Home (far) away from home

I’ve been in Panama for almost two and a half weeks now – whoa!  At times when I feel as though I’ve  been here for a long time already I have to remind myself that it will be months before I begin my journey back to the States, to return to a much more enjoyable summer than the one I am experiencing here.  Apparently I arrived just in time for a rare heat wave, so even the Panamanians aren’t entirely used to this heat; it’s not uncommon for the humidity to make it feel like it’s close to 100 degrees during most days!

So, you can imagine that it’s rough to spend a lot of time either being outside is this weather or sitting in my un-air conditioned room in Curundu.  I rather dislike constantly feeling sticky and gross, but it comes with the territory here.  As such I’ve developed a great appreciation for an air conditioned building or vehicle (you really hit the jackpot when you get a taxi with AC). 

Here are some pictures of the homestay house I live in: 

Just inside the front door - welcome!

 

The front room (never inhabited)

 

The kitchen (super hot all the time)

 

The room and I share with Rose - her bed is on the left, mine has the tan sheets.

We share that dresser, the other side of the room has a small closet and our suitcases (which we still live out of and will be living out of for our time here - it's a small room) and general messiness.

It's always hot as hell in here.

 

A view from the back door of the table we eat at on the daily

 

Another view of the table.

The wall behind is the part of the house undergoing some construction.

 

The washing machine.

A real pain - using it requires using a hose to fit it up with water from that sink three times, first with only water, second with detergent, third with softener or whatever.  Seems to be a real waste of water.

 

View from the back of the house

 

The laundry set up.

(The family offered to do my laundry for me, but I don't like to feel taken care of to that extent - I've been doing my own laundry for years, I feel like it's my responsibility.  I don't like to feel 'waited upon.')

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When in Panama...

...one must visit the Canal!  (Naturally)
And I brought my camera!

 

 

Yesterday I went to visit the famed Panama Canal at Miraflores with my ISA student group.  We met at La Ciudad de Saber and walked for 25 minutes (along the side of an uncomfortably busy and truck-filled highway) or so to get to the main tourist entrance of the Canal.  Since being in Panama I’ve never seen so many tourists in one location; many of them were speaking English, so I’m assuming they were American or Canadian.  We began our Canal experience by watching a short 3D film about the Canal’s history and its impact on Panama and the rest of the world (glossing over the negatives, of course, and focusing on what a feat of engineering and ingenuity the passage is).

We went to check out the canal from a couple different observation decks.  Both were overcrowded.  I dislike tourist attractions that are unpleasantly teeming with people, each trying to get the best view, so I quickly became rather not thrilled with the scene.  The Canal (which used to look like this) is an impressive thing, to be sure, but I can only be so invigorated by a rather slow moving and dull process.  It was fine to see once, but for me once is enough.  We also visited the Canal museum (in the same building), which was informative; my favorite part of the museum was the exhibit that is designed to make visitors feel as though they were in the control room of a barge going through the canal (at a sped up rate, because otherwise it would be a dull experience indeed).

I did appreciate the significance the Canal, even if I didn’t enjoy the touristy ambiance.  I admit I was underwhelmed by the spectacle that is the Panama Canal, but I tried to take some quality photos (although I think that they are rather unexciting, as there isn't too much happening as ships pass through the Canal...):

The Grand Entrance

 

Tourists Waiting in Line

(I Hate Crowds)

 

 

View to the Leftmost End

(Note the Ship Beginning to Enter - Fascinating!)

 

Doesn't Everyone Look Excited....

 

 

 

Too Many People

 

 

The Ship has Almost Made it - Thrilling!

 

Rightmost End of the Canal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ñeques!!

These little creatures come in the morning in my backyard and we feed them our apple cores!  I would describe them as a tropcial rabbit.  They look like giant mice, and move like rabbits and squirrels move, but don't have tails.  I'm obsessed.

This morning Rose threw her apple core and hit a ñeque.  But it came back for the core.  They are forgiving creatures. 

And Classes Begin

It seems as though I just finished my fall semester, but I must embrace academia once again after a (very) short break.

My first week of classes is complete!  They are taught in English (with a little Spanish thrown in here and there) and the majority of students here are from Panama or another Spanish speaking country.  I am among the few white faces here (which is, of course, an unfamiliar experience, but one that I think is valuable to experience periodically throughout life) and I probably stand out a little bit among the small student body.  The courses I’m taking here are electives – basically I get to take what I want to.  They are: Introduction to World Religions (I am one of the oldest in the class, shouldn’t be overly challenging, and the teacher is from England, where he received his degree from Oxford), International Relations (taught by a professor who seems passionate about the topic), Introduction to Comparative Governments (I predict this class will be interesting, and fairly easy), and International Human Rights (taught by the same professor as Comparative Govs – she has a reputation for being an ‘easy’ grader). 

Campus itself, within La Ciudad de Saber, is a sprawling estate, all white buildings, about 4 stories tall apiece, with red tiled roofs.  All FSU’s classes take place in one building, so it is virtually impossible for me to get lost unless I try really hard.  The top floor is a common floor with a study room, some computers, a ping pong table, pool table, and a small coffee and snack kiosk on the back porch.  It’s a nice place to hang between classes, but it fills up quickly with loud kids.  About half a mile from the FSU building is a strip of other small shops, like a small market and a pizza place, where I go to eat or grab a snack.  Other than these places, I’m guessing I’ll hang out in the library, which is quite small.  It is part of the basement of another building and is luxuriously air conditioned.  

I’m still acclimating to the climate and learning to become familiar with the Panamanian Spanish accent.  The Panamanians speak FAST and don’t make certain letters and sounds distinct, so often the language seems to slur together.  For example, the Spanish word for skirt is “falta” and the “t” would be pronounced and recognizable – here, you will hear the word as “falda” with little emphasis on the “d.”  It’s tricky, but I’m getting better at understanding people every day!

Early tomorrow morning I’m going with my fellow ISA students to speak with an immigration lawyer and complete the visa process.  We’ve encountered difficulties along the way, but after tomorrow (and a hefty fee paid to the lawyer) things should be settled. 

A (Tardy) Account of an Adventure

On my second day in Panama I, along with the rest of the ISA students, did a touristy adventure of sorts.  After hitting Albrook, we rode a Diabjo for an hour or so to the Gamboa Rainforest Resort.  It’s one of Panama’s more deluxe places for tourists to stay, for sure.  There, we trekked a short way through the jungle and took this tram system (like a tropical chairlift) up through the bird and monkey-filled trees to the top of a mountain.  We then ascended a tower (ramps, not stairs, but it was still quite the workout) and encountered a truly spectacular view of a segment of the canal – but don’t get your hopes up, I didn’t have my camera with me (dammit), but it looked like this – and watched several huge oil tankers make their way through.  We could also see views of lush rainforest and a few thatched roofs of an indigenous tribe living near to the resort.  I always enjoy new experiences, and this was definitely one of such times. 

Welcome to Panama!

Hello, and welcome to my Panama blog! 

I’d like to keep friends and family updated on what I do here during my semester abroad, so I created this simple blog for whoever is interested.  I’ll try to include photos that I’ve taken as often as I can (I’m not promising regular photo albums – too time consuming – but I’ll try my best to please!).  

It’s my 4^th evening in Panama!  I'll be living in Clayton, Panama, only a short taxi away from Panama City.  I’m in my room in my homestay accommodations.  I’m living with my friend, Rose, and she shares the room with me.  It is small and very green.  And very hot.  Definitely the first thing that strikes me about Panama is the intense heat coupled with the humidity.  I’ve never experienced a climate like this, and I’m still acclimating.  The house I’m living in does have an air conditioning unit but it is never turned on…so inside the house is hotter than the temperature outside.  This can make you feel quite lethargic, dizzy, and (of course) sweaty.  My room doesn’t have AC; we have a ceiling fan and another fan that don’t quite do the job to make the living quarters entirely comfortable.  It is very common to feel sticky at all hours of the day.  Rose and I share a small bathroom which is fine except that we don’t get any hot water.  It’s an icy shower every day, which is not the most pleasant but I am soon warm after stepping out. 

Our host family is Mama, Abuela, and Juan Pablo.  Juan, who is 11, is the only one who speaks English, and he is pretty fluent.  He is not shy at all, which is good (and also can be annoying at times).  Mama has a daughter who is a few years older than me, and she has been living in the U.S. for around three years now; I think she’s in California.    They didn’t quite get the vegan diet, so explaining it to them was quite amusing.  I think that while I’m in Panama I’ll probably eat some fish and seafood, but I don’t want to make it a frequent occurrence.

The house is about a 15 minute walk from Albrook Mall, which is easily the most immense mall I’ve ever been in.  One half of it is actually a bus station (not air conditioned) that is always very busy and still quite overwhelming.  The bus system here is used by many people, and it is currently undergoing a renovation of sorts.  Traditionally, people take Diablo Rojos, Red Devils, (which are third or fourth generation American school buses, and do not depart until they are packed to the max – I’m talking about people standing in the isles) but now the country is implementing a new Metrobus system.  After walking to Albrook, Rose and I will take a Metrobus to and from campus.  We are still confused about how to do this, but hopefully we will conquer this in the next week.

Panama so far is a lovely country.  My favorite area is the old part of the city, Casco Antiguo; it’s the historic downtown district, and has good nightlife outside of the city.  I haven’t explored the city itself yet.  I’ve done a couple very touristy things so far, which I will write about when I am more awake.  For now, I’ll leave you with this introduction and promise to write again soon!

Tomorrow we go to campus (located in La Ciudad de Saber, the City of Knowledge) for an orientation in the morning, and classes begin in the afternoon.  I’m looking forward to an interesting and exciting start of my semester abroad in Panama!