Say what?

Panamanian Observation #2: It seems like the majority of the people here work at least two jobs.  I find this to be especially true in the academic world for teachers and professors for example.  The school system is broken up into morning and afternoon sessions in Panama.  The morning session lasts from 7-noon while the other half of students go to school from 12-5 in the afternoon.  Colleagues at UNACHI usually work at the university either in the a.m. or p.m. and are constantly on the run, either coming from or going to another school or occupation where they work for the other half of the day.  Although, from what I have heard from asking around, this is not the only reason for multiple jobs.  Apparently, many companies and institutions look to hire employees part-time in order to avoid having to pay full-time salaries that carry with them extensive insurance, health care benefits, etc. Therefore, the idea is that two part-time employees is better business than hiring one full-time employee.  Regardless of exactly why there are so few full-time workers, the moral of the story is that I have found Panama's citizens to be some of the hardest working people I've ever met.

So, my newest adventure is learning to play the piano.  It took about a month to just find a place with a piano (not the most popular instrument here), but I have finally found a great place at a local children's school for the arts called Escuela de Bellas Artes.  I am taking classes 2 times a week from a teacher who definitely knows his stuff.  Never would have thought I would be taking piano lessons in Spanish in this lifetime.  Add it to the list I guess.


This past weekend was really great; Libby, the other Fulbright ETA in Panama City, came here, giving me a chance to show her some of the stuff that makes Chiriqui the best provence in Panama.  Friday was our David exploration day (although all you really need is a David exploration hour).  We met up at 6 am at the bus station, giving us PLENTY of time for this small city.  It was a beautiful day though as we walked all around downtown, giving her a feel for the layout of the place, the humidity as well as the people. We took a pitstop in Momentos, a hip, relaxing coffee shop, which I plan to take advantage of more here in these last months.  Early in the afternoon, I took her over to see Casa Esperanza.  I got lucky when I took Lauren, Ellis and Allison as well as my parents to Casa Esperanza because all of the kids were there and they got to get a good feel for what goes on.  Unfortunately, (well, fortunate for the kids) the students finished their exams last week and so were on vacation starting that afternoon.  As a result, they were all headed to the soccer field as we approached.  Introductions were brief, but she was still able to meet some of the students and teachers as well as see inside the area.  We then went to UNACHI, since I now lead my drama club on Friday afternoons from 4:30-6 this semester.  WOW.  Hats off to my afternoon students and the work they have done on their skit for the "Get Together."  Libby and I were both blown away by the imagination of the act in addition to their English skills throughout.
Saturday, we made our way to Boquete, a mandatory spot when visiting Chiriqui. We ended up feasting at a French restaurant for lunch as we both got escargot for appetizers and duck and rabbit for our entrees. (Yeah, Boquete has a slight advantage when it comes to food compared to David.)  Another nice day, but this time with a much more fresh and mild climate in the highlands of Boquete.
Sunday was raining so we were forced to watch the first Sunday of this years NFL season...can't say I was too upset about the weather.  Well, I just want to thank Libby for making the trek out to this neck of the woods and hope to possibly meet up for the baseball world championships in the City.

I mentioned the "Get Together" and I figured I should give you all a brief idea of what that is all about.  (This attachment gives an in depth description and history of the event if you can read it..if not, I can email it to whoever is interested in learning more about it.)  The week of September 26th-30th is "English Week" at UNACHI.  Students from high schools all over Chiriqui come to campus to participate in English contests such as trivia, drama productions, singing, etc. throughout the week  (I've been asked to be a judge for all that which I'm really excited to do. Speaking of judging, I went to a local high school a couple of weeks ago and was one of 3 judges for a musical contest.  Great experience with wonderful performances!  Anyways, getting off track.) So then, on Thursday the 29th, all of the students in the English Department at UNACHI put on skits and dramas.  The students work for months in preparation for this event and it is probably the biggest day of the year at UNACHI.  I might be involved somehow, but can't let in on any secrets just yet.  I'll try to potentially upload some firsthand video of the festivities in my next post.
OK, tomalo con calma. Miss you all!