Welcome to the Valley

This week has been a balance of stress and relaxation. Stress because I had an interview with a Panamanian PR agency on Thursday, fully in Spanish, and I had to prepare for it (the interview went very well and I was offered an internship at this time because they are unable to hire extranjeros at the moment due to the Panamanian 90/10 hiring rule).

Relaxation because we ended up going to El Valle Antón on Tuesday and stayed until Wednesday.

El Valle was beautiful. Very, very green. Also, it was full of gringos, but other than that, I enjoyed it (there was a Canadian bar & grille -- Stephie, I thought of you -- called TJ's with a waitress that looked like someone straight out of New Jersey).

Tuesday night, the rain made the Valley a bit gray, but we still enjoyed a relaxing walk to the mercado. Afterwards, we went out to dinner at one of the only places that was open after 7pm (the whole time, I kept thinking "Is this the Lehigh Valley?!?!"). Our food took nearly forever to come, but we forgave the restaurant because there was only one cook working that evening. My corvina a ajillo was basically garlic with a side of fish, but I love garlic so I didn't mind it. Some of my friends' dishes were only so-so, but we didn't have too many expectations or complaints after paying $1.50 per beer/wine glass. So cheap.

I noticed that food is so incredibly inexpensive here. We bought a bunch of bottles of water for our hike the next day and the total for 7 bottles came to under $3 -- which is sometimes the price for one bottle of water in America.

The hike was tiring but I needed the exercise after the crazy Panamanian breakfast I consumed that morning. Our tour guides for the hike, Pedro and Hector, were young but very knowledgeable. They took us on a long and winding hike to the top, where we admired the breathtaking views. Finally, we came down the mountain to play in the water and explore the waterfalls. Overall, a very successful mini-vacation.

I like little bits of nature, but I'm glad to be back in the city. Jorge and I took a brief stroll to the Arrocha (it's like a CVS) today and I really liked being around more people than bugs. The only nature I really enjoy is the beach, which is where we are going tomorrow and staying until Sunday night. Everyone cross your fingers for amazing weather; it's been a bit rainy here and I'm hoping to lay out and play in the ocean every day for the next three days...before I start work on Monday.