Lots has been going on down here in Panama. School started and it's been busy, of course. I'm coaching soccer, which I thought, going into it, meant coaching 1 team. It quickly turned into 3 teams...and a whole lot of work and headaches. Alex has been building away, making bookshelves, hammock swings, wine racks, and more for teachers and other expats. He has had to battle a lot of Panama's inefficiencies. It's been a frustrating experience for him, but as with most things around here, we just have to laugh through it.
The biggest news to report is that we decided to sign on for one more year. I will finish out this school year, teach one more full year, and then we'll see where we feel like going after that. We plan to come back to that states for a long visit in June/July and look forward to seeing as many family and friends as we can, eating as much American food as possible, and hiking.
Alex has also continued volunteering for Engineers Without Borders. Naturally, he has become pretty well-respected by the main guy in charge due to his knowledge of building things and making things work. The program has a strong relationship with the University of Pittsburgh and brought down about 20 students for an internship. As part of the experience, the students were able to go into the Panama Canal Expansion project for a tour. They invited Alex along as well.
And enjoyed some relaxing in the shallow lagoon...
The biggest news to report is that we decided to sign on for one more year. I will finish out this school year, teach one more full year, and then we'll see where we feel like going after that. We plan to come back to that states for a long visit in June/July and look forward to seeing as many family and friends as we can, eating as much American food as possible, and hiking.
Alex has also continued volunteering for Engineers Without Borders. Naturally, he has become pretty well-respected by the main guy in charge due to his knowledge of building things and making things work. The program has a strong relationship with the University of Pittsburgh and brought down about 20 students for an internship. As part of the experience, the students were able to go into the Panama Canal Expansion project for a tour. They invited Alex along as well.
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| Inside the Canal lock |
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| University of Pittsburgh students |
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| Heading into where the water flows in and out of the chamber |
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| Where the new lock gates will be |
Pretty incredible experience for him. He is one of very few in the world who can say they've walked in the Panama Canal expansion lock!
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Another fun thing we've done includes a trip to Palenque with a bunch of teachers. Palaenque is on the Caribbean coast, about 3 hours from the city. We rented a house for 2 nights, which included 2 maids who cooked and cleaned for us. We had the genius idea of having a slip'n slide flip cup tournament. It was amazing.
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| We played Beersbee and put our chairs in the water. |
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Santiago has been working on a project in Bocas del Toro, and has been able to fit in a quick stop the last two times he's been down! Was great to see him! We will get to see him, Anna, and meet baby Francesca in December when we go to Ecuador!
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In other news, the Panamanian President and the whole Varela family met the Pope. Two of the three kids go to my school. Exciting stuff.
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I still need to update about our visit with Doug and Brittany, and our quick trip to Peru. Both will come in time. Until then, Go Hawks! :)
