100 Days in Panama

Confession… Anyone who has made a major move will tell you… by the end of the first 30 days, you start thinking to yourself,… OMG! … Why did I do this!?… This is not what I thought it would be!!! … Then, somewhere around 60 days, things start to get easier, and you begin believing this crazy thing you’ve done could work. At 90 days, you are so glad you took this leap into the life you dreamed about for so long. This has been very true for us. The vacation feeling had worn off at the end of the first month. We decided being at the beach was not for us. Hoping to make things better, we moved to the city. During the second month, our Spanish lessons began to click, and we were learning where everything was in the grocery store. At month three, we really began to love the life we were creating. 

When we moved here, we had planned to return for my youngest son’s wedding only a few months later. We didn’t expect how much we had fallen in love with our new home. The day we left was our 97th day in Panama. It was hard to leave, even for the short visit we had planned. Our Spanish began to click, and we finally found our groove. Of course, we wanted to see family and friends, and we were so glad to have been able to hug necks, visit, and make memories. Returning to our new home in Panama at the end of our 12-day visit was the most wonderful feeling. However, returning did have its challenges. 

Panama has its problems, just like every country. The Panamainians are very active in the running of their country. They want what is best for the country’s and their families’ futures, just like everyone in this world. They have a unified spirit and pride in their country. They sacrifice through protest to move their government in the direction they want as its citizens. It is impressive to watch them unify and be heard in a timely manner. The most recent event coincided with our return.

Just days before our return, protests had shut down parts of Panama City and the Panamanian Highway in multiple places. With communication from other expats and our Panamanian friends, we got around the protests, traveling at night, and arrived home safely. Honestly, we had not actually seen any protesting with our own eyes until the day after arriving home. We walked to our local grocery store early in the morning, passing the bus terminal. We saw that it had been blocked by trucks, and they had also blocked the gas station in front of the terminal. A small group of protesters waved flags peacefully on the side of the road. At the same time, we saw the smaller intercity buses dropping off riders who continued to walk to the grocery store. Sadly, the regular vendors selling fruits and veggies were not at their stalls, but the grocery store and other businesses were open and operating. We easily got a taxi home.

It may sound odd with all of this happening, but we have felt completely safe. Obviously, we are not participating or engaging with the protestors in any way. We have no intention of going out at night when we have been told the protests are larger and more active. There are precautions being taken with police presence, but there is also a sense of doing what is best for all. I feel it is a privilege to witness the history being made in person. I am proud and impressed with the strong sense of unification for a purpose. Their culture is very family-oriented and can be felt in daily activities. Not perfect, but what society is perfect? They have a say and their voices are being heard. They are figuring out their future just like we all are.