Life After Panama

Life has pretty much returned to normal.
It was crazy to come in on that international flight and watch a flight welcoming people to the United States.
In a way it kind of felt like I had never left at all, God just turned on the tanning lamp and sprinkled in some Spanish. I guess just because Panama was controlled by the US for so long. Still, it was weird to put myself in the shoes of an immigrant. Coming to America for the first time must be insane.
And overwhelming.
And maybe even a little exciting. For whatever reason, the videos made me feel like the country had changed into this perfect world. Or maybe I kind of realized how great of a country we have, despite the flaws.
There's no place like it.
While I miss the sun, and even the Spanish, I am happy to be home. For anyone considering a move or a trip to Panama- do it. It was a wonderful trip. Although I would recommend a few things.
Take a compass.
I spent most of our trip believing we were staying on the North side (really the west, actually) of the canal when we were stay on the bottom part (east side). It was hard to adjust my mind to place myself correctly in the universe as we moved about since it was already stuck on the previous logic. It also would have been cool on the plane to know which direction we were going. Actually now that I think about it, take a map too. Or at least google map a couple times.
A watch!
This is something I would have thought I would have remembered especially after wanting one on my cruise, but I didn't even think about it. Using my phone was okay, but why carry something like an iPhone that is only good for the time and maybe a quick minute on the internet if "WiFiParaTodos" is around. Oh and the Panamanains don't do daylight savings time. Something else I wish I would have known before I woke up panicking our last day since my phone had already adjusted to the new time that Panama does not accept.
Frick!
Experience Carnavales if you can. And Taboga Island, too. And of course the canal. Roam through Old Panama. It is incredible. Wear sunscreen.

Sunsets in Panama

As our trip comes to an end it is a little sad to say goodbye to a town that hosted us so well, especially as I watched our last sunset.
Yesterday we had breakfast with Mr. Eck, the director of the school and general manager of the property. We discussed his life lessons and the tough stuff about working abroad. We even talked about yours truly going to Canada this summer for an internship, woo!
I love hearing about people's lives. Especially the stories of old people. They have so much to say and great advice to give. It is amazing to see the different paths that everyone's lives have taken. I'm really excited to look back on mine.
From there we lounge around the pool and such until after dinner when we got ready to go to Zona Viva.
Zona Viva is the club hub of Panama. There are lines of clubs that willingly offer free entry via wristband (a few only to ladies) as long as it is before 11. We started at a bar called Karoeke Shot. You can't go wrong with great drink specials and Latin American Kareoke! We had a really great time there and even one of our girls got up to sing an English song. We didn't even think they would have an english song!
Afterwards we roamed around before we got to Time Out, a club that only plays American music with a back drop of lasers and fog. A little much for my humble, I got a little sickly. Considering I didn't want to be ultra hungover on the beach the next day I opted to head back out to the center, eat some crappy fries from next door, and grab a taxi home.
Everyone else headed back about an hour after myself and we went to bed early since we had to be up at 6!
Today we left the hotel at about 6:30 headed for a ferry on the causeway that would take us to Taboga - an island that is about an hour on the ferry away. The beach was okay, a little dirty, but otherwise the water was beautiful. It was a little chilly, but that was a perfect break from laying in the sun. There were a lot of yachts there and plenty of Americans. It was definitely the first time I saw a conglomerate of Americans in one place here. There were plenty of native Panamanians as well. We spent a lot of the day on the beach, but after a little while a friend and I decided to roam through the town. It is absolutely beautiful. It is filled with color just as any beachside town is, but is also rugged and holds a lot of character. The streets are only big enough for one car and there are adorable alleyways filled with plants and occasionally even some decoration left over from Carnavales! There were also a lot of statues of Jesus around, we even got a picture with one on its own little island on the Pacific (is that sac religious?). We climbed a huge hill to the Cerrito Bed and Breakfast (that's my homie's last name, how hilarious!). The view was amazing. To look out to the other rather hilly islands as well as the skyline of downtown Panama was simply breathtaking.
As we walked back towards our friends on the beach I could feel that I was getting burned very badly, ouch! We took a nap in the shade of our umbrella and then headed to lunch at a place called Mundi's. Like many foreign country the service was okay, but the lunch was incredible. We had a really great garlic shrimp dish. And our table neighbor was pretty cool, too! He and his wife are retired and sailed around the world on their sailboat. Once they came to Panama they loved it, so they moved. He was housesitting for a friend on the island, but he lives downtown. He told us about all his adventures, especially in Peru since two of the students are going to Peru in the fall.
I definitely learned a lesson in staying sun blocked and hydrated, I returned to the hotel sick and supa' burned!
Well, I'm off to one last dinner!

Bank on Panama

Yesterday we met with a banker with ScotiaBank.

Scotia is a Canadian bank that has a lot of operations outside of Canada. She was very knowledgable not only about what is going on in Panama, but financial situations in Costa Rica, Venezuala, and Cuba. That is something else I have noticed. Many citizens of foreign countries are very familiar with what is going on in other countries. They are much more in touch with their neighbors. Even speaking with the Russians, they know several languages. Many Europeans do. As Americans, we seem so distant and secluded.

I really feel a push to work outside the country. Everyone is so in touch with each other.

From there we enjoyed lunch and lounging by the pool. Afterwards we went to the Miraflores lock, one of the three locks on the Panama canal. It is absolutely incredible. Especially since it is the same technology from 1914. Amazing.

We watched as electric trams that run along the canal pulled each ship through until they reached their position. From there the back gate was closed and the lock released water into the next lock which was practically empty. When they were at the same height, the next gate was opened and the ship was pulled through. The process happened once more so that the ship was at sea level with the Pacific.

It was amazing to see such huge things moving so much. It almost doesn't seem right that humans are capable of creating such giant things and being able to operate them.

One of the ships was carrying cars from Japan. They call that roll-on, roll-off cargo. There was a huge ramp on the back of the ship that was taller that the ship (from sea level to the captains tower) that, at landing, would fold out and allow the unloaders to drive off the cars.

We had a presentation afterwards where we discussed the expansion of the locks with one of the lock operators. Since, maybe, one day America will catch up with the rest of the world and utilize trains to their fullest potential we wondered what would happen with the canal if and when America ever built a useful train system that went from the East to the West coast of the states. He blew it off. He says that time is money and the money it would cost to unload from a ship and load a train and vice versa on the opposite coast would cost too much. It was definitely something we had not considered.

The canal is able to charge around $150,000 for one-way toll (or 65 cents for the one man that swam the canal back in the early 1900's, ha!). The price varies on the tonnage of the ship. That is more than my house. Although, it saves them so much money in moving around South America it is well worth it. The money really helps to fund the economy of Panama into what it is today and what it will be tomorrow.

Before dinner we took about a one hour walk further into the City of Knowledge. It really is like its own town with a gym and several ball fields and such. There was a hostel and varying neighborhood types back in the Northwest corner. I have noticed that luxury cars do really well here. Many of the driveways house a very nice BMW or Lexus, no matter how nice or not so nice the house was. Hopefully today we will get the chance to explore the southwest portion.

Once we finished dinner we all got ready to go out to a street in downtown Panama that is famous for its bars and clubs. We stayed at ManRay for the evening at their pool top bar. A DJ came out at about eleven to set-up poolside. The place was filled. Several of us got in the pool to dance, which was so much fun. It felt more like NYC. I mean I was dancing in a pool amongst the skyscrapers and beautiful star-lit sky with a cosmopolitan in hand. Other than everyone speaking spanish outside of our group, I would have never known we weren't in New York City.

A few of us decided to leave a little early, around 12:30 or so, to take one of our extremely inebriated friends back. Just so you know, taxi's cost about $5 more if you have someone who is that drunk in the car. The poor driver was so nervous he was going to throw up everywhere, and honestly, we were too, ha!

Alas, we made it back alive to tell the tale.

Live and Learn

One take away I have definitely gathered from this trip is that you can learn from everyone. One of my favorite Kemmons Wilson quotes is "Even a broke watch is right twice a day."

Everyone has something to give.

I came on this trip pretty open minded about the people going. Sure, it is easy to get annoyed or make fun of everyone at some point, but I have learned a lot from every single one.

My roommate is/was a beauty pageant participant. While sometimes she gets a little to girly for me, which honestly doesn't take much, she has a lot of heart compared to other beauty queens I have met. She is always willing to give and to learn. She brings a lot of passion to the industry. Although I think a lot of people take her as naive because the way she talks sometimes or looks, she has got a lot more than you would expect. Today she let me borrow her skirt suit so I wouldn't be so hot out today in my pant and coat one.

That is hospitality at its finest.

Giving the shirt off your back.

Two other girls bring the experience of traveling abroad and the language of Spanish. They also discuss graduate school a lot. Sometimes we get bored of it, but, all in all, we are learning a lot from their tips. Plus their expertise in Spanish is encouraging. Maybe one day I will be as good at French.

I have learned from two of the males that there is a lot more than you think to people. There are a lot of people in the world that I used to think were ignorant and clueless. They have shown me that everyone has something going on in their head, and, if you give them the chance, it is likely that they will blow you away with how much knowledge and hardship they have.

Our two foreign students have also encouraged me to know more about the world. They not only know our language, they know our, and Panama's, history. And they can talk about it with us. Since I am studying a foreign language I cannot imagine discussing French history with a French person. Not only because I lack the vocabulary entirely, but the simple historical knowledge.

And my best friend has taught me to relax a bit. It has been a work in progress for several months, but the way he calmly takes life has really influenced me on this trip. He has also shown me that everyone should have a person they can be judgmental with and still understand you are just blowing off steaming or looking for a laugh.

Lazy Days in Panama

Yesterday was a relatively lazy day, hence my lack of posting. We pretty much just got up to eat breakfast and lay by the pool. After lunch we had a discussion-like lecture on our discoveries and opinions so far. I have really enjoyed seeing a lot of Americans (as well as a lot of other nationalities) that have moved out of their comfort zone to come here. They also get paid well.

Really well.

Many top management positions provide housing, cars, and food, and usually more. Plus a banging salary. Panama has no skills or talent being raised so they must bring their talent in. To convince top talent, it takes money. Soon enough there will be a supply of Panamanians coming from the hotel school and a lot of people will willingly transfer here without so many perks, putting Panama at an equilibrium as far as salary and such go. For now, it is an unknown gold mine while everyone else gawks at Brazil, Russia, India, and China (the BRIC countries). While they have a huge population, setting up business is almost impossible in many of them. Businesses are going to lose out on a lot of money if they keep following everyone there. I hope that by the time I graduate the gold mine will be in a French-speaking country.

Hopefully in Africa.

One can hope.

Today we were able to sit in on one of the hotel school's culinary classes.

They were discussing chocolate.

Yum.

I learned a lot even though the class was in spanish. He drew on the board and I have also been picking up more spanish the last few days.

I learned that white chocolate isn't really chocolate at all.

And milk chocolate just has more fat.

And then I was fed a chocolate covered strawberry.

Yum.

From there we headed to the construction site of the Westin. It is on the east side of the Canal, overlooking the Atlantic. We toured the property with Emperess Bern's VP of development. Bern's is the family that owns nearly all of the hotels here in Panama. They are so large they have their own design and construction crew. Mr. Champion noted that the recently hired GM will receive a salary of around $250,000, a car, free food, and even be housed at the on property apartment complete with the most gorgeous view of all of the Pacific.

Not bad.

I can't imagine what Mr. Champion's perks are.

Afterwards we headed next door to the Intercontinental. Also a Bern property, this one is relatively new. It was different that the Intercontinental in NYC. It was less modern, yet still very up-to-date. I guess Intercontinental gets the benefit of a chain with the look of a boutique, built to blend in to its surroundings.

We were greeted with mixed punch and a delicious buffet (including sushi!). Afterwards we spent time in the infinity pool that overlooked the salt and pepper like sand of the Pacific. You watched as ships waited to go through the canal. They even had poolside beds with terry-like fabric for sheets.

Gosh, it is so hard being a hospitality major.

Ha!

We are a little spoiled.

It started raining, which was a great cue to move on. The staff brought umbrellas down from the main building for us to use to navigate back up.

A really nice touch.

The last scheduled item of the day was a tour of the City of Knowledge. The City of Knowledge is the part of Panama we are staying it. It is privately run, but was started up by government grants to raise talent up from Panama. It features a lot of business, international organizations, and educational offices. Basically our "tour" was a round table discussion of the area.

Back at the hotel, as we were bootlegging wifi on our phones a couple Canadians walked up and introduced themselves. They wanted to hang out tonight, but we were looking for an early night. Since we are probably going out the next two nights, we may invite them along. They are studying at the University of Panama for the semester.

Since we were a little unsatisfied with our tour we decided to take our own. We ventured past an an unknown park and school as well as the UN office and special olympics of latin america office through small neighborhoods that turned into giant mansions.

It was a really great walk.

The weather is so nice, I will probably freeze back home!

Other than that, the rest of the day has been full of relaxing!

Carnavales

This is the first time I have ever drunk blogged.

I'm not really drunk anymore.

Well, maybe.

I just had my cold shower. I should be good to go.

We celebrated Carnavales tonight, which is practically mardi gras except bigger. If you are ever in Panama for Mardi Gras, go downtown and celebrate. It lasts the whole weekend before right up until fat tuesday. We decided to only go for Fat Tuesday and it went well. We pre-gamed a bit here at the hotel and ate some. You really don't want to get too crazy in a foreign country like Panama.

Although Panama is incredibly safe.

Before we could even enter the street that the parade and festivities were being held we had to show our passport and get groped.

And I mean groped.

Like I had a girl all up in both businesses.

You even had to remove shoes if you were wearing socks and shoes.

I felt very safe to say the least.

It was an incredible thing to watch and drink to.

It is nice sometimes to be the ignorant one that doesn't know the language instead of dealing with it, although now I am going to be a bit more understanding at my hotel and appreciate those who at least try or pick up on English with me.

We had a fabulous time and even got lost in downtown Panama amongst all the sky rises -- thank God we didn't end up walking through slums.

We made our way to Manray to meet our new Canadian friend who is interning here at the hotel for about 8 weeks or so. She lives practically next door in an old army barack where a lot of the staff live including the GM/School Director.

Manray is the hip hotel we visited yesterday that hosts DJ parties on their roof top pool on the weekend. We chatted with the doorman.

Hold on.

I say we, but I mean our two iMBA students who speak English.

And were guaranteed entry this weekend. Woo!

Afterwards we headed to Johnnie Walkers where I had my first Long Island Ice Tea.

Hello floor.

Ha!

I slept most of the taxi ride home and showered immediately after I drank a cup of water. Here's to no hangover's, I hope.

Tomorrow we are taking it slow and hanging by the pool, catching up on homework and stuff.

This trip has been a great balance of fun and work, which has been incredibly rewarding.

Off to sleep before I fall asleep on the keyboard.

P.S.- My roommate recommended that I did not drunk-blog. That was a great idea. I waited until after the shower, just for you. She is too kind.

Gamboa

Today we were given the opportunity to take a tour of a property here called Gamboa Resort.

It is incredibly, and huge. They incorporate the environment a lot in their property by exhibiting snakes, reptiles, fish, and even butterflies. They also have a beautiful garden where they like to create their own orchids.

For some reason they are having a hard time filling the resort. Apparently they have been marketing to Panamanians, but it seems like Americans and Europeans would really love it here with the luscious pools and interesting tours. We also got to take a monkey tour. It lasted about an hour where we drove through the canal and out a ways to get to "monkey island." We saw several monkeys, including one carrying a baby, as well as a sloth. The boat ride was peaceful, but also really cool to see the canal from a different perspective.

We ate lunch at their restaurant which overlooked their small lake-like part of the canal. It was absolutely wonderful.

The waiter came over and said "cocorillos" to one of our spanish-fluent students with excitement and then walked off. She finally requested him again to understand "cocorillos." It took a couple minutes to realize he was dropping an "r" in the word for crocodile!

We ran over to other end of the seating deck to see two crocodiles. The staff began throwing bread down for them to eat.

To watch something like that, in real life, use its huge jaws was incredible. There were tons of turtles as well that were trying to get bread, too. The alligator acted as if they weren't even there when they crawled over his back to get to the bread. When he decided he wanted bread he would just barge in on all of them and steal it, ha! We also noticed a couple turtles seeming to yoga on dry logs. They were standing with one leg outstretched, completely still. Ha!

From there we went back up the the main building and looked around while we waited on our bus to return us to the hotel.

As we waited we toured the "backyard" of the main building. Inside there was a huge atrium beginning with a large waterfall which led to several small ones. As you descended varying flights of stairs you came down the the bottom bridge (still indoors) in which the water flowed to the outside. When we circled around to go outside I saw it was a huge waterfall that again lead to other waterfalls and small pools, all feeding into the largest pool at the bottom of varying flights of stairs. The scene had a lot of plant life and alligator statues. The main pool had a swim-up bar with bar stools in the water as well as a basketball hoop and volleyball net. There was also a smaller kiddie pool that was fed by one of the waterfalls and elevated above the main portion, adding yet another waterfall.

It was an incredible site to look out to the rainforest covered mountains from such a scenic and lush pool.

For now I am going to go lay by our simple one here prepping for the last day of Carnavales!

Panama Day Two

Whew.
This is going to go as quickly as possible since I didn't get my siesta today.
After breakfast this morning we headed out to tour Panama. We first stopped by old U.S. government offices that oversaw the canal. It had a spectacular view of the hub of the loading docks. Afterwards we headed to a memorial site for people killed that began a revolt due to the mistreatment they received as Panamanians, all inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Afterwards we headed out to Isla Flamenco where many of the citizens house their boats. It had a couple of restaurants over looking the Pacific Ocean that looked nice. On the way back to main land we passed a crazy building, soon to be a BioMuseum.
From there we headed to a local fish market and watched a group of Panamanian police hop out of a caged pick-up to arrest a man. Everywhere I got there is trouble! There have been police everywhere, but other than this occurence, they have done little other than simply be present. Panama apparently has very little crime outside the slums. The people of the slums are directed back to their neighborhood if caught outside at night to keep crime down, especially for tourists. Panama has even enacted complimentary medical insurance for foreigners traveling to the country for up to 30 days.
I feel as if my attitude towards the slums has changed. Especially after visitng Old Colonial Panama. The homes were very old and at one point in time, abandoned and destined to become slums. However, Panama has taken over to refurbish the homes and move out the slum inhabitants unless they work in the area. At first I was torn between pushing them out because they do not work or deciding if it was right to do that to the poor.
Now, I understand that Panama is working hard to ensure the many businesses that have come there remain socially responsible.
One of the hotels we toured today was The Canal House. It only had three rooms and we even got to see the medium sized room. The hotel kept to its original infrastructure, but the inside was absolutely beautiful and slightly modern. Ironically the hotel was attached to a building that was clearly not refurbished and seemed to house the previous slum's inhabitants. Just a block over were very nice resaurants and the beautiful Pacific Ocean. The area reminded me a lot of New Orleans with its character and building designs. The Canal House is my favorite for combining the beauty of the past and present. Also, it is boutique which I am very interested in. Most of all, I am trying to find a way for Hospitality to bring more socially responsible habitats into the properties.
The Canal House is doing just that through fundacion calicanto.
They work with the Panama International Hotel School to first take women in the slums and send them through pyschology to help build their slef esteem, showing them that they are capable of changing their own lives and giving them the empowerment tools necessary to do so. Then the Hotel school trains them for a very minimal price that many get scholarships for to make beds and other housekeeping necessities, both mechanical and social. This is also a skill that they take to their homes. Once they are done with their year, many are hired out through the school. The Canal House and their other boutique property both hire out through the school to work with these women through their first jobs. Many of the women are ecstatic to be paying their mortage and even having the money just to paint their house.
I take way too much for granted.
That is such a beautiful thing to give. I felt nudged a little in that direction today, but who knows what will come.
Afterwards we headed to hotel Mirarmar, an IHG property. The exterior, lobby, and pool seemed nice, but the restaurant was lacking. Not in service or the food (dessert was awesome), but the look appeared like that of some grandmother's kitchen. Not even my grandmother's are lame enough to decorate like that. Google it sometime.
We headed through downtown panama afterwards to explore all the condo's going up. Many of which are already sold. Our tour guide's condo cost around $50,000 a couple of years ago and is worth around $150,000 now. He only pays $100, which includes utilities, a month toward home owner association fees. He also owns a condo that is nearer to the beach that he bought for $47,000 and is worth around $120,000. He rents it out a makes around $1,000 a month, which definitely helps to pay the bills. The condo's seem to be springing up everywhere. And with a very modern look which makes me wonder how long it will last.
My favorite's were The Bellagio Condo's.
Don't forget my birthday is coming up, ha!
We also got the chance to check out Panama's first man made island communities which will be completed in a couple years. Expect great prices, I mean, things.
Our last stop was to Manray Hotel. A new modern hotel in downtown Panama which has DJ parties that people wait forever to get into on their rooftop next to their super cool pool.
By the end of this hot day in the sun I was grateful for the cool breeze that blew through the van and the pool that awaited me. After a swim a couple of us roamed through the City of Knowledge, realizing what a legit community it is when we stumbled upon a huge and very active park area.
Well, that about does it!

Panama Day One

So much seems to happen in a day. Maybe it is because the day is so long and the sun gets so high.
We enjoyed a breakfast buffet here with some american items but a few crazy fruits. I can't remember what I tried but one tasted like incredibly acidic baby puke. Bluh.
We then took a tour of the Panama International Hotel School with one of the recruiters, a woman that works with the director and a manager here at the hotel. It takes up the first two floors of the property and is heavily integrated with the property, as I think hotel schools should be. Surprisingly the recruiter has the same problem we do at our school back in the states - have a service degree. With this school it is merely an associate's certificate which heavily impacts parent's decisions to send them to the school. The largest class is 8 people. Yes, 8 people. She says parents want their kids to have bachelor's and Panama has a lot of schools to choose from so it is hard to recruit. She also noted that most of the graduates of the other schools have a hard time finding jobs since Panama is such a service oriented country - they are really lacking human resources to run this industry and manage it. They are a lot like Memphis - a huge hub with a lot of tourism and service.
The school is really nice and even has its own restaurant on the second floor that the students work. The pastry students create pastries to serve to the guests at the lobby coffee shop. The hotel stays full with business travelers, so the shop does well. They even have a wine class with tables that have little bowls built in and a light underneath to study the wines. A huge wine rack is at the back.
After the tour we enjoyed relaxing a bit before heading to the mall. I assumed that mall meant an outdoor market considering how little I had seen of Panama until today. However "mall" meant mega-mall (Albrook Mall) the length of at least several football fields. It was huge. I have never seen a mall so large in my life. We never saw it all or even the end of the long stretch of stores. It is so huge that they call it the transit as a hub for taxi's and such. It was culturally lacking so we decided to head down to Carnavales. Basically it was like Memphis in May, a festival where people throw water and paper confetti. The kids around 12 or so get a little vicious with it. They threw a ball of confetti while we were walking past them. One of our friends was talking and practically swallowed it all. Ha! While we were down there we noticed the class distinction.
Part of downtown has huge condo towers. They are absolutely beautiful. There is a lot of thought put into the design and architecture of the buildings.
However, little thought was put into the slums that back right up to the outside buildings. It breaks my heart to see people being able to buy second homes in another country that not only overlook beautiful Panama Bay, but the heartbroken slums of the locals. Many are getting jobs because of how quickly the economy is growing, but they are also getting displaced because developers are aware that most condo-purchasers don't want to feel guilty for buying their condo or have a disgusting view. Understandable.
Before we left we went through a beautiful park filled with a lot of stuff for the kiddos. Also, it had free wifi. I thought that was super neat. I mean, I don't think we would ever have free wifi at a park in America, but clearly the government is getting a lot of money from all these developments and want to share it with their people by providing new parks with great views and even free wifi. The network is called "free internet for all" except in spanish. Sorry I can't remember the name. And I'm too tired to Google right now.
As we caught a cab back to the mall to catch our shuttle we drove through the slums. We saw a lot of dog fighting going on. You see stuff like that all the time on t.v. and don't think anything of it. But it is so different seeing it for yourself. Especially if it already bothers you that people live like that.
When we got back I took a much needed Siesta and then got ready for dinner with Dr. Jackson. He discussed having emotional control and emotional detachment in business. Business is competitive and you cannot continue to get emotionally attached to succeed. "If you want to save the world," he said, "go work for Red Cross and do what you love, but you will not be successful in business with a Red Cross attitude."
I understand that to a point.
I used to be way too humble with the work I did. I would not make it known how hard I worked and felt like it was right and polite to be modest. As a result you get passed up for promotions. We get our feelings hurt and wonder why our bosses, who are clueless on what we are doing because we are just "being polite," promotes others before us. Emotional control is something business students are not taught enough.
But I also believe in the power of conviction.
If you feel called to do work related to Red Cross, but also feel inclined to business, there is a way. I mean, look at TOMS shoes. They make super cheap shoes, over price them so that they have money not only to make an additional pair, but hand deliver them. I believe hospitality can have a role in that. I spoke with a man about a month ago who works at a Hampton Inn in NY and one of his floors is dedicated only to women and profits from the floor go to breast cancer research or something. How hard is it to dedicate a portion of our rates to a non-profit every month. Especially something like Habitat for Humanity.
Now that is hospitality.
After dinner we headed to Columbian Hacienda. One of many bars along a route on an island just outside the bay of Panama. The views were wonderful at night. Especially with a Sangria in hand!
Well I am super tired and have to get up in a few, so ta ta for now!

Waking Up In Panama

Waking up here was pretty crazy. The sun gets so high so fast. If I didn't have a clock I would say it is noon, but it is only 8:15! We left the curtains open last night and the sun was rising at like 6:15. Crazy! And when it is rising over a legit rainforest right behind your hotel I guess it is just shock when you have been in winter for the last several months. Today we have free breakfast and then a tour of The Panama International Hotel School at the City of Knowledge. I am pretty excited to see our Panamanian counterparts. After that, who knows what we will get into!

Arrival In Panama

Today was an interesting day.

I waited until the last minute to pack as usual for this trip. Alas, all is well, however and I even got to the airport on time. This morning seems like so long ago now.
We caught our flight to Atlanta and it still hadn't hit me that we were going out of the country. I have been out of the country before, but only on cruises. For whatever reason it just doesn't really count to me, ha!
It wasn't until we got in line to board from Atlanta that I even started feeling it. Before we boarded, we had to swipe our passports to get on - crazy!
The flight was long, but not too bad, only 5 hours. And 3/4 in I made a new friend when I went to go to the bathroom and instead ended up talking for about twenty minutes about the US economy and media in the North of the states with a guy who was apparently a regional media hit. Not bad. Super interesting conversation. We talked about how interesting it is to have a border of people who are adept with the internet and facebook, and those who are completely lost. And those who are any age and just block technology out. And of course those who are any age and excel with it. He lives here in Panama since he is retired and his wife lives in the states - she couldn't handle the move, but they make it work by taking turns commuting and still enjoy each others later years. I found that to be super cool. To be so unselfish about your relationship where you give and take some selfish. Even if it means living in another country.
As we landed I feared we were going to hit the water. I saw no lights (it was an evening flight) and could sense the horizon coming closer. All of the sudden there was instant tarmac. Just add water.
The power shut off on the plane as we reached the gate and I almost had a near panic attack. A lot of people around me kept their positive attitudes and said "well at least it didn't do this while we were in the air." People are quick to turn negative, but I love how, on vacation, they change. People, for the most part, want to have a great time and will maintain that fun attitude much longer.
Before we collected our bags we passed through immigration. A few dirty looks and GASP my first stamp in the passport later, we were collecting our bags and on our way.
After we met our driver he walked us out to the median where we were bombarded with what I call "tip whores." I find tip whores in most big cities in america with a lot of immigrants and especially in the Bahamas and Mexico. They want tips for everything. They tell you where a big rock is and request a tip. They snatch your bags out of your hands to put in the van where you already have a driver to help you. And open your van door back up with hands outstretched if you didn't hand over anything. Wow!
As we passed through Panama I realized what a thriving city it is becoming. We drove by so many high rises with condos and hotel rooms in the midst. Several classy properties as well. Once those were through, though, we went through the slums of panama.
I don't care how many TOMS shoe drops you have watched on t.v., if you love slum dog millionaire, or if you sponsor a kid across the ocean, it means nothing until you see that for yourself. I almost started crying it hurt so bad. We we first started I was like wow it is like the ghetto of Memphis. As we got deeper and deeper, I couldn't believe it, but it got worse. They went from concrete buildings to wooden barracks. I couldn't believe it was humane to allow people to live like that, especially when, back at home, my room look twice as big as their home.
It was exciting to pull up to such a nice Holiday Inn as this one (that even has a school attached just like ours back home!) in the City of Knowledge. When we got into our rooms, dinner was already waiting along with drink coupons (what, what! I love free drinks- I chose a tequila sunrise!). Our itinerary is sprinkled with awesome stuff with lots of free time to celebrate Carnival, here, and maybe even head to the beach! I am so lucky to be a part of the trip of a lifetime, but I can't help but remember that this small room I occupy is no where near the size of my room back home and it is still probably double those barracks.