Panama Update #40
August 29, 2008
I received an email from NW Airlines today about a special they are having. Normally I just delete those ads, but I decided to open it. They said that you can use your miles to get good deals to many cities, the usual thing. Just for the fun of it, I put in the trip to Houston to see what kind of a deal it would spit out. Nikki is going there for a conference from Oct. 2-10 and I had been trying to find a ticket, but the lowest I could find was for something like $900. Last week I ended up buying a ticket to Miami for a weekend (Oct. 2-5) for a pretty good price. I bought that ticket because for my tourist visa I have to leave the country every 90 days.
The NW website said that by cashing in 35,000 miles, I could go to Houston for free. I couldn't believe it, after all that. The airlines are a mess to try to work with. My Miami ticket couldn't be refunded so I thought that I may as well keep that. So I plugged in Oct. 6-10 in Houston and it gave it to me again for free. I decided to buy it on the spot because with the airlines, who knows. The next time I put it in it may not give it to me. So now I will be flying to Miami (3 hour flight) for 3 days, coming back to Panama for a day, then flying to Houston (4 hour flight) for four days. Nikki and I will be able to spend Yom Kippur together and I can tour some Museums and other things in downtown Houston while she is at the conference. It may sound crazy, but it will also be a change of pace for a week and a break from Panama.
So it looks like I have decided not to go to Minneapolis next week after all (at least that is my decision for today). If I travel anywhere while Nikki is gone for the next two weeks I will do a shorter local trip, probably more at the last minute.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Panama Update #39
Panama Update #39
August 28, 2008
Today I finally picked up a TV at the mall. I arrived here 7 weeks ago today and didn't miss it at all. I can't believe I am buying it after the Olympics and the Deomocratic convention, but my excuse for buying it is that Nikki is leaving town for 2 weeks starting on Sunday, so it will be a small way to fill the gap. Most evenings we hang out together, so it will sort of keep me company in a small way. The other excuse is that it is good practice for learning Spanish. All the programs are in Spanish, and there is a choice of several free channels. Even the American movies they have on each night are dubbed. At the least I will try it and see if it is worthwhile, otherwise I am sure I can find someone in one of the other dorm rooms who would like it. It is a 14 inch color TV and cost $80. Maybe that is about what it would cost in the US, since many people are getting rid of those type of TVs. In the US, in February, you need a converter box, but I am not sure if that will be the case here.
Yesterday I mentioned that I was thinking of going to Minneapolis during the time Nikki is gone. I found a good price, about $600, but at this time I am still not sure. I am also looking at just taking a shorter local trip, maybe to one of the beach resorts in Panama. It may end up being a last minute kind of option. My schedule here is flexible enough to do something like that. The tutoring can be rescheduled and one or two of the Yoga classes could be canceled.
Last night we went out to dinner on the Causeway. The Causeway is the strip of land surrounded by ocean near the entrance to the canal. It has a marina and fancy restaurants. A friend from the dorm, Fernando, is leaving and several of us went out as a going away party for him. It was called Restaurante Barko and specializes in seafood, as you would guess from the location. They also had huge tasty salads and pasta at very reasonable prices. Nikki and I split a salad for $6.95 and a plate of pasta with garlic/mushroom sauce for $7.95. We sat on a patio close to the ocean and there was a nnice cool breeze. Getting a taxi there at night was not easy and for the 5 of us they charged $10 each way. It is about a 20 minute ride. The price probably sounds cheap but we are used to paying $2 total for a ride.
Our apartment search continues. We decided not to take the one in Casco Viejo because we were concerned about how the entrance to the apartment was situated directly on the street. We have some leads on some others, but they are turning out to be more expensive than anticipated. Before we came here they told us we could find a two bedroom apartment for about $500, but now we are looking at one bedrooms or studios for $800 per month and two bedrooms for closer to $1100. The amount of people moving here is greater than the available units at this point, so the prices have gone up very rapidly.
August 28, 2008
Today I finally picked up a TV at the mall. I arrived here 7 weeks ago today and didn't miss it at all. I can't believe I am buying it after the Olympics and the Deomocratic convention, but my excuse for buying it is that Nikki is leaving town for 2 weeks starting on Sunday, so it will be a small way to fill the gap. Most evenings we hang out together, so it will sort of keep me company in a small way. The other excuse is that it is good practice for learning Spanish. All the programs are in Spanish, and there is a choice of several free channels. Even the American movies they have on each night are dubbed. At the least I will try it and see if it is worthwhile, otherwise I am sure I can find someone in one of the other dorm rooms who would like it. It is a 14 inch color TV and cost $80. Maybe that is about what it would cost in the US, since many people are getting rid of those type of TVs. In the US, in February, you need a converter box, but I am not sure if that will be the case here.
Yesterday I mentioned that I was thinking of going to Minneapolis during the time Nikki is gone. I found a good price, about $600, but at this time I am still not sure. I am also looking at just taking a shorter local trip, maybe to one of the beach resorts in Panama. It may end up being a last minute kind of option. My schedule here is flexible enough to do something like that. The tutoring can be rescheduled and one or two of the Yoga classes could be canceled.
Last night we went out to dinner on the Causeway. The Causeway is the strip of land surrounded by ocean near the entrance to the canal. It has a marina and fancy restaurants. A friend from the dorm, Fernando, is leaving and several of us went out as a going away party for him. It was called Restaurante Barko and specializes in seafood, as you would guess from the location. They also had huge tasty salads and pasta at very reasonable prices. Nikki and I split a salad for $6.95 and a plate of pasta with garlic/mushroom sauce for $7.95. We sat on a patio close to the ocean and there was a nnice cool breeze. Getting a taxi there at night was not easy and for the 5 of us they charged $10 each way. It is about a 20 minute ride. The price probably sounds cheap but we are used to paying $2 total for a ride.
Our apartment search continues. We decided not to take the one in Casco Viejo because we were concerned about how the entrance to the apartment was situated directly on the street. We have some leads on some others, but they are turning out to be more expensive than anticipated. Before we came here they told us we could find a two bedroom apartment for about $500, but now we are looking at one bedrooms or studios for $800 per month and two bedrooms for closer to $1100. The amount of people moving here is greater than the available units at this point, so the prices have gone up very rapidly.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Panama Update #38
Panama Update #38
August 26, 2008
On Sunday I spent some time building a web-site for Nikki that she can use when the univeristy application season begins soon. In the fall of 2008 they start advertising online for 09/10 geology position openings. The website is still under construction, but if anyone wants to see it, here is the address: http://sites.google.com/site/nstrongearth/. Making a website like this is new territory for me, but I had the time to try it and it also saves Nikki some time. She is busy preparing to leave for two weeks (Sept. 1-15) on a research vessle in the Kuna Yala region of Panama. This area is a 226 km-long strip which includes nearly 400 islands in the chain. It is on the Caribbean coast and includes San Blas, and runs all the way to the edge of the Colombian border. The guide book says, "Following a violent uprising on February 25, 1925, the Kuna were granted permission to implement their own system of governance and economy. To do this day they are a fiercely independent people who maintain their traditions in a changing world." For this reason is was difficult for her group to arrange a trip here, so it will be a real groundbreaking research expedition. She will live on a boat with 11 scientists and conduct the research in both the land and water of that area. We tried to figure out a way for me to meet her half-way, but it looks complicated at this point given the difficulty of traveling their and finding a place to stay and lack of communication. She cannot be reached directly for the 2 weeks, but I can send an email that will be passed along. It will be strange staying in Panama without her for that long of a time, so I am trying to figure out what I will do. I have some projects, but will look for a weekend trip or something like that. I am even considering going back to Minneapolis for a week or 10 days and staying at the cabin, but tickets are around $900 round trip. I still may do it, but will think about it over the next day or two.
August 26, 2008
On Sunday I spent some time building a web-site for Nikki that she can use when the univeristy application season begins soon. In the fall of 2008 they start advertising online for 09/10 geology position openings. The website is still under construction, but if anyone wants to see it, here is the address: http://sites.google.com/site/nstrongearth/. Making a website like this is new territory for me, but I had the time to try it and it also saves Nikki some time. She is busy preparing to leave for two weeks (Sept. 1-15) on a research vessle in the Kuna Yala region of Panama. This area is a 226 km-long strip which includes nearly 400 islands in the chain. It is on the Caribbean coast and includes San Blas, and runs all the way to the edge of the Colombian border. The guide book says, "Following a violent uprising on February 25, 1925, the Kuna were granted permission to implement their own system of governance and economy. To do this day they are a fiercely independent people who maintain their traditions in a changing world." For this reason is was difficult for her group to arrange a trip here, so it will be a real groundbreaking research expedition. She will live on a boat with 11 scientists and conduct the research in both the land and water of that area. We tried to figure out a way for me to meet her half-way, but it looks complicated at this point given the difficulty of traveling their and finding a place to stay and lack of communication. She cannot be reached directly for the 2 weeks, but I can send an email that will be passed along. It will be strange staying in Panama without her for that long of a time, so I am trying to figure out what I will do. I have some projects, but will look for a weekend trip or something like that. I am even considering going back to Minneapolis for a week or 10 days and staying at the cabin, but tickets are around $900 round trip. I still may do it, but will think about it over the next day or two.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Panama Update #37
Panama Update #37
August 24, 2008
Yesterday (Saturday) morning we got a call from the manager of the apartment we had looked at in Casco Antiguo. He said he had rented the apartment to someone else who could move in immediately and stay for a year. We were a little upset that he did not call us first before renting it to someone else, but that must be the way they do business here. We decided to walk down to that area anyway, to see how long it would take to get there from Ancon, where we live now. We found a route that took only 20 minutes and it seems fine to walk in that area in the daylight hours. We went to the Canal Museum in the area and then ate lunch nearby at a place called the Super Gourmet Deli. They had very tasty soup and sandwiches and a few grocery items on sale, and is in a very convenient location. We talked to several people there about apartments available in the area, but they were either too small or too expensive. Since we are not in a rush, we will keep looking there and other areas of the city.
From Casco Antiguo we took a 20 minute ($2) taxi ride to the Multi Centro Mall in the downtown area. There is a small Indian store near there that Nikki had gone to once before but I had not seen it. It only has a few items and is the only store in the city that specializes in products from India. It seems clear that a large Indian community like they have here could support a much bigger store, so there is an opportunity for someone. Every Saturday afternoon from 4:00-6:00 they have an informal vegetarian buffet. You can get a small plate packed with a variety of traditional Indian dishes for only $2.50. The food was spicy and tasted great. It is normally only a store, not a restaurant, so they set out a bench for people to sit on while they are eating. It was fun to at least try it once, but will probably not make a special trip there again. If we are in the area anyway at that time, for shopping or to see a movie, we would definitley go again.
August 24, 2008
Yesterday (Saturday) morning we got a call from the manager of the apartment we had looked at in Casco Antiguo. He said he had rented the apartment to someone else who could move in immediately and stay for a year. We were a little upset that he did not call us first before renting it to someone else, but that must be the way they do business here. We decided to walk down to that area anyway, to see how long it would take to get there from Ancon, where we live now. We found a route that took only 20 minutes and it seems fine to walk in that area in the daylight hours. We went to the Canal Museum in the area and then ate lunch nearby at a place called the Super Gourmet Deli. They had very tasty soup and sandwiches and a few grocery items on sale, and is in a very convenient location. We talked to several people there about apartments available in the area, but they were either too small or too expensive. Since we are not in a rush, we will keep looking there and other areas of the city.
From Casco Antiguo we took a 20 minute ($2) taxi ride to the Multi Centro Mall in the downtown area. There is a small Indian store near there that Nikki had gone to once before but I had not seen it. It only has a few items and is the only store in the city that specializes in products from India. It seems clear that a large Indian community like they have here could support a much bigger store, so there is an opportunity for someone. Every Saturday afternoon from 4:00-6:00 they have an informal vegetarian buffet. You can get a small plate packed with a variety of traditional Indian dishes for only $2.50. The food was spicy and tasted great. It is normally only a store, not a restaurant, so they set out a bench for people to sit on while they are eating. It was fun to at least try it once, but will probably not make a special trip there again. If we are in the area anyway at that time, for shopping or to see a movie, we would definitley go again.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Panama Update #36
Panama Update #36
August 22, 2008
This afternoon I went to see a potential house for our future living arrangement. I had posted on Craigs List a couple of days ago that we are looking for an apartment to rent. Several people have responded so far, and the apartment we looked at in Casco Viejo a couple of days ago is still a possibility. We can stay in the dorm until the end of December if we need to, so we can be a little picky at this point. We are also saving money by staying in the dorm since it is only $350 a month, including everything. A woman wrote me that she and a friend have rented a 4 bedroom house in a suburb that is located about 10 miles north of the city. She said they are still looking to rent 2 of the bedrooms. I went to look at the house and meet them this afternoon. It is a very nice house with a nice yard and the room they would rent to us is huge with a separate bathroom. There is one woman and one man in the house now and they are recent college graduates. They are starting an American nonprofit called Gobal Brigades which is described on the internet as this:
"Global Brigades is a secular charitable organization that empowers students and professional volunteers to provide communities in developing nations with sustainable solutions that improve quality of life while respecting local culture. Our vision is to become the largest student-led social movement on the planet."
I had never hear of it, but it is a big and growing international organization. It seems kind of like the Peace Corps, but not connected to the government.
The people in the house were nice, but it is not a good fit for us because it is farther away from Ancon and the Smithsonian than we want to live and it is better for us to live in our own house or apartment. It might be OK as a single person to rent a room there, but it doesn't make sense for a married couple.
August 22, 2008
This afternoon I went to see a potential house for our future living arrangement. I had posted on Craigs List a couple of days ago that we are looking for an apartment to rent. Several people have responded so far, and the apartment we looked at in Casco Viejo a couple of days ago is still a possibility. We can stay in the dorm until the end of December if we need to, so we can be a little picky at this point. We are also saving money by staying in the dorm since it is only $350 a month, including everything. A woman wrote me that she and a friend have rented a 4 bedroom house in a suburb that is located about 10 miles north of the city. She said they are still looking to rent 2 of the bedrooms. I went to look at the house and meet them this afternoon. It is a very nice house with a nice yard and the room they would rent to us is huge with a separate bathroom. There is one woman and one man in the house now and they are recent college graduates. They are starting an American nonprofit called Gobal Brigades which is described on the internet as this:
"Global Brigades is a secular charitable organization that empowers students and professional volunteers to provide communities in developing nations with sustainable solutions that improve quality of life while respecting local culture. Our vision is to become the largest student-led social movement on the planet."
I had never hear of it, but it is a big and growing international organization. It seems kind of like the Peace Corps, but not connected to the government.
The people in the house were nice, but it is not a good fit for us because it is farther away from Ancon and the Smithsonian than we want to live and it is better for us to live in our own house or apartment. It might be OK as a single person to rent a room there, but it doesn't make sense for a married couple.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Panama Update #35
Panama Update #35
August 21, 2008
Nikki had her second Spanish class last night. I shared a taxi with her and the other 2 women from the dorm who are taking the classes with her. While she was in the class, I ate at the vegetarian restaurant on the same block (Via Argentina) and then she joined me after the class. In the meantime, the guy who is renting the apartment that I looked at yesterday called back and said another one opened up in the same building and we decided to go look at it after dinner. It was about 9:00 PM at night when we went over there. I thought it would be a good idea to see the area at night to get a feel for what it is like. The unit is a loft and a little bigger than the one I had looked at the previous day, but about the same price- $850. The bedroom was in the loft and which is big enough to also be like a living room. The downstairs is the kitchen, bathroom and dining room. The entrance way has a nice lobby. He took us on a tour of the whole building. The family eventually plans to live there. It is really nice and the whole thing is newly renovated. They have big plans for the building including 5 rooms for a B&B, a restaruant on the ground level, and several apartments to rent. There is an outdoor courtyard on the inside of the building that you can access from the apartment door. They left a lot of 200 year old exposed brick in the apartment we looked at. The neighborhood is in transition, like I wrote yesterday, but there are a lot of nice stores, bars, restaurants, and the Teatro Nacional, which is supposed to have real good, classical theatre in Spanish. There is also a really popular Backpackers Youth Hostel a couple of blocks away which the guidebook says is really nice and very reasonable. We wrote our contact there an email this morning with several questions about move-in dates, utilities, and several other things. If we hear back and all the answers are satisfactory, we are pretty interested. I also put an "apartment wanted" posting on Craigs List Panama and got two emails today with information about available places. We may go look at one tomorrow or over the weekend.
August 21, 2008
Nikki had her second Spanish class last night. I shared a taxi with her and the other 2 women from the dorm who are taking the classes with her. While she was in the class, I ate at the vegetarian restaurant on the same block (Via Argentina) and then she joined me after the class. In the meantime, the guy who is renting the apartment that I looked at yesterday called back and said another one opened up in the same building and we decided to go look at it after dinner. It was about 9:00 PM at night when we went over there. I thought it would be a good idea to see the area at night to get a feel for what it is like. The unit is a loft and a little bigger than the one I had looked at the previous day, but about the same price- $850. The bedroom was in the loft and which is big enough to also be like a living room. The downstairs is the kitchen, bathroom and dining room. The entrance way has a nice lobby. He took us on a tour of the whole building. The family eventually plans to live there. It is really nice and the whole thing is newly renovated. They have big plans for the building including 5 rooms for a B&B, a restaruant on the ground level, and several apartments to rent. There is an outdoor courtyard on the inside of the building that you can access from the apartment door. They left a lot of 200 year old exposed brick in the apartment we looked at. The neighborhood is in transition, like I wrote yesterday, but there are a lot of nice stores, bars, restaurants, and the Teatro Nacional, which is supposed to have real good, classical theatre in Spanish. There is also a really popular Backpackers Youth Hostel a couple of blocks away which the guidebook says is really nice and very reasonable. We wrote our contact there an email this morning with several questions about move-in dates, utilities, and several other things. If we hear back and all the answers are satisfactory, we are pretty interested. I also put an "apartment wanted" posting on Craigs List Panama and got two emails today with information about available places. We may go look at one tomorrow or over the weekend.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Panama Update #34
Panama Update #34
August 20, 2008
I skipped writing in the blog 2 of the last 3 days because my schedule has gotten a lot busier this week. But this is a writing project I would like to continue for the whole time I am here, so I plan to set aside time for it. Yesterday I went to look at an apartment. We have until December 31 and then we need to be out of the dorm. Nikki saw the posting for the apartment at the Spanish Learning Center where she is taking Spanish classes twice a week. Apartments seem so hard to come by that I went to look at right away. It is in the section of town called Casco Viejo. This is the old Panama City. The building I looked at was built about 200 years ago but has been completely renovated. It looks to me like about 25% of Casco Viejo is renovated and the rest of the housing units in that area are either gutted and waiting for renovation or very run down. It is a big tourist area with a lot of upscale bars and restaurants. The one bedroom apartment I looked at is part of an 8 unit building and comes completely furnished for $800 per month plus utilities. It is an above average price for Panama but about what you would expect for that area. The door to the apartment opens right out onto the street, with no lobby, so it did not seem like a secure entrance. Also, it is a very busy and noisy area and I have a feeling it would continue like that into the night. For those reasons, we decided not to pursue it. Our contact for the apartment is an American who must have married into a Panamanian family. He called me back today and said another apartment in that building has unexpectedly opened, which is a bigger loft style, for $850 per month. I am not sure if we will look at, but will talk to Nikki about it later. He said it will go fast if he puts it on Craigs list, but he would like to give us first shot at it.
August 20, 2008
I skipped writing in the blog 2 of the last 3 days because my schedule has gotten a lot busier this week. But this is a writing project I would like to continue for the whole time I am here, so I plan to set aside time for it. Yesterday I went to look at an apartment. We have until December 31 and then we need to be out of the dorm. Nikki saw the posting for the apartment at the Spanish Learning Center where she is taking Spanish classes twice a week. Apartments seem so hard to come by that I went to look at right away. It is in the section of town called Casco Viejo. This is the old Panama City. The building I looked at was built about 200 years ago but has been completely renovated. It looks to me like about 25% of Casco Viejo is renovated and the rest of the housing units in that area are either gutted and waiting for renovation or very run down. It is a big tourist area with a lot of upscale bars and restaurants. The one bedroom apartment I looked at is part of an 8 unit building and comes completely furnished for $800 per month plus utilities. It is an above average price for Panama but about what you would expect for that area. The door to the apartment opens right out onto the street, with no lobby, so it did not seem like a secure entrance. Also, it is a very busy and noisy area and I have a feeling it would continue like that into the night. For those reasons, we decided not to pursue it. Our contact for the apartment is an American who must have married into a Panamanian family. He called me back today and said another apartment in that building has unexpectedly opened, which is a bigger loft style, for $850 per month. I am not sure if we will look at, but will talk to Nikki about it later. He said it will go fast if he puts it on Craigs list, but he would like to give us first shot at it.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Panama Update #33
Panama Update #33
August 18,2008
In the last two days I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out the best way to renew my tourist visa. It is good for 90 days, then you have to leave the country for 72 hours and when you return it renews for another 90 days. Through the it is possible to get a work permit for Nikki and the spouse would be covered. But for various reasons, we are probably not going that route. Nikki already has plans to leave the country to go to a conference in Houston in October and another conference in San Francisco in December. I already have tickets to join her in San Francisco, but I need a place to go in October. I was originally planning to go to Houston but the cheapest round trip from Panama is about $900 with added fees. Two airlines here have nonstop 3 hour flights to Miami from here for about $200. That is probably what I will do from Oct. 2-5, while Nikki is in Houston. If anyone has a suggestion for a place to stay in Miami, please let me know. I have never been there. I have also been looking at flights to Bogata, Cartegena, Cali, and San Andreas, Colombia, but they run about $400.
This is what my work schedule looks like this week, but I am sure it will keep evolving over the time we are here:
Monday, Wednesday-Private English Tutoring 8-11 AM, Yoga Class 12-1 PM, Biofeedback 4-5 PM, English class 6-8 PM
Tuesday, Thursday-Private English Tutoring 8-11 AM, Biofeedback 12-1 PM, Yoga 5-7 PM
Friday- Private English Tutoring 8-11 AM
August 18,2008
In the last two days I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out the best way to renew my tourist visa. It is good for 90 days, then you have to leave the country for 72 hours and when you return it renews for another 90 days. Through the it is possible to get a work permit for Nikki and the spouse would be covered. But for various reasons, we are probably not going that route. Nikki already has plans to leave the country to go to a conference in Houston in October and another conference in San Francisco in December. I already have tickets to join her in San Francisco, but I need a place to go in October. I was originally planning to go to Houston but the cheapest round trip from Panama is about $900 with added fees. Two airlines here have nonstop 3 hour flights to Miami from here for about $200. That is probably what I will do from Oct. 2-5, while Nikki is in Houston. If anyone has a suggestion for a place to stay in Miami, please let me know. I have never been there. I have also been looking at flights to Bogata, Cartegena, Cali, and San Andreas, Colombia, but they run about $400.
This is what my work schedule looks like this week, but I am sure it will keep evolving over the time we are here:
Monday, Wednesday-Private English Tutoring 8-11 AM, Yoga Class 12-1 PM, Biofeedback 4-5 PM, English class 6-8 PM
Tuesday, Thursday-Private English Tutoring 8-11 AM, Biofeedback 12-1 PM, Yoga 5-7 PM
Friday- Private English Tutoring 8-11 AM
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Pictures from Panama 9 (Parque Natural Metropolitano)
At the Lebanese restaurant with friends from the dorm and hiking in the Parque Natural Metropolitano (see Panama Update #32).
Panama Update #32
Panama Update #32
August 16, 2008
Today we went to the Parque Natural Metropolitano (Pictures from Panama 9). It is a huge park (265 hectare) on a hill within the city limits, fairly close to where we live. At about 8:30 AM this morning we called some of the neighbors in the dorm that we have become friends with and they also wanted to go. Emma is from London and has been living in Scotland the last 8 years going to college and is at the Smithsonian to finish an experiment she has started that studies the sounds that corrals make, Fernando is a college professor from Cali, Colombia, and Emma's new roommate also came. We went on a loop hiking trail that took about 2 hours. At the top of the hill is a panoramic view of Panama City. The guidebook says that an important battle in the US invasion to oust Noriega took place in the park.
After that we went to a Spanish Learning Center. Nikki and the other 2 women signed up for Spanish lessons twice a week, 2 hours a lesson, for four weeks. The cost is very reasonable, at $112 for the 16 hours. There will be a class established for only the 3 of them, and they can share a taxi. They are excited about starting in a couple of days. Afterward all of us went to a Lebanese restaurant where we got humus, baba ganoush, and falafel. After that, the three others went back to the dorm, and Nikki and I stayed in the area. We wanted to check out a vegetarian restaurant that we had seen before, but not tried. Since we had already eaten, we only ordered some juice and a salad. The food looked good and we definitely plan to go back. While we were there we saw someone else from the Smithsonian eating lunch there.
In the evening we took a taxi (as usual) to the Albrook mall to see Kung Fu Panda in Spanish (dubbed/doblado) so we could practice our Spanish as we watched. All the malls have been packed on the weekends and really seem like the place to be for all ages. After the movie we did a little shopping. Nikki bought a mask and snorkel for her next field trip and I bought a clock to hang on the kitchen wall in our apartment for only $3. They have a wide range of prices here, where you can get some things so cheap and other products are more expensive than you can find in the US.
August 16, 2008
Today we went to the Parque Natural Metropolitano (Pictures from Panama 9). It is a huge park (265 hectare) on a hill within the city limits, fairly close to where we live. At about 8:30 AM this morning we called some of the neighbors in the dorm that we have become friends with and they also wanted to go. Emma is from London and has been living in Scotland the last 8 years going to college and is at the Smithsonian to finish an experiment she has started that studies the sounds that corrals make, Fernando is a college professor from Cali, Colombia, and Emma's new roommate also came. We went on a loop hiking trail that took about 2 hours. At the top of the hill is a panoramic view of Panama City. The guidebook says that an important battle in the US invasion to oust Noriega took place in the park.
After that we went to a Spanish Learning Center. Nikki and the other 2 women signed up for Spanish lessons twice a week, 2 hours a lesson, for four weeks. The cost is very reasonable, at $112 for the 16 hours. There will be a class established for only the 3 of them, and they can share a taxi. They are excited about starting in a couple of days. Afterward all of us went to a Lebanese restaurant where we got humus, baba ganoush, and falafel. After that, the three others went back to the dorm, and Nikki and I stayed in the area. We wanted to check out a vegetarian restaurant that we had seen before, but not tried. Since we had already eaten, we only ordered some juice and a salad. The food looked good and we definitely plan to go back. While we were there we saw someone else from the Smithsonian eating lunch there.
In the evening we took a taxi (as usual) to the Albrook mall to see Kung Fu Panda in Spanish (dubbed/doblado) so we could practice our Spanish as we watched. All the malls have been packed on the weekends and really seem like the place to be for all ages. After the movie we did a little shopping. Nikki bought a mask and snorkel for her next field trip and I bought a clock to hang on the kitchen wall in our apartment for only $3. They have a wide range of prices here, where you can get some things so cheap and other products are more expensive than you can find in the US.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Panama Update #31
Panama Update #31
August 15, 2008
I met a guy at the Country Inn Hotel (http://www.countryinns.com/panamacanalpan) at 9:30 this morning. He said he was a Reiki Therapist and wants to look at ways to deliver the Biofeedback services to his client. We talked about possible ways we can work together. To start we may arrange a 1 hour presentation to his clients on what Biofeedback is and how it could benefit them. I am not sure if anything will come of it, but it is kind of interesting to listen to what people do in Panama. He is originally from Greece and moved to Panama 17 years ago, and it is now home for him. The Country Inn Hotel is located on the Causeway (the place with the 2 km walking/biking path), fairly close to where we are staying. It is a great location, right on the Pacific Ocean entrance to the canal. All the rooms overlook the ocean and have great views of the ships, the rain forests, and the Bridge of the Americas. It is pricey (starting at $135 a night) but I would definitely recommend it, and so does the guidebook.
At lunch I met a guy who is opening a bed and breakfast with his wife and is thinking of offering Yoga classes there. I think that would be a fun project to be involved with. They have moved to Panama 4 months ago and bought a house and renovated it. They plan to open on September 1. There are 2 bedrooms for guests and he says it has a beautiful location. He said he wants to invite Nikki and I over for dinner sometime. He is originally from South Africa, married a woman from Venezuela, and worked as a chemical engineer for 20 years before recenlty selling his house in South Africa and moving to Panama. He is really excited about having a more relaxed lifestyle, being his own boss, and spending more time with his son.
August 15, 2008
I met a guy at the Country Inn Hotel (http://www.countryinns.com/panamacanalpan) at 9:30 this morning. He said he was a Reiki Therapist and wants to look at ways to deliver the Biofeedback services to his client. We talked about possible ways we can work together. To start we may arrange a 1 hour presentation to his clients on what Biofeedback is and how it could benefit them. I am not sure if anything will come of it, but it is kind of interesting to listen to what people do in Panama. He is originally from Greece and moved to Panama 17 years ago, and it is now home for him. The Country Inn Hotel is located on the Causeway (the place with the 2 km walking/biking path), fairly close to where we are staying. It is a great location, right on the Pacific Ocean entrance to the canal. All the rooms overlook the ocean and have great views of the ships, the rain forests, and the Bridge of the Americas. It is pricey (starting at $135 a night) but I would definitely recommend it, and so does the guidebook.
At lunch I met a guy who is opening a bed and breakfast with his wife and is thinking of offering Yoga classes there. I think that would be a fun project to be involved with. They have moved to Panama 4 months ago and bought a house and renovated it. They plan to open on September 1. There are 2 bedrooms for guests and he says it has a beautiful location. He said he wants to invite Nikki and I over for dinner sometime. He is originally from South Africa, married a woman from Venezuela, and worked as a chemical engineer for 20 years before recenlty selling his house in South Africa and moving to Panama. He is really excited about having a more relaxed lifestyle, being his own boss, and spending more time with his son.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Panama Update #30
Panama Update #30
August 14, 2008
Today I met a guy for lunch at a restaurant downtown called Costa Azul. I caught a taxi over there and the taxi driver recognized me from 2 weeks ago when he gave us a ride back from Casco Antigua. After a few minutes I remembered him by the picture of his daughter he has on the dashboard. He was really friendly and we chatted on the way. The last time we were in the taxi he called me Harrison Ford because of the hat I was wearing. He reminded me about that and then I remembered him very well. I was thinking that I would start running into taxi drivers that I had previously met since we are taking them so much. I am not sure how many taxis are in this city of 700,000, but somebody said it is around 10-15,000.
The Mariott Hotel is right near-by along with other bars and restaurants with a lot of foot and car traffic. Costa Azul is open 24 hours a day and is very popular from what I have heard and read. It is reasonably priced ($6-10 per entree) and is mostly meat and fish dishes. I only saw one vegetarian dish on the menu, fried rice with vegetables, so I ordered that. I was surprised that it tasted pretty good with no negative after-affects like you get with some restaurant food. I wouldn't go back to that restaurant again, but right next store to it I discovered a very nice vegetarian restaurant that we didn't know about before. That restaurant is called simply, "Comida Vegetarian" and serves the food cafeteria style. I went in to look at the food and it had all sorts of tofu, potatoe and other vegetable dishes. About half of them looked deep-fried, including the tofu, and dishes that looked like Pacora at the Indian restaurants.
The guy I met at the restaurant is a guy who responded when I put an ad on one of the Panama Yahoo groups. He is the moderator of that particular web group. He said he had an idea for me on how to market the Yoga class to a wider audience. He is a 67 year old retired marketing/advertising guy from Miami. He moved to Panama 3 years ago by himself and put an ad on the internet. He eventually met and married a Panamanian woman. He said it is working out quite well. She is younger than him, but only by a few years, and is very well educated with a nice job. He said that she moved into his apartment and left her house with her age 2o-something kids to live in. He said in Panama it is typical for the kids to stay at home until they are married.
His idea was to ask a hotel if you can use a room there for the classes and offer the guests free admission. He said in exchange to ask the hotel if other paying members could come from the community. He said he knows 20 people who would like to come to a class like that and pay good money. I told him that since I put that notice on the internet I have gotten a lot busier, but would let him know if I went in that direction. He said he would even write a press release which he would put into the local newspaper. He would do all this for free in exchange for free Yoga classes for he and his wife for a year.
August 14, 2008
Today I met a guy for lunch at a restaurant downtown called Costa Azul. I caught a taxi over there and the taxi driver recognized me from 2 weeks ago when he gave us a ride back from Casco Antigua. After a few minutes I remembered him by the picture of his daughter he has on the dashboard. He was really friendly and we chatted on the way. The last time we were in the taxi he called me Harrison Ford because of the hat I was wearing. He reminded me about that and then I remembered him very well. I was thinking that I would start running into taxi drivers that I had previously met since we are taking them so much. I am not sure how many taxis are in this city of 700,000, but somebody said it is around 10-15,000.
The Mariott Hotel is right near-by along with other bars and restaurants with a lot of foot and car traffic. Costa Azul is open 24 hours a day and is very popular from what I have heard and read. It is reasonably priced ($6-10 per entree) and is mostly meat and fish dishes. I only saw one vegetarian dish on the menu, fried rice with vegetables, so I ordered that. I was surprised that it tasted pretty good with no negative after-affects like you get with some restaurant food. I wouldn't go back to that restaurant again, but right next store to it I discovered a very nice vegetarian restaurant that we didn't know about before. That restaurant is called simply, "Comida Vegetarian" and serves the food cafeteria style. I went in to look at the food and it had all sorts of tofu, potatoe and other vegetable dishes. About half of them looked deep-fried, including the tofu, and dishes that looked like Pacora at the Indian restaurants.
The guy I met at the restaurant is a guy who responded when I put an ad on one of the Panama Yahoo groups. He is the moderator of that particular web group. He said he had an idea for me on how to market the Yoga class to a wider audience. He is a 67 year old retired marketing/advertising guy from Miami. He moved to Panama 3 years ago by himself and put an ad on the internet. He eventually met and married a Panamanian woman. He said it is working out quite well. She is younger than him, but only by a few years, and is very well educated with a nice job. He said that she moved into his apartment and left her house with her age 2o-something kids to live in. He said in Panama it is typical for the kids to stay at home until they are married.
His idea was to ask a hotel if you can use a room there for the classes and offer the guests free admission. He said in exchange to ask the hotel if other paying members could come from the community. He said he knows 20 people who would like to come to a class like that and pay good money. I told him that since I put that notice on the internet I have gotten a lot busier, but would let him know if I went in that direction. He said he would even write a press release which he would put into the local newspaper. He would do all this for free in exchange for free Yoga classes for he and his wife for a year.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Panama Update #29
Panama Update #29
August 13, 2008
Nikki and I had lunch at the cafeteria today and 2 more people asked to arrange private English tutoring. One person knew Nikki from work and the other person knew me from the Yoga class and had seen my sign advertising for tutoring. One signed up for 5 hours of tutoring a week and one signed up for 2 hours a week. So far I have about 3 or 4 hours of tutoring a day. Today I had the private tutoring class and also the English class I am giving for the guides at the island research center. For the private lesson the person had quite a bit of textbook English while growing up in Colombia but has never had a chance to practice it very much. We practiced simple English conversation for the whole hour. I asked her questions about her family and what she did over the weekend. I had the Oxford Picture Dictionary so she could point to any words she did not know so she wouldn't have to speak Spanish.
The class tonight with the guides was different since it was a group and all 6 of the students were very skilled. We mostly had a discussion for the 2 hours and we asked each other questions about their work and all sorts of topics. They were very interested to hear if I liked Panama, and a lot of suggestions on what I should do and see hear. They also wanted to hear all about our life back in Minnesota. They wanted me to correct them if they made an error while they were speaking, and so I interrupted them now and then. Mostly they had trouble with past tense, word pronunciation, and missing articles. I liked both types of tutoring and the students seemed happy afterwards, but I will get more feedback as we go along. The English tutoring is fun for me so far and I feel comfortable doing it. The experience from working at Wellstone International High School in the Minneapolis Public Schools helped me prepare for this. For the six years I was at that school I got to watch the ESL teachers in action and learn from them. If I stay interested, maybe eventually I will pick up my ESL teaching license.
August 13, 2008
Nikki and I had lunch at the cafeteria today and 2 more people asked to arrange private English tutoring. One person knew Nikki from work and the other person knew me from the Yoga class and had seen my sign advertising for tutoring. One signed up for 5 hours of tutoring a week and one signed up for 2 hours a week. So far I have about 3 or 4 hours of tutoring a day. Today I had the private tutoring class and also the English class I am giving for the guides at the island research center. For the private lesson the person had quite a bit of textbook English while growing up in Colombia but has never had a chance to practice it very much. We practiced simple English conversation for the whole hour. I asked her questions about her family and what she did over the weekend. I had the Oxford Picture Dictionary so she could point to any words she did not know so she wouldn't have to speak Spanish.
The class tonight with the guides was different since it was a group and all 6 of the students were very skilled. We mostly had a discussion for the 2 hours and we asked each other questions about their work and all sorts of topics. They were very interested to hear if I liked Panama, and a lot of suggestions on what I should do and see hear. They also wanted to hear all about our life back in Minnesota. They wanted me to correct them if they made an error while they were speaking, and so I interrupted them now and then. Mostly they had trouble with past tense, word pronunciation, and missing articles. I liked both types of tutoring and the students seemed happy afterwards, but I will get more feedback as we go along. The English tutoring is fun for me so far and I feel comfortable doing it. The experience from working at Wellstone International High School in the Minneapolis Public Schools helped me prepare for this. For the six years I was at that school I got to watch the ESL teachers in action and learn from them. If I stay interested, maybe eventually I will pick up my ESL teaching license.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Panama Update #28
Panama Update #28
August 12, 2008
For the interview at the Collegio (this is what they call the k-12 schools) today I had to catch a taxi at 7:00 AM for an 8:00 AM interview. The school is located on the other side of town. When catching a taxi here you have to stand on the corner of a busier street and put your hand out with your pointer finger extended, like you are hitchhiking. If a taxi driver has room, they stop and roll down their window. You have to shout out where you are going. If they like what they hear, they will wave you in. If they are not heading in that direction or don't want to head in that direction, they will shake their head, wag their finger, or just roll their eyes and drive away. I was turned down by at least 10 taxis because they don't want to drive through town during rush hour. I was about to call the school and tell them I needed to cancel, when one finally waved me in. He gave me a pretty good price for that distance- $3.50, and answered my questions along the way about which neighborhoods and streets we were driving through. About half of the drivers you meet are really nice like that. It took about 35-40 minute to get there.
The school was in a nice neighborhood and had a warm, welcoming feel to it. I was impressed with that and the general positive atmosphere of the students and staff. They are on a block schedule where the classes meet 3 times a week for two hours each time. The classes average about 28 per class, with about 1000 students total in the school. Like the other private schools, the students all wear uniforms. They charge less for the tuition than the international schools since it serves the local Panamanian people. Because they charge local prices for tuition, they pay the teachers on local wages. They offered me the job and wanted me to start right away, but were willing to let me think about it for a day or two. The former teacher had to leave without notice for the US. They wanted me to teach 2 sections of World Literature to 10th graders. Each section would have 2 hours a day on Mon., Tues., and Fri. For a total of 12 hours week, plus prep, they offered me $850 a month. It probably figures out to about $12 an hour with prep time. By the time I got home in the taxi I decided not to accept it and wrote them back right away so they could move on with their selection. It sounded like it could have been a fun job. If I had heard about it a few months ago and if the school was closer to us, I might have accepted. I declined because I am keeping pretty busy without it and the taxi ride was hot and polluted.
August 12, 2008
For the interview at the Collegio (this is what they call the k-12 schools) today I had to catch a taxi at 7:00 AM for an 8:00 AM interview. The school is located on the other side of town. When catching a taxi here you have to stand on the corner of a busier street and put your hand out with your pointer finger extended, like you are hitchhiking. If a taxi driver has room, they stop and roll down their window. You have to shout out where you are going. If they like what they hear, they will wave you in. If they are not heading in that direction or don't want to head in that direction, they will shake their head, wag their finger, or just roll their eyes and drive away. I was turned down by at least 10 taxis because they don't want to drive through town during rush hour. I was about to call the school and tell them I needed to cancel, when one finally waved me in. He gave me a pretty good price for that distance- $3.50, and answered my questions along the way about which neighborhoods and streets we were driving through. About half of the drivers you meet are really nice like that. It took about 35-40 minute to get there.
The school was in a nice neighborhood and had a warm, welcoming feel to it. I was impressed with that and the general positive atmosphere of the students and staff. They are on a block schedule where the classes meet 3 times a week for two hours each time. The classes average about 28 per class, with about 1000 students total in the school. Like the other private schools, the students all wear uniforms. They charge less for the tuition than the international schools since it serves the local Panamanian people. Because they charge local prices for tuition, they pay the teachers on local wages. They offered me the job and wanted me to start right away, but were willing to let me think about it for a day or two. The former teacher had to leave without notice for the US. They wanted me to teach 2 sections of World Literature to 10th graders. Each section would have 2 hours a day on Mon., Tues., and Fri. For a total of 12 hours week, plus prep, they offered me $850 a month. It probably figures out to about $12 an hour with prep time. By the time I got home in the taxi I decided not to accept it and wrote them back right away so they could move on with their selection. It sounded like it could have been a fun job. If I had heard about it a few months ago and if the school was closer to us, I might have accepted. I declined because I am keeping pretty busy without it and the taxi ride was hot and polluted.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Panama Update #27
Panama Update #27
August 11, 2008
I remembered that it would be my mom's 80th birthday today if she were still here. She passed away 18 years ago, which seems simply amazing that it has been that long. It was so vivid at the time and still is, but time just keeps moving and eventually leaves all of us behind. Nikki's work here is going back 15-20 million years, which makes the human lifespan seem so tiny. The rocks are definitely our connection to the past on this planet.
I got a call from another school today. It is another highly regarded private high school for local Panamanians. The other type of private schools here are more international and serve children of professionals from out of the country. I had sent in a Resume some time ago and now they want to talk to me about interviewing for a position. They asked if I could come in for an interview at 8:00 AM tomorrow (Tuesday) morning. At this point my schedule is pretty full between the Yoga classes, Biofeedback and English tutoring, so I was reluctant to say yes, but they assured me the job was part-time. They told me they needed someone to teach a World Literature class to 10th graders (really!). I have decided to keep the appointment because if nothing else it gives me some insight into the school system here and I get to see a new part of town.
I was also in touch today with some people I met through the Panama Group websites that you access through Yahoo. I had been advertising on those sites a couple of weeks ago for spaces to hold Yoga classes. One guy who got in touch is a retired advertising and marketing guy who has some ideas on how to market the classes. He and his wife have retired down here from the US (they call them expats) and we have aranged to have lunch later this week. There is another guy who is a Reiki specialist and is very interested in seeing how the Biofeedback works. I emailed him a brochure and he wants to try a session, so we are also making arrangements to meet. I think it is worth the time to meet these people because there is a large expat community here that is looking for these kind of things, but being at the Smithsonian we are not meeting any of those types. The blank is a kind of specialized community of scientists that can be a bit isolated from the rest of Panama. But that is also what makes it a fun and interesting place to live and work.
August 11, 2008
I remembered that it would be my mom's 80th birthday today if she were still here. She passed away 18 years ago, which seems simply amazing that it has been that long. It was so vivid at the time and still is, but time just keeps moving and eventually leaves all of us behind. Nikki's work here is going back 15-20 million years, which makes the human lifespan seem so tiny. The rocks are definitely our connection to the past on this planet.
I got a call from another school today. It is another highly regarded private high school for local Panamanians. The other type of private schools here are more international and serve children of professionals from out of the country. I had sent in a Resume some time ago and now they want to talk to me about interviewing for a position. They asked if I could come in for an interview at 8:00 AM tomorrow (Tuesday) morning. At this point my schedule is pretty full between the Yoga classes, Biofeedback and English tutoring, so I was reluctant to say yes, but they assured me the job was part-time. They told me they needed someone to teach a World Literature class to 10th graders (really!). I have decided to keep the appointment because if nothing else it gives me some insight into the school system here and I get to see a new part of town.
I was also in touch today with some people I met through the Panama Group websites that you access through Yahoo. I had been advertising on those sites a couple of weeks ago for spaces to hold Yoga classes. One guy who got in touch is a retired advertising and marketing guy who has some ideas on how to market the classes. He and his wife have retired down here from the US (they call them expats) and we have aranged to have lunch later this week. There is another guy who is a Reiki specialist and is very interested in seeing how the Biofeedback works. I emailed him a brochure and he wants to try a session, so we are also making arrangements to meet. I think it is worth the time to meet these people because there is a large expat community here that is looking for these kind of things, but being at the Smithsonian we are not meeting any of those types. The blank is a kind of specialized community of scientists that can be a bit isolated from the rest of Panama. But that is also what makes it a fun and interesting place to live and work.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Panama Update #26
Panama Update #26
August 10, 2008
This was the first day (Sunday) it really felt like we were living in a rain forest. Up until now it would rain for an hour a day and maybe drizzle some more. It would be overcast most of the day, except early in the morning, but the rain was not overwhelming. Today it rained for almost the whole day, since about 8:30 this morning. We didn't have any special plans for today. Nikki is still resting and catching up on some work since she did field work last weekend and didn't get much rest. At about 4:00 this afternoon we decided to go for a walk, even though it was still raining. We have a small apartment and just felt the need to go out to get some fresh air and a change of scenery. We brought our umbrellas but didn't need them at first because it was only drizzling. Over the course of the walk it started raining harder and thundering, so we were glad we brought them along. We walked over to the Canal Administration Building, which has a great view of the area. It is on the other side the Ancon Hill, where we live. We waited out the heavy rain under the porch roof of the building. From there you can see hundreds of the storage containers unloaded by the ships (or maybe they are waiting to be loaded). You can also see the small planes land at a nearby airport and have a clear view of the Bridge of the Americas, which goes over the canal and connects North and South America. While we were watching the scenery, a Panama couple who were also stuck in the rain asked us to take a picture of the two of them with the view of the canal in the background. We started talking with them in Spanish. I am happy now to find people who don't speak much English because it is such good practice for the Spanish. The woman was a medica (doctor) and the guy worked for the canal. They told us they were not married, but boyfriend and girlfriend. We told them jokingly that if they get married before next June to invite us to their wedding. They were very interested in Nikki's work and we talked about a lot of things. They said they would let us know if they hear of an apartment in the area. At one point they asked us what religion we were and were surprised to hear the answer. They said they are interested in the Jewish religion but don't know a lot about it because the Jewish community here is very closed. In the end we took a picture of all four of us and they promised to send it to us by email. Maybe we will be in touch with them and see them again.
August 10, 2008
This was the first day (Sunday) it really felt like we were living in a rain forest. Up until now it would rain for an hour a day and maybe drizzle some more. It would be overcast most of the day, except early in the morning, but the rain was not overwhelming. Today it rained for almost the whole day, since about 8:30 this morning. We didn't have any special plans for today. Nikki is still resting and catching up on some work since she did field work last weekend and didn't get much rest. At about 4:00 this afternoon we decided to go for a walk, even though it was still raining. We have a small apartment and just felt the need to go out to get some fresh air and a change of scenery. We brought our umbrellas but didn't need them at first because it was only drizzling. Over the course of the walk it started raining harder and thundering, so we were glad we brought them along. We walked over to the Canal Administration Building, which has a great view of the area. It is on the other side the Ancon Hill, where we live. We waited out the heavy rain under the porch roof of the building. From there you can see hundreds of the storage containers unloaded by the ships (or maybe they are waiting to be loaded). You can also see the small planes land at a nearby airport and have a clear view of the Bridge of the Americas, which goes over the canal and connects North and South America. While we were watching the scenery, a Panama couple who were also stuck in the rain asked us to take a picture of the two of them with the view of the canal in the background. We started talking with them in Spanish. I am happy now to find people who don't speak much English because it is such good practice for the Spanish. The woman was a medica (doctor) and the guy worked for the canal. They told us they were not married, but boyfriend and girlfriend. We told them jokingly that if they get married before next June to invite us to their wedding. They were very interested in Nikki's work and we talked about a lot of things. They said they would let us know if they hear of an apartment in the area. At one point they asked us what religion we were and were surprised to hear the answer. They said they are interested in the Jewish religion but don't know a lot about it because the Jewish community here is very closed. In the end we took a picture of all four of us and they promised to send it to us by email. Maybe we will be in touch with them and see them again.
Panama Update #25
Panama Update #25
August 10, 2008
Yesterday (Saturday) we went for an early hike up to the top of Cerro Ancon, the hill where we live. It took about an hour and a half round-trip. We saw several groups of bikers along the way, about 20 in total. The rest of the morning and afternoon was spent resting and reading. Nikki spent most of the day working on some work left over from her Ethiopia projects.
I am still trying to figure out how to watch the Olympics on-line from here. NBCOlympics.com does not broadcast outside of the US. We don't have a TV, but have heard that it is difficult to pick up a clear channel. Also, we have been told that it broadcasts in Spanish and focuses on the 4 or 5 Panamanian athletes over and over again. Doing a search on Google comes up with some suggestions that don't seem to work. The other possibility is to buy a cable link of some kind but have not decided on that yet.
Last night we went over to a house of some colleagues of Nikki. It was a fundraiser for 3 of the students from Colombia who want to go to a conference in the US. They cooked a nice dinner and charged the guests $15 each. They had about 20 guests, so I don't know if it was enough to reach their fundraising goals. They had salad with homemade blue cheese dressing, humus dip, potatoe puree, and assorted things to snack on like carrots, bread, and marinated sliced tomatoes. The main course was BBQ chicken, but we filled up on the side dishes. We stayed a couple of hours and got some more practice in Spanish while visiting with the other guests. At the party, one of the guests signed up for some English tutoring lessons, possibly up to 6 hours a week. We will probably start with 3 hours a week and see how it goes. My schedule is filling up and I think there are others who are interested in English tutoring. It is convenient to do it at a cafeteria on-site without having to take a taxi anywhere.
August 10, 2008
Yesterday (Saturday) we went for an early hike up to the top of Cerro Ancon, the hill where we live. It took about an hour and a half round-trip. We saw several groups of bikers along the way, about 20 in total. The rest of the morning and afternoon was spent resting and reading. Nikki spent most of the day working on some work left over from her Ethiopia projects.
I am still trying to figure out how to watch the Olympics on-line from here. NBCOlympics.com does not broadcast outside of the US. We don't have a TV, but have heard that it is difficult to pick up a clear channel. Also, we have been told that it broadcasts in Spanish and focuses on the 4 or 5 Panamanian athletes over and over again. Doing a search on Google comes up with some suggestions that don't seem to work. The other possibility is to buy a cable link of some kind but have not decided on that yet.
Last night we went over to a house of some colleagues of Nikki. It was a fundraiser for 3 of the students from Colombia who want to go to a conference in the US. They cooked a nice dinner and charged the guests $15 each. They had about 20 guests, so I don't know if it was enough to reach their fundraising goals. They had salad with homemade blue cheese dressing, humus dip, potatoe puree, and assorted things to snack on like carrots, bread, and marinated sliced tomatoes. The main course was BBQ chicken, but we filled up on the side dishes. We stayed a couple of hours and got some more practice in Spanish while visiting with the other guests. At the party, one of the guests signed up for some English tutoring lessons, possibly up to 6 hours a week. We will probably start with 3 hours a week and see how it goes. My schedule is filling up and I think there are others who are interested in English tutoring. It is convenient to do it at a cafeteria on-site without having to take a taxi anywhere.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Panama Update #24
Panama Update #24
August 9, 2008
Yesterday morning I heard from a woman who wants to offer a Yoga class from her house and she lives in the same area as we do (Ancon). She was referred to me by someone who had heard about the other classes I was giving. We are going to be in touch in another week and make plans. For the coming week I have 3 Biofeedback sessions scheduled, 2 Yoga classes, and an English class to a group of nature tour guides. Plus I am doing some volunteer work for the blank and Nikki and next week will be trained on how to scan some maps that she needs.
Last night (Friday) Nikki and I went to the Multi-Plaza Shopping Center to see a movie and do some grocery shopping. The mall is located in a high rent area downtown and with traffic is about a 20 minute taxi ride from where we live. We saw a 7:15 showing (in English with Spanish subtitles) of Journey to the Center of the Earth. It only cost $4 each and it is a brand new, luxury theatre with stadium seating. The movie just opened in Panama City so the theatre was packed. We came a little late but we still got a ticket and seat. There were a lot of commercials and previews before the start of the movie. The audience was very noisy, and even after the movie started, they continued their conversations. Eventually it quieted down, but it took a few minutes. The shopping mall is the newest in Panama City and has the most expensive stores. We didn't look around much but I noticed a clothing store which specializes in the Columbia brand. Sometime we'll probably go back and look at the stores more.
The grocery store in the mall is also the nicest in town. It is called Riba Smith and I went there last weekend. It is the first time Nikki was there. It was open unitl 10:00 PM so we picked up quite a few things and got our week's shopping done. They have the nicest fruit and vegetable section with prewashed and cut, prepared salads. They also many specialty items that they don't carry elsewhere in Panama such as rye crackers, organic Tofu, Luna bars, fancy mustards, and most items you would find in supermarket in the US. The specialty items cost about as much as they would in the US, and sometimes more. We are finding it is best to combine trips if possible such as movies and shopping since it saves time and money for the taxis.
August 9, 2008
Yesterday morning I heard from a woman who wants to offer a Yoga class from her house and she lives in the same area as we do (Ancon). She was referred to me by someone who had heard about the other classes I was giving. We are going to be in touch in another week and make plans. For the coming week I have 3 Biofeedback sessions scheduled, 2 Yoga classes, and an English class to a group of nature tour guides. Plus I am doing some volunteer work for the blank and Nikki and next week will be trained on how to scan some maps that she needs.
Last night (Friday) Nikki and I went to the Multi-Plaza Shopping Center to see a movie and do some grocery shopping. The mall is located in a high rent area downtown and with traffic is about a 20 minute taxi ride from where we live. We saw a 7:15 showing (in English with Spanish subtitles) of Journey to the Center of the Earth. It only cost $4 each and it is a brand new, luxury theatre with stadium seating. The movie just opened in Panama City so the theatre was packed. We came a little late but we still got a ticket and seat. There were a lot of commercials and previews before the start of the movie. The audience was very noisy, and even after the movie started, they continued their conversations. Eventually it quieted down, but it took a few minutes. The shopping mall is the newest in Panama City and has the most expensive stores. We didn't look around much but I noticed a clothing store which specializes in the Columbia brand. Sometime we'll probably go back and look at the stores more.
The grocery store in the mall is also the nicest in town. It is called Riba Smith and I went there last weekend. It is the first time Nikki was there. It was open unitl 10:00 PM so we picked up quite a few things and got our week's shopping done. They have the nicest fruit and vegetable section with prewashed and cut, prepared salads. They also many specialty items that they don't carry elsewhere in Panama such as rye crackers, organic Tofu, Luna bars, fancy mustards, and most items you would find in supermarket in the US. The specialty items cost about as much as they would in the US, and sometimes more. We are finding it is best to combine trips if possible such as movies and shopping since it saves time and money for the taxis.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Panama Update #23
Panama Update #23
Friday, August 8, 2008
Yesterday was my one month anniversary since arriving in Panama. I took a bus early in the morning (7:00 AM) to the Causeway, which is the 2 km walkway on the Pacific Ocean near the entrance to the canal. That is the place where you can rent bikes and and where you see a lot of walkers and joggers. There is also a large marina with many yachts and reataurants. The Smithsonian has a branch there for marine study and they also have a museum. I went out there for a short visit to post a notice on the bulletin board in the main office which advertises the English tutoring I am giving. I plan to return another day to see the museum.
When I returned to the main campus, a woman who works with the blank (another research branch of the blank on an island in the canal) tour guides asked me if I wanted to give two-hour English classes twice a week for the guides. It fit into my schedule and we are planning to start next week. She had heard from someone else that I am available for this kind of thing. The guides give tours of the BCI nature reserve to English tourists and some need practice in English.
Last night we ventured out of our dormitory (la jowla/the cage) for an opening of an art exhibit at Allianca Francesa. We took a taxi there at about 8:00 PM. It is in a part of town called Bella Vista where there are many nice restaurants and discos. The Allianca Francesa is a French cultural gathering place and one of Nikki's colleagues had a photo exhibit there. The gathering was in the back of the building. It was an outdoor patio, with a roof, and the photos were on display. We saw a few familiar faces from people who work at the blank. They had a live band, served wine, and had a crowd of about 75 people.
The olympics started today and I plan to watch what I can on the internet, since we don't have a TV.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Yesterday was my one month anniversary since arriving in Panama. I took a bus early in the morning (7:00 AM) to the Causeway, which is the 2 km walkway on the Pacific Ocean near the entrance to the canal. That is the place where you can rent bikes and and where you see a lot of walkers and joggers. There is also a large marina with many yachts and reataurants. The Smithsonian has a branch there for marine study and they also have a museum. I went out there for a short visit to post a notice on the bulletin board in the main office which advertises the English tutoring I am giving. I plan to return another day to see the museum.
When I returned to the main campus, a woman who works with the blank (another research branch of the blank on an island in the canal) tour guides asked me if I wanted to give two-hour English classes twice a week for the guides. It fit into my schedule and we are planning to start next week. She had heard from someone else that I am available for this kind of thing. The guides give tours of the BCI nature reserve to English tourists and some need practice in English.
Last night we ventured out of our dormitory (la jowla/the cage) for an opening of an art exhibit at Allianca Francesa. We took a taxi there at about 8:00 PM. It is in a part of town called Bella Vista where there are many nice restaurants and discos. The Allianca Francesa is a French cultural gathering place and one of Nikki's colleagues had a photo exhibit there. The gathering was in the back of the building. It was an outdoor patio, with a roof, and the photos were on display. We saw a few familiar faces from people who work at the blank. They had a live band, served wine, and had a crowd of about 75 people.
The olympics started today and I plan to watch what I can on the internet, since we don't have a TV.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Panama Update #22
Panama Update #22
August 6, 2008
Nikki took a break over the lunch hour today and we took a taxi to the organica store. She hadn't seen the inside yet. There is a restaurant/juice bar in addition the food items. We had a mango shake which was pretty good. The items in the store are common items you would find in a store like Whole Foods, but on a much, much smaller scale. It is more like the size of a neighborhood corner store. I wondered how she goes about deciding what items to carry since some are nice such as some Yogi Teas, but some others are kind of questionable like certain types of vitamins or shampoos. We met the owner and in Spanish found out that she is still trying to figure out the right combination of items. She said she orders a small amount of items to start with and if it sells fast she orders more the next time. She does take special order requests by email, but the prices are as high or higher as the prices in the US and it may make more since for us to order directly on-line. The Super Kosher Grocery Store is within walking distance so we went there for lunch, got a few items, and took a taxi back to Nikki's office. We had their falafel platter but it didn't settle that well for either one of us, so we will probably not eat there again. The whole trip and lunch was about 2 hours total.
There is quite a turnover of people in the dorm. Some students or visiting professors stay for only 3 weeks. I have only been here a month but am starting to feel like the senior person. People are now asking me questions on how and where to shop and how to get a taxi. A professor from a University in Cali, Colombia who studies fish (ichthyology) had dinner with us the other night. He went to graduate school in the US so he speaks English quite well. We also met another woman who is brand new from Scotland, who is finishing some research for her Master's Degree in marine biology.
The Yoga class also was very well attended today, with close to 20 people there. A lot of the people are regulars, but new people are still showing up. They are a fun group to work with, eager to learn, and I enjoy sharing what I can. We are thinking of adding another class. Here is part of the email that they sent out to check on the level of interest:
Estimados todos,El Sr. Daniel Hertz manifiesta su disponibilidad de dar clases en el edificio de blank si hay consenso entre el personal. Mínimo de participantes serian 6 personas. El horario en principio de 12:00 a 01:00 P.M... Costo $2.00 - 03:00.Las personas interesadas favor contestar este mail.A continuación encontrara una breve descripción en que consiste y para que sirve el "Hatha Yoga Class" I liked seeing it in Spanish. Here is the actual course description in English:
Gentle Hatha Yoga Class- Join us for a gentle, meditative, and joyful style of Hatha Yoga which emphasizes guided relaxation, diaphragmatic breathing, and gentle stretches. Its teachings are based on the ancient wisdom of the Himalayan sages supplemented by modern research in physiology, psychology, and holistic medicine. It is appropriate for all levels of physical fitness, from complete beginners to more advanced levels. The exercises can be done sitting in a chair, standing up or lying on the floor, depending on the capacity of the participant. These are the goals for the sessions:1. Relaxing, nurturing and rejuvenating exercise for the mind, body and spirit2. Move to a more integrated and balanced approach 3. Develop a more inward focus and awareness 4. Improve Stress ManagementPlease bring a blanket, mat or towel for lying on the floor and wear loose, comfortable clothing.Suggested Fee: $2-$3Instructor: Daniel Hertz, MS, RYT 500, BCIAC, has studied and taught Yoga for the past 15 years in both the United States and India. He is Internationally Certified as a Yoga and Meditation Instructor and also Nationally Certified (USA) as a Biofeedback Practitioner.
August 7, 2008
Today I noticed a few small, red, circular marks on the inside of my left arm. I checked on the Panama groups chat sites, and it sounds like this is a bug bite that is very common in the tropical rainforest area here. You don't see or feel the bites, but the next day they itch a lot and can stick around for a few days. They are from what we call no-see-ums in Minnesota, but here are called chitras. They are small enough to go through any kind of mosquito netting. Nikki also had a few bites that are really starting to itch her. We think it may be when we sat on the deck outside our room after dark the other night. It's funny that there are no mosquitoes here, but there are a lot of other kind of bugs, but this is our first up close and personal encounter.
There is also a sloth and a large iguana living near our dorm. I saw the sloth for the first time the other night. It is kind of a like a monkey with long fir and it moves very slowly so is easy to follow if you can find it.
Someone from Florida State University called today and asked if I wanted teach ESL to adults on Tuesday and Thursday nights. FSU has a branch here in Panama City which is located right below the entrance to the Puenta de las Americas (Bridge of the Americas). I had sent in my Resume to FSU earlier in the week and was glad to hear from them, but I had to turn it down because that is when we have Yoga classes. Attendance has been doing so well for those that I don't want to switch around the days at this point. I think that between the Yoga classes and giving private English lessons I will pretty much fill up my schedule. There seems to be a demand for both and the market is still expanding. That also gives me the flexible schedule I was looking for. We'll see what else comes up, but that seems like what I will do here at this point.
August 6, 2008
Nikki took a break over the lunch hour today and we took a taxi to the organica store. She hadn't seen the inside yet. There is a restaurant/juice bar in addition the food items. We had a mango shake which was pretty good. The items in the store are common items you would find in a store like Whole Foods, but on a much, much smaller scale. It is more like the size of a neighborhood corner store. I wondered how she goes about deciding what items to carry since some are nice such as some Yogi Teas, but some others are kind of questionable like certain types of vitamins or shampoos. We met the owner and in Spanish found out that she is still trying to figure out the right combination of items. She said she orders a small amount of items to start with and if it sells fast she orders more the next time. She does take special order requests by email, but the prices are as high or higher as the prices in the US and it may make more since for us to order directly on-line. The Super Kosher Grocery Store is within walking distance so we went there for lunch, got a few items, and took a taxi back to Nikki's office. We had their falafel platter but it didn't settle that well for either one of us, so we will probably not eat there again. The whole trip and lunch was about 2 hours total.
There is quite a turnover of people in the dorm. Some students or visiting professors stay for only 3 weeks. I have only been here a month but am starting to feel like the senior person. People are now asking me questions on how and where to shop and how to get a taxi. A professor from a University in Cali, Colombia who studies fish (ichthyology) had dinner with us the other night. He went to graduate school in the US so he speaks English quite well. We also met another woman who is brand new from Scotland, who is finishing some research for her Master's Degree in marine biology.
The Yoga class also was very well attended today, with close to 20 people there. A lot of the people are regulars, but new people are still showing up. They are a fun group to work with, eager to learn, and I enjoy sharing what I can. We are thinking of adding another class. Here is part of the email that they sent out to check on the level of interest:
Estimados todos,El Sr. Daniel Hertz manifiesta su disponibilidad de dar clases en el edificio de blank si hay consenso entre el personal. Mínimo de participantes serian 6 personas. El horario en principio de 12:00 a 01:00 P.M... Costo $2.00 - 03:00.Las personas interesadas favor contestar este mail.A continuación encontrara una breve descripción en que consiste y para que sirve el "Hatha Yoga Class" I liked seeing it in Spanish. Here is the actual course description in English:
Gentle Hatha Yoga Class- Join us for a gentle, meditative, and joyful style of Hatha Yoga which emphasizes guided relaxation, diaphragmatic breathing, and gentle stretches. Its teachings are based on the ancient wisdom of the Himalayan sages supplemented by modern research in physiology, psychology, and holistic medicine. It is appropriate for all levels of physical fitness, from complete beginners to more advanced levels. The exercises can be done sitting in a chair, standing up or lying on the floor, depending on the capacity of the participant. These are the goals for the sessions:1. Relaxing, nurturing and rejuvenating exercise for the mind, body and spirit2. Move to a more integrated and balanced approach 3. Develop a more inward focus and awareness 4. Improve Stress ManagementPlease bring a blanket, mat or towel for lying on the floor and wear loose, comfortable clothing.Suggested Fee: $2-$3Instructor: Daniel Hertz, MS, RYT 500, BCIAC, has studied and taught Yoga for the past 15 years in both the United States and India. He is Internationally Certified as a Yoga and Meditation Instructor and also Nationally Certified (USA) as a Biofeedback Practitioner.
August 7, 2008
Today I noticed a few small, red, circular marks on the inside of my left arm. I checked on the Panama groups chat sites, and it sounds like this is a bug bite that is very common in the tropical rainforest area here. You don't see or feel the bites, but the next day they itch a lot and can stick around for a few days. They are from what we call no-see-ums in Minnesota, but here are called chitras. They are small enough to go through any kind of mosquito netting. Nikki also had a few bites that are really starting to itch her. We think it may be when we sat on the deck outside our room after dark the other night. It's funny that there are no mosquitoes here, but there are a lot of other kind of bugs, but this is our first up close and personal encounter.
There is also a sloth and a large iguana living near our dorm. I saw the sloth for the first time the other night. It is kind of a like a monkey with long fir and it moves very slowly so is easy to follow if you can find it.
Someone from Florida State University called today and asked if I wanted teach ESL to adults on Tuesday and Thursday nights. FSU has a branch here in Panama City which is located right below the entrance to the Puenta de las Americas (Bridge of the Americas). I had sent in my Resume to FSU earlier in the week and was glad to hear from them, but I had to turn it down because that is when we have Yoga classes. Attendance has been doing so well for those that I don't want to switch around the days at this point. I think that between the Yoga classes and giving private English lessons I will pretty much fill up my schedule. There seems to be a demand for both and the market is still expanding. That also gives me the flexible schedule I was looking for. We'll see what else comes up, but that seems like what I will do here at this point.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Panama Update #21
Panama Update #21
August 4, 2008
Nikki returned from her long weekend in Bocas del Toro. It is on the Caribbean side of Panama and is 32 km from the Costa Rican border. When Christopher Columbus visited there in 1502, he was so taken by the beauty of the area that he named many sites after himself. In the 17th century it became a huge haven for pirates. They would repair their ships with the wood from the islands and eat the many sea turtles who nested on the beaches. Legend has it that they buried many treasures on the islands.
Bocas has become Panama's principal tourism spot, although because of the scientific connections Nikki had there, she got to experience the authentic side of it. She stayed in a simple wooden house which is used for research, and got to see the lifestyle of the people. There are no roads, so the people travel by boat everywhere. The boats are carved out of the tree trunks and are rounded at the bottom so they are very difficult to maneuver. The people there have no trouble with it, since they learn how to paddle from the time they are young children. She said even the kids paddle themselves in the boats to get to school every day, like the kids in the US would ride their bicycles. She collected rock samples by jumping off the boat and swimming to rocks near the shore that the boat can't get to. She brought her geology hammer and chipped off samples, put them in bags and made notes of them. She said she saw dolphins, tropical fish, dodo birds, and schools of anchovies and needle fish jumping out of the water.
August 4, 2008
Nikki returned from her long weekend in Bocas del Toro. It is on the Caribbean side of Panama and is 32 km from the Costa Rican border. When Christopher Columbus visited there in 1502, he was so taken by the beauty of the area that he named many sites after himself. In the 17th century it became a huge haven for pirates. They would repair their ships with the wood from the islands and eat the many sea turtles who nested on the beaches. Legend has it that they buried many treasures on the islands.
Bocas has become Panama's principal tourism spot, although because of the scientific connections Nikki had there, she got to experience the authentic side of it. She stayed in a simple wooden house which is used for research, and got to see the lifestyle of the people. There are no roads, so the people travel by boat everywhere. The boats are carved out of the tree trunks and are rounded at the bottom so they are very difficult to maneuver. The people there have no trouble with it, since they learn how to paddle from the time they are young children. She said even the kids paddle themselves in the boats to get to school every day, like the kids in the US would ride their bicycles. She collected rock samples by jumping off the boat and swimming to rocks near the shore that the boat can't get to. She brought her geology hammer and chipped off samples, put them in bags and made notes of them. She said she saw dolphins, tropical fish, dodo birds, and schools of anchovies and needle fish jumping out of the water.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Panama Update #20
Panama Update #20
August 3, 2008
This morning I discovered how easy it is to listen to the local Minneapolis radio stations on the internet. I was able to tune into all my favorite stations, so as I am working on the computer I can also listen to news and sports in Minneapolis. The computer is my most used and valued equipment here. I am using the laptop more than I ever have with all the emails and writing, along with the Biofeedback sessions. In addition to reading the local and Minneapolis papers on- line I also plan to watch the 2008 Olympics that start next Friday (5 days) since we don't have a TV.
After listening to the Minneapolis sports shows all morning, I went to the Casco Viejo with some other people from the dorm in the afternoon. It is an area of older Panama that has a great view and many historic buildings. It also has the Teatro Nacional where Nikki and I would like to see a play sometime. Nikki and I went there a couple of weeks ago but I decided to accept the invitation to go again today since I thought it would be a nice way to spend a couple of hours. There is a great view from the Pacific shoreline of the downtown skyline. A lot of other tourists were also there taking pictures of all the historic buildings. The area is being renovated for condos because it is very beautiful there and the older buildings look great after renovation. It looks like they have a long way to go though since there are still a lot of buildings that look rundown. The group of us started to walk down there from the dorm but after a few blocks, a police officer stopped us and suggested we get in a taxi because it is not a great neighborhood to walk in. Until we figure out the neighborhoods here better, we are taking taxis to all the shopping and tourist places. In this way it is much different lifestyle than we are used to.
We got back from there by 2:00 PM so I took another taxi to the MultiCentro Mall that I went to on Friday. I decided to see the only movie in English (with Spanish subtitles) at that time- Hancock. I had already heard it was not great so I was not disappointed, but I stayed through the whole movie since it is good practice for learning Spanish. Since I was at the Mall anyway, I picked up a few odds and ends of groceries and a Sunday paper. El periodico is in Spanish and called La Prensa. Trying to read it is great practice for Spanish, plus it is a good way to check for apartments and jobs. All the English speaking schools seem to advertise in it and I found a couple more to send my Resume to, so we will see what the next week brings. If I were in Minneapolis, I would still be on summer vacation. I am just now feeling like I am on vacation since it has been so busy the last few months with preparing for and then making the move here.
August 3, 2008
This morning I discovered how easy it is to listen to the local Minneapolis radio stations on the internet. I was able to tune into all my favorite stations, so as I am working on the computer I can also listen to news and sports in Minneapolis. The computer is my most used and valued equipment here. I am using the laptop more than I ever have with all the emails and writing, along with the Biofeedback sessions. In addition to reading the local and Minneapolis papers on- line I also plan to watch the 2008 Olympics that start next Friday (5 days) since we don't have a TV.
After listening to the Minneapolis sports shows all morning, I went to the Casco Viejo with some other people from the dorm in the afternoon. It is an area of older Panama that has a great view and many historic buildings. It also has the Teatro Nacional where Nikki and I would like to see a play sometime. Nikki and I went there a couple of weeks ago but I decided to accept the invitation to go again today since I thought it would be a nice way to spend a couple of hours. There is a great view from the Pacific shoreline of the downtown skyline. A lot of other tourists were also there taking pictures of all the historic buildings. The area is being renovated for condos because it is very beautiful there and the older buildings look great after renovation. It looks like they have a long way to go though since there are still a lot of buildings that look rundown. The group of us started to walk down there from the dorm but after a few blocks, a police officer stopped us and suggested we get in a taxi because it is not a great neighborhood to walk in. Until we figure out the neighborhoods here better, we are taking taxis to all the shopping and tourist places. In this way it is much different lifestyle than we are used to.
We got back from there by 2:00 PM so I took another taxi to the MultiCentro Mall that I went to on Friday. I decided to see the only movie in English (with Spanish subtitles) at that time- Hancock. I had already heard it was not great so I was not disappointed, but I stayed through the whole movie since it is good practice for learning Spanish. Since I was at the Mall anyway, I picked up a few odds and ends of groceries and a Sunday paper. El periodico is in Spanish and called La Prensa. Trying to read it is great practice for Spanish, plus it is a good way to check for apartments and jobs. All the English speaking schools seem to advertise in it and I found a couple more to send my Resume to, so we will see what the next week brings. If I were in Minneapolis, I would still be on summer vacation. I am just now feeling like I am on vacation since it has been so busy the last few months with preparing for and then making the move here.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Panama Update #19
Panama Update #19
August 2, 2008
Today (Saturday) I went for an early morning walk to the top of the hill that we live on. Besides having great views on the way up and at the top, it is great exercise. The air is so clean and it is such good aerobic exercise because it is so steep. I am also learning to enjoy the early morning humidity. I sweat a lot but for some reason it feels great. I try to do the walk each morning, but because of some early morning appointments last week I had to shorten it to 30 minutes instead of the full one hour walk to the top and back. The rest of the day was dedicated to catching up on some sleep with a long nap.
At 5:00 I took a taxi with some others from the dorm to a barbecue. It was located in a neighborhood here that is called "El Diablo". We may end up moving her eventually if we can't find anything closer to where Nikki works. It is a fairly short taxi drive and a nice neighborhood with reasonable prices. The barbecue was on the patio of an apartment. I looked inside the apartment and it was pretty nice. It was a good size for a 2 bedroom, nothing fancy, but in pretty decent condition. It is in a fourplex with wood floors and a lot of windows. There is a space for cars on the street level, under the aparments. I didn't see an air conditioner so I am not sure how they do it. Most of the apartments come unfurnished, so they just had mattresses on the floor. Three of them live there. Most of the students here are living on a lower budget.
They barbecued a lot of meat and served it with salad and potatoes. I brought veggie burgers and shared with another vegetarian there. Most of the people there work in the same building as Nikki but not directly with her. They are college and graduate school age and come to work at the blank to assist with research and to gain experience. All of the people there are from Colombia except for two from Costa Rica and one from Argentina. Everybody was speaking Spanish so I got a lot of practice. All of them describe Colombia as very diverse, beautiful, and for the most part cooler than Panama, especially in the mountains.
August 2, 2008
Today (Saturday) I went for an early morning walk to the top of the hill that we live on. Besides having great views on the way up and at the top, it is great exercise. The air is so clean and it is such good aerobic exercise because it is so steep. I am also learning to enjoy the early morning humidity. I sweat a lot but for some reason it feels great. I try to do the walk each morning, but because of some early morning appointments last week I had to shorten it to 30 minutes instead of the full one hour walk to the top and back. The rest of the day was dedicated to catching up on some sleep with a long nap.
At 5:00 I took a taxi with some others from the dorm to a barbecue. It was located in a neighborhood here that is called "El Diablo". We may end up moving her eventually if we can't find anything closer to where Nikki works. It is a fairly short taxi drive and a nice neighborhood with reasonable prices. The barbecue was on the patio of an apartment. I looked inside the apartment and it was pretty nice. It was a good size for a 2 bedroom, nothing fancy, but in pretty decent condition. It is in a fourplex with wood floors and a lot of windows. There is a space for cars on the street level, under the aparments. I didn't see an air conditioner so I am not sure how they do it. Most of the apartments come unfurnished, so they just had mattresses on the floor. Three of them live there. Most of the students here are living on a lower budget.
They barbecued a lot of meat and served it with salad and potatoes. I brought veggie burgers and shared with another vegetarian there. Most of the people there work in the same building as Nikki but not directly with her. They are college and graduate school age and come to work at the blank to assist with research and to gain experience. All of the people there are from Colombia except for two from Costa Rica and one from Argentina. Everybody was speaking Spanish so I got a lot of practice. All of them describe Colombia as very diverse, beautiful, and for the most part cooler than Panama, especially in the mountains.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Panama Update #18
Panama Update #18
August 1, 2008
Nikki left at 5:15 AM today to catch a plane to Bocas del Toros for a work expedition. That is on the Atlantic side of Panama. It is a short flight and costs about $80 to get there. She brought the camera, so when she gets back I can post the pictures. She went with some of her colleagues for some field work and will be gone until Monday night. I am in Panama City for the first time without Nikki but it is OK, just a little quiet. My comfort level with the city is pretty good by this time (3 weeks here) so if I need something I can know how to get around and find my way back. Today was a busy day because we had to switch apartments. I did not go back to sleep after Nikki left and just started moving things. I got a lot done and then our cleaning lady came about 8:00 AM and helped me quite a bit. She cleaned up the new place, washed the sheets, and helped carry some boxes. It is amazing how much stuff we have already even for only being here a short time. Of course, many of the things I mailed down to Nikki such as the Vita-mix blender for smoothies and quite a few books and other odds and ends. Belgica (the cleaning lady) brought her son with, who looks to be about 9 years old. Between the two of us, we were able to finish by 10:00 AM. Someone told us to offer lunch to any helper, so I offered her what she had last week because she seemed to like it. We had frozen cheese, potatoe, and spinach Barekas from the Kosher Supermarket. It has good ingredients and all you have to do is heat it up for about 10 minutes.
Since the moving was finished in the morning, I decided to go see a movie in the afternoon (Made of Honor) which was in the original English with subtitles. Many of the movies are dubbed in Spanish with English subtitles, so you have to check the listings to find out which one is playing at any particular time. Afterward I combined it with a trip to the Riba Smith supermarket, which has a lot of the items from the US that we like. It is expensive there (about the same prices as in the US for the specialty items), but I bought a few things I haven't had since I got here like some rice flour crackers, asparagus, veggie burgers, and organic tofu. Since I had a lot of groceries, a bagger from the store carried out my bags and helped me find a taxi. It had been a long day and was dark by that time, so I didn't argue with the driver about the price, even though I knew he was overcharging. I was just happy to find a timely ride back.
About 9:00 PM, after putting the groceries away and grabbing a bite (a big ripe papaya) , I walked the 5 minutes to Nikki's blank to check my email and blank, and ran into some other people who live in the dorm where we stay. They knew Nikki was out of town so they invited me to a barbecue tomorrow night in a near-by apartment. That will be a nice weekend diversion.
August 1, 2008
Nikki left at 5:15 AM today to catch a plane to Bocas del Toros for a work expedition. That is on the Atlantic side of Panama. It is a short flight and costs about $80 to get there. She brought the camera, so when she gets back I can post the pictures. She went with some of her colleagues for some field work and will be gone until Monday night. I am in Panama City for the first time without Nikki but it is OK, just a little quiet. My comfort level with the city is pretty good by this time (3 weeks here) so if I need something I can know how to get around and find my way back. Today was a busy day because we had to switch apartments. I did not go back to sleep after Nikki left and just started moving things. I got a lot done and then our cleaning lady came about 8:00 AM and helped me quite a bit. She cleaned up the new place, washed the sheets, and helped carry some boxes. It is amazing how much stuff we have already even for only being here a short time. Of course, many of the things I mailed down to Nikki such as the Vita-mix blender for smoothies and quite a few books and other odds and ends. Belgica (the cleaning lady) brought her son with, who looks to be about 9 years old. Between the two of us, we were able to finish by 10:00 AM. Someone told us to offer lunch to any helper, so I offered her what she had last week because she seemed to like it. We had frozen cheese, potatoe, and spinach Barekas from the Kosher Supermarket. It has good ingredients and all you have to do is heat it up for about 10 minutes.
Since the moving was finished in the morning, I decided to go see a movie in the afternoon (Made of Honor) which was in the original English with subtitles. Many of the movies are dubbed in Spanish with English subtitles, so you have to check the listings to find out which one is playing at any particular time. Afterward I combined it with a trip to the Riba Smith supermarket, which has a lot of the items from the US that we like. It is expensive there (about the same prices as in the US for the specialty items), but I bought a few things I haven't had since I got here like some rice flour crackers, asparagus, veggie burgers, and organic tofu. Since I had a lot of groceries, a bagger from the store carried out my bags and helped me find a taxi. It had been a long day and was dark by that time, so I didn't argue with the driver about the price, even though I knew he was overcharging. I was just happy to find a timely ride back.
About 9:00 PM, after putting the groceries away and grabbing a bite (a big ripe papaya) , I walked the 5 minutes to Nikki's blank to check my email and blank, and ran into some other people who live in the dorm where we stay. They knew Nikki was out of town so they invited me to a barbecue tomorrow night in a near-by apartment. That will be a nice weekend diversion.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)