Playa Blanca was incredible. I had wanted to go on the beach since I arrived to Panama, but due to weather issues, we weren't able to get out of the city until Friday. On the way to the beach, we saw a ton of muñecos by the roadside, which are these life-sized dolls that people in Latin America make out of sticks and firecrackers. The dolls sometimes represent people that might have goofed somehow in the last year (for example, in the States, we might have a Lindsay Lohan doll). At midnight on New Year's Eve, you light the muñecos in celebration and also to say goodbye to last year's transgressions and gaffes.
Playa Blanca had some darker sand, for some reason. I kept calling it Playa Negra. But I think that was mostly the tide coming in and dirtying it up. We stayed in this amazing resort area with beautiful houses and the biggest pool (or second biggest) in Latin America (you could kayak on it).
Friday, the 31st, we spent most of the day at the beach. Toward the evening, Jorge and I drove about 25 minutes to another nearby beach community to visit his friends who were having a party (with lots of champagne & a DJ). A little later, we returned home to friends and family cooking risotto with seafood. We were incredibly lucky that one of our friends is a chef trained in Barcelona who enjoys cooking amazing food. We were in heaven. The risotto was a bit improvised because it was really difficult to find most of the ingredients the recipe called for, but it was delicious nonetheless. Once we drank and ate, we headed to the beach with our cooler of champagne and a huge bag of grapes -- another Latin American tradition. At midnight, we enjoyed fireworks on the warm beach and we each popped 12 grapes into our mouths, each grape representing a different wish we had for the next year.
Jorge and I passed out early because we're viejos, but it was all for the best, because I was able to wake up early the next day to go for a brief jog along the giant pool. Afterwards we spent most of the day at the beach and then at his college friend's house, which is near to where we were staying. We had BBQ chicken and vodka slushies from their slushie machine.
Muñecos!
This dead fish washed ashore and hit Jorge in the leg. 
Nina, the best little chihuahua (didn't bark ever!)
The next day, we spent another long day at the beach, though it rained most of the day. I only got a bit of color over the weekend because I piled up on the SPF. With my internship starting on Monday, I didn't want to be a cooked little chicken.
Speaking of which, my internship is going very well. I really enjoy the work and the agency. It's completely in Spanish, yet somehow, I'm managing and taking project assignments without any problems with understanding. It helps that my supervisor is clear with the directions she gives me. I've been doing 8-6 the last two days, being a little worker bee. Check out the agency here: Stratego. I'm helping to translate this website as one of my projects.
Last night, we had a delicious family dinner out because one of Jorge's sisters (along with her friend) left today. I had a drink with Pisco, a Chilean alcohol, and calamares rellenos with risotto. Just can't escape it.
I have so many more pictures but I don't want to overload Blogger. I promise to start a Flickr account soon -- as in, tomorrow.
The rain from last week has caused some problems for the city's water plant and we were without running water for the last few days. It's meant bucket showers (which are actually not terrible and make you realize how much water you waste with a regular shower). I've been a trooper, especially since everyone tells me this will pass and that's it's a ridiculously uncommon occurence here. But I was a bit cranky this morning. Thankfully, it seems that all is better now (or at least, improving) and we have the water back.
I have so many more pictures but I don't want to overload Blogger. I promise to start a Flickr account soon -- as in, tomorrow.
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