It’s almost time to return to Boquete. It’s been cold most of the time I’ve been in OKC, and now, just when I’m almost ready to board the plane, there’s supposed to be an ice and snow storm the day before. I’m leaving early on Sunday, December 9. I’m hoping the weather won’t delay my flight out of here, because it may cause a domino effect for the other legs of my trip. Fingers crossed it will be fine!
Because of the impending storm, the polymer clay guild postponed the Christmas party until the following Saturday instead of tomorrow, so I’ll miss seeing my friends. I’m sad about that, but I’ve culled out some of my clay stuff and will send it with one of the members to bring to the party.
For the past couple of weeks, I’ve spent some time working in the office at my old job. In October, they let the guy go that they replaced me with, and asked me to do some work remotely. That worked out well, so I figured I’d put in some hours while I was here in OKC. It was good to see the people at work, and the extra pay comes in handy, too!
Piles of boxes to be shipped to Boquete. Who knew I had so much stuff???
However, this entire week has been devoted to sorting things at the storage unit into things to take with me, things to throw out, things to donate, and things to give to friends. So much stuff!!! I must say, it’s freeing and cathartic to get rid of things I don’t need, and a reminder not to accumulate so much in the future.
I’m so looking forward to returning to Boquete, and to my new life and friends there!
I’m in Oklahoma City for Thanksgiving and a bit afterwards to visit with friends and pick up some of my clay tools and supplies.
To begin the trip, I put my car in the driveway and locked the security gate behind it, then took a taxi into town to catch the bus. On the way into town, I saw my first really intense Boquete rainbow – a good omen for the start of my trip.
Boquete rainbow – the picture doesn’t do it justice. The colors were intense!
Getting to OKC entails a one-hour bus trip to David, then a six and a half hour overnight bus trip to Panama City. From there, a half-hour Uber ride got me to the airport. My flight left at 9:30 a.m., and I had an almost two-hour layover in Houston, then on to OKC, arriving at 4:30 p.m.
Today my friend Linette helped me start to go through the items I have in storage, figuring out what to donate, what to toss, and what to bring back to Panama with me, either in my luggage or to be shipped. I’m hoping not to ship very much, because it’s not cheap! It will take a few days to go through it.
I’m also doing some part-time work for the company I was working for when I moved to Panama. I can work remotely from Panama, and I’m actually going into the office and working a bit while I’m here. It’s good to see the people I worked with, and they’re happy to have the help, so it’s working well for everyone. The extra money comes in handy, too!
So life is good, all the way around. I love living in Panama, but it’s also good to stay in contact with friends in OKC.
Last week, I went to Panama City to pick up my permanent resident visa. That’s one more item checked off the list! There are still a couple more steps to accomplish in the coming months, but this was a major one.
While in Panama City, I did something I hadn’t done when I was there in August – I rode on the Metro. This is a modern, efficient subway system that will experience a major expansion in the first part of next year. Then, you can go from the bus terminal on the west side of town to the international airport on the east side. The fare is really inexpensive – I rode about half the distance of the existing line, and the fare was only 35 cents. Now, to take a taxi from the bus station to the airport would be about $40!
I’m getting ready to get on the express bus tonight and fly to OKC tomorrow, for about three weeks. Stay tuned…..
November 3 is one of several national holidays in Panama, many of which occur in November. Today’s holiday is a celebration of Panama’s separation from Columbia 115 years ago. On November 28, they celebrate Panama’s independence from Spain.
Today there was a big parade downtown, with students from most, if not all, of the schools in the area marching with their drum corps and baton twirlers, all of them sharply dressed in their uniforms. I love the percussion guys at the start of the video below – they’ve certainly got swagger!
One of the many drum corps at the parade
Adorable little baton twirlers
There were also children and ladies dressed in their fabulous traditional dresses, called polleras. Some are also wearing elaborate beaded headdresses to complete the ensemble.
Children dressed in their colorful traditional outfits
Residents lined the streets all along the parade route, and we were fortunate to find a spot on a restaurant’s balcony that had a great view of the proceedings. The parade had already started when we arrived at 10 a.m., and it went on until about 1 p.m. That’s a LOT of bands and parade participants!
View of the crowd along a section of the parade route
There was one character that was unlike anything else in the parade, and was a mystery to me as to what they represented. They wore a mask that looked like an old Chinese man, but were dressed in a colorful costume with small mirrors worked into the design of the skirt. As they danced around, they looked sort of like a jester and would be quite at home at Carnival, but this character obviously had some significance in today’s celebration.
On Friday, my friend Chris invited me to join the Chicas for their monthly luncheon. This is a group of single women in Boquete who get together on a regular basis to socialize and support one another. There were about 30 ladies at this luncheon, and this month’s meeting was held at the Seasons restaurant at the Lucero Golf & Country Club, which is about a 20 minute drive from Boquete, up near the top of a mountain. The views are spectacular, and lunch was great, too!
View across from the restaurant, with the rain moving in
The infinity pool overlooking the lush landscape
Flowers and palm trees at the entrance to the restaurant
Not being a naturally gregarious and hugely social person, I’m making a conscious effort to get involved in a few social groups, so I can meet new people and feel more at home in my new surroundings. I’m making some new friends, and there’s a warm and inviting vibe in Boquete, which makes it easy to feel like “home” here.
