, which has a nice bike path along the ocean. It was probably the funnest thing I have done so far in Panama, so when we return from the trip I plan to do it more often. Nikki will also probably buy a bike when we get back. I found a route that allowed me to stay on the sidewalk the whole way, if necessary, because of the traffic.
I read that the high temperature in Minneapolis, Minnesota tomorrow is only supposed to be zero degrees farenheit, so I appreciate biking along the ocean.
Many of the people that Nikki works with are leaving soon for the holidays and many will not return, so we have said goodbye the best we could. Because Nikki was busy with her work this weekend we had to cancel some social events. If you read this, goodbye Marina and enjoy Vancouver. We will do our best to baby sit Aaron while you are gone.
December 14, 2008
Nikki stayed up all night last night to finish her Poster for the conference in SF. The taxi is supposed to pick us up for the airport at 4:30 AM tomorrow. We have a 5 hour layover in Miami and are supposed to arrive in SF at 7:00 PM so it will be a long day.
While Nikki was busy working on her poster, I have been fixing up and riding a bicycle that I recently bought for $20 from a friend who is leaving Panama soon. I found a mechanic in Balboa (a section of town close to us) who normally works on cars, but has all the proper tools that were needed for the bike. Early in morning today (about 7:00 AM), the weather was very pleasant and I rode the bike out the Causeway, which has a nice bike path along the ocean. It was probably the funnest thing I have done so far in Panama, so when we return from the trip I plan to do it more often. Nikki will also probably buy a bike when we get back. I found a route that allowed me to stay on the sidewalk the whole way, if necessary, because of the traffic.
I read that the high temperature in Minneapolis, Minnesota tomorrow is only supposed to be zero degrees farenheit, so I appreciate biking along the ocean.
Many of the people that Nikki works with are leaving soon for the holidays and many will not return, so we have said goodbye the best we could. Because Nikki was busy with her work this weekend we had to cancel some social events. If you read this, goodbye Marina and enjoy Vancouver. We will do our best to baby sit Aaron while you are gone.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Panama Update #98
Panama Update #98
December 12, 2008
In addition to the blog, I have gotten a lot of writing done here over the last 5 months. I have finished essays called Why Collect Things, Staying Positive, and Home. If anyone is interested in seeing them, send me an email. I have also set a goal of reading in both Spanish and English as much as I can. In English I am reading a anthology of nature writings and in Spanish I am reading a book called El Libro de la Nada by Osho. Both are slow going, especially the Spanish book since I have to look up a lot of words. Since we are about half-way through our stay in Panama I am assessing how to best spend my time for the second half here. It looks like my job at the school will continue, but there will still be some time for other activities.
December 12, 2008
In addition to the blog, I have gotten a lot of writing done here over the last 5 months. I have finished essays called Why Collect Things, Staying Positive, and Home. If anyone is interested in seeing them, send me an email. I have also set a goal of reading in both Spanish and English as much as I can. In English I am reading a anthology of nature writings and in Spanish I am reading a book called El Libro de la Nada by Osho. Both are slow going, especially the Spanish book since I have to look up a lot of words. Since we are about half-way through our stay in Panama I am assessing how to best spend my time for the second half here. It looks like my job at the school will continue, but there will still be some time for other activities.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Panama Update #97
Panama Update #97
December 11, 2008
Nikki's big talk on Tuesday went well. I walked over to the talk with Nikki from our apartment. We were in a big hurry and I forgot the camera, so sorry that I do not have pictures to share. The talk was about climate and land-use in Ethiopia and how it affected the societies about 3000 years ago. It is based on the research she did in Ethiopia the last two years. The powerpoint was one hour long and she took some questions after. There were about 25-30 people there. She met some researchers here who she had not met before and got some good connections from that. Now she switches gears and is preparing a Poster to present at the San Francisco AGU conference on her work here.
Today I finished work at the school until January 13, a long winter break (they call it summer here). Today is also the last Yoga class until January 8. Everyone at the organization here where Nikki works seems to be dispersing for 2 or 3 weeks over the holidays. Some will return and others have ended their time here. We have seen a lot of people come and go in our 5 months here, including some very good friends from different countries that we plan to keep in touch with.
December 11, 2008
Nikki's big talk on Tuesday went well. I walked over to the talk with Nikki from our apartment. We were in a big hurry and I forgot the camera, so sorry that I do not have pictures to share. The talk was about climate and land-use in Ethiopia and how it affected the societies about 3000 years ago. It is based on the research she did in Ethiopia the last two years. The powerpoint was one hour long and she took some questions after. There were about 25-30 people there. She met some researchers here who she had not met before and got some good connections from that. Now she switches gears and is preparing a Poster to present at the San Francisco AGU conference on her work here.
Today I finished work at the school until January 13, a long winter break (they call it summer here). Today is also the last Yoga class until January 8. Everyone at the organization here where Nikki works seems to be dispersing for 2 or 3 weeks over the holidays. Some will return and others have ended their time here. We have seen a lot of people come and go in our 5 months here, including some very good friends from different countries that we plan to keep in touch with.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Panama Update #96
Panama Update #96
December 9, 2008
Nikki's big talk is today at 4:00 PM. I am planning to take some pictures of it to post on the next blog. She stayed up all night last night putting the finishing touches on the presentation and talk.
Today is the 2nd day in a row without rain, so maybe it is changing seasons here now. I check the weather in Minneapolis almost everyday to see what we are missing. So far it looks like a cold and snowy winter.
After this week we will be taking a 3 week break with the Yoga class. When we return in January we may go to one time a week, depending on the turnout. That would free me up to offer a class in a different location, but we will see what happens.
We leave for San Francisco in less than a week, on the 15th.
A friend sold me a bike for cheap which needs a couple repairs. When we get it going, Nikki might also get a bike. When we return from the trip to States, we may start biking out to the causeway regularly, which would be a great place to bike. We think we can do it pretty easily from our apartment.
December 9, 2008
Nikki's big talk is today at 4:00 PM. I am planning to take some pictures of it to post on the next blog. She stayed up all night last night putting the finishing touches on the presentation and talk.
Today is the 2nd day in a row without rain, so maybe it is changing seasons here now. I check the weather in Minneapolis almost everyday to see what we are missing. So far it looks like a cold and snowy winter.
After this week we will be taking a 3 week break with the Yoga class. When we return in January we may go to one time a week, depending on the turnout. That would free me up to offer a class in a different location, but we will see what happens.
We leave for San Francisco in less than a week, on the 15th.
A friend sold me a bike for cheap which needs a couple repairs. When we get it going, Nikki might also get a bike. When we return from the trip to States, we may start biking out to the causeway regularly, which would be a great place to bike. We think we can do it pretty easily from our apartment.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Panama Update #95
Panama Update #95
December 7, 2008
While Nikki was busy working today (Sunday) I did some errands around town. I bought some holiday gifts, fancy imported sweets, for the people we work with. The Kosher Grocery has all sorts of specialty items like that. We were also craving our new favorite drink, Agua de Pipa (coconut water) so I ran out to another store to get that. Sundays are easiest for shopping since the traffic is not bad and it is easy to find a taxi. Tomorrow I am going to show some new friends here the giant outdoor fruit market that we shop at since they have never been here before. It is Mother's Day in Panama tomorrow, and it is a national holiday, so the school where I work is closed. There sure are a lot of holidays here in November and December. They also have a big carnival in February and another big break later in the spring. The weather here has been much drier lately and some people are saying that it is now switching to the dry season, where it doesn't rain much for about 3 months. Everyone seems excited about that since there has been so much rain lately.
December 7, 2008
While Nikki was busy working today (Sunday) I did some errands around town. I bought some holiday gifts, fancy imported sweets, for the people we work with. The Kosher Grocery has all sorts of specialty items like that. We were also craving our new favorite drink, Agua de Pipa (coconut water) so I ran out to another store to get that. Sundays are easiest for shopping since the traffic is not bad and it is easy to find a taxi. Tomorrow I am going to show some new friends here the giant outdoor fruit market that we shop at since they have never been here before. It is Mother's Day in Panama tomorrow, and it is a national holiday, so the school where I work is closed. There sure are a lot of holidays here in November and December. They also have a big carnival in February and another big break later in the spring. The weather here has been much drier lately and some people are saying that it is now switching to the dry season, where it doesn't rain much for about 3 months. Everyone seems excited about that since there has been so much rain lately.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Panama Update #94
Panama Update #94
December 5, 2008
Nikki is busy preparing for a big talk she gives next Tuesday, December 9. It is the main talk for the week at the organization she works for and all employees and the public are invited. She is speaking on the research she conducted in Ethiopia over the last 2 years, before coming to Panama. After that talk, then she has 5 days to prepare for the poster she is presenting at the American Geological Union (AGU) in San Francisco. She is also continuing to see an Ayurvedic doctor down here who she likes a lot. She has made her appointments early in the morning since we live on the other side of town and the traffic is so bad. The taxi driver picks her up at 5:30, it takes about a half-hour to get there, and then she returns home by about 7:00 AM. She gets some massage, therapy, herbal tea, and suggestions on diet and nutrition. In order to get a taxi driver to come to the house at that time, she has to pay him $6 to driver her over there, which by Panama standards is expensive, but otherwise it would be difficult to find someone.
December 5, 2008
Nikki is busy preparing for a big talk she gives next Tuesday, December 9. It is the main talk for the week at the organization she works for and all employees and the public are invited. She is speaking on the research she conducted in Ethiopia over the last 2 years, before coming to Panama. After that talk, then she has 5 days to prepare for the poster she is presenting at the American Geological Union (AGU) in San Francisco. She is also continuing to see an Ayurvedic doctor down here who she likes a lot. She has made her appointments early in the morning since we live on the other side of town and the traffic is so bad. The taxi driver picks her up at 5:30, it takes about a half-hour to get there, and then she returns home by about 7:00 AM. She gets some massage, therapy, herbal tea, and suggestions on diet and nutrition. In order to get a taxi driver to come to the house at that time, she has to pay him $6 to driver her over there, which by Panama standards is expensive, but otherwise it would be difficult to find someone.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Panama Update #93
Panama Update #93
December 3, 2008
We are focusing more on our upcoming trip back to the States. On December 15 we leave for San Francisco and Nikki's AGU meeting. Many of the people who we know that work with Nikki will also be leaving town during that time. When we return on the December 27, it will still be pretty quiet around here, and we don't know yet how we will celebrate the New Year here.
We talked to our landlord last night. He lives in the apartment across the hall and seems like a genuine caring person. Nikki was looking for a taxi driver who could pick her up at 5:30 AM this morning to take her to the Auyurvedic appointment shehad. He gave us the name of a driver he knows and he was here on time. He also gave us a giant Papaya from the tree in his backyard which he said will be ripe in about 3 days. He talked a lot about how much he loves Papayas. He does not know English, but I am able to understand a lot of what he says and we can have a conversation in Spanish. We are also big fans of Papayas and eat them often. We have also started to drink a lot of Agua de Pipa (coconut water). They sell it in plastic bottles in the supermarkets and it is 100% natural. It is so tastey and so refreshing. There are many nutritional qualities of it that we did not know and they can be found on the web if anyone is curious.
I tried to find a taxi driver to take me downtown this afternoon, but no one likes to do it since the traffic is so bad. Someone finally stopped. It took about an hour to get to the bank. I had to withdraw money for this month's rent, which we pay in cash. I didn't want to keep the money in our apartment so I paid the landlord right away.
December 3, 2008
We are focusing more on our upcoming trip back to the States. On December 15 we leave for San Francisco and Nikki's AGU meeting. Many of the people who we know that work with Nikki will also be leaving town during that time. When we return on the December 27, it will still be pretty quiet around here, and we don't know yet how we will celebrate the New Year here.
We talked to our landlord last night. He lives in the apartment across the hall and seems like a genuine caring person. Nikki was looking for a taxi driver who could pick her up at 5:30 AM this morning to take her to the Auyurvedic appointment shehad. He gave us the name of a driver he knows and he was here on time. He also gave us a giant Papaya from the tree in his backyard which he said will be ripe in about 3 days. He talked a lot about how much he loves Papayas. He does not know English, but I am able to understand a lot of what he says and we can have a conversation in Spanish. We are also big fans of Papayas and eat them often. We have also started to drink a lot of Agua de Pipa (coconut water). They sell it in plastic bottles in the supermarkets and it is 100% natural. It is so tastey and so refreshing. There are many nutritional qualities of it that we did not know and they can be found on the web if anyone is curious.
I tried to find a taxi driver to take me downtown this afternoon, but no one likes to do it since the traffic is so bad. Someone finally stopped. It took about an hour to get to the bank. I had to withdraw money for this month's rent, which we pay in cash. I didn't want to keep the money in our apartment so I paid the landlord right away.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Panama Update #92
Panama Update #92
November 30, 2008
After 7 straight days, the rain finally stopped. Today it was still cloudy but you could actually see some blue in the sky now and then and I caught a glimpse of the sun. We went out and took a long walk on the Causeway, which I have mentioned previously. It is a 2 kilometer road and sidewalk/bikepath that is human-made and connects 3 islands near the entrance to the canal.
Yesterday we had the house warming at our new apartment. It has been 3 weeks since we moved in so we thought it was time to have the party. We spent a lot of time taking taxis to the supermarkets last week to pick up all the necessary supplies, but I think people really enjoyed it. We invited the people that Nikki works with, the people in the dorm where we used to live, and a few other assorted people we have met over the 5 months we have been here. It was a great turn-out and lasted about 2 hours. Based on the number of cups used, we think there was about 50 people total there. People ate a lot, but there was still a lot of food left. Most of the food was from the large Kosher Supermarket here such as pickles, olives, mushroom and cheese Burekas, halva and other sweets, and homemade hummous by Nikki. Everyone seemed to have a good time and maybe it helped people sort of get through the last day of the 7 day rain streak.
Tomorrow is another Panama Independence Day holiday so I will be off from work again. Last Friday I gave a private tutoring session in one of the homes of the students. It was quite a distance away from where we live and the traffic is very bad through town, so I may not do it again, unless they can supply the driver. It was in a highrise condominium overlooking the ocean in a very nice part of town where most of the students live.
November 30, 2008
After 7 straight days, the rain finally stopped. Today it was still cloudy but you could actually see some blue in the sky now and then and I caught a glimpse of the sun. We went out and took a long walk on the Causeway, which I have mentioned previously. It is a 2 kilometer road and sidewalk/bikepath that is human-made and connects 3 islands near the entrance to the canal.
Yesterday we had the house warming at our new apartment. It has been 3 weeks since we moved in so we thought it was time to have the party. We spent a lot of time taking taxis to the supermarkets last week to pick up all the necessary supplies, but I think people really enjoyed it. We invited the people that Nikki works with, the people in the dorm where we used to live, and a few other assorted people we have met over the 5 months we have been here. It was a great turn-out and lasted about 2 hours. Based on the number of cups used, we think there was about 50 people total there. People ate a lot, but there was still a lot of food left. Most of the food was from the large Kosher Supermarket here such as pickles, olives, mushroom and cheese Burekas, halva and other sweets, and homemade hummous by Nikki. Everyone seemed to have a good time and maybe it helped people sort of get through the last day of the 7 day rain streak.
Tomorrow is another Panama Independence Day holiday so I will be off from work again. Last Friday I gave a private tutoring session in one of the homes of the students. It was quite a distance away from where we live and the traffic is very bad through town, so I may not do it again, unless they can supply the driver. It was in a highrise condominium overlooking the ocean in a very nice part of town where most of the students live.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Panama Update #91
Panama Update #91
November 28, 2008
Last night we went out to dinner at an Indian restaurant called Masala with 4 other people. It was a different way to celebrate Thanksgiving, but was fun. The rain here has continued now for about 6 straight days. It stops now and then, but it is much more than I have seen here before. Our new bamboo place mats are already turning green with mold from all the humidity, so we will have to switch to plastic.
We are planning for the house warming tomorrow from 2-4 PM in the afternoon. We invited all the people from Nikki's work and other people we have met here. Next Monday is a Panama Independence Day celebration and is a national holiday. Many people are leaving town for the weekend so we are not sure how many people will show up. If we don't have it tomorrow, we would need to wait until January, and then it wouldn't be much of a house warming.
We leave town in about 2 weeks (December 15) for an AGU convention Nikki has in San Francisco. We will then visit her mom and Red in Idaho and my Aunt Betty in LA, and return to Panama on December 27. A lot of people will know here will be dispersing over the holidays for a couple of weeks. Some will return and others will not. Many people come and go so we are making new friends and saying goodbye to others all the time.
November 28, 2008
Last night we went out to dinner at an Indian restaurant called Masala with 4 other people. It was a different way to celebrate Thanksgiving, but was fun. The rain here has continued now for about 6 straight days. It stops now and then, but it is much more than I have seen here before. Our new bamboo place mats are already turning green with mold from all the humidity, so we will have to switch to plastic.
We are planning for the house warming tomorrow from 2-4 PM in the afternoon. We invited all the people from Nikki's work and other people we have met here. Next Monday is a Panama Independence Day celebration and is a national holiday. Many people are leaving town for the weekend so we are not sure how many people will show up. If we don't have it tomorrow, we would need to wait until January, and then it wouldn't be much of a house warming.
We leave town in about 2 weeks (December 15) for an AGU convention Nikki has in San Francisco. We will then visit her mom and Red in Idaho and my Aunt Betty in LA, and return to Panama on December 27. A lot of people will know here will be dispersing over the holidays for a couple of weeks. Some will return and others will not. Many people come and go so we are making new friends and saying goodbye to others all the time.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Panama Update #90
Panama Update #90
November 26, 2008
It has been raining here for about the last 3 days, almost nonstop. This is the longest wet streak since I have been here. I noticed that in our new apartment, the wireless internet does not work when it is raining for some reason, so I have not written in the blog since for 3 days or so. I have been busy again with the airlines. There has been an ongoing problem with Nikki's ticket to San Francisco since wh change the return flight from Houston back on October 10. I won't go into all the mess, but I have spent literally hours on the phone with Delta, American, and Travelocity. We are supposed to go to SF in about 2 weeks (Dec. 15) and are trying to confirm the ticket.
Nikki is busy preparing for a big talk she gives here in 2 weeks about her Ethiopian research and she is also preparing a poster for her SF conference on her work down here. We are also getting ready for the house warming that we are having this Saturday in our new apartment. We have invited all the people that Nikki works with and also a few others. We plan to shop at the Kosher Market tonight for all the supplies.
For Thanksgiving tomorrow I plan to work since it is not a holiday here. We are planning to have dinner with Nikki's colleague (David). He is originally from Minnesota and has been here for a few months. His parents are visiting this week and we are all planning to meet and go out to a restaurant for dinner.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!
November 26, 2008
It has been raining here for about the last 3 days, almost nonstop. This is the longest wet streak since I have been here. I noticed that in our new apartment, the wireless internet does not work when it is raining for some reason, so I have not written in the blog since for 3 days or so. I have been busy again with the airlines. There has been an ongoing problem with Nikki's ticket to San Francisco since wh change the return flight from Houston back on October 10. I won't go into all the mess, but I have spent literally hours on the phone with Delta, American, and Travelocity. We are supposed to go to SF in about 2 weeks (Dec. 15) and are trying to confirm the ticket.
Nikki is busy preparing for a big talk she gives here in 2 weeks about her Ethiopian research and she is also preparing a poster for her SF conference on her work down here. We are also getting ready for the house warming that we are having this Saturday in our new apartment. We have invited all the people that Nikki works with and also a few others. We plan to shop at the Kosher Market tonight for all the supplies.
For Thanksgiving tomorrow I plan to work since it is not a holiday here. We are planning to have dinner with Nikki's colleague (David). He is originally from Minnesota and has been here for a few months. His parents are visiting this week and we are all planning to meet and go out to a restaurant for dinner.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Panama Update #89
Panama Update #89
November 23, 2008
Yesterday (Saturday) we spent some time at the mall. Nikki wanted to buy some clothes so she looked around at some of the possible stores. I finally bought a reading lamp, but it is only a table lamp, not a standing lamp. It was $9 for what looks like a pretty good quality. The mall was so packed that Nikki didn't buy anything and will plan to go back on a week day over lunch hour when it isn't so crowded. Last night we had dinner at another couple's house who we have become friends with. They live within walking distance of us. The woman has been here for several years, working as a scientist for the same organization as Nikki. She is originally from Germany and researches invasive species of plants that come into the canal on all the ships from around the world. The guy is originally from India and is also a scientist in a different area. He made a traditional Indian dinner, which tasted great. We ate kind of late so I didn't want to eat too much. Another couple was also there. He is a research scientist from England and his wife is a middle school science teacher from Fiji. You can see that there is a real international group here. We had a nice dinner and visit and then walked home about 11:00 PM. They told us we might see some deer on the way. Since we live in an area with a lot of jungle, we do occasionally see different types of animals, but we have never seen a deer before. We did end up seeing one on the way. It was shorter and stouter than the kind we see in the forests in Minnesota. We also were startled to be loudly hissed at by something that sounded like a very large cat. It was too dark to see what it was, but it sounded like it was very close.
Today I made a dentist appointment for Nikki and I for a teeth cleaning in January. It is with someone who was recommended to us. They are supposed to have high quality doctors here and this will be our first appointment since coming here.
November 23, 2008
Yesterday (Saturday) we spent some time at the mall. Nikki wanted to buy some clothes so she looked around at some of the possible stores. I finally bought a reading lamp, but it is only a table lamp, not a standing lamp. It was $9 for what looks like a pretty good quality. The mall was so packed that Nikki didn't buy anything and will plan to go back on a week day over lunch hour when it isn't so crowded. Last night we had dinner at another couple's house who we have become friends with. They live within walking distance of us. The woman has been here for several years, working as a scientist for the same organization as Nikki. She is originally from Germany and researches invasive species of plants that come into the canal on all the ships from around the world. The guy is originally from India and is also a scientist in a different area. He made a traditional Indian dinner, which tasted great. We ate kind of late so I didn't want to eat too much. Another couple was also there. He is a research scientist from England and his wife is a middle school science teacher from Fiji. You can see that there is a real international group here. We had a nice dinner and visit and then walked home about 11:00 PM. They told us we might see some deer on the way. Since we live in an area with a lot of jungle, we do occasionally see different types of animals, but we have never seen a deer before. We did end up seeing one on the way. It was shorter and stouter than the kind we see in the forests in Minnesota. We also were startled to be loudly hissed at by something that sounded like a very large cat. It was too dark to see what it was, but it sounded like it was very close.
Today I made a dentist appointment for Nikki and I for a teeth cleaning in January. It is with someone who was recommended to us. They are supposed to have high quality doctors here and this will be our first appointment since coming here.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Panama Update #88
Panama Update #88
November 21, 2008
I am writing this update at 10:00 PM on Friday night. I didn't realize that I hadn't written anything since Wednesday. I think missing two days in a row would have been for the first time so I wanted to keep the streak going of either writing every day or every other day.
On Fridays I do not go into the school so I try to catch up on some shopping at one of the malls. We are still trying to find a standing reading lamp and have tried almost every place and so far have only found table lamps. I went to the Multi-Centro mall today where the Kosher Market is. Across the street is a store specializing in lamps but I found out they are all very expensive. The cheapest standing lamp they had was over $300. I am looking for one much cheaper and will continue to try looking at a couple of other stores. Next to the lamp store was a pet store and they had small green iguanas for sale for $12 each. I did not get one. They also had birds and rodents for sale. In the back of the store I saw 2 dogs for sale. The sign said they would cost $500 each. They must have been purebred and looked to me like some kind of Scottish Terrier. I also found a store near-by where they sell inflatable beds for about $15 each. I bought two of them for when we have visitors. Our first visitors from the states are scheduled to arrive around mid-January. At the Kosher Market I picked up some items that they only carry there such as Bragg's Liquid Aminos, tahini, high quality cheeses and Yogurt, and horseradish sauce. Many of the items are imported from Israel which makes it much different than the other stores. I also bought a laundry hamper and some blank CDs for Nikki. It is supposed to be the largest Kosher Grocery outside of Tel-Aviv.
Laura Bush was visiting Panama today and was scheduled to give a speech across the street from Nikki's office this evening. The Supreme Court and Legislative Offices are located there. Someone told me it is about UNICEF and that one of her daughters lived in Panama for a year and wrote a book about it. There are a lot of Central American non-profits headquartered here. We walked by the place, but she hadn't arrived yet. There was a lot of Panamanian music and dances being performed for the crowd while they were waiting. It was a fairly small crowd of maybe 100 people. It was outside, under a tent and visible to the street, but closed off to the general public.
November 21, 2008
I am writing this update at 10:00 PM on Friday night. I didn't realize that I hadn't written anything since Wednesday. I think missing two days in a row would have been for the first time so I wanted to keep the streak going of either writing every day or every other day.
On Fridays I do not go into the school so I try to catch up on some shopping at one of the malls. We are still trying to find a standing reading lamp and have tried almost every place and so far have only found table lamps. I went to the Multi-Centro mall today where the Kosher Market is. Across the street is a store specializing in lamps but I found out they are all very expensive. The cheapest standing lamp they had was over $300. I am looking for one much cheaper and will continue to try looking at a couple of other stores. Next to the lamp store was a pet store and they had small green iguanas for sale for $12 each. I did not get one. They also had birds and rodents for sale. In the back of the store I saw 2 dogs for sale. The sign said they would cost $500 each. They must have been purebred and looked to me like some kind of Scottish Terrier. I also found a store near-by where they sell inflatable beds for about $15 each. I bought two of them for when we have visitors. Our first visitors from the states are scheduled to arrive around mid-January. At the Kosher Market I picked up some items that they only carry there such as Bragg's Liquid Aminos, tahini, high quality cheeses and Yogurt, and horseradish sauce. Many of the items are imported from Israel which makes it much different than the other stores. I also bought a laundry hamper and some blank CDs for Nikki. It is supposed to be the largest Kosher Grocery outside of Tel-Aviv.
Laura Bush was visiting Panama today and was scheduled to give a speech across the street from Nikki's office this evening. The Supreme Court and Legislative Offices are located there. Someone told me it is about UNICEF and that one of her daughters lived in Panama for a year and wrote a book about it. There are a lot of Central American non-profits headquartered here. We walked by the place, but she hadn't arrived yet. There was a lot of Panamanian music and dances being performed for the crowd while they were waiting. It was a fairly small crowd of maybe 100 people. It was outside, under a tent and visible to the street, but closed off to the general public.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Panama Update #87
Panama Update #87
November 19, 2008
On my morning walk today up the Ancon Hill, near where we live, I saw a dead armadillo on the sidewalk. It is the first armadillo I have seen here and guess it must have been hit by a car. It has been a little cooler in the mornings and raining less often during the day, so I guess the season is gradually changing here to what they call summer, which just means dry season. Starting in the next couple of weeks the rain is supposed to stop and the humidity is supposed to drop for the next few months. It will still be hot, but I can imagine the mornings and evenings will be very pleasant.
For breakfast we have been eating oatmeal a lot and some other cereals we have found in the markets here. This morning I wanted to eat some of the fruits I had bought earlier in the week that are turning ripe. I had an avocado and a papaya. It is tricky to buy them so they don't ripen all at the same time. It is a pretty small window of time from when they ripen to when they go rotten, so I wanted to have them for breakfast while they were still edible.
The taxi that I caught to work today was the most beat up I have seen so far. The front seat belt was broken, the windshield was cracked, and the doors didn't lock. It got me to work on time, but most of the others you find are in better shape. The driver had a cross hanging from the mirror and a model of Jesus in the front. Some of the drivers have religious symbols in the car and for the most part are very nice and honest. Others of the drivers have pictures of women models and they play loud music. With those drivers, about half are nice and about half are inpatient or kind of angry. So all together, I would say that about 75% of the drivers are fine, and the others are not as pleasant. Even with all the traffic, I can see why people say it is much nicer to have a car than take taxis all the time like we do.
November 19, 2008
On my morning walk today up the Ancon Hill, near where we live, I saw a dead armadillo on the sidewalk. It is the first armadillo I have seen here and guess it must have been hit by a car. It has been a little cooler in the mornings and raining less often during the day, so I guess the season is gradually changing here to what they call summer, which just means dry season. Starting in the next couple of weeks the rain is supposed to stop and the humidity is supposed to drop for the next few months. It will still be hot, but I can imagine the mornings and evenings will be very pleasant.
For breakfast we have been eating oatmeal a lot and some other cereals we have found in the markets here. This morning I wanted to eat some of the fruits I had bought earlier in the week that are turning ripe. I had an avocado and a papaya. It is tricky to buy them so they don't ripen all at the same time. It is a pretty small window of time from when they ripen to when they go rotten, so I wanted to have them for breakfast while they were still edible.
The taxi that I caught to work today was the most beat up I have seen so far. The front seat belt was broken, the windshield was cracked, and the doors didn't lock. It got me to work on time, but most of the others you find are in better shape. The driver had a cross hanging from the mirror and a model of Jesus in the front. Some of the drivers have religious symbols in the car and for the most part are very nice and honest. Others of the drivers have pictures of women models and they play loud music. With those drivers, about half are nice and about half are inpatient or kind of angry. So all together, I would say that about 75% of the drivers are fine, and the others are not as pleasant. Even with all the traffic, I can see why people say it is much nicer to have a car than take taxis all the time like we do.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Panama Update #86
Panama Update #86
November 17, 2008
We are settled into the new apartment now and getting back into a routine. I have been going to work from about 9-12:30 PM. The school is quite a distance away (about 10-15 miles) but it is very easy to find a taxi and the trip goes fast because there is no traffic in that direction since it is away from downtown. It is in an outlying area that used to be a US Army base. I cross the Puenta de las Americas every day on the way and get to see the Pacific entrance to the Canal and all the big ships waiting in line. At the school I am tutoring 5th-7th graders who are having problems in English and math. It has been many years since I have been in Middle School but I am getting used to it again. I definitely prefer the older high school students or adults at this point in my career.
In the afternoon today I went to the large outdoor fruit and vegetable market and picked up 2 large papayas, 3 avocados, 6 oranges, broccoli, 6 bananas, red leaf lettuce, and hot peppers. All that cost about $6, which in a regular supermarket would cost about 4 times as much.
Yesterday we went to someones house that Nikki works with for a birthday celebration for their one year old daughter. There were mostly families there with kids, some Panamanian and some American. They had a lot of good food like olive and bean dips, chips, lasagne, and sweets. The kids also took turns at busting open a pinata. We talked to several Americans there who came to work at the International School of Panama, which is one of the schools I was thinking about working at before I came here. I was offered a math job there but it would have been a long distance commute (about an hour each way) and I just wasn't interested in that kind of lifestyle. We would also have had to buy a car, which so far we have been able to get by without one.
After nearly two weeks, the bug bites I got on the field expedition with Nikki have almost disappeared. I am surprised it took so long but I had so many and maybe had an allergic reaction. Someone suggested that I rub alcohol on them and that really helped a lot and relieved the itching. The temperature here continues to be a constant 85/85 (temp/hum), but I can tell it is slowly starting to rain less and in the afternoons there is a nice breeze. They say in a couple of weeks we will be in dry season, where the humidity drops a lot and there is a nice breeze, but still very hot.
November 17, 2008
We are settled into the new apartment now and getting back into a routine. I have been going to work from about 9-12:30 PM. The school is quite a distance away (about 10-15 miles) but it is very easy to find a taxi and the trip goes fast because there is no traffic in that direction since it is away from downtown. It is in an outlying area that used to be a US Army base. I cross the Puenta de las Americas every day on the way and get to see the Pacific entrance to the Canal and all the big ships waiting in line. At the school I am tutoring 5th-7th graders who are having problems in English and math. It has been many years since I have been in Middle School but I am getting used to it again. I definitely prefer the older high school students or adults at this point in my career.
In the afternoon today I went to the large outdoor fruit and vegetable market and picked up 2 large papayas, 3 avocados, 6 oranges, broccoli, 6 bananas, red leaf lettuce, and hot peppers. All that cost about $6, which in a regular supermarket would cost about 4 times as much.
Yesterday we went to someones house that Nikki works with for a birthday celebration for their one year old daughter. There were mostly families there with kids, some Panamanian and some American. They had a lot of good food like olive and bean dips, chips, lasagne, and sweets. The kids also took turns at busting open a pinata. We talked to several Americans there who came to work at the International School of Panama, which is one of the schools I was thinking about working at before I came here. I was offered a math job there but it would have been a long distance commute (about an hour each way) and I just wasn't interested in that kind of lifestyle. We would also have had to buy a car, which so far we have been able to get by without one.
After nearly two weeks, the bug bites I got on the field expedition with Nikki have almost disappeared. I am surprised it took so long but I had so many and maybe had an allergic reaction. Someone suggested that I rub alcohol on them and that really helped a lot and relieved the itching. The temperature here continues to be a constant 85/85 (temp/hum), but I can tell it is slowly starting to rain less and in the afternoons there is a nice breeze. They say in a couple of weeks we will be in dry season, where the humidity drops a lot and there is a nice breeze, but still very hot.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Panama Update #85
Panama Update #85
November 15, 2008
Yesterday I spent the morning shopping for small things that we need for the apartment and some personal items. I found a new wallet for $.99, sandals to wear around the apartment for $3.99, a large waterproof backpack for $9.99, a clock for $3.99, and a new cell phone for $16.99. The cell phone seems much better than my previous one and as far as the quality of the other items, time will tell. I also got a hair catcher for the shower drain. I didn't come prepared to the store for the Spanish words for that, so that is when you really get to practice your pantomime skills. When I returned home after the shopping, I found that all the furniture that our landlord promised us had been brought here. There is a new couch, love seat, and easy chair, which makes a nice living room. The air conditioner in the 2nd bedroom is also being installed today as I am writing this, and the new washer and drier are here and will be connected soon. So far we are receiving very good service here, with everything being installed that was promised to us. The owner said he is also going to install security bars in the windows over the next couple of weeks. Most of the houses in Panama have these, but in this neighborhood they are just starting to put them in some of the houses.
While I was walking near the apartment yesterday afternoon I noticed an Iguana (about 3 feet long including the tail) that was trying to get under a wire fence. It is the first time I have seen one here, but people say that it is fairly common to see them. As I was watching, it got caught in the fence hole. Half of its body got through, but it couldn't fit its back legs through the hole. It couldn't back out either, so it was stuck. I walked back to the apartment and got a couple of the workers here, and they came with me. I showed them the spot and the Iguana was still stuck there. One of them held the back legs and tail and the other undid the loop in the fence. There was a cut on the Iguana's back, but they said it would be fine. When it was free it scurried away and was very quickly out of site. When they move, they are really quick and I am sure it was relieved to be free, at whatever level they have feelings.
Aside from those things, we went out last night with another couple who we have met through Nikki's work. They took us to a bonfire in one of the outlying areas where they were celebrating the arrival of a group of indigenous people from North and South America who had run for many miles to meet there. They call the event "The Eagle meets the Condor," and as best as I can see their goal is to bring awareness to the need to clean and take care of the planet. After that they took us to a club in downtown Panama to hear some contemporary Panamanian folk music that we all liked. Everything goes late here, so we go home about 1:00 AM, which is very late for us. We have enjoyed meeting some new friends here in Panama.
November 15, 2008
Yesterday I spent the morning shopping for small things that we need for the apartment and some personal items. I found a new wallet for $.99, sandals to wear around the apartment for $3.99, a large waterproof backpack for $9.99, a clock for $3.99, and a new cell phone for $16.99. The cell phone seems much better than my previous one and as far as the quality of the other items, time will tell. I also got a hair catcher for the shower drain. I didn't come prepared to the store for the Spanish words for that, so that is when you really get to practice your pantomime skills. When I returned home after the shopping, I found that all the furniture that our landlord promised us had been brought here. There is a new couch, love seat, and easy chair, which makes a nice living room. The air conditioner in the 2nd bedroom is also being installed today as I am writing this, and the new washer and drier are here and will be connected soon. So far we are receiving very good service here, with everything being installed that was promised to us. The owner said he is also going to install security bars in the windows over the next couple of weeks. Most of the houses in Panama have these, but in this neighborhood they are just starting to put them in some of the houses.
While I was walking near the apartment yesterday afternoon I noticed an Iguana (about 3 feet long including the tail) that was trying to get under a wire fence. It is the first time I have seen one here, but people say that it is fairly common to see them. As I was watching, it got caught in the fence hole. Half of its body got through, but it couldn't fit its back legs through the hole. It couldn't back out either, so it was stuck. I walked back to the apartment and got a couple of the workers here, and they came with me. I showed them the spot and the Iguana was still stuck there. One of them held the back legs and tail and the other undid the loop in the fence. There was a cut on the Iguana's back, but they said it would be fine. When it was free it scurried away and was very quickly out of site. When they move, they are really quick and I am sure it was relieved to be free, at whatever level they have feelings.
Aside from those things, we went out last night with another couple who we have met through Nikki's work. They took us to a bonfire in one of the outlying areas where they were celebrating the arrival of a group of indigenous people from North and South America who had run for many miles to meet there. They call the event "The Eagle meets the Condor," and as best as I can see their goal is to bring awareness to the need to clean and take care of the planet. After that they took us to a club in downtown Panama to hear some contemporary Panamanian folk music that we all liked. Everything goes late here, so we go home about 1:00 AM, which is very late for us. We have enjoyed meeting some new friends here in Panama.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Panama Update #84
Panama Update #84
November 12, 2008
Today we bought what is called a "tower fan." Our landlord recommended it as the best type of fan. It cost about $60. We have that fan in the living room along with a ceiling fan. It is still warm, but they help circulate the air. We keep both of them on all the time and turn the AC on in the bedroom at night. It is still not real cool at night in the bedroom because the room has vents in it so the air escapes. The heat is becoming the biggest adjustment for me living in this apartment. Our dorm room was small and had good AC on all the time. Even when I went out walking and got hot and sweaty, I could always come back to the AC. That was the relief I needed. In this current apartment we don't have that luxury so I am hotter more of the time. I have adjusted to the heat and humidity down here better than expected, so maybe that will continue. Electricity is very expensive here, so that is why people try to go without AC as much as possible in their homes. Plus, our current apartment is so big, that it would be very difficult and expensive to have a whole apartment system. The offices where Nikki works have AC and the school where I work has AC, so it must cost a fortune to cool those places.
We signed our lease last night for 7 months, to expire on June 9, 2009. At this point it looks like we will return to Minneapolis around that time. However, we most likely will not stay in Minneapolis. It will depend on what happens with Nikki's jobs. Our new landlord seems very supportive and sincere. He doesn't speak any English, but his daughter is visiting and knows some English so she helped translate a bit. I would say that her English is about equivalent to my Spanish. He is going to add some furnishings and we asked him to take out some others that we do not need. Right away this morning one of the guys he has working here came to move out the stuff we requested. There seems to be a few guys around doing work around here all the time, so he must pay them all. One of the guys he gives a small apartment to out in back for his residence. They also have a live-in maid, so people here with some money (middle class, not wealthy) can set themselves up very nicely. We brought the cleaning lady with us that we had in the dorm. We have her scheduled to come in one day a week to clean this new apartment. We arranged to pay her $20 for about a half day, which is above average wages.
November 12, 2008
Today we bought what is called a "tower fan." Our landlord recommended it as the best type of fan. It cost about $60. We have that fan in the living room along with a ceiling fan. It is still warm, but they help circulate the air. We keep both of them on all the time and turn the AC on in the bedroom at night. It is still not real cool at night in the bedroom because the room has vents in it so the air escapes. The heat is becoming the biggest adjustment for me living in this apartment. Our dorm room was small and had good AC on all the time. Even when I went out walking and got hot and sweaty, I could always come back to the AC. That was the relief I needed. In this current apartment we don't have that luxury so I am hotter more of the time. I have adjusted to the heat and humidity down here better than expected, so maybe that will continue. Electricity is very expensive here, so that is why people try to go without AC as much as possible in their homes. Plus, our current apartment is so big, that it would be very difficult and expensive to have a whole apartment system. The offices where Nikki works have AC and the school where I work has AC, so it must cost a fortune to cool those places.
We signed our lease last night for 7 months, to expire on June 9, 2009. At this point it looks like we will return to Minneapolis around that time. However, we most likely will not stay in Minneapolis. It will depend on what happens with Nikki's jobs. Our new landlord seems very supportive and sincere. He doesn't speak any English, but his daughter is visiting and knows some English so she helped translate a bit. I would say that her English is about equivalent to my Spanish. He is going to add some furnishings and we asked him to take out some others that we do not need. Right away this morning one of the guys he has working here came to move out the stuff we requested. There seems to be a few guys around doing work around here all the time, so he must pay them all. One of the guys he gives a small apartment to out in back for his residence. They also have a live-in maid, so people here with some money (middle class, not wealthy) can set themselves up very nicely. We brought the cleaning lady with us that we had in the dorm. We have her scheduled to come in one day a week to clean this new apartment. We arranged to pay her $20 for about a half day, which is above average wages.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Pictures from Panama 14 (new apartment)
Nikki working on her computer at the dining room table, looking out the back of the apartment.
Above, our bedroom. To the left, our living room and TV, looking out the front of the house. Below are the front windows of our apartment. We are on the 2nd floor above the car port (not our car). The 3rd floor apartment has a Panama flag, it was a national holiday today.
The front of our building, with and without us.
Daniel in the kitchen (we brought our blender from home).
Above, our bedroom. To the left, our living room and TV, looking out the front of the house. Below are the front windows of our apartment. We are on the 2nd floor above the car port (not our car). The 3rd floor apartment has a Panama flag, it was a national holiday today.
The front of our building, with and without us.
Daniel in the kitchen (we brought our blender from home).
Panama Update #83
Panama Update #83
November 10, 2008
Last night was our first night sleeping in the new apartment. Usually sleeping in a new place for the first time takes some adjustment for me, so I didn't sleep real well. There are new noises, light, and energy to get used to. It is a little disorienting to be in a new place and figure out which drawer and room to find things. We accomplished most of the move yesterday, and today we went to the store for a couple of hours to buy odds and ends such as cleaning supplies, a fan, and some kitchen supplies. I walked to the fruit market earlier in the day and picked up a couple of papayas, bananas, avocados and tangerines. We are still only about a five minute walk from the big open air fruit and vegetable market that we have been shopping at regularly. On the taxi ride back from the store, we were dropped off at our new address for the first time. It feels funny to sort of be out of the cradle of the dormitory and out in the Panama community more. It has a real different feel to it to be living independently in a country outside the US. On the other occasions when I was out of the country for longer periods of time in India, I always stayed at a place connected with the Yoga Ashram.
November 10, 2008
Last night was our first night sleeping in the new apartment. Usually sleeping in a new place for the first time takes some adjustment for me, so I didn't sleep real well. There are new noises, light, and energy to get used to. It is a little disorienting to be in a new place and figure out which drawer and room to find things. We accomplished most of the move yesterday, and today we went to the store for a couple of hours to buy odds and ends such as cleaning supplies, a fan, and some kitchen supplies. I walked to the fruit market earlier in the day and picked up a couple of papayas, bananas, avocados and tangerines. We are still only about a five minute walk from the big open air fruit and vegetable market that we have been shopping at regularly. On the taxi ride back from the store, we were dropped off at our new address for the first time. It feels funny to sort of be out of the cradle of the dormitory and out in the Panama community more. It has a real different feel to it to be living independently in a country outside the US. On the other occasions when I was out of the country for longer periods of time in India, I always stayed at a place connected with the Yoga Ashram.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Panama Update #82
Panama Update #82
November 9, 2008
I am writing this from our new apartment. The internet is working fine here, which will help Nikki a lot with her work and it will make things easier for both of us. It seems so luxurious to have the internet. Things went as planned today with the move. The previous tenant was out in time and our helpers all showed up on time. The lady who helps us with cleaning came today (Sunday) and went over the place before we moved our stuff in. We also hired a guy with a truck who was recommended by our new landlord. We fit all our things in one truckload. Most of the things we have are stuff that I mailed down here like some books, Yoga equipment, clothes, and assorted other things. It totaled about 15 cardboard boxes. We live so close now to where were living before that the whole move only took an hour to load and unload the truck. At first we were a bit upset with the adjustment to a new place and all the packing and unpacking, but by this evening we are feeling much better about it. The bedrooms are air conditioned here, but not the living areas, so there is some adjustment to the heat. We are still very close to the large fruit and vegetable market so we still plan to use that a lot. It feels very strange to turn on the TV and see all the English shows. He has something called SKY, which I guess is similar to Direct TV. I don' know that much about it, but I guess they have about 500 channels from news to movies to sports.
We plan to post pictures soon of the new apartment.
November 9, 2008
I am writing this from our new apartment. The internet is working fine here, which will help Nikki a lot with her work and it will make things easier for both of us. It seems so luxurious to have the internet. Things went as planned today with the move. The previous tenant was out in time and our helpers all showed up on time. The lady who helps us with cleaning came today (Sunday) and went over the place before we moved our stuff in. We also hired a guy with a truck who was recommended by our new landlord. We fit all our things in one truckload. Most of the things we have are stuff that I mailed down here like some books, Yoga equipment, clothes, and assorted other things. It totaled about 15 cardboard boxes. We live so close now to where were living before that the whole move only took an hour to load and unload the truck. At first we were a bit upset with the adjustment to a new place and all the packing and unpacking, but by this evening we are feeling much better about it. The bedrooms are air conditioned here, but not the living areas, so there is some adjustment to the heat. We are still very close to the large fruit and vegetable market so we still plan to use that a lot. It feels very strange to turn on the TV and see all the English shows. He has something called SKY, which I guess is similar to Direct TV. I don' know that much about it, but I guess they have about 500 channels from news to movies to sports.
We plan to post pictures soon of the new apartment.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Panama Update #81
Panama Update #81
November 7, 2008
After several months of looking for an apartment, everything seemed to come to fruition yesterday. The apartment we had been looking at for some time worked out in the end. The person currently living there signed a lease in his new apartment, which cleared the way for us to sign a lease at this one. We met with the owner and gave him our security deposit. We are planning to move in 2 days, this Sunday (9th) and our lease will be for 7 months (until June 9). We found a truck and helper, so our job in the next two days will be to pack everything and have it ready to go. We don't have any furniture, but we have several boxes of books and several more boxes of clothing and other supplies. We think it will be about 15 boxes in total. The place comes furnished with an AC unit in each of the two bedrooms. It also has internet, cable TV, and laundry and the price of $800 per month includes all costs. It is a wooden building in the traditional style here, with a lot of windows and high ceilings. The first floor is for parking, which is typical for here, so the apartment is on the 2nd floor. The native Panamanian owner lives in another unit in the house and seems like a good landlord. We can post pictures as soon as we get settled a bit.
November 7, 2008
After several months of looking for an apartment, everything seemed to come to fruition yesterday. The apartment we had been looking at for some time worked out in the end. The person currently living there signed a lease in his new apartment, which cleared the way for us to sign a lease at this one. We met with the owner and gave him our security deposit. We are planning to move in 2 days, this Sunday (9th) and our lease will be for 7 months (until June 9). We found a truck and helper, so our job in the next two days will be to pack everything and have it ready to go. We don't have any furniture, but we have several boxes of books and several more boxes of clothing and other supplies. We think it will be about 15 boxes in total. The place comes furnished with an AC unit in each of the two bedrooms. It also has internet, cable TV, and laundry and the price of $800 per month includes all costs. It is a wooden building in the traditional style here, with a lot of windows and high ceilings. The first floor is for parking, which is typical for here, so the apartment is on the 2nd floor. The native Panamanian owner lives in another unit in the house and seems like a good landlord. We can post pictures as soon as we get settled a bit.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Pictures from Panama 13
Solitary and soaking field assistant (Daniel)
Waiting in line to cross the canal
Fuerte San Lorenzo
Waiting in line to cross the canal
Fuerte San Lorenzo
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Pictures from Panama 12
Sandfly bites on Daniel's foot.
Pictures from the place we stayed on the field expedition described in the previous blog entries. They are taken near sundown so they are a little dark.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Panama Update #80
Panama Update #80
November 3, 2008
Today was our 3rd consecutive day out in the field. We had to drive across the canal at the Gatun Locks to get to the field site. The cars line up at the crossing until any ships are clear of the locks, then they can lower the bridge for the cars. On the previous day we only had to wait a few minutes to get across, but today we had about a 45 minute wait to drive across because there were several large ships in the process of moving through. I am getting so used to seeing the big ships that it seems normal to me now. I remember how remarkable it seemed the first few times I saw them. The first site we went to for the field work was called Fuerte San Lorenzo. It is high on a bluff at the point that the Chagres River meets the Carribean. It is a great lookout spot for the canal and a lot of the ship traffic in the area. The fort was established in the early 1800s, then Henry Morgan took it over in the 1820s and used it as a headquarters to take over all of Panama. Eventually it was destroyed and rebuilt and has been used for many purposes over the years. It is such a critical lookout that the US used it in World War II and all the way to the year 2000, when they returned the land to Panama. Now it is a rundown historic site. It is Panama Independence Day from Colombia this week, so a lot of tourists were visiting it. Nikki and I cooked dinner for the group of 8 people who are staying here and helped out this week with all the field work. Tomorrow we head back to Panama City and plan to watch the election results at a friends house who lives near-by and who gets CNN. On Wednesday we hope to settle the apartment situation, but until the contract is signed, we cannot say for sure.
November 3, 2008
Today was our 3rd consecutive day out in the field. We had to drive across the canal at the Gatun Locks to get to the field site. The cars line up at the crossing until any ships are clear of the locks, then they can lower the bridge for the cars. On the previous day we only had to wait a few minutes to get across, but today we had about a 45 minute wait to drive across because there were several large ships in the process of moving through. I am getting so used to seeing the big ships that it seems normal to me now. I remember how remarkable it seemed the first few times I saw them. The first site we went to for the field work was called Fuerte San Lorenzo. It is high on a bluff at the point that the Chagres River meets the Carribean. It is a great lookout spot for the canal and a lot of the ship traffic in the area. The fort was established in the early 1800s, then Henry Morgan took it over in the 1820s and used it as a headquarters to take over all of Panama. Eventually it was destroyed and rebuilt and has been used for many purposes over the years. It is such a critical lookout that the US used it in World War II and all the way to the year 2000, when they returned the land to Panama. Now it is a rundown historic site. It is Panama Independence Day from Colombia this week, so a lot of tourists were visiting it. Nikki and I cooked dinner for the group of 8 people who are staying here and helped out this week with all the field work. Tomorrow we head back to Panama City and plan to watch the election results at a friends house who lives near-by and who gets CNN. On Wednesday we hope to settle the apartment situation, but until the contract is signed, we cannot say for sure.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Panama Update #79
Panama Update #79
November 2, 2008
We are still on the Carribean side of Panama for a couple of more days. Today we went to the field again, to a different spot from yesterday. We also had some vounteers with us. A couple of the volunteers were interested local people and some that Nikki knows from work. They helped out with taking pictures and measuring. For this work, Nikki finds a piece of coastline that has a high cliff that allows her to see the stragraphic layers. She had a couple areas in mind that she wanted to see. She walks through the water near the coast until she finds a good spot. Then they measure the height and thickness of the layers and take the GPS location and other notes. The water is pretty rough and it is slippery to walk on, so you have to be careful when walking. Nikki explains the geology of the area to the volunteers and I try to stay out of the way and enjoy the scenery. Today was dry and cloudy in the morning, so it was pretty nice. The clouds keep it a bit cooler. It rained again in the afternoon, but we were finished up by then.
November 2, 2008
We are still on the Carribean side of Panama for a couple of more days. Today we went to the field again, to a different spot from yesterday. We also had some vounteers with us. A couple of the volunteers were interested local people and some that Nikki knows from work. They helped out with taking pictures and measuring. For this work, Nikki finds a piece of coastline that has a high cliff that allows her to see the stragraphic layers. She had a couple areas in mind that she wanted to see. She walks through the water near the coast until she finds a good spot. Then they measure the height and thickness of the layers and take the GPS location and other notes. The water is pretty rough and it is slippery to walk on, so you have to be careful when walking. Nikki explains the geology of the area to the volunteers and I try to stay out of the way and enjoy the scenery. Today was dry and cloudy in the morning, so it was pretty nice. The clouds keep it a bit cooler. It rained again in the afternoon, but we were finished up by then.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Panama Update #78
Panama Update #78
November 1, 2008
We are on the Carribean side of Panama today and will be staying over night in a trailor at a research station on the banks of the Ocean. It took us about 2 hours to drive from Panama City to Colon. We took two trucks and there are 5 of us helping. Nikki is studying some spots in the area that she thinks may be significant in her research. It was pouring rain most of the day, and we walked in some deep water, so all of us were thoroughly soaked. I will try to download some pictures later on. I guess that is the life of a geologist, but I don't think it is for me.
November 1, 2008
We are on the Carribean side of Panama today and will be staying over night in a trailor at a research station on the banks of the Ocean. It took us about 2 hours to drive from Panama City to Colon. We took two trucks and there are 5 of us helping. Nikki is studying some spots in the area that she thinks may be significant in her research. It was pouring rain most of the day, and we walked in some deep water, so all of us were thoroughly soaked. I will try to download some pictures later on. I guess that is the life of a geologist, but I don't think it is for me.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Panama Update #77
Panama Update #77
October 31, 2008
As they say, when one door closes another opens. Yesterday I wrote that the apartment deal we were waiting for fell through. Last night I put "Apartment Needed" ads on several of the Yahoo Panama internet sites . Today I got an email from someone who has a newly renovated apartment that is connected to their house. It is in Balboa, which is still walking distance to where Nikki works and is in a nice neighborhood. We went over there this afternoon. Both of us thought it was good enough and probably about the best we are going to find. It is in our price range ($775 per month) for a two bedroom. It has windows but is a little dark because greenery is blocking some the light (or maybe it was a cloudy day). It does not have washing machines and we are not sure about the internet, but there is a laundromat near-by. We would also have to buy our own furniture. They thought it would be ready for move-in by November 15. They seem like they would be good landlords. They are a retired couple from Florida and they seem to be very happy living in Panama.
October 31, 2008
As they say, when one door closes another opens. Yesterday I wrote that the apartment deal we were waiting for fell through. Last night I put "Apartment Needed" ads on several of the Yahoo Panama internet sites . Today I got an email from someone who has a newly renovated apartment that is connected to their house. It is in Balboa, which is still walking distance to where Nikki works and is in a nice neighborhood. We went over there this afternoon. Both of us thought it was good enough and probably about the best we are going to find. It is in our price range ($775 per month) for a two bedroom. It has windows but is a little dark because greenery is blocking some the light (or maybe it was a cloudy day). It does not have washing machines and we are not sure about the internet, but there is a laundromat near-by. We would also have to buy our own furniture. They thought it would be ready for move-in by November 15. They seem like they would be good landlords. They are a retired couple from Florida and they seem to be very happy living in Panama.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Panama Update #76
Panama Update #76
October 30, 2008
We just heard that the apartment we have been waiting for will not be available. We know the person who lives there now and he was waiting to move into another apartment. We had everything arranged with his landlord that when he moved out, we would move in. It is a 2 bedroom very close to where our dorm room is now. It turns out that the apartment he was waiting to rent is has been rented out from under him. The person who owns the building decided to rent it to someone else for a higher price and they didn't check with him first to see if he would match it. The same thing happened to us a couple of months ago with a different apartment we were looking at. We'll keep looking and maybe it will work out for the best.
On Saturday I am going out to the field with Nikki and a group from her office for 3 nights. She wants to do some research near the mouth of the Chagres River. The river feeds into the canal and was a critical piece when the canal was being built. It is on the Carribean side of the country. We have arranged for housing through the agency that Nikki works for. It is supposed to be very beautiful there. I plan to keep up with the blogs and if we have internet access I will post them right away. If there is no internet I will plan to post them when we return on November 5.
October 30, 2008
We just heard that the apartment we have been waiting for will not be available. We know the person who lives there now and he was waiting to move into another apartment. We had everything arranged with his landlord that when he moved out, we would move in. It is a 2 bedroom very close to where our dorm room is now. It turns out that the apartment he was waiting to rent is has been rented out from under him. The person who owns the building decided to rent it to someone else for a higher price and they didn't check with him first to see if he would match it. The same thing happened to us a couple of months ago with a different apartment we were looking at. We'll keep looking and maybe it will work out for the best.
On Saturday I am going out to the field with Nikki and a group from her office for 3 nights. She wants to do some research near the mouth of the Chagres River. The river feeds into the canal and was a critical piece when the canal was being built. It is on the Carribean side of the country. We have arranged for housing through the agency that Nikki works for. It is supposed to be very beautiful there. I plan to keep up with the blogs and if we have internet access I will post them right away. If there is no internet I will plan to post them when we return on November 5.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Panama Update #75
Panama Update #75
October 29, 2008
Yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) at work I had a few extra minutes and went out to the playground to play frisbee with the students during their gym class. The skies got real dark, as it does here at some point on a daily basis. Life just goes on normally with the rain, as it does in Minnesota with the snow in the winter time. But every once in a while people really stop what they are doing and take notice. Yesterday afternoon was one of those times. As we were out in the field playing catch there was a super loud crack of thunder as if it were right above us. It turned out to be right above us because a second later we saw smoke coming from across the street. A large tree was struck by the lightening and it fell on and smashed a car. This caused the car's alarm to go off and for smoke to come out of the engine. It rained incredibly hard for about the next hour. It rained so hard that the drainage ditches around the school overflowed a bit and water started coming in the front door of the school. The custodians did a good job of sweeping it out and there was no damage. All this happened at the time of dismissal, so loading the students on the buses took twice as long as usual because they had to cross a newly formed (and temporary) small creek to get to their bus.
October 29, 2008
Yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) at work I had a few extra minutes and went out to the playground to play frisbee with the students during their gym class. The skies got real dark, as it does here at some point on a daily basis. Life just goes on normally with the rain, as it does in Minnesota with the snow in the winter time. But every once in a while people really stop what they are doing and take notice. Yesterday afternoon was one of those times. As we were out in the field playing catch there was a super loud crack of thunder as if it were right above us. It turned out to be right above us because a second later we saw smoke coming from across the street. A large tree was struck by the lightening and it fell on and smashed a car. This caused the car's alarm to go off and for smoke to come out of the engine. It rained incredibly hard for about the next hour. It rained so hard that the drainage ditches around the school overflowed a bit and water started coming in the front door of the school. The custodians did a good job of sweeping it out and there was no damage. All this happened at the time of dismissal, so loading the students on the buses took twice as long as usual because they had to cross a newly formed (and temporary) small creek to get to their bus.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Panama Update #74
Panama Update #74
October 27, 2008
On Saturday morning Nikki tried an Auyurvedic therapeutic massage place here that was recommended by someone we know. Massages here are cheaper than in the states, ranging from about $25-35. Nikki rode over there with a friend who has a car and who was also getting a massage. I think she enjoyed it quite a bit. On Saturday night we went out to eat with another couple we have become friends with. Both of them also work for the Smithsonian and live near us. On Saturday we were also invited to a person's house for dinner that I work with, but we had already made the other plans. On Sunday night we went with the same couple as Saturday to a film festival. It was billed as a European film festival and they have movies from all over the world. We saw the English movie called Atonement. We didn't realize until later that we had already seen it in the US a few months ago. We didn't recognize the name in Spanish so we didn't know. It seems like a funny movie to have at a film festival since it was widely distributed before and is not by an independent filmmaker like the others.
Today (Monday) is the first day where I really feel like Panama is becoming home and I am not just visiting here. It is getting close to 4 months that I have been here now. My work situation is varied and keeping me comfortably busy and we are getting better with the language, where to find things, and making more friends.
October 27, 2008
On Saturday morning Nikki tried an Auyurvedic therapeutic massage place here that was recommended by someone we know. Massages here are cheaper than in the states, ranging from about $25-35. Nikki rode over there with a friend who has a car and who was also getting a massage. I think she enjoyed it quite a bit. On Saturday night we went out to eat with another couple we have become friends with. Both of them also work for the Smithsonian and live near us. On Saturday we were also invited to a person's house for dinner that I work with, but we had already made the other plans. On Sunday night we went with the same couple as Saturday to a film festival. It was billed as a European film festival and they have movies from all over the world. We saw the English movie called Atonement. We didn't realize until later that we had already seen it in the US a few months ago. We didn't recognize the name in Spanish so we didn't know. It seems like a funny movie to have at a film festival since it was widely distributed before and is not by an independent filmmaker like the others.
Today (Monday) is the first day where I really feel like Panama is becoming home and I am not just visiting here. It is getting close to 4 months that I have been here now. My work situation is varied and keeping me comfortably busy and we are getting better with the language, where to find things, and making more friends.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Panama Update #73
Panama Update #73
October 25, 2008
Last night (Friday) we went to the Teatro Nacional for the first time. We had been wanting to go there for some time to see what it was like inside. They have all sorts of theatrical shows there along with ballet and music. It is difficult to find out information about the shows there since they don't seem to have a website. This is strange for such an important theatre. Yesterday I saw in one of the bilingual newspapers here called The Visitor/El Visitante that there was a world-wide piano competition being held there this week. So we decided at the last minute to catch a taxi and check it out. It is pretty close to us, in the section of town called Casco Viejo. Tickets were $14 and there weren't very many people there. My guess is 5o people at the most were there and it looks like the theatre holds about 300 people. It is very fancy on the outside and inside. On the outside there are busts of famous playwrights. On the inside there are seats in the middle, which are very close to the stage, and then there are about 4 levels of private boxes behind the main section. It was built in 1907, shortly after the US took over building the canal and a few years before the canal was completed (1914). It has been completely renovated back to that time period, including ornate decorations and a detailed and colorful ceiling fresco done in the style of Michelangelo. The painter who did the ceiling was a famous Panamanian artist called Roberto Lewis. The piano competition was interesting and Nikki liked it a lot. There was one competitor from Spain who really stood out, but since this was only a preliminary round, we don't know who will end up winning.
October 25, 2008
Last night (Friday) we went to the Teatro Nacional for the first time. We had been wanting to go there for some time to see what it was like inside. They have all sorts of theatrical shows there along with ballet and music. It is difficult to find out information about the shows there since they don't seem to have a website. This is strange for such an important theatre. Yesterday I saw in one of the bilingual newspapers here called The Visitor/El Visitante that there was a world-wide piano competition being held there this week. So we decided at the last minute to catch a taxi and check it out. It is pretty close to us, in the section of town called Casco Viejo. Tickets were $14 and there weren't very many people there. My guess is 5o people at the most were there and it looks like the theatre holds about 300 people. It is very fancy on the outside and inside. On the outside there are busts of famous playwrights. On the inside there are seats in the middle, which are very close to the stage, and then there are about 4 levels of private boxes behind the main section. It was built in 1907, shortly after the US took over building the canal and a few years before the canal was completed (1914). It has been completely renovated back to that time period, including ornate decorations and a detailed and colorful ceiling fresco done in the style of Michelangelo. The painter who did the ceiling was a famous Panamanian artist called Roberto Lewis. The piano competition was interesting and Nikki liked it a lot. There was one competitor from Spain who really stood out, but since this was only a preliminary round, we don't know who will end up winning.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Panama Update #72
Panama Update #72
October 23, 2008
I have been at this part-time job in the school here for about a month now and the more I am there the more I like it. The schedule is flexible and fits what I was looking for and so far they seem glad to have my help. I am getting to know the students and teachers a bit better also. I mostly have been helping in the 5th and 7th grades classes, tutoring in the classroom or pulling out small groups of students. Today I attended my first staff meeting after school. The principal wanted me to present an idea I had about organizing a cross-grade tutoring program where the older students go into the younger classes and assist the teachers. The meeting went a long time and reminded me of the things I don't miss about working in schools. What I mean by that is all the time it takes to come to decisions in schools that have shared decision making model like they have there. By the time the meeting finished, I had to catch a ride with someone quickly to get back to give the Yoga class. The principal assigned the school secretary (who is also her daughter) to drive me back to town. Otherwise I have been catching a taxi out to school and then taking the school bus home with the students since it is hard to find a taxi in that area.
Nikki found out today that her poster presentation on the Panama project was accepted today for the American Geophysical Union (AGU) conference in San Francisco. She was pretty happy about that and prefers to give a poster than a talk for this particular topic and conference.
October 23, 2008
I have been at this part-time job in the school here for about a month now and the more I am there the more I like it. The schedule is flexible and fits what I was looking for and so far they seem glad to have my help. I am getting to know the students and teachers a bit better also. I mostly have been helping in the 5th and 7th grades classes, tutoring in the classroom or pulling out small groups of students. Today I attended my first staff meeting after school. The principal wanted me to present an idea I had about organizing a cross-grade tutoring program where the older students go into the younger classes and assist the teachers. The meeting went a long time and reminded me of the things I don't miss about working in schools. What I mean by that is all the time it takes to come to decisions in schools that have shared decision making model like they have there. By the time the meeting finished, I had to catch a ride with someone quickly to get back to give the Yoga class. The principal assigned the school secretary (who is also her daughter) to drive me back to town. Otherwise I have been catching a taxi out to school and then taking the school bus home with the students since it is hard to find a taxi in that area.
Nikki found out today that her poster presentation on the Panama project was accepted today for the American Geophysical Union (AGU) conference in San Francisco. She was pretty happy about that and prefers to give a poster than a talk for this particular topic and conference.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Panama Update #71
Panama Update #71
October 22, 2008
Today was another holiday so I did not go into the school again. Nikki invited a friend over for lunch and served "make your own tacos." I had a chance to catch up on some Spanish study and other reading. While in Houston I found a book at the Half Price Bookstore called El Libro de la Nada by Osho. It is about Zen philosophy, translated to Spanish. As I try to read through it I have a Spanish dictionary next to me where I can look up the words I don't know and just try to get the general idea of what they are saying. I can now see why people use those electronic translators that they sell in Target. It is much quicker to translate words from one language to the other. Maybe I'll pick one up when we go to the states in December. The other book I am reading is called Brave Companions by David McCullough. He wrote The Path Between the Seas that I just finished about the building of the Panama Canal. Brave Companions is a series of essays on people throughout history who did great things. So far I have read about Humboldt, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Roosevelt, and Remington. It is a pretty inspirational book.
October 22, 2008
Today was another holiday so I did not go into the school again. Nikki invited a friend over for lunch and served "make your own tacos." I had a chance to catch up on some Spanish study and other reading. While in Houston I found a book at the Half Price Bookstore called El Libro de la Nada by Osho. It is about Zen philosophy, translated to Spanish. As I try to read through it I have a Spanish dictionary next to me where I can look up the words I don't know and just try to get the general idea of what they are saying. I can now see why people use those electronic translators that they sell in Target. It is much quicker to translate words from one language to the other. Maybe I'll pick one up when we go to the states in December. The other book I am reading is called Brave Companions by David McCullough. He wrote The Path Between the Seas that I just finished about the building of the Panama Canal. Brave Companions is a series of essays on people throughout history who did great things. So far I have read about Humboldt, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Roosevelt, and Remington. It is a pretty inspirational book.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Panama Update #70
Panama Update #70
October 21, 2008
The last couple of days we spent a lot of time on the itinerary for our trip to the states in December. Nikki has a conference in San Francisco from Dec. 15-20. We extended our return trip to Panama until December 27, thinking Nikki's mom and Red might come visit us in San Francisco. In the end we figured out a reasonable flight for us to visit them in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho (we fly into Spokane, Washington). We plan to spend 3 nights there then go to Los Angeles to visit my Aunt Betty (who is celebrating her 85th birthday this year). We could only fit in 2 nights in LA becasue we have to return to SF on the 26th to catch our flight back to Panama. The airlines would not let us change our departure to Panama to LA. It is a lot of flying again, like the last trip I did to Florida and Texas, in a short amount of time, but we thought it was important enough to go through with it. I am hoping Nikki can get some rest on the various stops since she is usually exhausted after her conferences.
October 21, 2008
The last couple of days we spent a lot of time on the itinerary for our trip to the states in December. Nikki has a conference in San Francisco from Dec. 15-20. We extended our return trip to Panama until December 27, thinking Nikki's mom and Red might come visit us in San Francisco. In the end we figured out a reasonable flight for us to visit them in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho (we fly into Spokane, Washington). We plan to spend 3 nights there then go to Los Angeles to visit my Aunt Betty (who is celebrating her 85th birthday this year). We could only fit in 2 nights in LA becasue we have to return to SF on the 26th to catch our flight back to Panama. The airlines would not let us change our departure to Panama to LA. It is a lot of flying again, like the last trip I did to Florida and Texas, in a short amount of time, but we thought it was important enough to go through with it. I am hoping Nikki can get some rest on the various stops since she is usually exhausted after her conferences.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Panama Update #69
Panama Update #69
October 19, 2008
On Friday night we went to the Ancon Theatre Guild to see a play for the first time since we came here. It is within walking distance of where we live. It is the only English speaking theatre in Panama City. It is an amateur community theatre that has been around since 1950 at its current location and probably longer before that at another location. I don't remember the exact name of the play but it was a comedy, murder mystery set in the 1940s. It is a nice, intimate theatre that seats about 150 people. Only about 20 people showed up on the night we were there. They don't advertise much and it seems like the auditions are closed to a small group of friends. We were not too impressed with the talent level, but it was something different to try out.
Yesterday (Saturday) we went back to a large, fancy Chinese Restaurant called Lung Fung. We had gone there a couple of months ago to a Sunday brunch that specializes in dim sum. They didn't have any vegetarian items for the brunch, so we wanted to go back and try out their regular menu. They had several vegetarian items and we ordered a a spicy tofu dish and another dish with black mushrooms and greens. Both of us liked the food and were filled up when we left. There is a branch of a supermarket we like that is located across the street from the restaurant so we went there after to do some shopping. It took a long time to catch a taxi that would take us back to our room in Ancon, but finally we found one that would go that direction. We stayed in last night and got to sleep early. This morning (Sunday) we took an early walk to the top of Ancon Hill (the hill where we live). Normally you can get a full panoramic view of Panama City and the Pacific entrance to the canal, but this morning it was very misty and had a low visibility.
October 19, 2008
On Friday night we went to the Ancon Theatre Guild to see a play for the first time since we came here. It is within walking distance of where we live. It is the only English speaking theatre in Panama City. It is an amateur community theatre that has been around since 1950 at its current location and probably longer before that at another location. I don't remember the exact name of the play but it was a comedy, murder mystery set in the 1940s. It is a nice, intimate theatre that seats about 150 people. Only about 20 people showed up on the night we were there. They don't advertise much and it seems like the auditions are closed to a small group of friends. We were not too impressed with the talent level, but it was something different to try out.
Yesterday (Saturday) we went back to a large, fancy Chinese Restaurant called Lung Fung. We had gone there a couple of months ago to a Sunday brunch that specializes in dim sum. They didn't have any vegetarian items for the brunch, so we wanted to go back and try out their regular menu. They had several vegetarian items and we ordered a a spicy tofu dish and another dish with black mushrooms and greens. Both of us liked the food and were filled up when we left. There is a branch of a supermarket we like that is located across the street from the restaurant so we went there after to do some shopping. It took a long time to catch a taxi that would take us back to our room in Ancon, but finally we found one that would go that direction. We stayed in last night and got to sleep early. This morning (Sunday) we took an early walk to the top of Ancon Hill (the hill where we live). Normally you can get a full panoramic view of Panama City and the Pacific entrance to the canal, but this morning it was very misty and had a low visibility.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Panama Update #68
Panama Update #68
October 16, 2008
Things have been pretty busy for me this week. I have a couple of more tutoring clients and I am continuing the work at the school. I have also been asked to start a night English class for the maintenance workers here like I did for the guides. That may start next week. I also have been in touch with a physical therapist in a near-by section of the city who is interested in possibly offering Biofeedback or Yoga at her office. I am scheduled to meet with her next week. Nikki also may need help out in field in a couple of weeks, so I may go with her for 3 or 4 nights as she does some research on a major river on the other side of the country. Nikki has also been putting in long hours this week while trying to keep up with all the research and projects she has from Panama and also Ethiopia.
The apartment we have been waiting for is still up in the air. The person who is moving out of that apartment is still waiting for the other apartment that he is moving into to be repaired. It could be delayed for a month and who knows beyond that. Fortunately we can stay in the dorm until it gets figured out or something else comes up.
October 16, 2008
Things have been pretty busy for me this week. I have a couple of more tutoring clients and I am continuing the work at the school. I have also been asked to start a night English class for the maintenance workers here like I did for the guides. That may start next week. I also have been in touch with a physical therapist in a near-by section of the city who is interested in possibly offering Biofeedback or Yoga at her office. I am scheduled to meet with her next week. Nikki also may need help out in field in a couple of weeks, so I may go with her for 3 or 4 nights as she does some research on a major river on the other side of the country. Nikki has also been putting in long hours this week while trying to keep up with all the research and projects she has from Panama and also Ethiopia.
The apartment we have been waiting for is still up in the air. The person who is moving out of that apartment is still waiting for the other apartment that he is moving into to be repaired. It could be delayed for a month and who knows beyond that. Fortunately we can stay in the dorm until it gets figured out or something else comes up.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Panama Update #67
Panama Update #67
October 15, 2008
The school where I work has been closed yesterday and today because of the Jewish Holiday Sukkot. They are also off 2 days next week for Simchat Torah. The week after that all the Panama Independence Holidays start so it seems like all through October and November there is a holiday every week. This week it has given me a chance to catch up on some things and also a little rest and recovery time from the trip. I went to the huge fruit and vegetable market near us today to stock up on some fresh vegetables and fruits. The fresh papaya are abundent here and both of us have developed a taste for them. They seem to help quite a bit with digestion and are high in a lot of the other vitamins. If anyone is not familiar with them, here is a description I found on the web: Deliciously sweet with musky undertones and a soft, butter-like consistency, it is no wonder the papaya was reputably called the "fruit of the angels" by Christopher Columbus. Besides having a lot of the tropical fruits, the huge open air market has a large variety of vegetables so I picked up some green peppers, lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, and green onions and made a big salad for lunch. I brought up a salad for Nikki to her office since I had the time today. I don't even try to negotiate a price with the merchants anymore. If they overcharge me a bit, it is still much lower than I would get in the supermarket and is not worth the trouble. Also, I am finding if you go to the same merchants and they start to recognize you, they seem to give you a fair price.
October 15, 2008
The school where I work has been closed yesterday and today because of the Jewish Holiday Sukkot. They are also off 2 days next week for Simchat Torah. The week after that all the Panama Independence Holidays start so it seems like all through October and November there is a holiday every week. This week it has given me a chance to catch up on some things and also a little rest and recovery time from the trip. I went to the huge fruit and vegetable market near us today to stock up on some fresh vegetables and fruits. The fresh papaya are abundent here and both of us have developed a taste for them. They seem to help quite a bit with digestion and are high in a lot of the other vitamins. If anyone is not familiar with them, here is a description I found on the web: Deliciously sweet with musky undertones and a soft, butter-like consistency, it is no wonder the papaya was reputably called the "fruit of the angels" by Christopher Columbus. Besides having a lot of the tropical fruits, the huge open air market has a large variety of vegetables so I picked up some green peppers, lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, and green onions and made a big salad for lunch. I brought up a salad for Nikki to her office since I had the time today. I don't even try to negotiate a price with the merchants anymore. If they overcharge me a bit, it is still much lower than I would get in the supermarket and is not worth the trouble. Also, I am finding if you go to the same merchants and they start to recognize you, they seem to give you a fair price.
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