Guest Blog by Mom/Wendy: Semana Santa Visit

IT’S ALL TRUE! IT IS HOT HERE! All the windows are open all the time, the breeze is pretty consistent- especially on the incredible front balcony- there are no bugs- yet, and your feet do get black if you walk around barefoot. The mornings start off hot and clear, clouds roll in late morning to offer some relief, but they keep moving, and the clear sky returns for the afternoon and evening. (Can’t wait to read the blogs when rainy season starts!)

Also, Eric APPEARS to be working all day,and I as his suegra, mother-in-law, am not taking this personally that he sits in front of his computer all day. He did, after all, take off one day for the Jungleland tour of Gatun Lake. (NOTE: The monkey that jumped on the boat and took a peanut out of his hand was MUCH more aggressive than that puny crocodile he so proudly displays in the photo, and…has he always been so competitive when kayaking?)

Monkeys jumped on the boat for peanut snacks from tourists.

Notes for future visitors:

IT’s HOT, but then, so is Columbia, SC. You get around.* Your ears will pop every time you go up or down in the elevator.* The best place to hang out is on the front balcony between 6:30-8:00 AM before the sun hits it or after sundown as you watch all the city lights come on. The views on both sides are incredible!*We usually managed 2 activities/excursions per day, but the afternoons have been dedicated to napping and reading. Find a breeze and stay put! Relax!

Police cars are often seen with lights flashing- no siren nor fast speed. I don’t know why. * Motorcyclists must have a death wish; they travel very fast, weaving through lanes of traffic.* To cross at an intersection: push button, wait for red light for cars, WAIT to make sure they actually stop, THEN step out briskly. There is JUST ENOUGH time to make it across all the lanes if you keep moving quickly. Very efficient timing.* Lots of traffic + open windows= LOUD. If you are light sleeper, bring ear plugs.

Eric and Julie did a great job getting us around- to the Canal, to Casco Viejo for shopping one day and back Good Friday evening to stroll through the streets and open churches, down the Amador Causeway to the last island for dinner last night, around the Cinta Costera, to Easter Church at the Multi-plex in the mall, and Ancon Hill this last night with Addie (out for her first big adventure). They have caught on to the style of driving here: like I envision Mr. Spock, were he to have driven: logically, assertively you poke your nose out and change lanes. Don’t slow down with turn signal on and wait for someone to let you in; you just have to go. (Glad THEY were driving!)

Julie and Eric at La Posta restaurant

Catedral Metropolitana de Panama on Good Friday

Good Friday in Casco Viejo

Like Mother like daughter…

Family first outing together at Ancon Hill

If you visit the fish market, like Eric and Gregg did, there’s a lot to see, but even more to smell! Be sure to plan time to come home, change clothes and shower; that “fragrance” definitely follows you home! (The fresh corvina and shrimp were delicious and very reasonably priced!)*

Lots of options at the Mercado del Marisco.

Be sure to walk out at night by Avenida Balboa for a Raspado (cup of shaved ice with fruit flavoring and condensed milk- small is 75 cents) or a cup of mango cerviche (spiral cut mango flavored with salt, pepper, vinegar and lemon juice for 1.00) and people watch: for fun, count fanny packs!

This week has been full of fun experiences as we witness for ourselves that Eric and Julie are doing well and Spanish lessons are progressing. Our main objective was to see them happy and healthy,and with Julie feeling much stronger, we can head home and wait for them to come back our way.

Want to see happy? Watch Julie smile as she completes an animated conversation with Marinella, a shop keeper, or an artist in a park. THEN watch Eric smile: “THAT’S why we’re here!”

Julie and Eric: Thanks for being such good hosts! Be safe…Take care of each other…BECOME FLUENT, and come back quickly to TarHeel Country!

Visit from my parents

My folks got to Panama on Sunday night around 9:30. It’s been pretty exciting to have them here after telling them about our lives here for so long. They are also our first visitors in this apartment.

On Monday, my Mom joined me for a field trip with my Spanish teacher, Marianela, to a street called Avenida Central which is the closest thing I’ve seen to a market since we’ve been here. It is closed to traffic, and people sell fruits and vegetables in the street, along with – at this time of year – a fruit cake type bread called pan bon.

Mom buying pan bon.

Fruits and veggies

It was fun to have an outing and to have Mom along instead of Marianela and I just staring at each other for 4 hours straight. Here’s what Marianela looks like:

Marianela and I on Avenida Central

There are also…I guess department stores?…along the street too. Old stores with clothes that TJ Maxx probably wouldn’t take, but Marianela tells me that occasionally you can find name brand stuff for $10 or so. Then there were the furniture stores own by the Spanish folks, and apparently people of each nationality owns a particular kind of store. Interesting. She spends so much time telling me that Panamanians aren’t racist, but then she also tells me not to eat in restaurants in that area run by Chinese people because they are dirty (the restaurants, not the people). Race is a very funny thing down here. I would be interested to read an American student’s thesis on the subject of race and racism in Panamá. Okay, I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t want to read it. I might want a brief summary of it though, and perhaps a 45 minute conversation about it.

We went down this street called SalSiPuedes (Sal Si Puedes, meaning Leave if you Can) where kids apparently can get everything they need for school. The way Marianela described it for me, I was expecting Diagon Alley. If you don’t get that reference, please call me immediately because your life is not yet complete. I was a little concerned at first because of the name since it sounds kinda shady. Should I be worried that I won’t be able to leave? No, no. It’s just a really really skinny street, and that’s why they call it that. A few pictures of it:

We capped off the afternoon with a visit to Café Coca-Cola for pineapple batidos (smoothies/milkshakes). It’s said to be the oldest café in Panamá (the city), established in 1875, and has had famous visitors like Che Guevara. Back in the day, only men were allowed, as it was a place where they discussed politics and sports. As we sat and talked, I kept catching Marianela eyeing a group of old men in the corner. She told us that they were doing just that – talking sports and politics, just like in the old days. She surprised us, however, by saying that the sport they were discussing was not futbol, but rather baseball! Apparently Panamanians are really good at baseball.

In Café Coca-Cola with my Mom.

Anything having to do with Coca-Cola down here is special for me and for my family because my Great Uncle Bill Solms, my favorite for several reasons, one of which was because he reminded me so much of his brother, my grandfather, who passed away when I was 7, was the President of Coke for Latin America (family – correct me if I’m getting this wrong) for several years several decades ago. He and his family lived in Mexico City, and I enjoyed speaking Spanish with him when I visited with him and his wife.

Yesterday, Mom, Dad, and I went to Casco Viejo (the old city – was run down, but now everyone is investing a lot in it and it’s become really cool and beautiful and hip – if the kids use that word anymore).

Mom in Casco Viejo

Ruins in Casco Viejo. I love the stairs and how they look like they’re floating. Mom said they looked like they were out of Harry Potter and were going to move at any moment.

See the description in the next photo. Basically, this arch is one of the reasons they decided to build the Canal in Panama instead of in Nicaragua.

The highlight was when my folks discovered an artist who said he had been painting watercolors out there for 40 years. They liked his work and we talked to him for a while about it, about his life, and about which paintings were his favorites. He was super cute and we had a great time talking to him. I translated a bit, but my mom also speaks some Spanish, so she enjoyed talking to him as well. The guy played all the games, proclaimed that it was his birthday and he had to go home soon to have his traditional chicken and rice, said he’d give us a special price, told us that our favorite was his favorite too…he’s done this before. But he was good at it. At the end of it, he went from $45 + $35 +$35 for three paintings to a total of $50 for all three. In hindsight, I’m sure we could’ve done better, but I was just playing translator. My folks were happy, the guy was happy…no harm done.

The best part was when Mom asked him to write his name on the back of one of them for her. He wrote it and then wrote the date…but had to verify the date with us. It was then that we began to question whether it really was his birthday…

Dad wanted a photo with him:

My parents with the artist who painted the watercolors that they bought in Casco Viejo.

Today, Eric went with them on a tour of Lake Gatún – a lake in the middle of the Canal. They kayaked and fed grapes to monkeys and saw big ships. Same tour that Katie did – mostly due to Katie’s recommendation and because she was kind enough to show my parents her photos when Katie watched Addie for a weekend last month. A guest blog posting from my parents might be forthcoming with some of those photos. At the very least, I’ll have a photo of Eric holding a very very tiny crocodile. It’s hilarious.

Birthdays!

So last weekend (Saturday, March 21) was my birthday. At the last minute, I decided to be brave and invite over the capoeira group – who I barely know, but who are my best friends in Panama – for drinks and snacks at our apartment. We live right near where we practice, so I didn’t think it would be inconvenient for folks. It was an odd thing. I had no idea what sort of get-togethers this group usually had. Do they get together at people’s houses? Do they go out usually? Do they drink or are they the super dedicated to their health types? How much food should I have prepared? Who will come? Are they going to feel obligated to come but not really want to? Am I enough a part of the group to invite them? So many questions! I was pretty nervous.

The plan was for me to go to Capoeira practice from 4-6 and then for folks to come over after that. Only 7 people made it out that day, but that was fine by me. Why, you ask? Because I found out that it is tradition on a capoerista’s birthday for there to be a roda and for the birthday person to play capoeira with everyone in the roda. In case you’re wondering, I still know next to nothing. I have no moves. I don’t look cool doing this stuff. I have no stamina. So as each person got out into the roda with me, I was just trying to throw a few kicks, ginga a little, and breathe until the whole thing was over. Yes, it was really nice to have this honor, but gosh, I had no idea what I was doing. Awesome.

After practice, everyone looked like they were pretty much giving their regrets and heading home. Everyone, that is, accept Moisés, my buddy who was the guy to help me out in the first roda on my first day of practice. He told me he was going to shower and come over later.

I texted Moi a bit later to let him know that, as far as I knew, he was the only one coming over, and of course he was still welcome, but I didn’t want him to feel obligated. Eric had suggested this b/c he knew how weird he would feel walking into a house for a birthday party for someone he didn’t know well and finding out he was the only guest. Yikes. Anyway, about two hours after we expected him to show up, he came…with three other guys! Yay!

We ended up hanging out, mostly on the balcony, until almost 1 am. For them, probably not too late, but for us, that was probably the latest (non-hospital) night that we’ve had since we’ve been here. It was a lot of fun. Once Eric had a couple of drinks, he loosened up enough to speak some Spanish, and most of the guys understood at least a little English, so he was able to communicate with them too. Here’s the group:

George, Dario, Me, Moi, Antonio (Árabe)

I was really happy that they came, and very glad that Eric was gracious enough to help me host some folks that he didn’t understand completely. It was a wonderful birthday.

Oh, Eric also made some tortillas de maíz for us – these wonderful little fried corn cake things – and one of the Panamanians complimented him on his frying talent. Someone decided that putting salsa on them was a good idea, although I prefer to eat them plain.

The Tuesday following my birthday, March 24th, I went to capoeira practice and my new friend Lourdes and her fiancé Mono (well, his real name is David, but his capoeira name is Mono, or Monkey) surprised me with a birthday present! Completely unexpected and unnecessary, but very very sweet. Here’s what they gave me:

At the end of practice, Mono called everyone together and he presented me with the official CDO (Cordao de Ouro – the name of our group) Panamá shirt! I was really honored. It made me feel like I’m officially a part of the group. Here’s what it looks like…not that y’all care, but this was a big deal for me.

So, skipping forward a bit…yesterday, Sunday, Eric and I went to Juan Pablo’s house (another Capoeira friend…we don’t know anyone besides these folks) for his birthday party. He lives with his folks still in this house at the top of this hill that has a great view of the Bridge of the Americas, which is over part of the Canal. The directions to get there were ridiculous. He basically dropped a pin on a Google Map when he was home and sent it to us via WhatsApp, then sent us verbal directions via WhatsApp, along with photos of landmarks along the way. All of this, mind you, is because addresses do not exist in this silly country. We still had to guess quite a bit about where we were going. I said things along the way like, “yes, I think that looks like the tree from the picture. See how that branch looks like this one?” Seriously. That’s how it went. Ridiculous. But we made it.

And it was so much fun! Everyone was outside, and luckily it was shady and breezy enough to be comfortable. There was a grill area that was covered and that’s where all the food and drinks were set up. All of the capoeira folks were there, along with a few of Juan Pablo’s friends from school, plus lots of family members. We spent a lot of time getting to know a Brazilian couple who happens to live in the building right next to us. We figured this out because the woman, Jessica, posted this photo on Facebook one day:

I saw it and thought “wow! That’s almost like our view! She must live nearby!” So I went out to our balcony and tried to compare our view to hers to see where she lived. Here’s the photo from the same day, but a few hours later, from our balcony:

So I figured out that they were to the left of us and not up as high. I didn’t want to post the photo on Facebook or say anything at that point though b/c we hadn’t talked much yet and I didn’t want to seem creepy. I told her and her husband all of this on Sunday and they thought it was hilarious. I’m hoping we’ll get to hang out with them more. They seemed like fun.

In the middle of the party, we had a roda for Juan Pablo. It was a tiny little area that we had, so it was pretty intense and a few folks fell over on the brick grill area. Looked painful. I wasn’t sorry that I was in a dress and heels. I just played the tambourine and the double cowbell-looking thing and clapped and enjoyed watching. A few photos from the day:

Lourdes (in orange, upside-down) and Juan Pablo.

Mono, Moisés, y Antonio (Árabe) playing the berimbau (the long bow-like instrument with the gourd at the bottom that acts as an amplifier) and singing.

Jessie, formerly featured flying through the air at the performance a few weeks ago, is originally from the DC area. Jessica is from Brazil and is the one who lives in the building next door. Both really sweet women.

Ready for the roda. Moi in the center in blue (kneeling) and Juan Pablo, the birthday boy, on the right.

The birthday boy and his sweet girlfriend Ana.

Mono and Lourdes

One girl had to kick off her shoes in the middle of the roda, so Moi proceeded to use them to keep rhythm. I was just trying to think hard enough to play the tambourine without messing up too badly. I don’t know how I’m going to sing in Portuguese and play an instrument at the same time.

And lastly, a random photo of Juan Pablo upside-down on a beach somewhere that he shared with us. Pretty cool.

My parents are here this week, so we’ll see whether I have time to share photos a little at a time or whether it’s one long post after they leave…

From Paris With Love

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Category Archives: Month Three

Guest Blog by Mom/Wendy: Semana Santa Visit

Visit from my parents

Birthdays!

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