WE'RE HERE

WE HAVE ARRIVED (Oct 11th 2007)

Written by Linda

Proof we are here! Panama City in the background.

Well, here we are in Panama City. It felt really great giving over the house keys to our renters, storing our car and getting on the airplane. Those of you that spoke to me before I left know I was so ready for this!

The night before we left, we stayed at the Delta hotel in Calgary because we needed to get checked in for our flight at 5 AM. Sleeping at the hotel was tough. Lots of bed switching and complaining about people snoring (let's be honest, there were three of us struggling to sleep while Paul caught up on his beauty sleep) . We tried to get to bed early, but all of us were awake at 10 pm watching our last instalement of “Dancing with the Stars.”

When we arrived in Panama, the kids were a little overwhelmed. At the airport, everyone was speaking Spanish to us and gesturing with their hands. It was busy, crowded, hot and humid. We eventually got our luggage and headed through immigration. It went smoothly. Syd got some attention for her red hair. People were pointing and smiling. Syd just stood there. Jody Schmuland was there to pick us up with snacks and water in the car. So prepared! It was pretty great having someone you know meet you at the airport.

When we got to Jody and Trent’s, Syd had a melt down. She hated the smell, it was too noisy and too many people. Josh looked at me and said “I told you we should not have come to Panama!”

Josh’s Journal the first night in Panama

(So far the smell is really stinky but the bagels are good.)

Syd’s journal form the first night in Panama
(My favorite things in Panama are how humid it is, all the plants are so beautiful. I really want to eat all of the fruit. They have bananas, mangos, avocadoes, and pomegranate. My least favorite things are the smell, how busy it is and how hot it is. )

Everything inside me wanted to tell them how wonderful it was that we had clean linen, no rats and a safe place to stay. Compared to other third world places, this is heaven. They both had a good cry and cuddle and went to sleep. Josh jumped into bed with me last night, so he is obviously feeling a little stressed.

This morning was great. Coffee and a bagel at a coffee shop owned by an American, then a drive through the city, a swim, a great lunch, another swim and then lots of playing with Emma, Easton and Everett. The kids are doing so much better this morning.

We will go out to supper at Jimmy’s tonight. Trent's favorite restuarant. We still need to see the Panama Canal and get Syd some flip flops. Hers broke back in Calgary while we were at the Delta. We plan to fishing on Saturday, relax on Sunday and then leave on Monday for the City of David. Sounds like fun!

Will post some more soon. Linda