Chu-chu-chumico

Panama has a holiday called Martyr's Day to commemorate the 1964 riots over sovereignty of the Panama Canal Zone. (To read more about it, check out this article.) Because of the holiday, we had no work today and a nice, long weekend of relaxation. On Saturday morning, after a lazy start, we set off to Chumico for some time on the beach. Our friend's family owns some beachside property and we were able to spend some time in the sand and sun.

Her family welcomed us with open arms, solidifying my belief that Panama is the friendliest country ever. We enjoyed drinks and a delicious meal on Saturday night. Sunday morning, Jorge had to leave us as he was departing that day on a business trip. I woke up early, and read and lounged by the pool for a few hours before everyone else got up. We hung out for a few hours in the sun before moving to my friend's aunt's house nearby. There, we ate a BBQ feast, went through many glasses of champagne, and each received affordable (read: $20 for 45 minutes) massages that put all of us in a tranquil mood.

We hung out in the hot tub at the end of the night (it was a bit chilly for Panama, so the dip felt nice). I ended up passing out fairly early (alcohol + massage + hot tub + food = sleep), but others stayed up late and played a fun game. I was hoping that I could wake up early this morning and enjoy some more sun, but, alas, there was mostly rain. Weather has been incredibly strange for summer, and I haven't gotten any signs that it's going to be very sunny anytime soon. At least it's better than the cold...

Aunt's house

Beach!


No, I don't know what our friend is doing in the background.

I took about 4-5 showers this weekend, because there's actually running water outside of the city. The water problems continue here, though I found out this weekend that they are only within homes in Panamá. Apartment buildings have their own tanks and, thus, haven't been affected at all.

About an hour ago, a government truck came by with water, right to our door. We were all flabbergasted at the sight of it; nothing like this has EVER happened here in Panamá (a city-wide water problem). Though this problem is temporary (I want to stress that -- this is temporary), it's still a big shock to have government trucks come by with water rations. Incredible.

Still, I'm not too bothered with the water issues. I'm putting it in perspective. I could be crying alone in my car on my scary snow drive to work every morning (which happened to me in Pennsylvania about a week before my move). So, really, life's not too bad.

On a separate note, last week, we had a small party that Jorge's sister organized. It was a great get-together with lots of food and wine (I think that my life, thus far, in Panamá has had a steady theme -- can anyone guess what it is?).

This week -- back to work and possibly, just maybe, jazz festival.