Class of '12 tapas dinner

Last night, the administrative team took all of the new teachers out to a very swanky dinner in Casco Viejo, the old city section of Panama City.  Eventhough it was the old town, this was a very hip and upscale tapas restaurant- check out the sweet spiderweb of lights illuminating our dinner.

 The shrimp were the size of baseballs, and the drinks were made with fresh limes, mint, and tasty booze.  After dinner, we hung out on the rooftop deck checking out the skyline.  ISP is doing a great job making sure that the class of '12 had a week full of great experiences to begin our Panamanian adventures. 

Class of 2012

ISP teacher class of 2012!  A bunch of new teachers, 3 new counselors, a new elementary school principal, a new curriculum director, and the guy in the front row in the blue shirt?  He's the new Head of the entire school.  We come from Oregon, NYC, Toronto, North Carolina, India, Chicago, and have a lot of new teachers coming to ISP from other int'l locations, including Egypt, Norway, Thailand, and Zambia.  These people have become my little Panama family, and they are really fun, encouraging, positive, and amusing.  Woohoo, class of '12!

A man, a plan...

 The Panama Canal is amazing.  Maybe you will get an idea of it from this before and after picture.  On top, the cargo o the boat is flush with the cement sides of the Canal.  On the bottom, the water level rose almost 20 feet, raising up the boat and it thousands of tons of cargo.  And it all happened in about 15 minutes!

Facts: 
- It takes 8 hours to cross the Canal, as opposed to weeks to sail around the tip of Chile/Argentina.
- There is a $250,00-$500,000 tariff to use the canal.  Per boat.  Per trip. 

- The Canal was built in 1913, with thousands of deaths from malaria and yellow fever. 
- Panama has undertaken a huge project to expand the Canal, which will allow wider ships to pass through.  I wonder what the new tariff will be?

Visit to one of the Modern Wonders of the World

Tonight, ISP treated all of the new teachers to dinner at the restaurant that overlooks the Panama Canal.  Ashley (kindergarten teacher from SC), Caroline (2nd grade teacher from OR) and I were just fascinated by the locks.  And see the sign in the background?  Miraflores Lock, Panama Canal, 1913.  Soooo awesome!

And, at one point, two ships were passing in the night, each going a different direction in the Canal.  Who knew that canals had rush hours?  It was soooo fascinating to watch. 
FYI:  you see a tugboat pulling a huge oil tanker (complete with a huge sign that said, "Safety First:  No Smoking!!!), passing by a ginormous cargo ship.  Most of the boats were 8-15 stories tall.  Cray-cray!!!!

Perfect Clouds

It seems that the cloud patterns in Panama change every fifteen minutes, from wispy to ominous to fluffy.  This morning at school, I thought they looked just like clouds in a child's drawing. 

Selling my mattress to Drew

I know it's not a picture of Panama, but it's a pre-Panama prep pic.  When we couldn't fit the boxspring down the stairwell, Drew had the idea of lower it out the window.  It's a good thing that he is so tall, and that his partner is strong enough to support a boxspring with one hand.  How did the movers get it in the first time?  Must have been magic.  Thank the Lord that I am finished with moving stuff (for now).

The view from my living room window, 28th floor

Those are mountains!  I'm not in the flat Midwest anymore.

Panama city  is very developed- it seems like there are more highrises than not.

If you squint, you can see the Pacific Ocean behind all of those buildings. 

Maps and Cats

Frank is settling into our new life in Panama.  He spent some time studying the Panama City Map today.

Downsizing

Taken at ORD at 10am on the morning that I left.  My whole life is in these five bags (except for the cats, who were in steerage at this point, and the storage locker worth of personal goods that my parents are babysitting while I'm gone).   And none of the bags surpassed the 50lb limit!

Finished packing

I can't believe it.  After months of packing, donating, and selling 2BR worth of furniture, dishes, bookcases, sheets, etc, it's actually all packed up. Hallelujah!  I took this picture right before locking the door and hopping in the cab.   I hope the renters like it.

Becoming a landlord

I found renters, which is wonderful, but I had to paint the walls neutral colors.  Bye bye gorgeous Schooner Blue, hello boring beige.  I am glad that I hired Jesus to paint, as I would have been crying the whole time.

Getting ready...

First post!  Seeing lots of friends, packing and selling everything, and getting ready to move my life down to Panama.  I've been doing some research on my new home;  for your viewing please, here is the national flower of Panama, the Holy Ghost orchid.