Goodbye to Spanish Lessons for Now

Getting out of our car last night before dinner, I knew there was something different. What was it, what...what?

Oh, I didn't have to plan doing my Spanish homework tonight or any night for the next 3 months.

Ya!

We are suspending our lessons for 2 reasons. Our teacher will be gone until December and we will be in Los Estados Unidos de America through November.

Here is a good example of the extreme difference in English and Spanish pronunciation. Our teacher's name is Virginia, pronounced in Spanish "beer-hee-KNEE -a." Quit a difference.

We are planning to step it up in January by either getting into an immersion school or taking 3 2 hours classes a week at the local school. Either way, we want to accelerate the learning.

So you would think Spanish is gone from our minds.

No.

At breakfast, Olga converses with me in Espanol for 45 minutes. What a gift! Not many people have the patience's to talk to a rank amateur in Spanish but she did. Quite the gift. Thank you Olga.

A quick aside on Olga. We are going to take Tango lessons with her. This should be a real hoot because she is so much fun plus the dancing is amazing anyway. This will also introduce us to many Panamanians. Something we are looking forward to.

Back to Espanol.

As Yella and I are driving around, we mention words or say a little in Spanish or discuss a point of grammar, etc. It is still very much on our minds.

I think we will progress with Spanish without classes...I hope anyway.

Once, I didn't play the guitar for a year. When I picked it up to play once again, I was actually better. I had been playing the guitar in my imagination throughout the year, resulting in some skill improvement.

I am not suggesting that we learn by not studying or practicing. But, thinking about it helps.

I went on a hike this afternoon for the first time in 6 weeks. My Planter Fasciitis was so bad I had to quit running and hiking. Bummer! So going on this hike was a big deal.

So what do I do on the hike?

I pull out my Spanish Pimsler tapes and do a lesson.

I guess I'm possessed or something.

I just can't get over how big a deal it is to learn a language. Who would have thought?

The Oven

Our storage unit is as hot as an oven.

You think I jest? No. It is an ocean container, all metal, down in elevation where is it hot, hot, hot.

Entering it is like stepping into an oven.

We are transferring our stored stuff from the container to our house. This is about an 1.5 hour round trip. I made it three times this afternoon.

Before the 3 trips to the container, I made one trip with 9, 20 foot long plastic pipes on the roof of my car. See photo above.

The good news is that we are almost moved out of the container. Tomorrow 2 more trips will do it.

This is a milestone. Out stuff has been in storage for 9 months...that is 9 months longer than we planned. Remember, our house was supposed to be completed when I arrived on January 4th.

You can stop laughing now. It's not funny...well, maybe a little.

The move into our house is going s-l-o-w-l-y. A half a step at a time.

We are going to look at furniture in David on Thursday. If our trip is fruitless, we will have to go to Panama City for it. I don't want to go to PC for furniture, but I will, if I can't hammer 16 penny nails into my eyes instead.

We were supposed to have electricity today. You guessed it. No electricity. None tomorrow either. It was declared a national holiday because a past president died a few days ago.

It doesn't take much to fiesta here. Any old excuse does just fine.

Damn, I was looking forward to power tonight.

Back to flashlight and candles.

I just stepped outside to get the camera so I could down load the picture and the night sounds knocked me over...so rich and intense, not to mention loud. Everything in Panama is loud, even the bugs.

A Sizzling Hot Saturday Night

I hope you aren't allergic to superlatives. This blog is full of them.

I can't help it. It was a magical Saturday night.

The dance started at 6 pm and went to 9 pm...that should tell you the average age of this group. Dance music was provided by Rich, a one man band. He played all the best old dance tunes and the people responded.

At 8pm, it was time for Tom and Yella. We played on a break as added entertainment.

We did 3 Indigo Girl songs with another lady. They were good--jaw dropping good. Music at this level is uncommon here.

And, I could see that Yella was hitting her stride and entering the "Zone."

Yella and I then did a Neil Young song, Southern Man. Yella killed it! I can tell when she is moving into the Zone because she sings with her knees bent, kind of like a tennis player stands waiting for a volley. Plus a lot of finger pointing and hand waiving. And very intense, very intense!

(A professional Tango dancing couple also performed 2 dances. Was that incredible or what! I have never seen that live. It was amazing!)

At 8:30, we rushed 3 blocks over to Amigos, were Caesar's jazz band was playing. Yella was going to sit in.

This band is one of my favorites. For the first 60 years of my life, I didn't get into jazz. That's because I didn't listen to it LIVE. What a difference. I highly recommended it.

The band was in rare form. They had 2 sax players tonight, both Panamanian. What a difference! These 2 were spurring each other on to some remarkable stuff. They were improvising harmony riffs! Not a small feat.

The bass player is a big, tall American and he may be the best musician of the group. The piano player is Panamanian and strong.

The most interesting member of the group is Caesar, a really good jazz drummer. He is from South Africa. At age 20, he left for England because he had no stomach for Apartheid. He got a VW van and traveled across Europe, the Middle East and into India for a couple of years.

25 years ago, he settled in Belize where he started one of the first Eco lodges and made a small fortune. He is now retired with a house on the beach and one in Boquete.

Now we add a little Yella. Who, as I mentioned before, was "in the groove."

The magic started. What an extraordinary night it was.

I looked around at one point. Everyone had huge grins on their faces, tapping their feet or hands or body.

Then, another dimension was added.

One eyed Frank, a Vietnam vet who lost his eye and voice to war wounds, started to dance. This is a 6 foot 6 guy who loves jazz and can dance. He was grabbing women, dancing on a postage stamp sized dance floor, whirling them around, nearly smashing down tables and drinks. All the while, with a look and smile of Ecstasy on his face. He had come home for sure.

Put this mixture into a bowl and stir. Out came one of the most extraordinary nights of music and entertainment I've had the privilege to attend.

I needed to leave at 9 pm to go baby sit my house but I couldn't pull myself away. Let the thieves have it. This was way to good to pass up!

Boquete finally got to see what Yella really can do. And the jazz band played at a whole new level. In music, this is called finding the Groove, where you play way beyond your ability, as if by magic. This rare combination of musical forces put on an exceptional performance on a beautiful evening in Boquete, Panana

Wow! What a night! In a town with about 1000 Expats. Better than entertainment rarely found in a major city.

I feel privileged to be here.

The Best of Intentions...

Last year before retirement, I made plans--for what to do in retirement. I didn't want to die young because I was bored to death!

I decided to do 2 things.

First, I would learn how to create a website which would get me back into computers, something that used to fascinate me in my earlier life. I would couple this with my passion for hiking. The website would catalog all the different hikes in and around Boquete.

It would be a service and maybe make some money in the process.

Second, I would create a small business Internet consulting firm. It would provide transformational or conscious business coaching for those who wanted to have a business purpose beyond profit, into making a difference in the community and the world.

For the first few months I did pursue these plans.

I successfully created a website but never put any hikes in it nor did I get it on the Internet. It was fun learning how to write website code but I was not enamoured with it.

I did start to structure the business consulting firm, spending a few hours a week researching and writing a business plan. But, it got put aside.

Well, the best intentions....

So, what did I do instead?

I started to play music again!

This was quite a surprise. I had played music in the 70's but I was terrible. I was drunk, the crowd was drunk so everyone loved it...but I was terrible. This is not false modesty. I was bad.

Somehow, I got the idea to start over, from the beginning, and learn to play guitar the right way--with discipline, a teacher and practice.

I had no idea that it would be so thrilling. It is a hoot to play music.

But even odder, I love to practice the stuff that is mundane, like learning and repeating scales. I play scales for 15 to 30 minutes a day, and enjoy it. It is like a game, using a metronome, practicing against a known speed so your progress is tangible.

So there is music.

And there is learning Spanish.

This is a big deal and it takes time and energy. I would like to clock all the idiots who think learning a language "is easy once you get there." What a bunch of horse shit!

Learning Spanish is like going back to school. It takes dedication, study, classes and a conscious effort to use it in everyday life.

We are considering ways to accelerate the process by enrolling in an immersion school or attending a local school for 3 to 5 days a week, a couple of hours a day.

This is a huge project, learning a new language. Most gringos give up but we are committed to speaking at least proficiently in Spanish. Fluency is probably beyond are capability at our age.

A big deal!

Then, completely out of left field, comes acting.

Who would have thought...

I can't say if I will continue to pursue this into next year, but right now, it is a time consuming and satisfying activity.

I had no plans for these 3 things.

(Note: I knew we would learn Spanish, but I bought into the "it will be easy once you are there." So, it was never a big plan item at first)

I am happy that I retired to a new, different place.

Where a normal, known, routine life is gone. Where newness and invention are demanded.

It has slapped me awake!

There is no getting out of bed and doing what I used to down here.

Everything, and I mean everything, has to be recreated newly. Your way of being. Your activities. Your friends. Are all new.

This is like getting a spiritual enema with a fire hose.

Quit a ride, don't you think?

A Do Nothing Day

It's about time!

Nothing to do today! Most days for the last 4 months have been filled with construction, Spanish and Acting Class, and other miscellaneous stuff.

Not today.

I left our house where I'm sleeping and went to the rental house so Yella could have the car and I could get cleaned up. Then breakfast at Olga's and conversation with people I have never met. Fun.

Then back to our house. I investigated the hot water problem and solved it! I couldn't believe it. This was the last hurtle to completing the builder portion of construction.

Somehow the regulator on top of the gas bottle had come loose so the hot water heater was not getting any fuel. Problem solved. What a relief. Hot water is a tough issue here and I was worried that the problem was major and would require amputation, giving up my first born or something.

Then back to Amigo's to read my book, drink coffee and visit with people who eventually arrived for drinks. Wine at 11:30 in the morning? Give me a break! Can't they wait until noon!

Lunch at Papa Ricco's, maybe the best Italian food I've eaten. I had Italian sausage made with pork and venison, sauteed in peppers, onions and olive oil over pasta. Wow! Was that good.

But it was exhausting so I returned for a little light reading and a nap.

Now, that's a good day. With light rain to settle everything down.

Ahhhh.........

I'm even enjoying staying at our house at night without electricity. I have a routine where I practice music for an hour or so, then read a book by flashlight. Not bad. If I'm honest, still a little scary though.

Come on Union Fenosa. Let's get the power on.

No Respect for Passwords

When we opened a bank account 2 years ago, we set up Internet banking which included a pin number for secure access. Within 2 weeks the pin number didn't work anymore.

This was highly annoying because Yella worked hard to get trained to use the system in Spanish. I can't believe the bank person did the training with a straight face. She knows that the pin number won't work for long.

Upon returning last September, we attempted to set up another pin number. The bank representative had to make 4 attempts to get one that worked. All good now.

That lasted about 3 weeks.

Upon returning in January, I marched into the bank and demanded a statement. She chided me for not using the Internet.

Wrong response!

So I gave her an ear full about their chicken shit security system, told her she could get butt in gear and start printing me a hard copy statement. She actually refused and told me to use the Internet. One of my first blogs earlier this year documents this battle.

Finally, I got my statement...for $15.

But, I refused to set up Internet banking with them and that's the way it stands today.

Now on to cell phones...

Most people do not listen to their voice mail messages.

Why?

They don't know how to retrieve them.

The ONLY way to set up voice mail is to physically go to the Cable and Wireless (Mas Movil) office, obscurely hidden behind a service tower to insure that no one will trouble them for help! They will set it up, if and this is big if, they have an English speaking person available.

Yella and I went last Spring and set up our phones. Which, of course, requires a password. (I wrote a blog about this last Spring also)

So the trouble starts.

A couple of weeks ago, my phone refused the existing password. Not to worry. I know they don't give a shit about passwords so I quit using the voice mail like everyone else in Panama.

When you can't fight them, join them.

Yella however wanted to set up her phone so we went back.

Why did the passwords change, you ask? Well, the assistant said, "I think they were doing something to the system a few weeks ago. We sure have had a lot of complaints lately."

They will change a password or pin number at the drop of a hat. They don't give a shit!

Inconvenience is not an issue for Panamanians. Their life is one inconvenience after another. They can't even fathom what the problem is.

So it goes...

Union Fenosa was installing power poles on the road to our house. It looks like we will have electricity in a week or two.

Can you believe it?

A Red Letter Day!

We paid our builder his final payment and cut him loose.

That doesn't mean we are finished but we had squeezed the last little drop of work out of him on Saturday. It was getting kind of weird in the last 2 weeks. He was telling us he would do some work but his worker would tell us the contractor told him not to do it.

What was that all about? Probably out of money.

So we bit the bullet and paid him off.

Yella showed remarkable restraint at the meeting. She didn't rake him over the coals for all the nonsense he has put us through. She didn't let him have it. She just let it go.

Way to go Yella.

It probably is more important to keep the relationship in good shape than to get our pound of flesh...especially since he wouldn't have gotten what the problem was anyway.

Now to the next BIG THING...

Union Fenosa was on our road digging the holes for the power poles.

Oh my God, maybe they will get the power in this year. With much hand waving and some broken Spanish, he indicated that it will be completed in a couple of weeks.

Here is some of the difference in Panama and the US.

They were digging the holes by hand. That's right. They were digging 8 feet deep round holes with spud bars and post hole diggers. That 's the way it is done here.

I passed my neighbor on our road and told him, once again with much hand waving and broken Spanish, that electricity would be installed. And I said it was for him too.

He made the universal money gesture with his thumb and first finger and said, "No hay" (pronounced "no I"), meaning he has no money.

Most Panamanians don't have electricity because they can't afford the $10 or so that is costs each month. That certainly puts the value of money in perspective. I have been complaining because I don't have power and they don't even consider getting it because they can't afford it.

It is good to get out in the world every now and then to adjust my perspective. I keep thinking about one of my early blogs titled Unspoiling the American Brat. I am embarrassed by my need for consumption. No wonder much of the world looks at us with a jaundiced eye.

Oops! It happened again!

Rage! Again.

I haven't been in a rage for a few weeks. A record break from the frustration of building a home in paradise.

Over the last week, it just kept coming and coming. Finally, I popped.

I met with our attorney to start the process for our 20 year property tax break. She did a wallet-dectamy on me for $600 just to start. After I left, she noticed that the property number on the Occupancy Permit had transposed numbers and had to be corrected.

Damn!

I drive back to David to get the document. Then I try to find a translator which takes me until Thursday. So off to the Alcaldia to get it fixed. They can't do it for a day. I get it Friday.

A week waisted, money for a translator and I'm frustrated. Plus, 2 additional trips to David.

Then, the construction process takes a big swipe at me.

We hired a retro (backhoe) to finish burying the stumps and brush from construction. That's all we wanted.

I left Yella to tend the task because she wanted a little work around her creek too. She let's the guy go to work. When she looks up a couple of hours later, he has made a mess.

He started to regrade the property. What?! And, he dug up the septic pit and damaged it. Then he has the audacity to tell us it was not built right.

That's right. After he ruined it, it wasn't built right.

So I rush over to the house to take a look. What a mess.

It just pissed me off. And, I couldn't shake it.

Later that evening, I finally was able to get a little freedom.

Yella went back to the house this morning and got the retro operator back on track. But, every time she turned around, he was back doing things that we didn't want. She ended up standing there watching his every move.

Panamanians have a habit of doing what they want, not what you want. We are done with him today. Good riddance!

Oh, to top it all off, I threw out my back this morning. Picking up a little, light suitcase. It actually went POP. Uh oh! I couldn't get back up, so I had to go down on my knees for a while. Now, I am stooped over, hobbling and groaning.

Do you feel sorry for me? I thought not. Not to worry. We have a fantastic Chiropractor down here who will work her magic on Monday.

Well, it's a new day and things don't look that bad.

A Good Surprise in the Land of You don't Get What You Want

I set up an appointment to see my accountant.

I have been putting this off because I didn't file any tax return last year and I thought I had missed paying my 2009 taxes.

I expected many penalties and accounting fees, and a shit pot load of work to compile all the house building expenses for the 2009 tax return. And, I thought it was due in December.

Way to much work now with the house completion and a trip to Colorado in November.

So, with much trepidation, I made the appointment because it was keeping me up at night. I hate it when worry keeps me awake. This has been happening a lot down here.

My accountant demands that you be on time. What!! You say! In the land of nothing gets finished and most appointments are at least an hour late? Yep, if you are late, no appointment.

So I was a little early because I will be damned if a Panamanian will get the best of me around time.

He, of course, was on time.

Senor Zapata is a talker. He speaks good English so talking is easy.

He has his assistant look up all the tax records while we visited. And visited. And visited.

Panama actually has a computerized reporting system. And it was up and running. And the Pin Code worked even though it was 2 year old. Will wonders never cease!

As it turns out, I had paid my taxes through our attorney. I forgot. That was great news.

Then, he told me he filed my taxes even though he couldn't contact me or my attorney. I don't know what and the hell she was doing. She is only 2 blocks down the street.

But...he filed my taxes...without any information from me! Is this great or what.

I bent over backwards to thank him. And, I shoved my nose up his ass, puckered up and kissed it too. That's right, I'm not beyond a little ass kissing when things go very, very well.

In the Land of You Don't Get What You Want, my accountant went out of his way to anticipate...I didn't think anticipation was in the culture...the need to file my taxes, without any communication from me or my attorney.

Wow! Double Wow!!

He saved me a bunch.

And, taxes are not due until March.

Hurray! Procrastination here I come!

Suave for Homesickness, Almost

When Yella and I were on the road playing music in the 70's, early in our career, we were in a small town in Iowa. It was a beautiful fall day, sunny and still. The door to the motel room was open and the Kansas City Chiefs were on the TV.

It felt a little bit like home far away from home. (Kansas City was home then)

Remembering this, I have been researching how to watch the Broncos on Internet TV or at least listen to them on the radio. This would feel a little bit like home.

Last September, I tried to listen to football on the Internet radio and couldn't because service outside the states was blocked. So, I was worried that I would miss it all together.

Some of you are saying, who cares, this is a tragedy?

I like football. It is one of the few things on TV that I watch. Can't I have a little something 2000 miles from home?

I found an Internet TV service that carries football. I went through the sign up and pay process. I clicked the $3.97 option. For less than $4, I was willing to risk the myriad of problems with Internet stuff.

Much to my surprise, they charged me $49. How did that happen? I tried to contact them through the website, but NOOOOOO!!!! The links didn't work and their phones are on during weekdays only.

So I was stuck. I set it up and started to watch the Broncos. It actually worked. This was cool. I was willing to pay $49 for a whole season of football, if it works.

Well, after about 60 seconds, it freezes and holds for about 60 seconds, then works, then it freezes, then works, then freezes...

Try to follow a game under these conditions. Now I was pissed. They had my money and I had nothing.

I switched to Internet radio and it worked fine.

So I at least got to hear the game. It was fun. Especially when we won in the last 30 seconds of the game with a fairy tale play that was spectacular.

Next week, the Internet service and I will have a talk.

Here's To Great Teachers

I stopped at Olga's this morning for breakfast.

Not unusual. I do it most mornings, especially now that I sleep at our new house, then travel back to our rental to shower.

Olga is the treasure of Boquete. You are greeted each morning with a big hug, smile and warm welcome. And, the food is great.

This morning, she sat down and had a conversation with me...in Spanish, for 15 minutes.

I didn't think I knew enough Spanish to actually converse. It was Olga that made it possible.

She loves the language. Each word rolls off her tongue with perfect enunciation, slowly relishing the Spanish.

She teaches everyone who eats at her restaurant a tiny piece of Spanish, each time she sees them. Over the weeks and months, you can pick up some Spanish just by eating at Olga's. And, she doesn't charge for that.

This morning as we talked, she would get thrilled with each phrase or sentence that I put together. I could tell she really enjoyed helping me. This expression of joy and appreciation over the smallest accomplishment is the hallmark of a great teacher.

I have noticed that a great teacher must first have mastery of the subject. You would think that mastery would bring a persnickety attitude with it but more often that not, the teacher is genuinely happy with the fledgeling success.

I noticed this with both Yella teaching singing and my acting teacher teaching acting. Both of them are masters of their art and both of them appreciate the smallest progress.

I have watched the acting teacher laugh at a poorly delivered line when I certainly wouldn't have laughed, but he did. He actually thought it was funny. I could see it in his face.

I have watched Yella smile and nod at a student that sounded like a choked rooster at dawn after a tiny modicum of progress.

This morning as I conversed with Olga, I watched my reaction to her encouragement. It helps...alot.

So here's to the great teachers, may you keep it up and move us sorry, pathetic students down the road of learning.

Thank you!

Memorize, Memorize, Memorize

I have never been good at memorizing.

In grade school, they tried to hold me back several years because my penmanship was poor, my spelling was worse and most learning was memorizing. I hated grade school! I was bad at it and it was humiliating.

Plus, I thought I was stupid.

I know, many of you are agreeing, but I found out in high school that I was actually smart. Just not at memorizing. I can think. I can analyse. I can evaluate and plan. I can imagine and create.

Just not memorize...and I hate it.

So, what am I spending the majority of my time doing...memorizing. Learning Spanish and now memorizing lines for an act in a play.

Monday I went to acting class and I was thoroughly humiliated. As I presented my lines--wait that is way too generous of a verb--as I butchered the play, I was coached by the teacher. First, I was chastised for not knowing my lines. Then, additional layers of psychic skin were pealed off.

If I was loud, he told me to be soft; if I gestured, he told me to hold still; if I was still, he told me to move.

I crawled back to my chair with my face buried in the script because I was so humiliated. Ya, that's right, I actually did that.

I resent having to memorize now, at this time in my life. I am busy, really busy and this shit is not what I want to do.

But, I have to avoid public humiliation again, so I started to redouble my efforts to learn the lines.

It was pitiful. Yella read lines with me to help. She will never do that again, let me tell you. I got so pissed, pathetic, defeated, angry, resentful that she fled. Who can blame her.

I saw the director/teacher today at lunch. He is a great guy and someone who I like to hang out with. I asked him if he felt the hate coming from me over the last few days. He laughed.

He said I was doing a good job, considering it was my first time out. I don't trust his words though. I simply don't believe him.

I practiced with my partner this afternoon. And, believe it or not, I knew my lines.

Holy Shit! How did that happen! Maybe we will pull it off at our next class. And, now I can start to act, or try to act. That would be nice.

I still hate to memorize!

Life in the Dark

It's been a few days. Did you miss me? I thought so.

As you may remember, I am living at the new house, alone, and it doesn't have electricity.

Three nights living by flashlight...kind of weird.

The first night, I don't think I everyachieved a deep sleep. Every little noise jerked me up. And when the roof (metal) contracted, it sounded like a shot gun. That whipped me out of bed a few times.

You think I should suck it up and act like a man? You try it and we'll talk, alright.

The second night, I was so tired I slept like a baby. It was great.

The third night was good too.

I purchased a new generator and hooked it up today. That means electricity tonight, at least for the evening. (I'm not running it all night) I can't tell you how excited I am. Being able to read with out holding a flashlight, walk around from room to room, even go outside and see a little bit.

The only problem...

I now have a highly desirable generator, ripe for the stealing. I am a much more attractive target tonight and that has me a little worried. We will keep it in the house which means that they will do more damage getting to it than before. We don't know if this is wise but it is hard to get everything done at once, like building Fort Knox to hold the generator.

To be continued...

Preparing for a Big Day

This morning at 9 am, I rehearsed for acting class with my partner. I am feeling a little pressed for time. I had to wedge the practice in early on Sunday.

I thought I had all the lines memorized but, of course, I didn't. The jury is still out on whether I like acting or not. Some of it is fun but, for the most part, it is confronting. I will have to give it a try after we are in our house and I am more relaxed...maybe in the next lifetime.

Today, we played music at a private party.

It was fun. We did a similar show to the one a month ago with several female singers. They had it set up so that people were seated for the performance. This always helps. If people are doing other things, like in a bar, it is no fun to perform.

We played well, if I might say so myself. Our Indigo Girl songs were the hit of the evening.

And they served Oriental food, which is almost impossible to find in Western Panama. So that was a treat.

Yella and I are planning for tomorrow, a big day.

Our appliances will be delivered and, hopefully, installed but knowing this place, I don't think that will really happen.

Then, I meet a guy that can help us with Union Fenosa. I desperately need some leverage with these people. We will be able to move into our house in a week or two and I need to know when the power will be installed. This will determine what kind of generator I purchase to replace the stolen one.

If we have a long wait, I will buy a diesel generator. It is half as expensive to run and will last longer. But, it is twice the money. If it is a month or two, I will buy a similar one to the stolen generator.

I suppose it is wishful thinking that I will get an accurate answer from Union Fenosa. After all, they said we would have power by the end of August.

I am disgusted with the electricity process and, as a matter of fact, with the entire construction process.

Saturday we started cleaning the tile floors, which were covered with mud, and discovered that a lot of the tile is damaged from the asshole construction workers. They dropped some liquid that penetrated through the hard tile surface and ruined about 20% of the tiles. There is more damage but I am too pissed to say more. F#$@#$!! We are at a loss as to what to do. We don't have enough tiles left to replace the damaged ones and purchasing more will be from a different batch with different color.

All in all, we are screwed and we will spend more money. And, get a floor that is damaged.

F@#$%!!!

It's 1 step forward and 2 steps back...constantly.

Time To Eat Some Crow

We got robbed last night.

Our generator was stolen which was stored in a concrete and block dog house with security bars at our new home.

They knew exactly what they wanted.

Our neighbors heard a car drive by their house at 4 am. They were too far from our house to hear anything else. The thief's used a sledge hammer to knock a hole in the concrete top, then wedge a crow bar to pry the security door off. They only took the generator when the garage was open full of tools and a wheel barrow.

Now, we will have to have someone at the house every night. Our contractor will sleep there through Sunday night, then it's me...without power. Scary!

We filed a police report so this is where I start to eat crow.

In 2 and half hours, we filed a report with 2 police stations and traveled to our house with 2 detectives to inspect the site of the crime.

Not bad.

And here I was poking fun at them yesterday in my blog. They were professional and equipped with their own truck (with fuel), radio and crime scene kit.

They were interviewing the neighbors as I left. Even though we don't have high hopes of recover the generator, everyone will know the police are on it. Hopefully that will be some deterrent.

I was very happy with their response.

My blog yesterday was unfair to the police (but not the Bomberos who deserve all the bad press they get).

A little history about the police.

Being a policeman is considered a terrible occupation by the citizens. No one brags about it.

They are poorly paid, have to buy their own bullets, receive minimal training on how to use a firearm and their facilities are pitiful. The police are from other areas of the country and live in a dormitory which is pathetic.

The police are different from the Transit Cops who make good money from bribes.

Not the police. It is no wonder that the police are ineffective in many cases. There is a group of gringos that are raising money to upgrade their equipment and training in an effort to prevent future theft.

Welcome to the 3rd World.

When an investigator was taking our statement, she printed it out using an old dot matrix printer with carbon paper between the pages. It's been a long time since I've scene that! They do have current computers with flat screen monitors but this printing thing was old, old, old.

This is the land of opposites.

Needless to say, we are accelerating our move into the house because I don't want to stay too many nights alone. Our appliances arrive Monday so more valuables need to be protected.

We will wait to buy a new generator until sometime next week. Maybe the police will retrieve the old one.

One can only hope.

A somber day, for sure.

The Good Guys Win

The police are less than astute here.

Apprehending criminals is way down on the list of things to do. Well below harassing motorists, setting up check points to...I don't know what..., strutting around and playing cards.

A band of crooks from Panama City planned and executed a robbery at the stores at Alto Dorando. This included a construction materials store, mini mart and restaurant. They tied up the owners and employees, duct taped their mouths shut and whacked a couple of them over the head with a gun.

While they were stealing the money, a daughter started down the stairs from the second floor where she was studying, saw her mother with tape on her mouth, went back up stairs and called her friend. The friend called the police.

And, lo and behold, they actually had a car available (Don't laugh...most of the time you have to pick up public servants up and give them a ride!), guns on their hips and proceeded to go to Alto Dorado where they handily rounded up the bad guys.

Will wonders never cease!

Almost no crimes are solved, much less interrupted in progress. This is a wonderful thing. No one was hurt.

When I reflect on the performance, or should I say, lack of performance of the police and bomberos (firefighters), I think about my friends in Los Estados Unidos de America who profusely whine about the taxes they pay. OK, I confess, I whined too. You see, you actually have police and fire protection. Not to mention roads without holes, electricity that works all the time, etc.

That's the result of taxes. You get services. No taxes, no services.

I know, the way the money is spent and the amount are your real complaint, you say. Come take a look in a 3rd World Nation and you may just re-evaluate.

Anyway, the police got their man this time.

A Trying Day

Big day!

We went to David mainly to buy appliances for the house. But, first we stopped by the attorney to get some paperwork for opening bank accounts.

Opening a bank account takes an Act of God, on the order of parting the Red Sea. Yella took this on and has been working on it for over a month. I would try to describe the amount of paperwork but why bore you. It's a lot.

Then, we went next door to compare prices at a store...and left the paperwork there. We didn't discover it until we were home. Boy, will that put a damper on your day!

We were all set to buy our appliances at a highly recommended store. This store has customer service and stands behind there stuff, unheard of in Panama. This store will ACTUALLY service appliances the next day. Whoa, must not be Panama!

But, the curse of Boquete strikes us hard. We run into someone who suggests we buy at another store because it is cheaper. We forgot to consider the experience of the adviser who is fluent in Spanish and has mucho contacts in Panama. What makes sense for this person may not be a good choice for us.

Greed prevailed and we got pulled to that store. Serves us right, that's where we left the paperwork.

Once we finally got to the good store, yes the prices were about 6% more. But they deliver with a 4 wheel drive truck RIGHT TO OUR HOUSE. With any other store, I would have to get a pickup truck to fairy the goods from the store's delivery truck to our house. A major hassle because of the coordination. I would have to hire a truck and there goes the price difference.

We spent the rest of the day running around David looking for a part to connect the dishwasher drain to the kitchen sink above the trap.

No where...nada...there aren't any in David. You have to go to Panama City.

Why?

Panamanians do not use dishwashers. They have no idea how to use them, install them or plan for them. They don't use them. This is a strictly gringo thing.

And, to make matters worse, dishwashers don't work well here. I could give you the technical details but I won't. Just remember that hot water is produced by a gas, on demand heater which is devilish to operate. Hot water is a precious commodity in Panama. And it negatively effects dishwashers.

We hit 7 stores looking. So frustrating! Driving in David is treacherous at best. Driving all day in David is plain old crazy.

By the time we returned to Boquete at 4 pm, we were nuts and raw. Then we had to go to a rehearsal.

I think we over did it today.

But, there is a good ending.

Rehearsal was a hoot and revitalized us. We are taking the evening off, what is left of it.

Feels good to get a major part of finishing the house completed. We should have the plumbing fixed and the appliances installed by the middle of next week!

So close!

Tomorrow, we fire it up again. Back to David and more.

Memorizing, Memorizing, Memorizing!!!

There are two things that I despise...and they both are memorizing!

When I was in school, I did poorly up until my Freshman year. Why? The majority of learning had been memorizing. Arithmetic, spelling, geography and all the rest of the crap they tried to pump into my brain. Nothing like trying to nail a hyper active boy down for some memorizing.

I hated it! And I was bad at it. They tried to hold me back at least 2 years that I remember. I was continuously berated for under achieving.

Then, in High School, new subjects were taught where you had to think, like algebra and logic and interpreting literature.

Now we're talking.

I had no idea I was good at thinking, but I was. And I enjoyed it. Sure, there still was memorizing, like learning Latin. For God's sake, I took Latin for 4 years. Somebody should have shot me and put me out of my misery. But the thinking stuff was great.

Now, I'm back into the thick of memorizing. And, being a student after 40 years of career, and now, retirement.

Sure, I did a lot of adult learning but that is not the same. I have always loved adult education because it was relevant and challenging without memorizing.

But this is not the same as academic learning. You know, sit in class, do homework and get tested.

I have been reluctant to actually study. Like I used to study. In a serious, dedicated fashion. Academic style.

Something snapped this week and I just might be a dedicated student again.

It kind of feels good. I forgot what being a student is like. There is an electricity to it. A tension. A compelling pull to progress.

And this in Spanish and theater which both are memorizing heavy.

I still don't like the memorizing but it is a necessary evil toward these ends.

Two things happened.

First, Spanish.

We got a new teacher who is extremely professional. I think she has been teaching for many years.

The previous teachers, always young, use the preset material of the school, showed up for our class without preparation and taught helter skelter out of the book, skipping what they didn't want to teach.

This new teacher comes to our class prepared! She has a class plan, with newly created handouts, tests and questionnaires, and homework devised before class starts. She knows exactly what will be achieved in each session.

What a breath of fresh air. It has inspired me to really start studying, like a real student.

Second, acting.

At our class last night, we each preformed a scene that was given to us last week. Everyone had theirs memorized...except me. Uh oh! That lit the fire under my ass! I don't like to be embarrassed.

And, the directing was effective. And the acting was engaging.

It was enough to get me going and start treating this class like it could actually be valuable.

So now, if I am waiting for my ride on a street corner, I'm memorizing lines. Before breakfast, I'm studying Spanish. Many times throughout the day, I spend a half hour working on one or the other.

A lot of work but I'm starting to see results.

And, on top of all this, I'm practicing guitar daily. But hey, that's fun! No memorizing.

Who would have thought I would get back into being a student again?

We'll see if it will last.