We’re back in Raleigh!  We’re currently living back in our old house downtown, but in one of the bottom apartments instead of in the whole upstairs like we used to.  We’re doing the minimalist thing while we search for a house, so it ain’t pretty, but we’re comfortable.  And Addie has finally calmed down and settled in, which is important.  The poor dog has gone from this house to Asheville (with my parents) to Panamá to Asheville to this house (but the wrong part of it – she keeps trying to go upstairs where she belongs) all in the past 16 months or so.  She’s a little confused.

She obviously suffered at the hands of my parents.

It’s been exciting to reconnect with friends and family over the past week.  We were able to hang out with Eric’s parents, brother and sister-in-law, and their kids on our first day back.  My parents came the second day.  We visited my sister and her family on the third day.  During the following days, Eric reconnected with his frisbee group, I visited my dear friend Becca and her 10 month old, we had sushi with DRay and Sarah – who are soon to be married! – and spent another evening reconnecting with my sister’s family.  It’s been a great week.

Our 10 month old niece, Summer.

It’s been funny to see what cultural differences have made an impression on us.  I think the biggest thing I’ve noticed is that the grocery carts here are HUGE!  Panamá had two choices – a smaller and a larger size – but even the larger is no match for Kroger or Target’s carts.

And of course the driving has been different.  Although driving in Panamá is pretty intense, Eric and I both developed a deep appreciation for the mindset of drivers there.  Nearly every Panamanian driver pays close attention to the road at all times…because you kinda have to.  People don’t seem to get as angry with each other because they just expect that other folks are going to do crazy things – turn left from the right lane, ignore stop signs, turn a 2 lane road into a 3 lane, turn out in front of you, etc.  When you’re prepared for that, not only do you not get mad when it happens, but you start to do it too…which can be kinda fun.  I’ll miss it, for sure.  I’m a lot calmer and more attentive driver in Panamá.  Working on that one…

Another thing is my feeling of security.  I VERY rarely felt unsafe in Panamá.  I was cautious, of course, but I can’t remember a specific time when I felt nervous or worried about my safety.  Oddly, I think I felt more alike most of the folks there.  Or maybe I just didn’t notice the differences among others there because everyone was different from me…language, culture, color, everything.  Here, it’s easier to pick out the folks that I am alike and distinguish them from the folks that are different from me in smaller ways.  We share a language and a geographical background, so I focus in on the smaller details.  I’m not sure.  It’s a strange feeling and something I’m trying to work through as I’m writing this.  It makes me remember Panamá fondly, but also makes me realize how comfortable it is to be back.  I’m not sure if any of that makes sense…

Anyway, a couple of notes about the end of our Panamá adventure.

We went to our last Panamá fútbol game vs. Haiti…and WON!  We had lost the previous two games that we attended, so it was really cool to win our last one.  We got covered with celebratory flying beer, and loved it.  I also managed to get us two free tshirts from the group next to us, which came with an invitation to be in their group photos.  Fun!

During our last weekend, a good part of the capoeira group gathered at our friend Auri’s place for a going away party.  Auri made arepas and empanadas – amazing – and Eric was happy.  Jessie also gave me a mug that says “Fula,” which is Panamanian for blondie.  Very sweet.

My girls!

Kike! Again, pronounced Key-kay.

Mahalia, Jessie, Paola

Dario’s former brother-in-law, Auri, Auri’s daughter Vicky, Mahalia, Jessie, Paola, and me

The next day, Eric and I took Lourdes just outside the city to her mom’s house so we could pick up her daughter Cari.  On the way back to the city, Lourdes began to feel really sick and had a lot of abdominal pain.  She insisted that she would be okay and just needed to go home, so we dropped her off, bought a few groceries for her, delivered them to her house, then left with a promise to check on her the next day.  Early the following morning, she texted me to let me know that she was heading to the emergency room because she had been sick all night and was still in a lot of pain.  I rushed out of the house, picked her up at work, and took her to the ER.  Luckily, she turned out to be fine – it was a gastrointestinal thing that they said could be cured by laying off the greasy food.  Hard to do in Panamá.

Eric and Lourdes – sweet friends.

Poor Lourdes in the ER waiting room.

Check out the wooden wheelchair!

The night before we left, we tried a restaurant called Donde José in Casco Viejo.  Only 4 small tables plus 4 seats at the bar.  10 courses.  Pure amazingness.  Definitely competed with the Fearrington House Restaurant outside of Chapel Hill, which had previously been my favorite splurge restaurant.  The food was absolutely spectacular.  Interesting combinations, wonderful flavors, very creative.  And beautiful!  Look!

The couple from Birmingham with which we spent a good deal of the evening talking.

Pork belly – usually not my fave, but this was just perfect!

Pulpo – octopus. I just can’t do it. Left this one for Eric. But the shell/crust thing is just milk. Very strange.

Can’t remember what was special about this, but isn’t it the cutest chicken wing ever?

The tiniest pot of a “levantamuertos.” That literally means dead-raiser, and is a word used for a hangover cure! Oyster stew.

This was one of the best courses. A yuca waffle with yogurt and some kind of…maybe honey syrup?

Course #1, a cheese fritter with truffle sauce and flowers….because flowers.

We fancy.

After dinner, our sweet friends Lourdes and Mono came over, as well as our British neighbor Elliott from upstairs.  As is always the case with them, we had a great time talking and laughing.  Elliott ended up staying until nearly 1…then left with plans to meet us at 6 am for the sunrise on the roof of our building.

5:55 am came and Eric and I actually got out of bed.  We banged on Elliott’s door on the way up…no answer.  We went up to the roof anyway, and it was just gorgeous.  We each made one last climb up to the very tip-top of the building, a place with one skinny wobbly handrail and a tilted inclined walk up to the point.  It’s scary, but the view is worth the climb.

Now that we’re back home, I have about a week and a half more before I return to my old job at North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services.  I’ll be doing civil work, which is what I was originally hired to do back in 2011.  It is also exactly what I want to be doing.  I’ll also be serving as our intake attorney, which means working with my dear friend Elizabeth, the paralegal with whom I worked on my big class action case for about 5 years.  I’m very excited.

Eric has his office set up at a folding table in the kitchen of our little apartment and seems happy enough for the time being.  His office is just a short walk from here, so he also has the option to actually put on pants and go in, should he chose to do so.  Kidding…he’s actually very good about hopping up, showering, putting on real clothes, and going into work mode at home.

Thanks so much for all of your support over the past year and a half.  It’s been an adventure, and we were so glad to have all of you checking in on us and following our story.