Hablas?

The sole reason I picked Pamama to travel to was so that we could study Spanish abroad. It has always been a goal of mine.

Ideally I wanted us to stay with a host family so we were really immersed in the language and culture. That didn't really work because the hubby needed a space to work and he did feel that he would be totally comfortable working in someone's house. I could understand that. So we went with an apartment.  Our apartment is super nice and comfy (minus the whole break-in  thing). It's in the center of old Panama, cafés and restaurants. We can walk to a grocery store and catch a cab for about 5 dollars to anywhere downtown.

We started class the day after we arrived.  8-12pm. They weren't joking when they said intensive.  My coffee hadn't really set in before I was listening to my instructor speak only in Spanish. "Come se dice" and "Que.?" where probably my most spoken phrases by me that first week.

Pretty much instantly I was reminded of high school. I hated school. I hated waking up in the morning, I hated sitting in class. I hated it all. And now, now I'm paying to go to school?  I kept reminding myself that this will be an awesome experience!

And it was. Even though I may of wined every morning, it was awesome.  The teachers we so kind and patient. The subjects were interesting and we even had a teacher with a good sense of humor.  After he got comfortable with us he began teaching us bad words. A true sign of a good teacher.

I can say the hubby and I do pretty well rapping in Spanish to the locals. It's hard starting a conversation off the cuff, but  that is what google translate is for :). If anyone is thinking about studying Spanish abroad I recommend doing so. Not sure I would recommend Panama though. But that is another post entirely!  

Board games in espanol

Homemade cheat sheet on the wall

The workbook

Lil R&R

This time were legit! I mean, after the karma we received for sneaking in last time.....I wasn't willing to risk that again.

So this time we did the right thing. We convinced Rob's sister that she needed to stay the night at the HardRock when her hubby came in to town.  They got some privacy from our crazy family and we got to use the pool! Win win!!

It felt a lot better not worrying about getting kicked out. But who would throw out a nice family with a small child. I mean really!!!

Karma?

What a trip! From my last post you can clearly see that we are loving Panama. Days are hot and nights are cool! This week was turning out to be just as great as our first one!

We snuck into the Hard Rock Hotel and used their pool.  That's right, we are rebels.  Our teacher told us that his friend did it for a week straight.  He pretended to be a guest and used the pool everyday.  SO I thought why not.  The days were burning hot and nothing sounded better than dipping into a pool for the afternoon.  So we pulled up, and walked in like we belonged there.  However, it didn't go as smoothly as it did for our "friend".  We laid out our towels and slathered sun screen all over our bodies. I thought it would be great if we ordered a round of drinks.  "What room?" He asked.  In my broken Spanish I said that we would just pay cash.  "Perfecto".  Sweet we thought as we jumped into the pool.  Except now a woman came over who appeared to be the manager.  "What room are you staying in".  At this time, I had to think on my feet.  "Oh we aren't staying here, but my Father is and he told us to come and enjoy the pool while he is at work.  He didn't tell us his room number.  Is there a problem?"

Needless to say it all worked out in our favor.  We enjoyed the pool and the many drinks that followed.

However, Karma is a bitch.....

The weekend arrived and we jammed it full of fun stuff.  Saturday was a tour of Panama.  I thought it would be fun to take the Hop On, Hop Off bus around the city.  For those who haven't done this or are afraid of looking like silly tourist, don't be.  It's super fun and a great way to see all the sites.  These plans were scratched as we ran into a taxi driver who insisted he give us the same tour and at lower rate.  And the bonus, we could pick all the destinations and the lenght of time we wanted to stay at each.  This turned out to be great. Although I think Max felt gypped.  We saw the Panama Canal, Anton, Old Panama City and the Amador Causeway.  It was a great day!

Sunday we booked a tour to Monkey Island.  This took us on a full day boat trip.  We saw a Crocodile and tons of cute little monkeys that we were able to feed.  Max got to feed a monkey. How cool is that.  So after a day of playing on a boat, eating lunch on a house boat and relaxing in a hammock we returned home.

As we walked up to the front door of our building I noticed some scratch marks that I hadn't noticed before.  I showed everyone but no one seemed to think they were new scratches.  We joked as we walked up the stairs as if we could ever be robbed. And that is when I saw it.  Our door broken and opened.

So yeah, we were robbed.  Laptop taken.  My Sisters in Laws camera, earings and purse also stolen.  

Well shit! It can't always be roses right????

I am determined to not let this ruin my time here.  Althought it did take me a few days to come around and to have that icky feeling leave me.  It's been about ten days now and I feel ok about it all.  Shit happenes and with the good comes some bad.  In the end we are all safe and all that was taken can be replaced.

We have continued to have adventures, and lots of laughs.

I will fill you in on all that soon.

And sorry about the choppy post. It's hard doing this with on an iPhone!

-xoxox

mama

At the Hardrock...shhhhhh

The Causeway

Sad face :(

Look Ma, no car seat! Ugh!!!!

Policia

Todos Bueno!

We have officially been here for a week.  What have we done?  It seems like soooo sooo much.  We arrived on Monday early in the morning.  We got situated quickly and went exploring around noon.  All the smart and savvy people stayed indoors. They knew what we didn't.  That you should stay in during 11-4 if you don't want to melt.  We braved the heat.  Only for an hour.  We walked a huge boardwalk called the Cinta Costera, meaning coastal beltway.   In the evening it is littered with exercise junkies, families and dog walkers.  There are play grounds for Max to play and explore, and pockets of people doing boot camp, yoga and dance.  It is pretty packed but it is nice to get out  and walk and stretch our legs.

Monday thru Friday we are in class from 8-12. (forgive me if I am repeating myself, as I have forgotten what I have previously written).  Waking up at 6:30am isn't a joy, but it is worth it.  Although I remind myself of that every morning.  Class is intense and all in Spanish.  Our class consists of about 4 people. One from New York, one from Thailand and one from France.  Class is pretty overwhelming at times.  I now dream in Spanish and have constant phrases floating in my head.  Rob and I try to speak it at home too.  It is pretty entertaining.  I also try to speak to people that live here like taxi drivers, and waiters.  I was surprised at how little English is spoken here since I thought I read that most spoke it.  Better for us that they don't though.

We are staying in Casco Viejo.  The old town and haven't spent too much time in the concrete jungle.  I believe I heard that it houses about 350 different banks and many hotels like the Waldorf Astoria and the Hard Rock.  We might go take a look see, but I feel like we have done enough big cities to get a good idea of what it entails.  We have gone to the mall here.  It is called the Multi-Plaza and it is huge.  It caters to high end clientele with stores like Chanel and Jimmy Choo.  It also has a Forever 21.  We have gone there in the heat of the day so Max can run around.  It also has a Chucky Cheese.  We will be hitting that up as well. How could we not.

Last weekend we went to two beaches.  Tobago, which is an Island not far from the city.  We had to wait two hours for a ferry and that was no fun, and in the end not really worth it.  The next day we rented a car and drove an hour away to a beach in San Carlos.  This was much better, however we got lost coming home.   We made it almost home when my GPS dropped off.  Thankfully at a gas station was an English speaking man.  We had him translate to a taxi driver who just happened to be there to let us follow him back to the car rental place.  Thank god for him, as I was getting close to panicking.

So that is all so far.  We are trying new restaurants every day at lunch and I am cooking dinners at home.  We are drinking lots of Mojitos and crashing by 10:00.  A pretty fulfilling trip thus far!

Disclaimer-lots of pictures ahead…..

San Carlos

San Carlos

On Cinta Costera

Tabogo

Mojitos

Ferry

Had to get my Seahawks fill-Super Bowl baby!!!

SLOTHS

on a train at the mall, keeping cool

at the mall :)

school workbook

Headed back to the city

Casco Viejo

Setting out on a month long trip is not easy.  Not that I am complaining because I am so grateful we are able, but yet, it had its stressors.  One, finding a place to live for a month.  A place that was central, safe and kid friendly.  After weeks of looking we decided on staying in Casco Viejo.  The old quarters or old town.  This town is very much like where we live now in Pioneer Square in that the buildings are by law required to keep it's originally structure and appearance.  This keeps the town historic and rustic.    What I wasn't prepared for was the contrast between restored and abandoned.  For example, our school.   It is nestled in a building that in the states would for sure be condemned.  There are no real windows, or doors.  It is as if the building was bombed many years ago, yet locals decided to still make use of what was left of it.  And this appears to be the standard for many buildings in Casco Viego. 

Walking the streets you will see a gorgeous building, restored to all its glory with fresh paint and plaster, but next door will be a building that has half of it missing.  And the crazy part is, you can see people living in there.  The locals we have meet tell us squatters live there until they are told to leave.  They aren't breaking any laws or causing any trouble so they are left alone. One time on our walk we walked by a building that looked as if it was to crumble to the ground at any moment yet when we looked inside you could see a flat screen TV and a huge boom box.  A juxtaposition at its finest.

nice and restored

a peek inside

Mickey seems pissed

Agregar leyenda

Panama-three days in

First let me say that I am writing this from my cell phone. Not the most optimal, but in a pinch it works. We are day three into our adventure and it is going fantastic. I will save more of the details for when I am at an actual computer.

We had our first day of school today. It was harder than I remember. Some came back and some, not so mucho. I took Spanish in High School many moons ago. Thank god some stuck.  Right now we are just learning our basics. I am not gonna lie, I am sort of not liking being put on the spot to answers questions, but I guess that is why it works.  

It's super hot and humid so our days look like this. 

Class from 8-12.

Come home and get Nicole and Max and walk to get lunch and try not to melt.

After lunch come home for Siesta. (and stay out of the heat) and I would like some one to explain Siestas to Max.

Then around 4:00, we venture out for more exploring.

More to come later…..  But so far we are having a terrific time!

My hot lil monster

Our view while drinking Mojitos

ceviche is everywhere, a common staple.

From our deck

Potty Time!

I know that I am not the only parent who has uttered these horrific words, however it still pains me to say that yesterday I had to clean poop out of the bath tub.  Max, as cute as he is, is refusing to poop in the potty.  He hasn't really made peace with the fact that poop now belongs there instead of his diaper.  I get it.  It's scary.  It's different.  And apparently much harder to do than pooping under the dining room table fully clothed (as he prefers).  The hubby seems to think it is a privacy issue, since he remembers it being an issue for him when he was little.  I think he is too young for such privacy.  I foresee entering the bathroom with poop smeared all over the floor.

However, the bath appears to be a private and warm spot for him to poop.  I got the alarming yell last night....Mama, poop poops, ahhhhh, mama, poop!!

Shit I yelled and ran to the bathroom.  Sure as shit, there it was.  Gross.  Thankfully it isn't my least favorite bodily issue.  I much more hate vomit!

So we chatted.  I told him that bath is not the place to poop, and that he must let mama know next time.

So tonight we were able to catch it before it happened, almost literally.  He started to yell, I booked it to the bathroom, scooped him up and placed him on the potty!

Success.  He did it. I did have to hold him down a little though.

And he was awarded handsomely with half a mini Reece's peanut butter cup.  And don't judge the small, punitive amount.  If you saw how this kid acted with candy, you would give it out in quarters too.

Baby steps right?

Thankfully I can report that potty training is going pretty well, minus the pooping.  He keeps his pull up diaper dry during the day and most nights.  I am a proud mama.  Just a few more hurdles.

However, now when he see the bath tub, he says poop poo in the bath, and laughs. Ugh.