So, I'll quickly give you a time-line update and background
Cheryl:
--she is my roommate, from Texas, we are both 2nd born of four children (3 girls and 1 boy), our favorite color is yellow, we both are simple, and I guess don't eat very much....she eats less than I!
Sunday:
- arrived about 1:00 in the afternoon, we quickly realized it was always HUMID here, not necessarily hot, but HUMID!
- We were taken to our fully furnished apartment, with some food, and didn't have enough time to unpack before the kind neighbor, the school's librarian, was over and introducing himself, a sweet man! But we may have not been the best company as we were tired!
- mind you....Cheryl and I, both, did not sleep on Saturday night!
- Mindy, one of the teachers, stopped by later in the afternoon, maybe 5:00, helped us unpack, and then came back a bit later to pick us up for pizza, and brought us back home afterwards
- We went to sleep! I was exhausted!
- Orientation today!
- We met everyone else who is new this year, there are about 12 of us.
- Went over Panama culture
- Left about 11:00
- Cheryl and I, joined a tour....no one else from the school went on this, but we made some new friends, I think they are friends from the church, Carmella, and Sonya, seem to be wonderful!
- We toured the city in a trolley and learned that Panamanians, although they don't drive fast, get in many fender benders!...they drive as if they are all in bumper cars!
- We arrived home about 7:00 ate a ham and cheese melt
- We explored our yard a bit, and the garage, found the button that turned on our hot water!
- Found a termite nest
- made friends with the neighborhood cats
- ....and SLEPT!
- Orientation-- we got computers for our classroom today, learned a bit about renweb--the computer system for the school, and saw our classrooms! They are nice, and we seem to have all the amenities
- We couldn't seem to find a ride as soon as we may have liked and so we walked home
- Stopped at the Chinese Garden, a fruit stand, where I got diced mango for a $1.50, there were probably 3 mangos in there! They were delicious!
- On the way home we explored, Clayton, the old military base, where we are staying. The military base is very large, but has been converted into a residential area since America left Panama in 1999.
- Orientation---we went over the philosophy of the school, Biblical Integration, which doesn't seem as easy to accomplish as I originally thought.
- At about 11:00 everyone came together for orientation, we played a name game, and then ate lunch together, we had chicken, salad, rice and beans, plantains, soda, I think that's it....
- Cheryl and I decided to be explorative and jumped on a bus to the mall. The buses are old school buses from the states, called diablo rojo (the red devils) I guess they drive a bit crazy, and so they do! But it only cost a quarter
- The mall was huge, I didn't get anything, I was overwhelmed!
- Left the mall, found the bus terminal to travel elsewhere, like costa rica, and maybe the beach
- Took the Taxi home, that cost five fifty, too much, but at least we talked them down from eight dollars! I think it should have only been three dollars or so, but their excuse was traffic! Maybe that's true....
- the beach is an hour away, I want to go so badly!
- I can't talk to my family on the phone or skype or anything yet and I want to!
- transportation is disappointing
- The sun ALWAYS goes down at 6:00 everyday.
- It's rainy season, so sunny in the morning, but in the afternoon, the clouds roll in....don't expect me to have a tan in December...the next time you see me!
- Orientation, who knows what the rest of the day will be!
- Tonight....I need to do some school work, look at the web, log in, and maybe, just maybe, get an idea for my curriculum for the year!
