Panama Expat Forum

ElSol8899
Joined 2020
Posts: 36

3 years ago

Panama - A Place to Visit

3 years ago

Your collective wisdom tells me that my wife and I would likely not be happy living in Panama, but that we would likely enjoy visiting and sightseeing in the country.

Language: I am not concerned about the language. I routinely speak Spanish when I order meals in Mexican restaurants. I learned the power of saying “yo quiero,” meaning I would like, or conjugate the verb and say “tu quieres,” meaning would you like? Then learn some vocabulary words and you can easily order a cup of coffee or other items from the menu. Or buy something in a store.

My ex-wife was born in Cuba and speaks both English and Spanish as native languages. Like me, she is a lawyer. Her father is a lawyer. His father is a lawyer. Two of her sisters are lawyers. Their family moved to Cuba from Spain and they speak Castilian Spanish.

And our son just graduated from Harvard Law School after working as an investment banker with UBS for 5 years. He is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and English.

We had a live-in Nanny/Housekeeper for many years and her only language was Spanish.

Food: I am not concerned about the food. I lived on a ship for 6 months and we stopped at every place in the Caribbean. I lived on another ship for 6 months and we stopped at every place in the Mediterranean. I ate the food in all those countries.

I lived in Japan for a year and ate the food there. My favorite Japanese food was Katsu Don, which is usually served in a bowl. It has the equivalent of a pork chop with no bone, with white rice and egg. It is still a favorite food of mine.

My wife and I eat Chinese food every day. But when restaurants are open, we eat a large variety of foods from Korean to Italian to Vietnamese and more.

Bureaucracy: If you have lived through the process of obtaining a visa to come to the United States to live, you have learned to deal with bureaucrats. It took more than a year to bring my wife and daughter here from China.

Adventure: My wife thinks we should plan something like a 2 month visit to Panama and treat it like an adventure. The same way we will visit other countries like Thailand and Vietnam. Of course, when we visit those countries her friends and family in China can meet us and enjoy the adventure with us.

Starbucks and Fast food: I have had enough to last a lifetime. Panama is supposed to have great coffee and I would choose to drink it even if Starbucks was there. Eating the local cuisine is part of the fun when visiting another country.

So, in response to my single question about the beauty in Boquete, you good people provided the information I needed to evaluate how we should approach Panama, and a visit, not a residence, seems to be the clear answer.

Thank you.

William Russell

Get a quote for international health insurance from our partner, William Russell.
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William Russell

Get a quote for international health insurance from our partner, William Russell.
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William Russell

Get a quote for international health insurance from our partner, William Russell.
Get Quote

William Russell

Get a quote for international health insurance from our partner, William Russell.
Get Quote

Contribute
Help others in Panama by answering questions about the challenges and adventures of living in Panama.