A month in Panama

It's been about a month now that I've been in the beautiful Central American country of Panama.  Last night as we drove back from the Gulf of Chiriqui I found myself narrating in my head what my experience has been like thus far and decided that it was time for a blogspot page.

But let me start from the beginning.  I'm an intern at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama City.  The Smithsonian Institution, though an American organization, is known for it's world class museums and research.  I took this  opportunity with two weeks to prepare (i.e. plane ticket, shots, pills, clothing, etc).  That was quite a nightmare but well worth it.  I took two flights- one from Seattle, WA to Houston, TX and another from Texas to Tocumen International Airport in Panama City, Panama.  Things were going well until I hit immigration- the lines were long and the people unfriendly.  I'm sure that since I was standing in the visitors line from a plane that came in from North America that the people behind the desk don't only speak Spanish, but solo Espanol is what I got.  (I was later assured by other STRI people, including local Panamanians, that the immigration people are horrible to everyone).  Whew it wasn't just me- I hope.  But my shock didn't stop there.  On the road, from Tocumen to Ancon (where I'm living), the roads were lined with trash and driving within lanes or within a set speed limit is practically non-existent.  Luckily, I've come to terms with both of these things.  The glaring litter, while bad, was mainly the result of a trash-workers strike which caused a massive pile-up of trash on every street corner.  And the driving....well, let's just say thank goodness I'm not driving.


I also learned that Panama, located between Costa Rica and Colombia, is a rather small but proud country.  Almost every car and many building windows have a Panamanian flag attached to them in some fashion.  People take their nationality and futbol very seriously here- well maybe not like Brazil.  But Panama has a lot to be proud of.  This month (November) has a total of 5 official holiday days- Independence from Colombia, Colon Day, Flag Day, Call for Independence Day, and Independence from Spain Day.  So in essence, what gets packed into one July day in the United States, lasts an entire month here.


Well that's all for now but I've got lots more to share.

Hasta luego.  Ciao.