Blowing in the Wind

Just a Little Reflection

2010-03-12T21:45:00.000-08:00

“Why not move to Panama with me and figure something out with our lives?” This question is most likely not one many people get asked by a person they’ve only been dating for a month. I guess it was strange for me to ask him, but at the time, I was scheduled to depart for Panama March 23^rd and it was March 20^th and I wasn’t quite sure what in the heck I was going to do once I got here or where I was going to live. All I knew was that I wanted to get rid of the emptiness I felt in the States with no opportunity and try to see if I could manage living in another country.

Now, fate has a funny way of working itself out, especially in my life, so about an hour after asking him this question I started shaking uncontrollably and developed a severe fever which turned into a real bad kidney infection. Justin came with me to the Doctor’s office where I was informed that traveling would be out of the question for at least 10 days. At the time I wasn’t really able to think about what to do but knew that I wanted him there with me.

Justin, my semi-boyfriend at the time was living in Connecticut and looking for a job after just coming back from a 7 month journey through Mexico, Central, and South America. He came back in December, 2008 to almost no job opportunity anywhere in the dismal US economy. That same day I was diagnosed with a kidney infection he received news from his only job prospect that he didn’t receive the position he was seeking as a management position with Operation Smile in South America because he didn’t speak Spanish.

His first words after getting off the phone with the Operation Smile representative was, “Well, I guess I’m coming with you to Panama.” Somehow I managed a huge smile in between my convulsions of pain. We departed for Panama April 7, 2007 and we’ve been together since!

After about a month of taking Spanish lessons in Bocas Del Toro (we both didn’t really know the language before moving), we decided we were about ready to start working somehow (money ran out). I thought of a few ideas and knew I wanted to do something in the real estate industry here in Panama. We both agreed we didn’t want to be another salesperson in Panama, there’s enough of those already. We wanted to make our own mark and add a service to an industry that is rapidly growing, rapidly changing, and in need of professional realistic marketing.

What we’ve created is Panama Lens (www.panamalens.com). We provide HD video tours and HDR photography for real estate in and around Panama City. We showcase not only the individual property in a free flowing walk through style, but we also show the surrounding area, the amenities, and give a little taste of what it’s actually like to live in Panama now. After researching this business idea and the market in Panama for a month, we went back to the States, purchased our equipment, came back in July 2009 and have been working ever since.

It’s been a huge learning experience for me and Justin as well. What we’ve learned is that we make a wonderful team. “So he’s the tech, and you are the face,” is what is usually said from most of our clients. We laugh and say sure but it’s more than that. Justin is extremely intelligent with computers, editing, and photography. And with my background in real estate (both my parents are real estate agents in the DC/MD area and have been my whole life. I am a licensed real estate agent as well since 2008 and worked in MD at ReMax for almost a year), I do the research, write the scripts, provide the on camera presence and voice over.

We’ve been really happy with our decision to start a business in Panama. I still can’t figure out why I wanted to move to Panama a year or so ago when I wasn’t with Justin. I get that question a lot and for the most part it’s just that I wanted to try something different, I wasn’t ready for grad school, I wasn’t into moving back to my hometown and continue to search for some kind of job that would give me a so called “purpose” for all that hard work in college nor did I think Justin was into that either.

So here we are, progressing, evolving, and working hard on our baby, Panama Lens. It’s been a fun ride and we have learned an incredible amount about each other. We are a great team and only look forward to the future here in Panama!

One after the other

2010-02-21T14:32:00.000-08:00

It boggles my mind that with such a small community of expats in Panama, there are SOOOOOO many parties. I absolutely love getting invitations and hate turning them down. I have never have I had to turn down so many events in my life since I've moved here. I mean, there's literally something to do every single evening while living in the Casco. It's sort of a love hate relationship with the invites because we can't go to these wild parties and actually work the next day. We've promised ourselves that we are only going to go out one night a week and for the most part have lived up to that.

Our one night out this past week was a Surprise Birthday party for our new friend Julian. It was a fantastic event at Callejon del Gato with food, drinking and dancing! : )

We'll be going to Casco Viejo's first Art Walk this Thursday! Super Pumped! Pictures for that will be next week! Ciao

2010-02-15T15:42:00.000-08:00

Chinese New Year, Valentines day/Carnival all celebrated Sunday, February 14th at our friend Matt Landau's apartment 2 blocks away in Casco Viejo. We spent the early morning going to the veggie market with our neighbors, then to the pool at the Miramar, then to the BBQ/Party. It was such a festive event with Bright feathered masks, tons of alcohol, and a bit of tasty treats.

Life is pretty spectacular. It's hard at times but I couldn't really ask for anything better! : )

I think I'll get back into blogging. Maybe just some short things every now and then..... Until then, Ciao!

Stay Positive, especially when you are tired!

2009-10-17T22:16:00.001-07:00

Positive things…

1. Panama Lens

2. Being in love with my amazing boyfriend

3. Having a supportive and loving family

4. Living in Casco Viejo

5. Living in a country full of expats & entrepreneurs

6. Living in a beautiful country

7. Feeling a sense of accomplishment at 23…. : )

Tomorrow I am headed to Bocas Del Toro with my parents, brother, and Justin. This month has been thus far Panama Len’s most busy and successful. Though we haven’t seen it through monetary ways, the future is looking great. We’ve taken on some larger projects that are very interesting, and much more difficult in terms of time, and knowledge.

Justin has turned on his computer learning skills full fledge teaching himself new google earth map tricks, animated 3D logo techniques, as well as mastered the steadicam to become a lot more artistic with filming.

I have really enjoyed researching the details for all the new projects and writing out the scripts. I’ve also been tested in working on my voice for different types of videos (the Royal Casino Poker Room Video), and have gotten better at losing some of those nerves I get when others besides Justin are in the room when I am doing my on camera. With each video we produce we evolve a little more. I’m getting better with memorizing my lines, being on camera in front of a crowd, and Justin is definitely becoming an artistic video director, editor, producer, and photographer.

These next three days in Bocas will hopefully be a chance to take a much needed break from working. When you start a business there seems that there is always something to do. It’s amazing how little free time we have. Thank god we have eachother and can goof around from time to time because if not we’d go insane. With the little accomplished we have day to day, the work and time pays off. We’re hoping that all this work we’ve been putting into these larger video projects will pay off in monetary terms and possibly create for us a wonderful, more comfortable living…until then, we’re keeping it classy in the simple life. : )

Random Thoughts…

2009-10-03T19:13:00.001-07:00

It’s been two and a half months since we’ve moved into Casco and started Panama Lens. Things are good, no they are great, but I’m not going to bore you with another blog about success, luck, love, etc….

Last week there was a shooting about 3 blocks from our apartment. A restaurant worker and a French tourist were shot by a 16 and 17 year old on Friday evening at 9:30. The kids were part of a gang, one of the many that exist in the Santa Ana and Chorrillo neighborhoods that are close by Casco Viejo.

One thing that is the consensus between the Casco residents is that the gang members were targeting the restaurant worker and the French tourist got in the line of fire while reacting to the gunshots not aimed at him. Justin and I walk by the restaurant most evenings and the worker who we presume was the one that was shot is there usually chatting with the sketchy looking gang members of the neighborhood. This guy is a bit arrogant and pushy when we walk by to get in the restaurant since it’s new. As I am a firm believer in promoting a place and trying to drive in traffic, there’s a line that one shouldn’t cross and standing in the way of people passing by is not a way to pleasantly bring people in. That worker has always rubbed me the wrong way. Other Casco residents agree with me that he probably was targeted by this gang. One thing that Casco residents know is that yes, there are some dangers with living here but for the most part, any violence that occurs is usually between the street gangs and not towards tourists or gringos. Where I am going with this is that after reading Panama-Guide and other newspapers, they changed the story to “2 French Tourists shot in Casco Viejo!” These newspaper articles are twisting the story around to make people believe that two tourists were targeted at a restaurant in the nice part of Casco. Fear is not something that we should bring among the people who are Casco skeptics. What I’ve learned from living in NYC or ANYWHERE is to always be aware of your surroundings, if you feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and feel like something bad is going to happen, get out or exit the situation, and live your life not in fear, but with caution. The important thing is not to dwell because some things are out of your hands. I’m not trying to ramble, I’m just enforcing my belief to live your life not in fear.

Panama is changing day to day for the better. People are amazing here. It’s a wonderful place and we’re so happy to be making our mark in this small country. With that said, there’s everyday annoyances, language and culture barriers, and obstacles to deal with. Life isn’t perfect but it’s very close and I can’t say that I could be any happier doing ANYTHING ELSE ANYWHERE ELSE….Ok, there’s my thoughts for tonight. Hasta Luego!

Love, Mara

“It seems the harder I work, the luckier I get.”

2009-09-10T07:47:00.001-07:00

In the third grade I had to choose a quote that meant something to me. Picking out quotes in the third grade is a bit of a challenge since much of life has yet to be lived. My mother helped me choose this quote because she truly believed in it, “It seems the harder I work, the luckier I get.” This quote is by Abraham Lincoln and at the time of being in the third grade, I think that I had already experienced how hard work can lead to accomplishing great things. I’ve never been the quickest learner, but hard working I am which has led me to many wonderful accomplishments as being top in the class, winning dance competitions, getting an academic college scholarship, and now, starting up a business doing something I love!

I’m currently reading the book, “Outliers” by Malcom Gladwell. It’s all about people in this world, past and present, who have succeeded, and why they succeeded. It also explains why a lot of the reason pertains to luck, but luck can only take you so far. Luck is something like being born in January if you play hockey because you most likely are more athletically ready than your younger peers born in the same year. Or, luck is an instance of culture, like in China, the Chinese learn to count to higher numbers at an earlier age because of their language numeral system being less confusing than in English. Therefore more Chinese people are good a mathematics because less of them struggled at an earlier age. Luck is the time period you are born in, sometimes within a 5 year span you can be born in the precise boom for a new technology. Luck is also related to those people who were surrounded by people and instances that helped them along the way.

He explains the importance of luck, but also emphases practice and hard work as a key ingredient to success. 10,000 seems to be the magic number. For musicians, computer engineers, hockey players, etc., he states that combined with 10,000 hours of hard work and the presence of luck, a person will be a successful “outlier” surpassing the competition.

I’m not saying in any way that I feel like I’m an outlier, but I do feel very fortunate about my life. I feel fortunate for my family, my friends, and my education. I also feel that I work really hard for what I do and can’t be here today, doing what I’m doing without that combination. So far Justin and I have put in many hours into our business, Panama Lens, but there is a lot more to practice, learn, and achieve through it. Optimism, luck, hard work, and practice is all important, and the harder I do work, the luckier I seem to get. : ) So to this day I think about that quote and take it to heart as I did back then when I struggled with reading. It’s amazing how much a little extra hard work can change everything…

<3, Mara

Time goes by…

2009-08-19T07:28:00.001-07:00

I haven’t been very good with posting new blogs since we’ve been working on our business. It’s not because life has been lacking interesting encounters or beautiful scenery, we’ve had our share of both, but it’s because time has changed from day to day. Time was once that part of our lives that was abundant and plenty and now, we get up every morning at 6am and find ourselves at midnight still working on something wondering where all that precious valuable time went.

With each day, we become one step further in setting up our business. Our website is up, www.panamalens.com, our website video is completed, as well as our first video. The HDR photography that Justin has taken of the property is absolutely stunning and we currently have two properties on deck this coming week to complete. Within one month we’ve set all this up and have taken off to what hopefully will be a successful HD Real Estate Video Tour Company for Panama. At 23 years old and Justin at 24 this is something we are very proud of. I’m not going to lie, it scares the bejesus out of me but the confidence I have in the both of us as a team to do this and do it well is incredible.

Reality Begins

2009-07-21T12:53:00.001-07:00

We made it here to the apartment in one peace. I’m not saying not with out a little bit of a hassle of course. We e-mailed back and forth to Ricardo, our landlord who promised us a smooth transition into our new apartment at 2 in the morning when we got into Panama. The people who were supposed to do their job of getting the key to the right person (the night watch reception at the hostel) and have that ready for our arrival didn’t quite do their job so Justin and I, at 2am in Casco Viejo stood outside the hostel arguing with the reception girl who had no clue about anything. She seemed to be in a dream state and Justin and I were slightly freaked out not knowing what to do at that time of night in the middle of Casco. Finally I asked to at least let us in the lobby of the hostel so we can wait until the morning when the right person with the key was to arrive. There’s a bit more to that story but to shorten things up we ended up in apartment number 20, the apartment we requested by the next day.

It’s 6 stories up, we’re on the top floor in the biggest unit in the building. We were told that it was only a one bedroom but to our surprise it’s a two bedroom, great size kitchen with a bar counter, and huge balcony over looking the streets of Casco. We are extremely pleased and for $400 a month we feel that we pretty much have one of the best deals in all of Panama City. With that said, it’s not perfect but for our budget, we don’t think that we could afford anything better!

Since we’ve moved in it’s been non-stop settling in, getting the apartment a little more organized, working on the website, getting used to our new video camera, and of course, networking with our new Panama friends. So far we’ve got a really cool friend base.. Let the shout outs begin!

1. Blayne- Super Gourmet owner who is down to hang, party, shop, cook, whatever! He’s got an awesome pup named Vegas who we get to play with as well as an insanely large group of friends who he loves to introduce us to.

2. Kent- Our realtor friend who seems to be everywhere and know everyone. He’s loads of fun, very knowledgeable, and loves Panama!

3. Dave- Luna’s Castle Owner. He was our first boss here in Panama. He was over in Bocas del Toro when we were there promoting for his hostel/bar Mondo Taitu. Now he’s based in Casco a few blocks from us at his other hostel called Luna’s Castle. He is now the proud owner of the next hottest bar in Panama called Relic. He’s a super chill guy with an awesome outlook on life.

4. Ozzy- I befriended her a few months ago. She met my brother Adrian last year when he was traveling throughout Panama. She’s a Panamanian chick that gives me some laid back girl time but she can also party with the boys!

We’ve also met some people the last time and this week that we’ve been hanging out with a few times. Maybe they will make my next shout out list. People here are helpful, fun, extroverted, and have a great outlook on life. I’m excited for more networking as we progress in our Panama Lens business.

Things have been going well getting started and we are about ready to produce our first video. We start this week! : )

Wish us luck!

Love,

Mara

I guess we're In it for the long haul

2009-07-13T21:22:00.000-07:00

Coming home to see my whole family all at once was very special to me. It’s been over a year and a half since we had all been in one place/country. Adrian has been studying in London, at the London Business School since September, Evan had been in South Korea, teaching English since last April, and I have sort of been all over the place but to choose one I’d say Panama. My parents were thrilled to have a full house once again and enjoy the company of the kids. We were happy to be home with them as well as some good home cookin’.

It was incredibly special to get dressed up and all go to Victor and Gloria’s wedding on June 27th. We had an awesome time hanging out with Adrian’s old friends from college that we’ve known for about 6 years now. Lots of drinking, dancing, and laughing occurred, as expected and we left the hotel we stayed in the next morning feeling exhausted from partying.

Adrian and Andrea didn’t get to stay much longer after the wedding because they had to return back to England and get back to reality. It was a short and sweet visit with lots of fun playing tennis, soccer, basketball, eating, dancing, and partying.

After they left I packed my bags (what else is new? lol) and headed up north to visit some friends in NYC as well as my cousin Jenny who recently moved there. Justin met me there and we had a wonderful time hanging out, walking around, buying equipment for our business, as well as tons of eating! : ) I had pizza every single day I was in NYC. I swear since I’ve been back in the States it’s been a non stop eating fest! From NYC I hopped on the bus to CT and Justin picked me up for the 4th of July weekend with his family. Where he’s from in Connecticut is absolutely stunning and in the early summer time, when it’s not too hot out, the breeze is perfect, the towns are charming, and the people are super friendly. Not to mention that his family was very warm and welcoming to me giving me such a great impression of where he grew up and how he was raised. After a few days of being up there with them I found myself not wanting to leave. The only driving force for me to get my butt out of there was the fact that my parents who love me very much would be devastated if I spent more time with his family than mine. Hehe, but I did love my time up there. Returning home was nice. I find myself being a homebody when I’m actually here (which really isn’t much these days). I like hanging out in my room, going through old pictures from my past, and dancing around my bedroom like I’m a teenager again. It’s weird how much I revert back to being 16 when I’m home again. That’s how I know I need to find my own way and place in this world away from where I grew up.
Now I’m all packed up and ready to move into our apartment in Casco Viejo on Wednesday evening. To be honest I’m very excited to start this out. I’m 23 and ready to start this adventure they call the “Real World.” So far life has been beautiful for the most part and hopefully Justin and I can continue whatever lucky streak I’ve had thus far…

5 months of being 23…Yikes!

2009-06-23T00:08:00.001-07:00

Today is June 22nd, 2009 and I am sitting on the plane back to Maryland for three weeks to see my family and friends. Since I started this blog so much has happened. I’ve moved to Panama, fell in love, developed an idea for a business in a foreign country and with that person I love am turning that idea into a reality. It’s been almost 5 months since I’ve turned 23. I think this year might be one of the most amazing years of my life because of these risks that I have taken to try something different. I have been so fortunate to do this with the support of my family and friends.

It will be a full three weeks back in the States. Justin and I return to Panama July 15th with much optimism and excitement to start out our business venture. We have already purchased some of our equipment and are anxious to do our first project. Since being in Panama City we met with several realtors and owners of real estate companies that are interested in hiring us to do HD quality video tours for their properties. For those who are unaware, I worked in Maryland with my father at ReMax selling real estate and am a licensed realtor there. Though I did like the area and the job, I knew it wasn’t my passion. Going to school for 4 years in New York City, studying communications, journalism, the arts, and having two internships in the television industry, I wanted to incorporate my other skills into a job that I would enjoy. That is how I came up with the idea of starting up a video tour business, specializing in Panamanian real estate that features not only that individual property, but also gives a look into the surrounding area’s unique neighborhood and amenities. I’m not going to go into too much more but what Justin and I have put together as a business plan and have set up so far is extraordinary and something that we are so proud to create together.

When we return to the States we have some equipment to invest in (electrics are insanely expensive in Panama) as well as spend some quality time with friends and family. We know that when we return we plan to be workaholics with this project of ours as well as continue our studies in the Spanish language.

We found a place to live in Panama City for a really good deal. The area is called Casco Viejo and it’s the older part of town surrounded by the ocean. Some of the buildings are restored and beautiful while others are falling apart but it’s a different feel than the high rise monstrosities of what most other neighborhoods in Panama City entail. We love it. The community feel in this area is unlike anywhere else in Panama City with cafes, bars, restaurants, and parks. The cobblestone streets and city skyline views are remarkable. What Panama is doing day to day to attract tourism is amazing and we are so excited to be a part of the neighborhood of Casco Viejo.

Since we have found an apartment to live in when we return we feel a lot more settled in than we did almost three months ago when we first entered Panama together April 7th. We spent one month in Bocas del Toro, on the Caribbean coast near Costa Rica, almost two weeks in Boquete, the beautiful highlands of Panama, and about a month in total in Panama City. The beaches, mountains, and the city were all very beautiful and interesting in their own unique way. Though I did LOVE living in Bocas and hiking in the mountains of Boquete, the city provides the most opportunity to be successful in our business. I’m looking forward to our friends and family coming down to visit because that will give us an excuse to explore more of Panama as well as return to the beautiful towns of Bocas del Toro and Boquete. So now is the time to start figuring out your schedule and planning your next vacation down to visit us. Surely you know Justin and I will be more than excited to play tour guides to our friends and family! : )

My schedule for the next three weeks are June 23rd-29th in Maryland, June 30th-July 3rd in New York City, July 3rd-6th in Massachusetts with Justin visiting his family, July 7th-10th back to Maryland, July 11th-12th Pennsylvania to visit my cousins, July 12th-14th back in Maryland, and then July 15th-? Panama!

I really look forward to seeing everyone back in the States! : )

Love,

Mara

Sendero Los Quetzales

2009-06-18T12:23:00.001-07:00

Long story short, Boquete was wonderful…my brother met up with us the last weekend we were there. We stayed at a really interesting hostel called Pension Topas which is owned by a German couple. Being a few blocks from the park, it made it super convenient and incredibly cheap ($12 a night for a private room). Also, this hostel has a pool, which was an awesome way to cool off after our long mountain hikes.

Monday, the 8th of June Justin, Evan and I went on the Sendero Los Quetzales. We started the hike from a town called Cerro Punta. To get there we took the bus from Boquete to David, then, out of our own stupidity and lack of fully being conscious from getting up at 5am we ended up taking another bus that went to the Costa Rican boarder missing our stop by about 45 minutes. Evan, not having his passport or even a copy on him lead for a very scary feeling that we might not be going on our hike and possibly spend the day detained in some Costa Rican jail for stupid travelers….But, luckily, the bus that we hopped on to head back in the other direction was a local bus which I don’t think boarder control stops very often. The Tica bus (mostly foreigners) in front of us got stopped and we sped right through. It was a glorious feeling.

After three hours of being on the road, we made it to the start of the Quetzal Trail. The beginning was mostly uphill, being very steep. After about an hour and a half we stopped for our first snack (Justin and I packed a few apples, some granola bars, and some cereal while Evan was solely adamant about his meat and cheese). While stopped we saw the only other people of the day that did the trail starting on the Boquete side ending in Cerro Punta. They were on such a hiking high it almost scared me. They were giggling like little girls and all jumpy about the trail. They warned us about how some of the path got destroyed by the rains in November and that it’s quite difficult in parts and pretty dangerous. They didn’t scare me too much but I did get a little concerned, with reason.

For the most part the path was “mild” according to Justin. It was definitely pretty hard for me with my clumsiness and lack of sneakers with proper grip. I ate it a few times and found myself having mud in places there shouldn’t be. But, it was very fun falling, sliding, slipping and climbing. The best fall goes to Justin who flew off a hill bounced off a tree on his butt and jumped into the air almost flying off a huge cliff….it was amazing. I saw the whole thing thinking this was the end! I don’t think it fazed him too much but I saw the whole thing and it scared the bejesus out of me…. he laughed afterwards…I laughed nervously with him. Evan had a bunch of nice slides but never managed to get in a good spill. It was a great team, the three of us helped eachother out at all different parts of the trail. Actual hiking was about 8.5 hours but the day spent between the three of us was about 12 hours which was fun, thrilling, scary, and exciting. I’m a little disappointed we didn’t see any of the famous Quetzals but I think the day couldn’t have been any better. It was beautiful, we didn’t get any rain, and we had amazing company. Plus, I felt like a million bucks making it through that long hike alive.

A Breath of Fresh Air

2009-06-10T10:50:00.001-07:00

Spanish by the River, Homestay, Gardens, Mountains, Coffee, Los Amigos (almuerzo del dia), Hiking, Canadian Bakery Pastries, Gringofest, Pollo/Arroz/Frijoles, Batidos, Fresas….

Welcome to Boquete!

As I explained the last time I was here in Boquete, Panama, there is something about being here that gets me all weirdly happy and giddy inside. People always ask that question, “Mountains or Beaches?” Without a doubt beaches I answer but coming here my second time I don’t know. I love them both and having them both to come to in such a short amount of time and being easily accessible from Panama City ($12.50 by bus) makes it such a cheap easy get away from the hustle and heat of the city.

One thing I really wanted to do while here on this leg of the trip was a homestay while taking Spanish language in Boquete. My brother Adrian did it last year while spending the summer in Panama and Costa Rica and LOVED it. I went through Spanish by the River, the sister school of Spanish by the Sea in Bocas del Toro. Being only $15 a night including breakfast, dinner and laundry, the deal was a little too difficult to pass up for Justin as well. Plus, since he had to take a break from taking actual classes it made him practice what we’ve learned thus far a lot more than a hostel situation would. The homestay wasn’t as ideal as I wanted it to be. With that said, the older couple were very nice and warm to both Justin and I. They were in their early 70’s in age and have been housing travelers for a little while now. Their family is all grown and it’s only them two in a good size house for Panamanian standards. Also, the house was literally right across the street from Spanish by the River. We stayed at the homestay for a few nights really enjoying our downtime chatting with the couple about mostly food, family, and pets. The food was typical Panamanian (meat of either chicken or beef, rice and beans, and some sort of vegetable). There wasn’t a whole lot of variety or change within the dinners but for the most part we were very satisfied and appreciative. Melba and David are the names of our host couple. It was really nice to see them giggle with eachother and flirt that late in life. The love that they share for eachother was really cute and reassuring that there is hope out there! : ) Lastly, they just got a 4 month old puppy named Manchita. She was super cute and Justin was very much her best friend everytime he went out to play with her (she got so excited she peed on him a little a few times haha).

Other than the homestay, I continued with my classes this week at Spanish by the River. As much as I’m against the private lessons (I hate all the attention on me!) there aren’t many people in the school on my level to make a class so I had to give in and take the private lessons. I got through it with frustrations along the way but feeling like I learned a lot and am way more comfortable with some of the things I was unsure about before. Melina, my teacher all week is very nice and incredibly smart. For being 28 years old she speaks 6 languages and has a masters degree in communications with a focus on languages. When I meet people like her it really makes me feel like I’ve done NOTHING with my life. haha, but I had a great time learning with her and chatting about our lives in Spanish.

Everyday Justin and I try to make the most of the day and the beauty around us. On Wednesday, the weather was gorgeous so we decided to do a hike called the Bajo Mono loop. It’s a 20 kilometer hike with a ton of uphill inclines. The sun was strong and I think my neck and shoulders got the best burn I’ve ever gotten (obviously not something to be proud of). We’ve done a bunch of other walks as well and even a run thrown in there (absolute torture going uphill). Boquete is such a great place to rejuvenate the body. My Spanish language classes stimulate my mind, the natural beauty and mountains stimulate my body, and Justin being here with me makes it all really fun to share that with.

As for the coffee mention, I’ve become pretty much obsessed with the coffee here. You can get a cup for 40 cents in the stores here that literally tastes like the best coffee I’ve ever had…and I’ve had expensive coffee.

Los Amigos Almuerzo del Dia is the restaurant Los Amigos daily lunch special of $2.89. That comes with an awesome soup and a big plate of chicken, rice, beans, plantains, and veggies. Yum Yum!

I’m going to continue the Boquete experience on the next post….

TO BE CONTINUED…

Variedad

2009-05-25T13:04:00.001-07:00

One thing I really like about Panama is its uniqueness. It's such a small country with variety of all sorts. There is a variety in people, land, wealth, fashion, food, etc. In the city you can see the variety everywhere you go. For example, the huge high rise penthouses literally next to a slummy neighborhood existing today. It's a wonder when those poorer hoods are going to be bought up by some rich companies to build the next tallest skyscraper in Latin America. Or with the look of the people....you would never really say to someone, oh, you look Panamanian because that look could be White, Black, Moreno, Chinese, anything really. Or wealth here in Panama....Justin and I are staying in Paitilla, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in all of Panama and we literally walk around and feel like the poor folk getting passed by Porsches, Jags, and for the most part Range Rovers that speed by in Punta Pacifica. Fashion, ah, this is a fun one....Justin and I like to notice the women here, mostly the common women, not really the wealthy ones like to wear clothes that look like that have to literally squeeze their enormous butt and waist into pants about 4 times too small. I don't know, obviously aesthetically it looks ridiculous but comfort wise??? OMG, I'd die. I think the term camel toe might possibly have been invented here....lol, ok, I am being incredibly harsh. Some women, especially walking around Paitilla and Multiplaza mall have amazing taste in fashion and style but I really think they probably fly on their private jet to Italy and New York every few months for shopping trips. Yea, it's like that! LOL

Another thing we noticed, now that we are in Panama City of course is the variety in food. We've been having a field day here cooking so we haven't been out too much checking out the restaurants but there is definitely an International flair here and it's fun to check out all the options we have at our fingertips. One thing I appreciate is the amount of Japanese places they have. Sushi Express and Sushi Itto are all around town. Though this is a chain, being able to escape to a place that has wasabi and curry flavors is amazing. We even splurged at a nice Japanese Sushi Restaurant for Justin's 24th Birthday called Matsuei. Other than that there are a lot of options to always keep it interesting here.

This past weekend was full of social networking and party events. It's like our social calendar went from empty to way too much to do in one night to be able to handle. I'd say we tired ourselves out Friday and Saturday nights leaving our Sunday pretty tired/hungover. It's a small world down here in Panama especially with expat events and parties. They all seem to know eachother here and really like to drink. Saturday night at the Super Gourmet in Casco Viejo there was a party and it was pretty tame until one of the guys, a friend of the owner brought out two bottles of Jose Cuervo and was feeding shots to everyone from an 80 year old Scottish woman to some Panamanian Cougar women. They were freak dancing in the corner and having what seemed to be a very fun drunken dance party. As surprised as you may be, I did not partake in either the tequila shots or the dancing....I know, I know, this isn't the Mara you might think you know but I really don't think that getting that drunk in a foreign country in an area with some iffy streets still is a really good idea. I'm not saying I didn't rock out later in the night but then was not the time nor the place. Anyway, enough explanation, I turned into my super bitch mode/motherly character and told the guy to STOP with the tequila shots, and that what he was doing was irresponsible because those women were obviously blacked out and over served. He apologized and took care of it. I saw them later get into a car with a DD and it was a happy ending as far as I know.

Anyway, from there we had an awesome night meeting up with Dave, Dan, Meredith, and Jacob at Luna's Castle. Luna's Castle Hostel is opening up most likely next weekend a bar downstairs in what looks like to be a Cavern Pub. It's really nice with a huge bar and dark lit lighting. We hung out there for a bit and then rocked out later on Calle Uraguay in a few clubs. Lots of dancing, drinking and laughter.

As I said, Sunday we were pretty spent so we didn't get all too much done but are currently working on a Business card (Justin and I realize how essential that is when you are out meeting people...DUH! LOL), as well as setting up more meetings with some realtors and future business prospects. Things are going really well so that's positive news. Time is getting down to the wire and of course we are nervous about getting things started but we have a lot of faith and our enthusiasm and excitement are being recognized by everyone that we meet. That positive reinforcement is helping out immensely. We have classes here in Panama City until Thursday of this week then plan to head to Boquete for two weeks. We are going to live the mountain life after having a month at the beaches in Bocas and two and a half weeks here in the City. I hope all is well back home! Besos a todos!

Amor, Mara

Skyscraping

2009-05-13T22:49:00.001-07:00

It's weird how quickly a lifestyle can change. At this moment I'm dancing around a gorgeous luxury two bedroom apartment on the 12th floor overlooking Bahia Panama in Panama City. Just three days ago Justin and I were in Bocas del Toro completely content with our lives day to day in our tiny apartment on Calle Sexto y Avenida D. We were right by the airport, a 3 minutes walk to the main street, a 20 minute walk to the beach, a 7 minute walk to Spanish by the Sea Language School, and a 5 minute walk to Mondo Taitu (our part time promoting job for a hostel bar). Being in Bocas for a month was like living in Paradise. One thing I do know though is that it's hard to be really successful in a place like that where water, internet and phones work "sometimes." Inconsistency is what people living and working there deal with often. I'm sort of a patient person but near the end of our month stay I was really looking forward to coming back into civilization. We met some amazing people that I am able to call my friends there and will surely be back but I don't think that is a place to set up shop to become successful in the business ventures that Justin and I are looking to get into.
We've put on our thinking caps here in Panama City and I can tell already Justin and I have transitioned into "GO MODE." We now have secure fast speed internet and are getting a lot more done with our business idea in the real estate service industry. We are able to focus and do research toward our idea in an air conditioned apartment with a wonderful kitchen to cook in and a beautiful terrace overlooking the ocean to escape to for some inspiration. Staying in my parents condo is nice not only because we don't have to pay rent at the moment but also it's a good feeling to stay here and fix all the little problems that the condo has contracted after only two months of being occupied by tenants. Helping them out with these little things I think gives them a better feeling like the work that needs to be done will be done right and with me to give an honest opinion of the process for them to breath easier being so far away.
Today we checked out a language school that we are going to attend for two weeks. We took a taxi to Spanish Panama, located near the Einstein Head off Via Argentina (they don't have addresses here so that's why a landmark is always necessary in Panama). The school is in a brand new building in a really cool part of the city. We are pumped to take classes together again. It’s such a fun way to learn where we can poke fun at each other and make learning a lot more entertaining. Thankfully with Justin’s inquiry skills we achieved an amazing deal for semi-private classes of just him and I. So we’re going to do two weeks of intensive Spanish together here in the city.

After that we plan on heading to Boquete for a few weeks and possibly connecting with my brother Evan and his girlfriend Tiffany to go on some hikes in the mountains in between our continued Spanish study.

Sorry for the lack of creativity in the blog. It’s not that I’m uninspired, I’m just tired. This is more of a boring diary entry of the past few days. Anyway, it’s an acknowledgement in a way of the excitement that I’ve had all day for the next two weeks here in the city to not only stay in this nice apartment, but also to study Spanish and work on Justin and my business plan. We will be busy busy! : )

Justifying Leaving

2009-05-11T10:13:00.001-07:00

It’s the little things that I will miss the most about Bocas del Toro and our island life. But there are a few things that I won’t miss that I can laugh about when remembering our day to day life on Isle Colon….Numero Uno, “Weed, weed, weed, Coke!” Ok, this definitely needs an explanation. I did not smoke weed or do coke while here but there is one dude on the main street that rides around on his bike bombarding tourists or gringos saying loudly in his island accent “weed, weed, weed, coke.” Justin and I would laugh every time actually quite annoyed at how many repeat offers we would get from the same guy. I mean really if we don’t want it the first time we probably don’t want it the hundredth time. He never got the picture. We never bought weed or coke.

The lack of stable water in our apartment was another thing that I won’t miss terribly. We lived on the bottom floor of a new complex of four apartments being built. Near the end of our months stay in the apartment the water situation turned from being on about 70% of the time in the beginning to being off about 70% of the time. We got used to having a nice little island stench all the time…. But not being able to clean the dishes after a big meal or flush the toilets kind of created a nasty little bug problem…

Ok, and for the sake of not bitching in too long of a rampant, I’ll just list a few of the other things that I will not miss too much about island life

3. Taxi cabs who seem to be on a mission to run people over on the streets

4. The rock gang of little kids by the airport who like to throw rocks at people walking by

5. The stench of sewer smell that permeates the air after a rainstorm

6. The scary little girl that worked at the Chino near our school (She freaked Justin out every time lol)

7. And last but not least the constant refusal of boat tours every single day. We’ve already been on one and don’t need to go again!

Other than these little things, I’d say Bocas del Toro is going to be a place I’m going to miss incredibly. I have to bitch just because near the end it’s these little things that made it bearable to leave our paradise. It really was a fabulous month. We had beauty at our fingertips, a wonderful little home (even if it wasn’t perfect), a part time job for an awesome place with awesome people, a language school that turned into our second home, and each other to laugh with, cook together, and experience the culture of Bocas with.

1. Mondo Taitu sign

2.Me, Justin, and Dave (Mondo Owner)

3. Me and Ronan (my Spanish Classmate at our BBQ)

4. Reike and her friend at Mondo

We just arrived in Panama City after a long night bus ride. I’m currently sitting at the pub table at my parents condo in Paitilla. Air Conditioning, nice sheets, a nice kitchen, two bathrooms, a balcony, etc….Basically we’re getting a taste of luxury for a few days. It should be nice.

After a day of recovery it’s back to the grind. I’ll be continuing my language study as well as working on a business idea that Justin and I have been conjuring up. Things are great! I’m happy, we’re happy : ) I hope all is beautiful at home…Love, Mara

A Few Little Memories

2009-05-01T12:10:00.001-07:00

This blog post is to mostly just put up a few pictures that I stole from Justin and Elisa when I didn’t have a camera…

Spanish by the Sea BBQ

Our first week here in Bocas del Toro we had an awesome BBQ, gorging ourselves on delicious grilled meats and salads. There are about 20 or so students at ours school from all over the world.

Adrian, one of the teachers at Spanish by the Sea on grill duty. Bacon wrapped sausage, burgers, kabobs, hot dogs, baked potatoes…

Basically a heart attack waiting to happen!

Koos, Elisa, Me, and Justin…3 hrs a day for 5 days

Chili Cook Off at Wari Wari

Wizard Beach Trip/Bastimentos/Old Bank Town

Earth Day Beach Clean Up help by the Smithsonian Institute

Great turn out early Sunday morning (8am) for the local beach clean up. Tons of trash and recycling we picked up. It was a really good time sweating for the beauty of the land as well as the beach that is in walking distance to town.

The people we’ve met and the little things we’ve been doing each day to keep busy have been really special. Helping out the community for the beach clean up was something Justin and I really enjoyed doing and actually wish there were more organized activities in town to get involved in. If we planned on staying longer we’d definitely consider organizing something but we’re in talks of leaving in a little over a week. I’m already getting a little sad thinking about it because it’s amazing to think of all that we’ve done here so far in such a short amount of time. It’s off to new places, people, and adventures! Who knows, we may end up staying or coming back to Bocas…it’s really a pleasant little town to settle for a bit.

Island Hopping and Funny Money

2009-04-27T12:48:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure what my reasoning for not writing very often is. I guess I could try to make up some excuse like I am super busy saving the world but that isn't exactly the case. It's not the other way around either though, which I'm sure my parents are pretty happy to know. On this small island there are many temptations to go out every night with beautiful beach island bars having really cheap specials. With that said, Justin and I have only been out twice in the two and a half weeks we've been here in Bocas del Toro. We’ve taken our Spanish class very seriously and have realized that we work really well together in a school setting. Also, since money is VERY tight, paying for language school is not something taken lightly and showing up to class with our brains not fully functioning is not in the cards.

Two weeks went by quickly and we really loved our experience at Spanish by the Sea. The set up is great, the teachers are really cool, and we feel very welcome there all the time just hanging out with everyone and getting to know the other students and teachers at the BBQ’s and such.

This week I’ve decided to cut back on a bit of my class time and take one hour a day of private lessons. In the past two weeks we covered SO MUCH material that I feel like some self study and one on one practice will be more beneficial to me than continue with a group setting where you can’t spend as much time needed on certain subjects that don’t come as quickly to you. I start today with my teacher Adrian. He’s very energetic, fun, and very good at getting you into learning. He’s from Costa Rica and doesn’t miss a chance to mention anything about the Costa Rican culture……Pura Vida! : ) Anyhow, I’m excited to try private classes because I think the dynamics of learning the language will be a lot more intense. Justin is taking off of classes this week to catch up on the grammar and vocabulary. He’s doing self study with all the material we received.

After two weeks of living on a very tight budget, not going out to eat ever or going on any of the boat tours of the islands, we’ve (meaning me ) have become a little frustrated since Bocas is most famous for their restaurants and beautiful islands. Justin knows the owners of Mondo Taitu here on the island because they are the same owners of Luna’s Castle in Panama City, where he stayed for 3 weeks a few months ago. They are three very cool guys from the San Francisco area. We’ve taken on a part time job there promoting their bar a few days a week. It’s fun and only a few hours a day four days a week. It’s a very chill place so I find it nice where I don’t have to grill anyone about coming to the party. Pretty much a lot of people end up there anyhow since it’s one the the most well known bars on the island. We use this money to buy food and sometimes use it for our fun money to go out and do things like the boat tour we just did this past Saturday.

We had such a great time going out all day island hopping spotting Dolphins in Dolphin Bay, playing around on Red Frog Beach, as well as Snorkeling around the reefs on Isle Solarte with beautiful Coral and some stinging jelly fish. We had two characters on our boat joining us as well. Jesse and Jason, who are wild Canadian guys traveling around together added some hilarious entertainment.

So far promoting is going well, school is going well, and Bocas is still the life. I guess I’m still not much in the blogging mood because I have so much to catch up on but I thought I’d just put a little something up. Maybe I’ll feel inspired sometime soon. I have to go study. Sorry to cut it short. I miss everyone! : )

Bluff in the Buff

2009-04-20T05:46:00.000-07:00

We're really starting to settle here in Bocas. The town is small. There are only a few main streets that are known by the gringos that hold the "higher end" restaurants and coffee shops. We live about three blocks away from the main street which basically means we live in no mans land for the gringo community. Our set up is awesome with our apartment being one in a cluster of four apartments in the back of a very well respected woman and her family's house. The woman and her sister are very helpful and someone from their family is always up in the front of the house to say buenas and wish us well on our day or welcome us home each night. I feel safe here, I feel happy, and for the first time I feel like I'm really living in a different world, getting to know how people live in less developed countries.

Alright, I said I was going to talk about adventures this blog. We've had some really cool ones so far. I think Playa Bluff, a beach six miles from town was so far the best adventure. Justin and I, last Thursday after class decided to rent bikes from our school and take the dirt/sand/pot hole paved road to the beach from town. People were slightly surprised when we said we were planning on biking there because of the conditions and the distance but at that point we were ready for a bit of a challenge. A challenge it was but worth it in the long run. Justin has this really strong desire to find an amazing sunset. I think us living on the MV Explorer for three months and seeing incredible sunsets over the big blue gave us both this obsession with light/colors/natural beauty. Well, Playa Bluff is on the East side of Bocas and a sunset over the water wasn't exactly what we got. Alright, I'm jumping around here...let me get back to where I was at. Bike ride! Ok, so it felt amazing to hop on a bike and get behind a moving vehicle after so much walking we've been doing day to day. I loved speeding down the road covering so much more ground than my measly little legs could ever do. It's an exhilarating experience sharing the road with the taxi diablos that zip through town like their getting chased by the cops. About a mile and a half into the bike ride was the first bit of terrain. Moist beach sand isn't the easiest to trek through but with the ocean next to us and palm trees swaying, the sweat drenching down our faces didn't so much matter to us. The rest of the 4 or so miles were quite hilly with some stretches of smooth paved parts but for the most part we were winding through sometimes foot deep of potholes filled with mud while dodging large trash trucks almost swiping us by everytime they sped on by. It was mostly beautiful scenery til we encountered, after climbing a pretty steep hill a huge plot of land that was filled with burning trash. It was absolutely disgusting. During the day I was freaked out driving my bike through, but the way home was a scene from a scary nightmare.

We made it to Bluff, after about an hour or so...we stopped a few times to take some pictures obviously. It was a really fun ride and difficult at times, (exactly what we needed). We searched for a spot on the beach.....which is easy to do when you are the only couple on a famous and gorgeous beach. After the long ride we were so excited to go into the water. Well, after getting about knee deep I realized if I was ready for the end, ready to meet my maker, I would have dove in all the way but something in my brain told me I've got maybe a little more time in my life before I do something stupid like that and get myself killed in paradise in Panama. I guess Justin didn't have that same feeling. I watched him for a good 5 minutes fight the ginormous waves that continuously wanted to sweep him in one by one. The way the undertow was too, I can't believe he stayed in as long as he did. Now, I don't worry that much but honestly, I've never been a lifeguard, I'm not the best swimmer, and know that if I had to go in there and save him, there was NO ONE around to witness or help. I was freaked. Thank god he had enough sense to come in when he did because he looked extremely exhausted after that bit, almost like he was just wrestling a bull.

We didn't go into the water again that day. Well, maybe for a second to wipe off the sand but it was definitely a relaxation period for the next few hours under palm trees while we waited for the "picturesque sunset." We had a great time chatting, napping, and practicing our Spanish while the sunny day turned into a beautiful dusk. The light was tender and sweet for a good while and quickly went from a shadow under the trees into bitch black blindness. I'm not sure if I just couldn't adjust my eyes after squinting all day from the sun or if it really was just THAT dark but I started getting the ibby jeebies being out there, just the two of us, on a beach, having to trek back home through a snake and spider invested jungle path. I don't know if I showed my terror to Justin as much as I was scared but I was REALLY freaked out. Luckily with me, I have this ability to talk to myself and literally get myself out of terror by just thinking everything is going to be ok. That took me a good five minutes but once that was up I really embraced the darkness. There was a quiet peacefulness that shot through my bones and the terror turned to serenity. We stopped our bikes, looked into the sky and the stars turned to spotlights illuminating the holes in the road saving us from toppling over on our bikes. The ride back was full of giggles everytime another chunk of mud would fly up into my hair or onto my white shorts.

Once we hit the firey trash dump I felt like I was in the scene of a movie set from a horror flick. I could smell the dump approaching and see the smokey air haze in front of us as we rode the hill to the path along the dump. With perfect timing as we approached the land fill a guy walking along the road appeared out of the darkness. It was almost like he was cued....I'm surprised I didn't scream and crash my bike into the sharp rusty metal fence that lined the narrow bumpy road in between the fill. Justin and I just had to stop and take in the scene for a few minutes once we neared the end of the path. There was broken old toddler furniture mixed in the road looking VERY creepy in the scene. Another great cue by the director of God or whoever was the ginormous sized cockroaches finding their way to my feet as I parked the bike. It was really cool if you can take something like that. : ) Maybe I'm crazy but I thought it was really fun. It's also really sad to see that the people of Bocas are not into protecting their environment by burning such horrible amounts of trash right along the beautiful water where many locals and tourists swim.

We made it back with incredible exhaustion. It was definitely a long day but one to remember in the Bocas adventure stories. Everyday we've done some sort of new thing while still trying to maintain a lot of our day to studying our Espanol. In my next blog maybe I'll just talk about some of the other cool stuff we've done with a little less detail. It's been some pretty busy times here in Bocas and I think I can speak for the both of us when I say that living by the beach is really different and such a cool experience to try out.

Clase de Espanol

2009-04-16T10:20:00.000-07:00

We're into a few days now of our language classes. In our beginner class we have Justin, Me, this girl Elisa from Newport, Rhode Island and this guy Koos from The Netherlands. It's a really unique school being half a block from the beach and all outdoor classrooms. We sit in our classroom named the Solarte, have a fan blowing full blast onto us while we go through our ejercicios y vocabulario. It's quite a nice tropical set up. Our main professor is named Melina. She's from Canada but her Spanish is fluent and look is very Costa Rican (She rocks some sweet dread locks and is tatted up quite nicely). She is also in charge of running the school and organizing the activities. Unfortunately, Justin and I are on a pretty strict budget and most of those activities are a bit out of our daily spending. Monday (Butterfly Gardens), Tuesday (Scuba diving Certification Course $225), Wednesday (Panamanian cooking class $10), Thursday (Salsa dance lessons $5), Friday (BBQ-Free drinks but bring your own food), Saturday (All day Catamaran Tour $33), and Sunday (Local beach clean up). Of all seven activities I think we're going to only do the BBQ on Friday since we can bring our own food as well as the beach clean up on Sunday because that is the beach we've been to most and actually were talking about how we should organize a clean up.
Even though we're not going to do much of the organized activities we're filling our day each day with so much to do. Spanish all morning, internet, lunch, some sort of outdoor activity, buy food for dinner, cook and hang, study and homework, then either reading or a movie before bed. It's so weird how you can be on a Carribbean Island where most people get lost in doing nothing or drinking beer all day and feel like you wish you had more time in the day. Each day is LONG, yes, but I have to say I enjoy it so much and LOVE waking up in the morning. Also knowing I have SO MUCH to learn is something that gives me anxiety. I wish that this damn vocabulary was just ingrained in my brain and I just need a little sprucing up but that definitely isn't the case. I have so much to learn and I think Justin and I know this is going to be a process. We're helping eachother out and luckily we haven't gotten on eachother's nerves yet for anything. I think we are on the same page with making the most of our time here in Panama as well as with taking courses.
With that said, I know it won't be impossible and once we leave Bocas after a month it will be good for us to move to a smaller town that is less touristy. I am thinking a homestay is going to be necessary after this. Ideas Ideas Ideas, we shall see. I'll keep this update short and sweet. Next blog I will explain more about our adventures and lifestyle. We're off this afternoon to the Botanical Gardens with the couple we hung out with in Panama City. Ciao for now....Mara

Bocas del Toro...Sun, Spanish, and a little bit of Fun

2009-04-11T16:02:00.000-07:00

April 7th I took off for what will be a 2 and a half month Panama Spanish learning adventure. Flying to Panama is almost as easy or possibly even easier than my short bus trips from DC to NYC. The flight leaves quite early in the morning (one could even say the middle of the night) and gets into Panama City late morning leaving you with pretty much a full day to explore. The whole traveling process is quite a blur because with two hours of sleep the night before, a quick trip to the airport, and a sleeping pill, it almost feels like I dreamed that I escaped the nasty weather of Maryland and landed into paradise. Oh wait, I did. It's honestly such a short trip and goes smooth most of the time (last time my parents bags didn't make it but that didn't spoil things). My bags made it, I found a nice brand new SUV cab ride to a hostel I found in Casco Viejo, picked up Justin and my bus tickets to Bocas del Toro for the following day, and met up with Frank and Joyce (a really nice couple that live in Panama part time) to hang out for the rest of the day until Justin's flight came in later that evening. I spent a couple hours in their house watching "The Other Bolyn Girl" while munching on almonds, and some fancy cheese and crackers. Hospitality is just amazing with the people I've met here it's unbelievable.
I only had to wait an hour or so before Justin showed up and it was a happy reunion after not seeing him for two weeks. He left me the last time in my kidney infection state (103 fever and convulsing shakes was quite the change in appearance to this time around). It was sort of late when he came in so we went to bed early so we could walk around Casco Viejo and enjoy the morning. I won't go into too many details but Casco Viejo is definitely a spot in Panama City you should stay in. It was my first time and I only stayed one night but I fell in love with the beautiful French architecture and small cafes. The old buildings are getting reconstructed and it's becoming a very sought after real estate market for obvious reasons of the views of the city skyline and smaller town feel than the rest of Panama City.
We had to check out of our hostel around noon and our night bus to Bocas didn't leave until 9:30PM. Frank and Joyce left the door open for us at their house and invited us to hang out at their place and relax a bit before we had to leave. It was a very nice day of relaxing in a beautiful air conditioned home before a long trip ahead of us to the Caribbean coast. They drove us to the bus station and we had a nice dinner before we departed ways.
Once we got to the Bus Terminal it was absolute chaos. I've NEVER seen so many people in line to catch a bus in my life. I can't even tell you how long that line was. Just a ton of people standing around waiting and waiting. I'm not sure where they were going or if they were waiting to purchase a ticket. I suppose they are headed to the interior or some place for Semana Santa. After a bit of asking around, using the Spanish directions I remember from Rosetta Stone and my one week of training in Boquete we made it to the right line in the right place. Blah Blah Blah and we got to Bocas del Toro.
With no places really taking reservations it was really lucky of us to take the night bus and get into the main Bocas town super early. Justin and I got the last private room at the Hostel Mondu Taitu and the two girls that were on our trip got the last two beds in the dorm room. It's a packed town! We've kind of decided we love the Caribbean. Who wouldn't right? lol....We checked out our school and with the price and the quality of what it looks like, we've decided we're going to stay more than the two weeks planned. I saw an ad in the local newspaper for apartments to rent per month starting at $300. We found a place close to our school for $400 a month. It's a one bedroom with a good size kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and little living room. The location of the apartment is on Calle 6 and Avenida D. Basically we are two blocks away from the main street and about a 3 minutes walk from our school. It's not right on the water but it has everything we need, and for the price we each are paying $6.60 a night to live in paradise. Who says you can't be happy on the cheap? Luckily Justin is an amazing cook and with creativity we can eat well for pretty much pennies. A walk to the closest beach is about a mile away. I'm thinking about renting or buying a used bike so that we can take rides around the island and check out some other awesome beaches. There are a ton. Snorkeling is great! The water is clear! We're possibly thinking about taking a scuba course certification here since it's about $200 for a couple times out and certification. That is something I will think about after a few weeks of studying and see how my money situation is. Anyway, there's tons to do here without spending the money so until I get really bored of wandering around the beauty and studying Spanish all day I'll consider that more.
Lastly, I want to mention that we do not have internet at our apartment, which is a big let down but at the same time there are a ton of places all over town close by that have free wireless or if you buy a drink they let you use it for free so I'm sure it won't be too too much of a problem with checking e-mails and such. Our school has internet as well so that is good news. Ok, I'm going to wrap this up since it's almost dinner time and we have to grocery shop and still buy a bunch for our apartment. It's really been amazing so far how things have worked out and how great Justin and I get along. I love getting to use my Spanish around town and really look forward to classes at our school Spanish by the Sea.
I miss you all so much but honestly life can't really get much better at the moment. I hope all is well and look forward to hearing from you. And do know, you are welcome at our apartment here in Bocas! We are here until May 10th so if you can make a trip down to Panama you have a place in paradise welcoming you! Mwah....

~Mara

Tricked ya! Kidney infection put a little damper on the mood

2009-03-22T23:28:00.000-07:00

It’s March 23, 2009 right now, 2 in the morning, and if I didn’t contract a quick kidney infection this past week, I’d be leaving for my flight to Panama in less than two hours. It’s interesting the little things life throws at you quickly. I’ve had some things recently, since I’ve been home been thrown my way which kind of steer some of my Panama plans in other directions.
To start off in my explanation of that, the reason I am not leaving today for Panama is that after going to the doctor late Thursday afternoon with a very high temperature, severe shaking (almost seizure like), and intense side/back pain, I found out that I have a kidney infection. I was not thrilled with this news but maintained composure to the best I could. The Doc said that I wouldn’t be able to travel for at least ten days because the antibiotics that he prescribed weren’t one hundred percent going to cure it and if I’m still sick after a week or so I would have to be admitted to the hospital for some good ol’ IV drugs. Yippie! Well, Thank god today, Sunday night/Monday morning I finally feel like my head is back on straight, I’m not in pain, and I’m getting back to normal.
I called Copa Air yesterday to tell them that I wouldn’t be able to make the flight and asked when the next available ticket would be, just out of curiosity and the woman said not until April 7th! I was so surprised that they are booked so much! I was hoping for April 2nd or so but no, I had no choice and went ahead with that. So now my itinerary to stay in Panama is from April 7th until June 22nd. It’s going to be amazing to come back in June because both my brothers will be home! As my mom put it tonight, It’s going to be Christmas in June! : ) I thought that was cute. But it is very true. I think family being together is the most special thing you can have and it has been way too long that we have all been together in person. Our skype holiday conferences are pretty awesome though, I do admit. So anyway, I am pretty happy about that.
Another great thing that happened over break is that a very close friend of mine, in a similar situation is going to come with me and take on the Spanish language. He has been looking for jobs for a few months and with the job market here in the states it’s not a bad time to take a few months, travel, learn another language, and see what opportunities are out there abroad. I’m on cloud nine at this point. I know he’s a great traveler and smart so we’re going to have a great time exploring and learning together.
Well, I just wanted to give a quick update. I hope everyone is enjoying a bit of spring. I didn’t think I was going to get to but now I am so yay, a little bit of allergies before I hit the tropics. I will most definitely give updates along the way. Ciao from the girl on the road to recovery! : ) Mara

Home Hiatus

2009-02-26T21:28:00.000-08:00

Being back in the states for a week has definitely given me a really good understanding of what my friendships and family relationships mean in my life. After furnishing the condo completely just in the nick of time to catch our flight out last Thursday night, I realized how much I missed and longed to see my friends. While away this past month I kept in contact through skype and facebook to some friends and family and realized how important communication is to keeping up with friendships and relationships. Some people call it work, and it is, because you must be cognizant of it but I couldn’t help missing some people and wanting to chat with the people I love from afar. I’m not really sure where I am going with this but basically I am just acknowledging how great it is to realize how special someone is in your life. It’s a warm feeling and something that I actually love to have while traveling.

I think my one month in Panama was efficient timewise in getting what I wanted to accomplish done. Not only the tasks of furnishing the condo, language school, meeting people, etc, but mostly it was the feeling that I got from it. From traveling the country, meeting the people, getting the vibes that I did from being there, I felt confident that this is right.

When I go back on March 23^rd, I plan to live in Panama City as of right now. I was offered to live with my friend’s cousin in Coco del Mar in Panama City. I think I am going to take that offer if it still stands when I hear back from him and live in a really nice two bedroom apartment overlooking the water near where my good friend Jaime lives and a bunch of his friends. If that doesn’t work out I have a few other ideas of places to live but as of right now I like the idea of living with someone who my friend knows well.

Being back in the States, I feel like time is surreal because I’m living this month as a wanderer traveling around from state to state visiting friends and family. I’ve just returned from one week visiting friends in NYC and CT. It was an absolutely amazing trip and I’m pretty much on cloud nine at the moment. : ) I’m in such a good place in my life right now, even though I don’t really know the direction it’s going. I think that sort of excitement; the excitement of the unknown is the most amazing part of it.

I have a Boston Semester at Sea Reunion coming up March 12-16^th. This is going to be the one big shebang party that I have before I buckle down in Panama. Other than that, it’s enjoying my last few weeks of winter and family and friends. I most likely won’t be writing many blogs in the next month so this is my sign off. To the end of Winter, I salute you! Ciao for now…Mara.

Rainbows, Horses, and Hotsprings

2009-02-13T12:10:00.000-08:00

Wouldn't ya know, it stopped raining, the sun came out, and life couldn't be any better. Boquete has turned into this place of magical beauty. My days here have been somewhat perfect. For example, I wake at 7am, have my coffee and oatmeal in my beautiful grand dining room while checking my e-mail on my notebook pc, go to 4 hours of Spanish class at Habla Ya language school literally a two minute walk from my hostel, have a lunch of fresh fruit for $2, go for a hike through the mountains, see rainbows, discover gardens, horseback ride, or swim in natural volcanic hotsprings. Of course there is homework but it's for the purpose of talking to the locals so I'm all for it. It's a little strange here and I think I am entranced in the beauty of it all but I really feel so content with this place. Everyone has this energy that is so positive and peaceful here. It's almost like living in heaven. Ok, I'm sounding really nutso and thankfully I'm peacing out back to Panama City tomorrow but I am really grateful I got to spend a full week in this place. It's unlike anywhere I've ever been. I'm definitely understanding the language a lot better as well, which was the purpose of coming here and taking language school.
I'm excited about tonight because I get to meet the family where my brother Adrian had a homestay last summer for 2 weeks while he was here. It's pretty funny because my class, which consists of me, my mother, and this guy Micheal are all going to be there. Micheal, who errie enough reminds me of Adrian is staying at that host family's house. The director at Habla Ya said that the parents of that family called their office and said that Micheal reminds them SO MUCH of Adrian. So tonight at 6:30 we're all having dinner at their house. After that it's out to one of the only nightlife places Boquete has to offer with some of the people from Habla Ya. If anyone knows me well they know that I love to go out, party, and dance, but weirdly enough here I've been so content with avoiding all that. I guess tonight I'll go for it but I would be really alright with just hanging out if that were the case.
This coming week is going to be anything but relaxing. My mom and I have a huge job to do in 5 days. We have to furnish the condo in Paitilla to get ready to rent out, meet with some realtors about future property investments, and I have about 3 interviews lined up for me to meet with potential job opportunities. I'm excited yet know it's going to be a little overwhelming coming from this place of tranquility.
My mom and I return to DC very late Thursday night. I'm coming back to Panama on March 23rd and with a tourist visa can only stay 3 months at a time. I've got a few places to live lined up but nothing permenant. I'll update all those boring details later. Everything is good and we've been having an amazing time here. I miss everyone and am interested to know what is going on in the States and with everyone else. Ciao for Now....Mara

More Rain, change of Scenery

2009-02-08T19:25:00.000-08:00

You know that question people sometimes ask you, "the beaches or the mountains?" Well, I can definitely tell ya I'd answer the beaches. But, I do have to say I love the beauty of the mountains as well as the hiking and nature opportunities that surround me here in Boquete. My mom and I arrived safe and sound and actually quite comfortably being chauffeured by a very sweet British woman who was staying at the Cocomo hotel in Bocas with us. We took her offer to drive us from Almirante to Boquete (obviously) and put our lives in her hands....I'm here to tell about it so that means no mudslides or having her car fall down the mountain from the rains. It was a little scary at times with the roads caved in at some places but with the combination of closing my eyes and listening to Keane on my ipod I was pretty ok.
Our hotel is more of a hostel in Boquete but a beautiful one for sure. The name of it is called Hostol Refugio del Rio and it's literally right next to the river. My mom and I have our own bedroom with two beds and our own bathroom. The room is large and pretty simple but quaint with wood floors, high ceilings and lots of closets to put our stuff in. All in all I'm pretty happy with this place. The drive, once we got through the scary parts was absolutely mindblowingly beautiful and I have to say it was a sight to see. The mountains of Panama look so exotic and different than the rest of the country. It's incredible how small Panama is yet has so many different climates. It really is chilly here and pretty rainy. It seems we can't get rid of that damn damp feeling of being wet all the time since Bocas. All our clothes are cold and wet and it doesn't help that our hotel doesn't have heat or anything. Oh well, I'm not prissy and it's just so beautiful that complaining about luxuries almost feels like a sin sometimes.
There are a lot of Americans here. Mostly old retirees and that's a little weird personally. I don't know, I guess I like a mix of people that blend a little better but walking around the streets here it's just so obvious who people are. There's either or.....either you have white hair and are an American or you are a very short native that looks very Indian. With that said, it's probably one of the nicest towns I've ever been in in my life with every single person stopping to say hello to you on the street. Today my mom and I took about a 5 hour hike with two stops for coffee. We went about 12 miles through the mountains and along the river. We got rained on, hmmmmm........most the way and it was pretty cold. But, even though we were cold and wet, we really enjoyed ourselves. I think being cooped up for so long in Bocas and not having any exercise got to us so we set out and took advantage nature's gym. The hike was absolutely beautiful at times and felt so good to by climbing and hiking through magnificent mountains and gardens with views of the river and rainbows. Almost didn't feel real so it was pretty awesome. Needless to say, I'm pretty exhausted from today and ready for bed with some stiff legs.
My mom and I start our language school tomorrow morning at 8am for 4 hours! Yikes, ok, well, I definitely could write a lot more but it's really not all that interesting and just more of me saying I love Panama blah blah blah...haha, anyway, I'll spare ya. I hope everyone is keeping warm at home! Miss you and love you! Mwah

Sloshing on Through

2009-02-06T07:35:00.000-08:00

I say, if it's raining, go puddle jumping! Here in Bocas del Toro, it's been raining most the time torrential down pours. It's kind of ridiculous how one second it's a patch of blue skies and the next it's raining so hard you can't see much in front of you. Pretty much everyone here that is visiting, which is most the town is pretty bummed about this because with these conditions it makes it pretty difficult to take the water taxis to island hop. Red frog beach, starfish island, snorkeling, and some other tourist attractions that are famous in Bocas del Toro are pretty much impossible at the moment and have been apparently all week. BUT, for me, eh, I am really enjoying this hippy town as well as this charming little hotel right on the water. I wake up every morning about 7am to my room shaking due to the crashing of the waves against it. It's interesting the kind of vivid dreams I've been having during the night (all involve a tsunami wave in some way or another, lol). I get up, walk out my room, have an amazing breakfast that is provided free at the hotel (fresh watermelon, pinapple, bananas, as well as a choice of eggs, pancakes, french toast, cereal, yogurt, etc.). I enjoy these lazy mornings on the water. It's not a bad lifestyle, really, it isn't! hehe.....
Anyway, it's Friday and my mom and I have been here since Wednesday enduring the rain and all. It's really bearable yet a little dissappointing because I was looking forward to a little bit more sun before I head to Boquete tomorrow....(weather provided?). Apparently a bunch of roads are washed out in the Chiriqui province which is where we have to pass through to get to Boquete. During breakfast this morning two women that actually live in Boquete drove here to Bocas yesterday and said that it is drivable and actually offered my mom and I a ride tomorrow in their car so we shall see if we make it.
I've had a great time bumming around this town, jumping in puddles, buying some hippy bracelets, and eating some amazingly fresh fish on the water. All in all it's pretty great. I've met some cool people in the bars as well. Last night we went bar hopping to La Iguana, Mondo Taitu, and a few others. I met some New York chefs, some dudes from Minnieapolis, some girls from Austrailia and Europe, and a cool couple from Canada. I'm guessing, looking out on the porch today might be a repeat of yesterday which means try to do everything you can around this town, go in every shop, walk as far as you can, and see as many interesting shacks that you can. Then, after that all gets incredibly repeatative......Start the drinkin. lol, honestly, being muddy, torrential rain, live music you can hear in the streets, and being a little tipsy makes for one FUN evening! : )
So hopefully we can make it to Boquete tomorrow so I can have more interesting things to talk about! haha, but for now, i'm chillin. We have no tv or newspapers here so it's a little weird how I know nothing about what is going on at home. I guess in my absense the world goes on right? Well, I'm off to jump in some puddles....Ciao : )

Maravilloso

2009-02-03T15:42:00.000-08:00

We left Panama City February 2nd...I don't think there are any groundhogs in Panama but summer is definitely here! I'm at the beach now and will be for the next week. Playa Blanca right now on the Pacific Coast and come Wednesday my father leaves back for DC and my mom and I continue our adventures to Bocas Del Toro on the Carribbean coast, then Boquete in the mountains for some language school, white water rafting, and possibly some horse back riding.
I love Panama City, and I'm such a city girl at heart but I think I have some spiritual calling for the beach. The beaches here on the Pacific are unbelievably gorgeous and actually a very close drive to Panama City. While hanging with our Panamanian developer friend John Moses the other day we toured through Coronado beach. Apparently there are a ton of Americans, Canadians, and Europeans that live in that part and there is a TON of opportunities for starting your own business. That's what I've seen as well in these beach towns that are already populated yet, don't have the simple ammentities that people want and need for spending relaxing times at their getaway comfortably. Right now ideas are running through my brain like wildfire and I have come up with one that I am particularly excited about doing and trying out. In the next week weeks here I am going to investigate some more of course, but with me, if I get excited about something and think I have the means to accomplish it, I'll make it happen. It's not my style to just kind of not follow through. With that said, I already have a name for my business thanks to my wonderful mother. Of course I would like my name to be in it and in espanol the word Maravilloso means wonderful/magnificant. Couldn't be better eh? : ) I can't explain how happy I've been here...It's like, whatever rut I was in for the past few months/years has somehow diminished and I've turned into this positive person, the one I remember I used to be.
Sooo, I'm going to take a risk with this I think...I've only been in Panama a little over a week but I think it will be great! Their way of doing things down here is definitely slow paced but that's just the Latin mentality. I think I can use my type A mentality to achieve and get ahead business wise but I think the slower pace will calm me down and help me enjoy life, which is NOT hard to do here (Check out some of the pictures I've posted on facebook to see). Anyhow, internet here at Playa Blanca kind of sucks in the sense that you have to pay for it so I am TRYING to limit myself but I somehow keep wanting to connect with the world. I will try to make rounds to call people on skype if I can but you know, "IT'S PANAMA!" lol, as they all say when things take way longer than they should or don't work out. Ciao

Meeting and Greeting

2009-01-28T19:45:00.000-08:00

Life is such an adventure especially in Panama. Just walking the streets around town you get that big city feeling with a unique mix of poor, rich, nature, and concrete. I like the mix and I like the vibe. With the obvious construction EVERYWHERE it's a little dirty in places but you can definitely see how much this city is changing day to day. It is cosmopolitan in areas with high end shopping malls (multiplaza with Fendi, Cartier, and Carolina Herrerra stores) and a few blocks away you have some of the poorest shanty neighborhoods that probably won't last much longer due to the sought after land by the water where they are located. It's pretty cool and very interesting to speak to people who have lived here and experienced this change.

Today I got to see the condo, Pacific Sky unit 12D where my parents bought. It's so beautiful with amazing views of the Pacific Ocean and all the ships waiting to go through the canal. I'm pretty excited about this because I think I am going to be a big part in decorating this place and trick it out to my style and liking.

Last night I hung out with Jaime again, got to meet his wonderful girlfriend and a bunch of his close friends. They all seem incredibly nice and excited that I am here in their country to try out living and working. It seems as though they are all doing pretty awesome things for themselves and want only the best for their country. It's so nice to see the patriotism they have and the wishes they have for their country. I'm all for meeting other people my age who have the drive to do something politically, environmentally, and socially for the better. The continuation of optimism is such a nice feeling coming from Obama's inauguration to a place where I see so much potential and people willing to devote their lives to make a difference.

I haven't had much of an actual vacation feeling being here. From the moment I've got off the plane I've been meeting so many different people in the real estate business, property management, expats who are investors, and local Panamanian friends. It's pretty incredible. Ideas have been flying through my head like crazy on many things to do.

Right now I know that I want to be here and that is all I am sure about. I love the culture, the country, and even though the heat is intense at times, the weather is pretty incredible with an ocean breeze as a constant savior. I'm really looking forward to the weekend to have a little down time and possiby get out of the city and see a little rainforest and nature. Then, Monday, it's off to the beach! : )

Panama City Day One

2009-01-27T06:18:00.000-08:00

I've made it to Panama City! I didn't really sleep Sunday night. Excitement to leave, anticipation, and celebration was more of my concern before leaving for the airport Monday morning at 3:30AM. My 23rd Birthday was absolutely wonderful minus the whole being exhausted and tired part. Landing here in Panama City from Washington, DC was a drastic change but I'm surely not complaining about it.
We're staying in a nice apartment in Punta Paitilla. It's on the 20th floor and filled with bright colors and happy decor. My parents, who are with me decided it would be a good idea to rent out an apartment here for a week instead of doing the whole hotel/hostel thing to get a feel for what it is really like to live here. I can honestly say that I love this area of the city! It's very high end with the Multi Plaza mall near by and Punta Pacifica across the street (most expensive high end area of Panama City/Panama the country).
The man we are renting from, his name is David is an expat who is originally from Portland, Oregon, lived in San Diego for some time, and now, since 2005 has lived in Panama City. He probably speaks less Spanish than me and has no trouble living here. He loves the city, the sunshine, the people, and his amazing 4,000 sq. ft. apartment in Punta Pacifica (who wouldn't?). He spent much of the day with us yesterday after picking us up from the airport in his fancy BMW SUV. I think he might be a little lonely because he was all about hanging out with us. I don't blame him though, we're pretty awesome to hang out with, but I was SO TIRED after the flight and lack of sleep that once he finally peaced I took about a 3 hour nap in my own very chilly airconditioned bedroom. My parents, on the other hand stayed up, walked around, and met with our property manager that is taking care of the Pacific Sky condo across the street that they recently purchased. I was also lucky in the fact that I was the only one to receive my bags at the airport. My mom and dad's didn't make it on the plane and hopefully they will be arriving today sometime soon. Ok, I am rambling and don't know how to do this whole blog thing. I need to know how to pick and choose what to write because I probably could go on and on.
Ok, briefly, after I woke up feeling refreshed and rejuvanated my parents were back from their day looking a little worn. I rallied them up to at least do a nice dinner for my birthday and meet my friend Jaime who lives in the area. They did, thank god and we found a Sushi restaraunt a block away and had a fabulous dinner, drinks, and company! : ) My friend Jaime found his way and hung out with us for a bit. He's awesome and I am really looking forward to hanging out with him this week and in the future to come! Alright, I'm done for now. Sorry if you are bored lol.

Cheers

2009-01-23T11:26:00.000-08:00

I've got about 48 hours until I leave for my Panama journey. I'm taking three weeks to explore the country, study a little Spanish, and decide if this is the right move for right now. Of course, three weeks isn't a whole lot of time to decide whether or not you want to live in a foreign land but it is enough time for me to feel comfortable with my surroundings.
One thing I want to express is how amazing I feel about the people in my life. I am SO BLESSED to have people who care about what I'm doing and my pursuit of Happiness. Not many people are so fortunate to have loving parents, siblings who understand you, and friends that inspire you. I've got all three! I must have done something in my former life to have deserved this.
One of my goals while in Panama/in my next few years of life is to find a way to make those people proud. I want to make a difference in the world. There is a purpose to being born right? I've definitely had the chance to travel and see the world and know that there are SO SO SO many opportunities out there to make it happen. I think a lot of people aren't proactive about it because they get stuck in the comfort of everyday life and see value in objects that should really have no meaning. Memories can NEVER been taken away, nor can education. Money, yes, I do find it important but only for the purpose of obtaining more knowledge and experiences that I will cherish no matter what.
Even if I don't find my career path or whatever I'm searching for in the next few years I think I am making the right decision by taking myself out of my comfort zone. I want to see, I want to experience, and I want to meet more people that will impact my life and guide me to be where ever I am supposed to be/do whatever I am meant to do. With that said, I want to thank you if you have been a part of my life. Even if you have said hello, I'm sure it has added to the many pleasures I've had thus far.

Footprint

2009-01-17T16:41:00.000-08:00

I’m not sure if I’m feeling inspired by the change that is happening with our country or the change that is happening by my move but I’m becoming increasingly nostalgic and hopeful about life, future, and what’s in store for me. Recently I’ve been looking everywhere, talking to everyone, and listening to songs that can inspire me to make the most of who I am and what I have to offer as a person. I want to leave a footprint in this world somehow or another and this year is my year to search for the right shoe to make that footprint with. These two quotes I took from some close friends and in different ways they closely relate to my life. : ) Enjoy

1. “WOMEN WHO LIVE THE LIFE OF THEIR DREAMS DON'T GET THERE BY BEING DAINTY AND DARLING. THEY DEMAND WHAT THEY WANT AND DO WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. THAT COULD MEAN BREAKING A FEW RULES, A FEW HEARTS, AND A FEW HABITS ALONG THE WAY, ESPECIALLY THE HABIT OF APOLOGIZING FOR WHO YOU ARE.” ~ Laurie Sue Brockway

(I haven’t achieved and attained all that I have thus far by waiting for it to happen. I’m a go-getter, and with that, I make things happen for me. I’m not saying I backstab or cheat, but I’m certainly competitive, and that I don’t apologize for. Sometimes it may be harsh, but it has led me to amazing opportunities and experiences that I would never take back.)

2. “There are those who pass like ships in the night, who meet for a moment, then sail out of sight with never a backward glance of regret; folks we know briefly then quickly forget. Then there are friends who sail together, through quiet waters and stormy weather, helping each other though joy and through strife. And they are the kind who give meaning to life.”

(This quote is directed toward my semester at sea friends who know me so well it’s scary. We’ve traveled around the world together and have shared a whirlwind of emotions that no one else can understand. They’ve seen me at my best, at my worst, and seen me grow into the woman I am today).

Leaving the day I turn 23

2009-01-16T14:42:00.000-08:00

I did it on purpose, as cheesy as it sounds to make sure that I left for Panama on my 23rd birthday. January 26th, at 5 something AM I will start my journey and next chapter of my life. I've decided after finishing school in New York City that I need a change from the city and a change from normalcy. Not that anything I've done in my past has been normal, but since graduating and living at home in Maryland, I've had a taste of what the real world is and decided it's most likely not for me. I'm not knocking it for the people that have it, nor saying I won't want it in a few years, but right now I have no idea where I belong and that is what I'm off to discover.
Why Panama? Well, in all honesty it could be anywhere warm with an interesting culture but Panama has some of the comforts of being semi-close to home, (4 hour flight to DC), is relatively safe in most places, uses the American dollar, and has a surprisingly stable government for Latin America. I see potential there for a lot of reasons that I'm off to find out if I can be a part of what Panama has to offer in the future.
I'm not sure if I am going to be keeping up with this whole blogging thing like some of my other friends who have had AMAZING blogs but I definitely think I am going to try. At the moment I am home and just figuring out where I am going to stay and what my plans are so I have no stories to tell or even concrete facts to state. All I do know is that I am ready, I am ready for what's to come, the people I will encounter, and to head where the wind blows me.