So I recently found out that Panama is in a seismic zone and does get earthquakes QUITE often. This was found out after reading a sign in the elevator that said "Terremoto". Knowing terre meant earth, and assuming was moto was something to that effect of a natural disaster (within the notice, I saw things saying to "stay calm" and ensure you have agua, etc.), we asked M's manager about it, who confirmed our suspicions. M's manager just moved here from Mexico last month. So we reply with "but I thought Panama was free of natural disasters", and he laughed saying that's what he was told too. Since he's lived here, there has been 2! That's crazy. I read up some more through my good friend, Google, and found that Panama, as a country gets hit by some 100 earthquakes a year, rating between 5 and 7 on the seismic scale. Granted, these normally hit north and northeast of the City, but we still get the aftershocks. Now I'm even happier we've decided on a house.
Speaking of earth's weird ways... last night there was a MAJOR thunderstorm. Worst I have ever experienced. The hunder was so loud, that everytime it sounded, car alarms went off. I was so scared of storms when I was young, and though frightening now, I was pleased to see my fear is gone, and replaced by a bit of excitement and a bit of anxiousness. The cats didn't seem bothered by it at all, which is odd, considering they get skittesh when they hear someone in the hallway walking. Weird creatures those cats.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Days 5 & 6 (Cinco y Seis Dias)
M started work today (day 6-- day 5 was quite uneventful). He actually had a good time. His official start date isn't till the 3rd, but his manager said to come in today as the new CEO will be visiting (the former CEO retired last month- big news). It worked out great, as M, if nothing else, has luck. He happened to be in the elevator with CEO. The engaged in a conversation, upon which CEO said "wow, you have great English". M replied with "I should... I was born and raised in Canada... today is my first day here in Panama". This brought them into conversation about how he came about moving to Panama (considering it's a 3 floor building, how they managed all this talking in the elevator is beyond me). Anyways, so the CEO told M that it was a great move, and commended him on the choice. This is awesome, and great face time for M. I predict good things (fingers crossed).
Other than that, I think we may be putting in an offer for a place. If we do, I will update of the progress. Other than that, the day was quite uneventful. We did have an awesome dinner. A full pitcher (and pitcher here is like the pitcher of juice you'd make for a party at home, not one of those small, round pitchers) of sangria, a filet mignon, a plate of jumbo (and I mean JUMBO) shrimp, and some flan for dessert all for $45. And we're in the most expensive area of the city. If nothing else, we will eat WELL.
Other than that, I think we may be putting in an offer for a place. If we do, I will update of the progress. Other than that, the day was quite uneventful. We did have an awesome dinner. A full pitcher (and pitcher here is like the pitcher of juice you'd make for a party at home, not one of those small, round pitchers) of sangria, a filet mignon, a plate of jumbo (and I mean JUMBO) shrimp, and some flan for dessert all for $45. And we're in the most expensive area of the city. If nothing else, we will eat WELL.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Days 3 & 4
I'll start with Day 4 which was primarily uneventful. I think we've settled on a neighborhood,well one of two anyways- they are gated communities- either Versailles or Costa Sur. Cute little homes (~2500 squ. ft. or so) with a nice yard, plus common areas including pool, tennis courts, park, and gym. Bonus-- the mayor lives there, which gives us additional private security. Jackpot. Will update on the progress.
The new agent we've been using has what it takes to be an agent. Although he is American, he has entrenched himself int learning the Panamanian real estate market inside and out, both from a personal, living perspective, and from a financial, investment perspective. He was found simply through doing a search on the real estate market, upon which M found a long, indepth manifesto, if you will, talking about the market, what to expect, past trends... the works. Everything a smart buyer would need in one place. That alone convinced him that this was the agent we needed to contact.
Panama is a little different in the way agents work. Everyone and their dog seems to be an agent, so needless to say, there is some lack of professionalism, and needless to say, massive chaos. There are no lockboxes for keys, and many of the owners are foreign investors who have never lived in the country and for all we know, have never even seen the unit. So the key is either with a friend, neighbor, uncle, long lost sibling... who knows. The average (or from what we saw before present day agent) process was to sit around and wait till said friend, neighbor, etc. finally show and proceed to take us to see a place which does not meet one need that we expressed. It's great.
After finding our new agent, a huge weight has been lifted off our shoulders. We now have an agent who spent the time understanding our needs, and would rather take time to show us 3 places that meet those needs than just cram a whole bunch of useless homes (to us at least) into a day to feel accomplished. Beyond that, he tells it straights- the goods, the bads, the uglies. No rushing us out just to get a quick sale. I will continue to post on our progress, but till then if anyone wants his contact, leave a message.
Now the fun part, yesterday. Our first real drive somewhere- we were going to Albrook mall, which is about 15 minutes North- West of where we are staying in Costa Del Este. At one point the road forks off, and you can end up going the wrong way, or going to the mall. The wrong way is Chorillo. You don't want to go to Chorillo, or so we have been told. As we were driving and the surroundings became a bit sketchy, and we felt perhaps we were going the wrong way. Before waiting to find out, M decided, "hey let's just pull a U and get out of here". Right in front of the cops. Great. So now we have 2 cops running after us as we pull to the side of the road. Luckily we have been schooled in the fact that Panamanian cops don't want to give a ticket, considering they don't really get anything out of it. Observation: on the bright side, isn't it nice that they don't get satisfaction out of making us suffer through the hassle of a ticket, unlike NA cops. Anyways, so we played the "we're Canadian, tourists, no habla espanol, please don't ticket us, por favor". After about 15 minutes of the cop telling us we made an "infraction" which is "very bad", we pleaded with him to make some sort of arrangement. He then looked at the fact that there were "witnesses" around us, and spent some time telling us how to get into a side street to meet him there. He heavily stressed that "in Panama at a red light, you must stop. Don't go till it's green". That made me laugh.
Anyways... we met him on the side street, where he spent some more time questioning whether I actually speak Spanish. I don't, although I don't think he was convinced of the fact. After, M counted in his wallet. We truly, honestly, had only $15 on us. We told the cop the same. After mishearing, and thinking we said $50, he relented, handed us his traffic book and said put it in here. We exchanged his book for our license/passports, and went on our way. Easy peasy.
Well, if nothing else, this move will be an experience of the differences from country to country. Despite the chaos, I think I'm going to like this.
The new agent we've been using has what it takes to be an agent. Although he is American, he has entrenched himself int learning the Panamanian real estate market inside and out, both from a personal, living perspective, and from a financial, investment perspective. He was found simply through doing a search on the real estate market, upon which M found a long, indepth manifesto, if you will, talking about the market, what to expect, past trends... the works. Everything a smart buyer would need in one place. That alone convinced him that this was the agent we needed to contact.
Panama is a little different in the way agents work. Everyone and their dog seems to be an agent, so needless to say, there is some lack of professionalism, and needless to say, massive chaos. There are no lockboxes for keys, and many of the owners are foreign investors who have never lived in the country and for all we know, have never even seen the unit. So the key is either with a friend, neighbor, uncle, long lost sibling... who knows. The average (or from what we saw before present day agent) process was to sit around and wait till said friend, neighbor, etc. finally show and proceed to take us to see a place which does not meet one need that we expressed. It's great.
After finding our new agent, a huge weight has been lifted off our shoulders. We now have an agent who spent the time understanding our needs, and would rather take time to show us 3 places that meet those needs than just cram a whole bunch of useless homes (to us at least) into a day to feel accomplished. Beyond that, he tells it straights- the goods, the bads, the uglies. No rushing us out just to get a quick sale. I will continue to post on our progress, but till then if anyone wants his contact, leave a message.
Now the fun part, yesterday. Our first real drive somewhere- we were going to Albrook mall, which is about 15 minutes North- West of where we are staying in Costa Del Este. At one point the road forks off, and you can end up going the wrong way, or going to the mall. The wrong way is Chorillo. You don't want to go to Chorillo, or so we have been told. As we were driving and the surroundings became a bit sketchy, and we felt perhaps we were going the wrong way. Before waiting to find out, M decided, "hey let's just pull a U and get out of here". Right in front of the cops. Great. So now we have 2 cops running after us as we pull to the side of the road. Luckily we have been schooled in the fact that Panamanian cops don't want to give a ticket, considering they don't really get anything out of it. Observation: on the bright side, isn't it nice that they don't get satisfaction out of making us suffer through the hassle of a ticket, unlike NA cops. Anyways, so we played the "we're Canadian, tourists, no habla espanol, please don't ticket us, por favor". After about 15 minutes of the cop telling us we made an "infraction" which is "very bad", we pleaded with him to make some sort of arrangement. He then looked at the fact that there were "witnesses" around us, and spent some time telling us how to get into a side street to meet him there. He heavily stressed that "in Panama at a red light, you must stop. Don't go till it's green". That made me laugh.
Anyways... we met him on the side street, where he spent some more time questioning whether I actually speak Spanish. I don't, although I don't think he was convinced of the fact. After, M counted in his wallet. We truly, honestly, had only $15 on us. We told the cop the same. After mishearing, and thinking we said $50, he relented, handed us his traffic book and said put it in here. We exchanged his book for our license/passports, and went on our way. Easy peasy.
Well, if nothing else, this move will be an experience of the differences from country to country. Despite the chaos, I think I'm going to like this.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Days 1 and 2
Wow, I'm already falling behind. Well I guess the first few days/ weeks will always be busy, but once we get into the swing of things, I can make this more routine.
So our first full day here was spent doing the basics- grocery shopping. As much asI loathe it on a normal basis, it was definitely an enjoyable experience. We started the day just walking off the building property, and upon some discussion, deciding to turn left. This seemed to be the wrong direction, but we continued on ahead in hopes of maybe finding some better clues as to where we were. It proved successful, and after a couple conversations with us speaking English and helpful strangers answering in Spanish, we managed to find our way there. There were 2 major supermarkets right next to each other- Super 99 and REY. The purchasing background in M forced us to compare prices in both before deciding where to shop. We brought out our handy pen and paper and started in REY writing down prices of key items which we could compare. Security found this very suspicious and kept a close eye on us. Finally he asked to see what we were writing, and seemed satisfied. Upon doing our comparisons, we decided REY overall was the better supermarket for our needs. The back and forth undoubtedly struck the security guard as odd, but other than a sideways glance, he did not bother us.
Saturday was car renting day. We needed to take a taxi to meet some friends of ours who would show us where/ how to rent a car. Finding that taxi proved nearly impossible. Empty taxis will drive right past you without a glance. Others will stop, hear the destination, and drive off in utter contempt that you even had the nerve to ask them to drive so far out of there way. Finally, after running for shelter upon a sudden terrential downpour, we found a willing driver. He charged us $3 which I suspect is higher than the actual rate, but got us to our destination and we can't complain.
Renting a car a National was actually quite easy (mas facil). Driving, on the other hand, was an adventure. We managed successful trips back home, and later on out to dinner, and were satisfied.
We spent the evening in the heart of the Panama City nightlife which was great. It's a cool little spot called Calle Uraguay which hosts many restuarants, bars, clubs, and lounges. We had a nice relaxing evening, and some good chats with our friends. All in all, it was finally beginning to feel like home.
So our first full day here was spent doing the basics- grocery shopping. As much asI loathe it on a normal basis, it was definitely an enjoyable experience. We started the day just walking off the building property, and upon some discussion, deciding to turn left. This seemed to be the wrong direction, but we continued on ahead in hopes of maybe finding some better clues as to where we were. It proved successful, and after a couple conversations with us speaking English and helpful strangers answering in Spanish, we managed to find our way there. There were 2 major supermarkets right next to each other- Super 99 and REY. The purchasing background in M forced us to compare prices in both before deciding where to shop. We brought out our handy pen and paper and started in REY writing down prices of key items which we could compare. Security found this very suspicious and kept a close eye on us. Finally he asked to see what we were writing, and seemed satisfied. Upon doing our comparisons, we decided REY overall was the better supermarket for our needs. The back and forth undoubtedly struck the security guard as odd, but other than a sideways glance, he did not bother us.
Saturday was car renting day. We needed to take a taxi to meet some friends of ours who would show us where/ how to rent a car. Finding that taxi proved nearly impossible. Empty taxis will drive right past you without a glance. Others will stop, hear the destination, and drive off in utter contempt that you even had the nerve to ask them to drive so far out of there way. Finally, after running for shelter upon a sudden terrential downpour, we found a willing driver. He charged us $3 which I suspect is higher than the actual rate, but got us to our destination and we can't complain.
Renting a car a National was actually quite easy (mas facil). Driving, on the other hand, was an adventure. We managed successful trips back home, and later on out to dinner, and were satisfied.
We spent the evening in the heart of the Panama City nightlife which was great. It's a cool little spot called Calle Uraguay which hosts many restuarants, bars, clubs, and lounges. We had a nice relaxing evening, and some good chats with our friends. All in all, it was finally beginning to feel like home.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Panama... Day 0
M has asked me to start a blog writing about our experience here in Panama. His motive for it I'm sure is to keep me busy in a new country while I remain unemployed. Fingers crossed my visa filing is quick so I can get a job. My motive for it is, who knows, may I can be published one day. This, of course, will not read as a publishable type novel of any sort, but I'm just writing as it comes to my mind and therefore you're not allowed to judge (so there!).
So our first steps in Panama started with the Immigration agent, who did not speak a word of English, holding onto my password and asking us to wait over there (communicated through a series of hand motions). A few short minutes later, someone else takes my passport, goes to another room (which looked suspiciously like a banos (bathroom) but who am I to question?), and in about 2 minutes brings it back and we're on our way.
Next came the daunting task of getting the cats inspected. The inspection consisted of me sitting outside with the cats and our piles of luggage, as M went in to a backroom, spoke to a vet who I never got a glimpse of; he marked down that he completed a thorough inspection, paid a significant sum of money, and off we were. Their thoroughness and concern for the health of our cats astounded me (roles eyes). Moneygrab if I've ever seen one.
The rest of the day was spent just looking at our new condo (well new as in temporary), adjusting the temperature so we don't wake up as icicles (yes, in a tropical country... for some reason they feel 15C is a reasonable, comfortable temperature... brr), and coaxing the cats to come out from under the new bed.
So our first steps in Panama started with the Immigration agent, who did not speak a word of English, holding onto my password and asking us to wait over there (communicated through a series of hand motions). A few short minutes later, someone else takes my passport, goes to another room (which looked suspiciously like a banos (bathroom) but who am I to question?), and in about 2 minutes brings it back and we're on our way.
Next came the daunting task of getting the cats inspected. The inspection consisted of me sitting outside with the cats and our piles of luggage, as M went in to a backroom, spoke to a vet who I never got a glimpse of; he marked down that he completed a thorough inspection, paid a significant sum of money, and off we were. Their thoroughness and concern for the health of our cats astounded me (roles eyes). Moneygrab if I've ever seen one.
The rest of the day was spent just looking at our new condo (well new as in temporary), adjusting the temperature so we don't wake up as icicles (yes, in a tropical country... for some reason they feel 15C is a reasonable, comfortable temperature... brr), and coaxing the cats to come out from under the new bed.
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