TheExpatJournals.com

There are so many men with guns in this neighborhood. I’ve not only grown used to it, I really, really like it. In Casco Viejo, there are the Presidential Guards (Guardia Presidencial) , the Tourist Police (Policia Turismo) and the National Police (Policia Nacional). All have office headquarters in this neighborhood. The National Police and the Tourist Police have virtually identical uniforms that are similar to any US police uniform except for the color - khaki short sleeved shirt and brown pants. Both have bicycle divisions who have the same uniform except they wear shorts instead of pants. All carry guns, but only the Presidential Guards directly around the Palace carry machine guns. (more…)

July 23, 2004…There was a double killing in Casco Viejo last night and all I can say is `two down, one to go.’ Someone poisoned two dogs in the building next door a couple of hours after I was tempted to post on a Yahoo board to find out what the consequences of killing the neighbor’s dogs might be. Now before you get the wrong idea, I do consider myself a dog person. But the incessant barking for weeks on end was enough to make me want to kill. (more…)

July 8th, 2004

This was a magical morning. I borrowed the neighbor’s dog, a wonderful Springer Spaniel named Manuela. She and I walked for an hour beginning at 8AM. Virtually no one is out in my neighborhood at that hour, at least not on a rainy morning. The intense thunderstorm woke me up at 5AM. The lightening seems to crack as though it’s just hit your building followed immediately by the immense rolling boom of thunder. It’s so loud you know it’s in your neighborhood, not simply
nearby. (more…)

The other morning, a friend phoned from NYC. At one point, she said mentioned that she had opted to stay in the city this weekend and my response was , “Oh right…it’s July 4th.” I love the fact that I had completely forgotten! When I was visiting Panama trying to decide whether or not to move here, people would tell me that, as a rule of thumb, you are either moving to something or away from something or both. I LOVE New York City, but I sure like me a lot better when I’m not in it. I LOVE America, but I sure don’t like the government there. (more…)