TheExpatJournals.com

I’ve lived in Panama City for 3 weeks today. So far, the `likes’ are decidedly outweighing the `dislikes’. I had done as much online research about Panama as possible before coming down for a month to see for myself. As I assumed, what I was able to unearth…even given my ability to dig pretty deep…was a mere pittance of what there is to find out. (Gallery at end of post)

Most websites seem designed to advantageously solicit. None exist that are truly informative. Anyway, the month was amazing, so I moved here.

I am a 45 year old woman living alone. I’m not retired, I work from home. Against all advice from new friends, I took an apartment in Casco Viejo. The only other American I met here was a woman doing research at the Smithsonian. She moved back to the US the day I moved into the neighborhood. And I am loving this place in spite of the fact that, as far as amenities go, I might as well be in the interior.

I do not find it at all dangerous within blocks of me. I regularly walk around at night alone without concern. I have also met many of the `locals.’ They now know me and I even hear `Usted’… something I was surprised was so non-existent here in general. They do little favors for me…like taking out my trash, carrying heavy things, etc. I tip them 25 cents. More than money, I buy large packages of cookies at Price Smart and give them away in packages. Locals of means and otherwise are very welcoming, very helpful, and very warm. No one speaks English here and I only had one year of Spanish in high school 30 years ago which all means my Spanish is improving rapidly!

I walk up to the Peatonal at Al Central and shop at absolute bargain prices. I am constantly amazed at what value you get for the dollar here. Unlike El Congrejo, Paitilla, or other parts of the city with less poverty, one great thing about this area is that you get to meet all the craftsmen/women. I bought fantastic willow (bejuco) furniture in the country and had custom cushions made for $20…and I’m told that is generous. I’m taking a photo of the table I want to three furniture makers for quotes, one speaks English. If I want iron work, I know where to go. Custom, handmade work at unbelievably low prices. Show a furniture maker a photo and he’ll make it in the wood of your choice. And the exotic woods are amazing! Show a seamstress an item or a photo and she’ll make it in the fabric of your choice. And there are lots and lots of great fabric stores here. What I bought for my cushions would have cost about $40 a yard in NYC. Here, it was $2.00 a yard.

There is a lady in my neighborhood who uses molas to make the most tasteful (unlike a lot of the crap molas for export that, by the way, you can buy all day long for $5 or less on the Paseo de Las Bovedas around the French Plaza) children’s clothing. It is so very beautiful and so well done. Prices range from $5 to $18 before bargaining. Speaking of artesanos, the best prices in Panama City are not at any of the places you read about, but are at the Mercado de Artesanos in the Cinco de Mayo Plaza…a place most gringos never venture near Al Central. You can buy the wonderful clay baking dishes there for $5-$8. And there, prices are marked so you don’t feel like you just got the gringo quote, a reality that does bother me a bit. Many people here have multiple pricing structures based on the color of your skin.

Speaking of multiple pricing structures, I was amazed to learn that the same utilities cost different prices depending on where you live. People in Paitilla will have a higher bill for the same amount of electricity than someone will pay in a different part of the city where the average income is less.

Some things that stand out to me as so very different that are normal here? Waitresses or waiters standing over your shoulder waiting for you to pay the bill once you’ve requested the check. I’m accustomed to asking for the check and then summoning to pay. They wait for you to pay. In a store, clerks will follow you around until you’re finished shopping. In the US, these two things would indicate to me that they are afraid you might steal. Here, it seems to just be the way things are done. Also, coming from NYC, I’m accustomed to being the one who has to pay the hefty realtor’s fee if I rent an apartment. Here, that’s paid by the landlord. Be sure to check with the utilities and phone companies to know exactly what paperwork you will need to open accounts. That is not as simple as it is in the US unless the landlord does it for you and you simply pay the bill.

Taxis are great, plentiful and so very cheap. I’ve come from NYC and am used to being without a car. It’s as easy to get a taxi here as it is in NYC. I have no intentions of getting a car. If I want to explore another part of Panama, I’ll fly and rent or rent or drive with a friend. If I get a car here, I’ll get lazy and drive two blocks like they do outside cities in the US. And walking as a primary mode of transportation is good exercise. It did surprise me at first that they do not use addresses here. You can’t hop in a taxi, give the number on the street and expect to get anywhere. Most buildings don’t seem to even have numbers. Streets and landmarks are necessary to movement by taxi. Near (a known building or business)…In front of (landmark)…At the corner of (two streets), etc.

I’ve been quite surprised by how little it has rained during the rainy season. Perhaps this is an unusual year, but so far, it’s not what I expected. The heat did concern me. I do not like heat. But I’m surprised by how well I’ve adapted. The temperature is pleasant at night more often than not. Humidity feels like it’s always 100%, but that’s good for the skin and bronchial tubes and I think I’m already used to it. (NYC is an island between two rivers next to a bay that leads to the ocean. Summers there are much worse to me than it feels here so far…granted, it’s winter here.)

I went up to Rio Mar recently and was stunned by how great it was. There is a very nice hotel there on a small bluff above the ocean. There was a raging storm on the horizon, though we were under blue skies. It was amazing to watch the lightning strike the ocean against the backdrop of the dark sky. You know how a diamond has facets? So does the ocean…the `chop’ even in a perfectly calm sea. This day, all of the colors of the storm in the horizon, the blue sky, and white clouds were reflected in the facets of the emerald green sea that surrounded me. I stood waist deep and just stared…like an organic kaleidoscope. The river that flows out of the jungle there feels like bathwater and the ocean isn’t much cooler. Very, very clean. The sand is a mixture of black and white. I don’t mean salt and pepper…I mean stretches of white and stretches of black. And the black sand felt like baby powder to walk on! I’ve never felt something so soft under my feet. Rio Mar is about 1.5 hours from the city.

I have found the people here to truly offer the kind of hospitality that southerners (and I grew up in the South) purport to have. There is a gentility about these people, and I am not talking about the façade of `class’, I mean in their spirits. And unlike in the States, the expats I’ve met here are equally welcoming. In the US, everyone has their own lives, their own communities, their families, etc. And almost everything revolves around the immediate family. So, as a newcomer in a location, you get to fit in where possible. Here, it seems as though the expats welcome a fresh face with a gusto I can’t remember being possible in the States. I’m almost overwhelmed with the sheer volume of social opportunities that exist! It seems as though the only nights I would spend alone out of necessity are by choice. But as one member of this group, not-so-humbly (one of his most endearing qualities) and accurately stated, I was lucky to meet him. May you all be so lucky! And no, we’re not talking romance kids.

The difficulties: 1. Finding ready-made clothing for a woman that doesn’t look like it belongs on either a 15 year old out to `show it’ nor an abuella who ceased to `show it’ decades ago. In between, tasteful seems hard to come by. Thank goodness seamstresses are so abundant and affordable. Just met an American woman tonight who has a shop in San Francisco (PC) I intend to check out called Promises. 2. The only real complaint I have right now is that I can’t seem to get a phone in my apartment. It’s 3 weeks tomorrow and I’m still waiting. 3. I will miss more cutting edge films. I find the selection of films in the theaters, in video stores, and on DirectTV very limited.

So what? There are lots of spots like Rio Mar to more than compensate. And the urban exploration is incredible fun! 4. For some of you, the fact that sidewalks are very uneven and open manholes exist all over could be a problem. In the US, oh my God the lawsuits that would be possible! Here I’m told a judge would wonder why you didn’t look where you were going. For me, these have become loveable quirks. I do look where I’m walking and I walk a lot. I’m sure more dislikes will arise, but so far, I’d give it at least an 8 on a scale of 1-10.

Hope some appreciate…if you got bored, I hope you left way before getting to this sentence.