One Month in Panama and We’re on the Move!

We arrived in Panama on July 13th. After being in Panama for a whole month we have soaked in the beautiful ocean views and shared some of our adventures settling into our new home base. We were advised to rent for a least a year before deciding to do anything permanent for good reason. Until you know the ins and outs of where you choose to live you just don’t know. Our first rental agreement was for July and August with the option to extend. I, like many people, love vacationing at the beach and have dreamed for years about living at the beach. Oceanfront living is definitely not the same as vacationing at the beach. Beach life has also meant not having walkability to shopping or the conveniences that we are used to. As we are getting accustomed to this beautiful country and learning the language it would be better for us to make those things simpler for now. 

After exploring the surrounding areas, meeting with others, and asking lots of questions, we decided to move 30 minutes north to Chitrè. It is the oldest city in Panama with a rich history, conveniences we are accustomed to and it is a short drive to many beaches if we want to enjoy a beach day. 

Through our weekly expat meet-up group, we found a cute house that we thought would be available beginning in October. After two weeks going back and forth translating the lease with the owner we became aware that the house would not be available until November. Yes, two weeks of communication because there is a slower pace in Panama. We were disappointed for sure, but the Universe had a surprise for us.

Finding a place to rent in Panama is part who you know and part the Universe opening doors for you. Mae, a driver we had hired, had told us that there were houses in her neighborhood for rent. She offered to drive by them for us. We loved the quiet neighborhood with shared green spaces and a community park with a pool. The house we really liked had a realtor sign with a phone number. Not knowing if we could communicate with our limited Spanish we made the phone call anyway and crossed our fingers.

The realtor spoke a little English… we spoke a little Spanish… between the two we put enough together to get some basic information about the house and schedule an appointment to see the house the next morning. Thank you Google Translate! It is a one-level, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house with a covered patio and fully fenced yard. The neighborhood is fairly flat with sidewalks, within walking distance of the bus station and shopping. Did I mention there is a community pool?! I have been wanting a pool for a long time and the universe knew it. To our pleasant surprise, it was available for immediate occupancy. We are moving in this Friday!