Sink or Swim

We have been here exactly 3 weeks and 4 days. It honestly feels more like 3 months! We have experienced so much newness, so much travel, and so many adventures already. There have been ups and downs (to say the least). I have thrown a few culture shock temper tantrums, but have made it through to the other side ever more excited and grateful for this experience. I am not saying it is easy. It isn’t. By far. I am very much used to my conveniences back home: limitless internet, water that never runs out, a myriad of grocery stores loaded with infinite options (including hundreds of ice cream flavors alone), a car of my own, and people all around speaking in my native tongue. Yes, I am a spoiled lady in my own country. Here…not so much. I wait for the bus for long periods of time and (if it is running that day), take the bumpy and noisy ride into town. I decide what is most important to get for food that day taking into account how much I and my 3 year old son can carry combined. At home sometimes we wake up without water which means either waiting for our gardener to arrive or attempting to call him and hope he understands my broken Spanish (No mas agua!). The wifi (ok I’m really spoiled) is very, very limited which means no streaming, no FaceTime, no youtube, and nothing happening quickly. This would not be such a big deal if I didn't have a 3 year old to entertain 14 hours per day. It’s not that I want to stick my kid in front of the tv all day but (back me up parents) it is so hard to get anything done or have any space when he has no other entertainment besides dear old mommy! Not having any community here makes it extra difficult being a single mom. All First World problems aside…this place is incredible. It is unbelievably beautiful. That is an understatement of epic proportions. The air is so fresh and crisp here that I want to bottle it up and drink it for breakfast. Every few steps is another visual masterpiece that could rival any art gallery. There are mountains, hundreds of varieties of flowers, giant tropical trees sprouting other spectacular plants, butterflies fluttering over every inch of air space, and ever-changing skies. Our yard here is a paradise of its own with more than a dozen fruit trees and different species of birds visiting daily. We have definitely learned to become more creative in our down time. Each day consists of a number of playful endeavors: drawing, molding with colorful clay, Bocce using oranges from the yard, hide-and-seek, photo hunts, tickle monster (a standard), making boats out of banana leaves. And we are living many adventures: hiking to waterfalls in an actual rainforest, swimming in the Pacific, following howler monkeys through the canopy, chasing roosters, experiencing a vastly different culture. Hell…its an adventure just leaving the house here! This experience will change us both forever. It already has. I know there will be hard days, but I will have that wherever I am. For now I am humbled, grateful, and ready for more adventures. (Indiana Jones style) Viva La Panama!!!