Los Desfiles en Novembre

November is holiday month in Panama. There are even more holidays in Boquete. Since every holiday means a day off – and sometimes includes the day before and the day after – not much gets done in November.

Every school is practicing for the desfiles (parades). This is really just drum practice. For the last several weeks drum practice has started before 9 AM and goes almost all day. For several weeks before the 9 AM practice, it began about noon and lasted until 6-7 PM. Now they also practice marching in the streets. Last week we saw them practicing after 8 PM. It is a big deal for these kids and their families.

At the school where I used to teach, our drum line was phenomenal. They practiced several hours after school. I often think how I would love to bring a few of them here to teach a few kids here some of the flashy things they can do. I really enjoyed watching them. I think the drummers here may be more traditional and focused on that rather than flash.

Women and girls will dress in traditional polleras. The dresses are works of art that take many months to make. The headdress is made of pearls and made in several pieces that are connected when worn. Many of the fabric markets cater to the making of polleras.

Today I was told that the best thing to do during all these ‘celebrations’ is to stay away. There is no way this new-comer is staying away from the excitement and pageantry. But, we will walk to town and leave the driving to people coming from other areas. I hope that I don’t become jaded and want to avoid these local celebrations after a few years.

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Bloggers Evening in Boquete

The Panama Adventure

We had a great evening of bloggers and readers in Boquete last night! Our friend Holly invited us to her house, and her husband Scott prepared a fabulous meal. Cindy and her husband came, and so did Jerry and his wife who are visiting from the US. Of course there are pictures!

Our friends Jerry and Jennifer rode up to Boquete with us from David. Since we drove right by the waterfall on the way up, we had to stop for a moment.

Then, it was onward to Boquete. Our friends had reservations at the Boquete Garden Inn, so we went there first to drop off luggage and get them checked in. This place is a few minutes out of town, but it’s really beautiful. There are flowers everywhere and the rooms are just lovely. I was very impressed.

The hotel is also fairly close to Holly and Scott’s…

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Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Seven years ago, in October, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was more than just a shock. No one in my family had ever had it. I’ve done my genealogy back many generations and have lots of ’cause of death’ information. There was a death by Indians in colonial Massachusetts, a death by dysentery at Andersonville Prison, and many deaths due to old, old age – but never breast cancer.

I took advantage of the Mammovan that visited the school where I was teaching. Because it was convenient, I made an appointment. I had always been told that my chances of getting breast cancer were slim because of lifestyle and family background. When I got a call to come for a re-check, I was more annoyed than concerned because the required hospital was about 35 miles away. It was my first biopsy. Hurt like hell but I still wasn’t concerned.

Then I got the call that everyone dreads. Stage 0. Lumpectomy and radiation. Why me? But as it turned out, it was a minor inconvenience and if you’re going to get cancer, Stage 0 is very good news. After that I got mammograms every six months for the next 2 years.

Many women avoid mammograms because they aren’t pleasant. Neither are a lot of things we go through but they serve an important purpose. For me, it was finding cancer so early that it was only Stage 0.

So I went for my exams faithfully just waiting for the 2 year period to be over. That was October, five years ago. It was my last exam I was excited to finally be able to return to “back to normal”. But I got the call to come back for another biopsy. A recurrence. This time it was only Stage 1.

Five years ago I made the decision a lot of women are now making. Surgery. Cancer was not going to beat me.

October is an important month for me. I was diagnosed twice in October. This October marks that I am FIVE YEARS clean. I am truly “back to normal”.

This is not a sob, woe-is-me story. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Ladies, please get checked. Do it for you and do it for your family. A simple mammogram saved my life.

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The Dog, happily ever after.

About two and a half weeks ago a stray dog got locked in our landlady’s garage. When she finally was noticed and freed, she became the compound dog. Her name became Dobbie (like the elf in Harry Potter) and she is Katie’s sidekick.

She’s been fed and gotten more love in this short time than she has received in her whole life. One thing about a street dog – once you give them attention and safety, they are the most loyal animals ever.

Dobbie has filled out, her fur is soft and shiny and, more importantly, she plays. She loves to run after her rawhide when Katie throws it. She runs in circles around the houses in the compound. She likes to be held. So the Dobbie story has a very happy ending.

And what a difference in her appearance and demeanor. The picture on the left was the day she was found. The one on the right is happy Dobbie chewing her toy. This weekend she will get spayed and all her shots.

For people moving to Panama, I would never suggest that you not bring your pets with you. But when you get here, if you have room, get one of the many Panamanian dogs or cats needing homes. Rescue animals will love you like no other.

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First Vacation of Retirement

We’ve been in Panama for 4 months and haven’t gone anywhere. We have always traveled frequently. In fact, we had to renew our last passports six years early because we ran out of pages. Now we have the expanded model with lots of pages. For the last year or so we’ve only gone back and forth between Florida and Panama. Except for our border hop to Paso Canoas we’ve only been in Panama. It was time for a real trip.

In all of our travels, we have barely touched Latin America and none of South America. We chose a quick trip to Guatemala after reading another blogger’s report about Antigua.

Antigua is OLD by New World standards. It was built in the 16th and 17th centuries and then destroyed by an earthquake. The town is beautiful. I was really surprised when we arrived to cobblestone roads and Moroccan type architecture. There are beautiful hotels and great restaurants. They also have a large marketplace. This is a tourist destination and it shows. There are people selling stuff everywhere.

We took some day trips. About an hour away is the Santa Teresita Spa. The facility is beautiful. It has pools of hot water (from the nearby volcano) and really cold water. Then we got massages. I opted to also get a coffee and chocolate scrub which was fantastic. By the time we had lunch and drove home, it took almost all day.

We also took a tourist bus, instead of the chicken bus, to Panajachel, a town on a large lake. The drive was not for the faint of heart. Two and a half hours of sheer terror knowing we faced exactly the same on the return trip. But we made it safely. We tried to get a boat to one of the smaller towns on the lake but we were unsuccessful. Because it is slow season, it seems that boat owners increase prices for a short ride from $3-4 to $40. That would be per person, one way. We declined and stayed in town to shop. But we found the same business philosophy in the markets too. Prices for tourist blankets, purses, shirts etc. were much higher than in Antigua. We saved our shopping for Antigua.

While we were gone, our attorney informed us that our Pensionado, permanent residency papers, were ready. Since we had to fly through Panama City to return home, we stayed an extra day in Panama City and got that done too.

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The Dog

Last night when we got home from dinner, we heard a dog howling from, Ruth(our landlady’s), garage. Although she has a dog at her house in California, she does not allow dogs here in the compound. Dogs can visit but not live here. We thought she was dog-sitting, but that seemed out of character for her. David looked in the garage window and dropped in some food but the howling continued most of the night.

This morning it continued. Beginning about 6 AM, it sounded like the poor dog was suffering. David slid the screen and put in more food and lowered a pan of water. Finally, at about 8:30, he made an excuse to bang on Ruth’s door. “Would you like us to walk your dog?” She said, “What dog?” Ruth was kept awake all night by the dog, so much so that she moved to the living room couch to get some sleep. (Remember, we sleep with the windows open here since it’s so cool at night.) She even got up early to search the neighborhood for the howling dog but never could find the source of the sound. She went clear around the block with no success.

Once we connected the dots we alternatively laughed and felt sorry for the trapped dog.

This is what we think happened. On Thursday, 2 days ago, she had some furniture delivered. Since some of it was still wet (furniture is often individually made by craftsmen), she asked them to put it in the second garage that she rarely uses. A small dog apparently came into the garage and went under her car. In the evening, Ruth shut the door. The dog stayed in the garage quietly Thursday night and all day on Friday. By Friday night, the dog was hungry and thirsty. It wasn’t until this morning that the little guy got a real meal and lots of water.

This dog may be one of the many homeless pets in Panama. It is very skittish of us even when tempted by dog cookies and deli meat. Ruth has named the dog Rosie, it is a female, but I doubt she has long term plans to keep it. Once night fell and everyone went inside, Rosie explored the area. But right now she refuses to get too far from the garage. Ruth left it open about a foot so she can get in and out.

Having a “compound” dog is probably not a bad idea. She is not a barker like so many dogs in Panama but lets you know when someone gets close. We shall see.

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Animales News

Reprinted from Alicia and Dottie

I am not sure when a large clinic turned into just regular old “ho hum” another-day-at-the-office clinic. On Sunday September 29, we spayed or neutered 144 animals: 90 dogs and 54 cats. What used to be big is now average. In 2012, our biggest clinic was 136 animals and that was at El Cacho. Now we can handle 144 in our little office like a well-oiled machine. And it was all led with grace and ease thanks to the wonderful vets: Drs. Tello, Cesar, Aron and of course, Dra Chely, as well as 2 vet techs and one soon-to-be-vet.

A very special thanks goes out to the above-and-beyond volunteers Leslie Peever, who took home a super skinny and sick but beautiful dog right off the comarca via Carmencita, and Harold and Bethony Sproles, who are fostering another very much in-need comarca dog. Our volunteers are the best, donating their time and energy and hearts all for the betterment of the animals in and around Boquete.

The next clinic will be on Sunday October 27 at El Cacho gym. This promises to be a really big one and is the last of the year. For an appointment, contact Yasmin at 6563-8686 or email at boqueteanimales@gmail.com. All appointments or special requests must be made through Yasmin.

The 2014 calendar launch will be on Saturday October 19. Be sure to save the date; details will be coming soon.

Our thanks to everyone who made this clinic so successful. Together we are making a difference.

Alicia and Dottie

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