Panama Update #11
July 24, 2008
Today I went for an interview at AIP, a highly regarded high school in Panama City. It is a high school for native Panamanians as opposed to the other two top high schools which are international high schools and follow an IB curriculum. It was about a 30 minute taxi ride in light traffic and the driver seemed happy with the $5 I gave him. I asked him if he wanted to wait for me but he declined. After the meeting the secretary for the school called a taxi for me and another one arrived very quickly.
I met with 3 people at the school, all women, including the director of the school. We talked for about 20 minutes and they were very nice, friendly, and easy going. I had put on the application that I was interested in coming in for two days a week, which right away was a problem. I suspected that would be their reaction since I know how school schedules operate. I told them that I had already turned down full-time offers from two other schools because I was looking for part-time only. They said they hire full-time teachers there also, but still asked me what I had in mind. I suggested several things that I could do there such as English and math tutoring. They seemed positive and liked the letter of recommendation that I had brought with me.
After the interview, one of the people took me on a tour of the school. It serves K-12 and has 1100 students and a nice soccer field with bleachers. The gym was also large with bleachers. She said they play soccer, basketball, and volleyball. Between the bleachers and the roof they had open air, which was attractive and good for circulation. She told me that electricity is expensive so they cool it by huge fans set up on one end, as opposed to AC. The students wore uniforms and I asked her about dress policy fo the teachers. She said that what I was wearing (button down shirt with khakis) was OK, but I would have to cut my hair if I wanted to work there. She said the director is very strict about it for the students and expects the same from the teachers. She said that if she ends up calling me, I would have to make the decision to cut my hair if I accepted the job. There is a nice atmosphere at the school and the students seem great, but I would have to decline if they insist on the haircut. Whatever happens, it was still a fun outing for me and I got to see a different part of town.
Last night I discovered various groups on Yahoo where Americans who are living in Panama discuss questions about doctors, moving companies, apartments for rent, etc. I joined a couple of the groups and posted a question about suggestions anyone had for space for giving Yoga classes. I have 3 classes schedued a week here at the blank, but will have time to do more if none of the school jobs come through. Someone has already written back saying we could use her house for a class and asked me to call her. I reached her late in the afternoon and she had a lot of suggestions for me. There are two k-12 schools near her that she said are good schools and would be worth a look. After talking to her for a while longer, it came out in the conversation that she is traveling to Israel for two weeks with her son soon. Her son goes to another Jewish school called Yitzhak Rabin. She was very interested in talking to Nikki (who lived in Israel for 7 years) about the upcoming trip and invited us over for a drink this weekend. We may go if the timing works out. The several thousand Americans down here seem well connected and are very willing to help. They have weekly gatherings at night and luncheons and all sorts of activities which are advertised on the websites.
