So here we are in Panama armed with several years between us of forgotten high school German and French...We're making every effort to learn Spanish. Pat's been here longer than I have, so he's really getting into the swing of things...He can communicate most of his needs and now he's getting more discriptive...the only problem is...he usually gets the vocabulary a little off. Giggling can often be heard in the wake of his Spanish.
Getting out there and speaking up is important when you're trying to learn a language...and I admire Pat's outgoing attitude...You just have to be totally willing to make a fool of yourself...and I'm not so sure I'm there yet...
Example: There we are on the ocean shore trying to hire a boat to take us out to an island. In Panama, a small boat is called a panga...So Pat cruises up to a group of fishermen and tells them he's looking for a pinga...this garners a few smiles from the guys. Well, Pat doesn't quit there, he turns to one of the guys standing in front of his boat and says in his best Spanish, "You have a beautiful pinga...how much for a ride for my wife, my daughter and me?" The guy took pity on him...he pointed to his boat and said, "PANGA," he then pointed to his crotch and said "Pinga." It's all in the details.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
So, in my glory days, my trademark was a thick mane of naturally curly hair. I never spent any time straightening or pressing my hair into submission. It was always long and flowing...I thought I was just one of the lucky ones.
Had I grown up in Panama, I would have had an entirely different experience. Here, the humidity is consistently above 80%...Which means that my hair isn't just big, it's freak show BIG...It starts out okay...when you're in an air conditioned bathroom...it looks okay...you get a false sense of security and you actually exit the building with your hair hanging loose. Big mistake, huge...out in the humid air you can feel it growing in volume...and by the time you make it back to the safety of the air conditioned bathroom, your hair is almost too big to contain in a rubber band...I feel like my Panama hair should come with the disclaimer, "In the real world, my hair doesn't look like this, honestly. So don't judge me."
Had I grown up in Panama, I would have had an entirely different experience. Here, the humidity is consistently above 80%...Which means that my hair isn't just big, it's freak show BIG...It starts out okay...when you're in an air conditioned bathroom...it looks okay...you get a false sense of security and you actually exit the building with your hair hanging loose. Big mistake, huge...out in the humid air you can feel it growing in volume...and by the time you make it back to the safety of the air conditioned bathroom, your hair is almost too big to contain in a rubber band...I feel like my Panama hair should come with the disclaimer, "In the real world, my hair doesn't look like this, honestly. So don't judge me."
Big Plans and Even Bigger Hair
It was supposed to take my husband, Pat, three months to set up a business in Panama. What originally seemed to be an ambitious undertaking has proven to be a monumental challenge.
So now it's been two years...and we've just moved down to Panama to join Pat.
Here's the pitch: "Move down to Panama for one year. We'll rent out the house. I'll get the business going. We'll be together again."
Done deal. My daughter and I were at the breaking point...too many months of waiting for Pat's all-too-short visits amidst a mounting pile of bills. It was time to get our lives back in balance.
In the back of my mind, through packing up the house and tying up all the loose ends, I kept wondering if we would, in fact, return after all. I said my teary good-byes to my friends, family and my perfect little home. A year in Panama would be a nice change of pace, but a lifetime there wasn't what I was after.
So now it's been two years...and we've just moved down to Panama to join Pat.
Here's the pitch: "Move down to Panama for one year. We'll rent out the house. I'll get the business going. We'll be together again."
Done deal. My daughter and I were at the breaking point...too many months of waiting for Pat's all-too-short visits amidst a mounting pile of bills. It was time to get our lives back in balance.
In the back of my mind, through packing up the house and tying up all the loose ends, I kept wondering if we would, in fact, return after all. I said my teary good-byes to my friends, family and my perfect little home. A year in Panama would be a nice change of pace, but a lifetime there wasn't what I was after.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)