AMAZON SUPER MODEL

Living here in Central America, I have become accustomed to things that initially made me look twice. Whenever I have people visiting, I love watching what things interest them. For example, you can buy one egg at a time here. Showing how coffee and bananas grow. How you can buy single servings of mayonnaise and milk because many people do not have fridges. You can buy fruit, garbage bags, veggies and clothes from the side of the road and fish from the back of a truck. Many electrical wires hang so close to the ground, you have to step over them. Stray dogs enter almost every store and no one blinks twice. Having spiders the size of your hand visit you in the bathroom. All these things no longer cause me to look twice, but, I did take a second look when I saw this;

Syd machete-ing down a bush, in her pink dress and sweater, in bare feet. Such a mix of girlie-girl and tom boy! Now, before anyone calls social services on me, everyone here has a machete and uses it for almost everything. They are quite handy and easy to use. I can still remember when I was talking to one of the support teachers in Calgary and he asked me where Josh was and I casually mentioned "Oh he is in the back yard sharpening his machete. " I heard Bill fall off his chair and ask me to repeat what I had just said in a very startled tone. I actually used to sleep with my machete under my bed when Paul was out of town, but now I have Uzzi, my dog, he is way better then any machete!

Until I blog again!

Linda

MORE MOMENTS

My last entry I blogged about how quickly the kids were growing up. I have pre teen children and both have larger feet then me! Syd is already borrowing my clothes and Josh picks me up off the ground, just because he can. So, how do I enjoy those moments? I let the kids non verbal tell me when our hug is over, I try and be very present when they are telling me something important, I touch their shoulder and look them in the eye when we talk. I take a few extra minutes to cuddle at bedtime as we talk about our day. I tell them often how glad and proud I am to be their Mother.

Many times I fail at the above, but I do try. Last Saturday Joshua had his first Thai Kwan Do tournament. Josh has been so into Thai Kwan Do and has been improving considerably. We loaded up our car at 8:15 for an 8:30 start time. Needless to say, the tournament did not start until 10 ish. I sometimes forget we live in Central America. We could tell who the veteran parents were, they showed up at 10, with hot drinks, blankets, pillows to sit on and coolers of food. The stadium was freezing, well freezing for me, and we had to sit on hard concrete steps.

The kids were to first show their forms and get marked on those. Then the flighting began. Now Josh is a tough, tall and strong young man, but he also has the gentliest of spirits. I know Josh can flight and defend himself, but I must say my heart was pounding as he entered the ring to fight an older kid who had his green belt, 2 levels above Josh. I must admit, I do not get adrenaline rushes here very often, and I must say, Mama like. I became one of those mothers yelling "Kick him, harder, higher, go for it!"

The 6 groups of kids from our Province waiting to show their forms.

Josh with his silver an bronze metal. Proud of you son!

It was a really great day for many reasons. Josh got to show his skills, I got to hang with friends and I felt like I was finally part of the community I live in. Getting connected has always been easy for me. In the past, with my job, the kids schools and activities or Paul's job I was always immediately networked. Here, especially because of the language and cultural challenges, connecting has been a challenge. That has been tough and lonely for me at times.

Anyhow,,,,,,

Deep thoughts by Linda.

If you have face book, Paul has Josh's entire fight on his profile, he is the one on the left.

Until I blog again.
Linda

MOMENTS

Every once in a while, it hits me really hits me hard how quickly the kids are growing up, how little time I really do have left with them and how fast life flies by. I had one such moment yesterday after hanging the laundry. See for yourself.

Here are our jeans. From left to right: Syd's. mine, Paul's and Josh's jeans, (Which are already too small for him). Note they are almost all the same size.

Another of these moments came when Jenni asked me who was the woman sitting beside Paul at the Jazz Featival and why he had his arm around her. A little alarmed, I looked, only to see Syd and Dad, enjoying Uncle Jon and his band playing rocking Jazz. Syd had her hair down and looked like a young lady.

Here is a picture of her and Lynda at the intermission at the Jazz Festival. My, how Syd has grown.

Until I blog a gain.
Linda

Celebration Panama Style

This past week we celebrated the birthday of both Steve and Zion Bliss. Now there had been talk of the "man fire" bonfire they were going to have in honor of this occasion for weeks. Branches had been collected and had been sitting on the Bliss house front lawn for a while. We were told that the bonfire was going to be "20 feet tall!!!!!!" Right.

We pulled up to their house Thursday evening for the big event, and sure enough, the branches that were collecting were 20 feet high and the smell of diesel was everywhere. Now I say branches, but really, they were tree trunks. I guess Jenni and James used the wench on Steve's truck to hoist the main trunk into a hole they had dug, and it was standing upright. The first thing I said after we pulled up was to Paul "Move the car to the other side of the house now." Next was give my children the fire safety talk and look for the location of the closest hose.

Below are 2 videos. The first one is the pre-fire dance. Check out Paul's moves on the balcony. The second one is self explanatory.

1. 
   

We had such a blast that night,as you can tell from the videos. We all came home sweaty, stinking like smoke and covered in dirt and so tired from all the "fire dancing". The kids collapsed in bed pretty quickly after their showers. When I went to go and tuck Syd in, I couldn't resist taking this picture. So cute!!

Farm feet

Until I blog again.

Linda

LOOK MA, NO,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,!!!!!

For those who have a weak stomach, you may not want to read this entry.

As many of you know, we got a dog last August. This was to be temporary adoption, with the possibilityof a perminent adoption. As of Jan 2010, Uzzi became officially ours! The first order of business was to neuter him.

Here in Boquete, they run clinics every few months and neuter dogs and cats for a very small fee. It is a really great program.

Jan 31 2010, Uzzi went to have his surgery. Living in Panama I understand that sometimes the way things are run are not quite the way I would want them run. I was pleasantly surprised by the set up in the local gym. It was very organized and all the volunteers were so helpful.

11 o'clock was his check in. Now our dog is quite a lovely dog, very friendly and oh so sweet, but he is huge,(88 lbs) and he is a Rottweiler. Many people here in Boquete who have Rotties train them to be fighters. Not our puppy, he is a lover. I walked in right at 11, like every good Canadian, I am always on time, sometimes even a little eariler. It was pretty crowded, but when I walked in with Uzzi, everyone did a double take and took a few steps back. Uzzi was quite stressed, smelled fear and death and was tugging quite aggressively at his lease. We were lead to the other side of the gym where I hooked his lease onto the beachers as I checked him in, labeled him and paid my 10 dollars. (A great deal!)

Uzzi pre-op in his time out corner, all alone!

I had to wait around an hour and figured this would happen so I had my book. I honestly thought I would not have a chance to read. Typically people are so friendly, many want to practice their English with me. One person approached me during that entire hour. I didn't take it personally! I got lots of reading done!

By 12 they called my name and off we went to get weighted and given an anesthetic. As I walked over with Uzzi, I saw 3 men in my periphery walking beside me. One asked if my dog bites. I assured him he was not a bitter. They drew up the appropriate dose, and injected him with his "sleeping" shot while being held down by 4 large men. The needle actually got disconnected from the syringe, so he had this 18 gauge hanging from his hind quaters. That got pulled out pretty quickly once I pointed it out.

I asked how long until the shotworks, and within 2 minutes, Uzzi was out cold!Uzzi out cold.Check out his tongue!

He got shaved, brought to the operating table and was fixed within 10 minutes. He is so big his front and hind legs were hanging over the edges of the OR table. I was nearby and heard "Look at these!". The assistant was holding one of his bells laughing as many people came to see the "biggest ones today!" Good thing I have a sick sense of humor and laughed along.Here are the 6 OR tables, Uzzi is the one on the second from the left with his legs hanging over the edge.

He was then brought to the "recovery room" where he had all his shots, nails cut and teeth brushed. It was then many people came by and asked if they could pet him. They were too afraid before. I guess that is a good thing, he is a guard dog after all!

Uzzi in recovery room with Syd,Josh and Paul

By 1:30 he was partially awake so 4 men loaded him up into our car.

3 weeks later, and I am pleased to say Uzzi is all healed and back to his usual energetic and playful self. I did get a little worried a week ago when I noticed he was spending a lot of time in the corner of our car port with his nose to the wall. He would look over his shoulder at me every morning with a very sad look. I think he realized they are gone, for good.

Until I blog again.

Linda

FAMILY VISIT

We have had a terrific last 2 weeks. My sister, Frances, her son Aiden and her daughter Freya came for a visit. It is always so great to have family visit. During the visit we experienced the city, the mountains and the ocean. That is the amazing thing about Panama, only a few hours and you can see a totally different landscape and climate.

Here are a few pictures of our time together.
After a long day of travel, a 3 hour delay and a lost suitcase, my family arrives safe and sound. Panama City in the back ground.


At the Boquete Garden.


Three beauties n the beach.

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Rummicub by the pool, Mom would be proud.


You can sure tell we are sisters.

We spent 3 days at the beach and really enjoyed swimming in the pool.


Dinner together in the mountains.


Lazy Sunday by the river.

It is always great to see family. We took the 10 days off home school, played Dutch Blitz and spoons, ate way too much food and stayed up way too late and got caught up on each others lives. Saying good bye always comes up too quickly. Thanks for a great visit.

Until I blog again.

Linda

YELLOW BELT

This past Friday morning, Josh joined 3 other white belts to complete his yellow belt examination in TaeKwondo. After a 20 minute warm-up + 25 minutes of demonstrating basic skills + each performing their required 3 forms + sparring with a partner to demonstrate their combat skills - it was off with the white on and on with the yellow. Here's a few clips capturing some of the highlights.



Warming up with the splits. Nicely done, Josh



Showing us how the 3 required forms are done on his way to yellow belt.



Josh demonstrating his fighting skills.




The belt ceremony. Off with the white. on with the yellow.



Group pic - with Josh's instructor, Michael (left of Josh - 4th degree black belt) and visiting Master Instructor (two left of Josh - 6th degree black belt).

Congratulations Josh! We're all very proud of you.

HIGH WINDS IN PANAMA

The primary reason we left Canada for Panama was to join the leadership team of the Dead Wheat International Foundation (DWIF). In a nutshell, we develop "contextually appropriate (sustainable) solutions" to address water, food and clean air security for vulnerable communities within the rain forest belt, with a particular focus in Latin America. Our primary food security technology is aquaponics - a merger of hydroponics (soil free food production) and aquaculture (fish) that recycles water and needs no outside inputs. We recently celebrated completion of the construction of our 100' by 30' experimental farm in El Frances.

But - high winds are a seasonal reality here in Panama that transition us from the rainy to dry season. In fact, you might remember a blog entry (with video) from last year detailing how gusts of wind flung our trampoline into our neighbors property. Well, this season we've had particularly strong winds, even at lower altitudes where our project is located.

This past week, wind gusts systematically destroyed the structure of our aquaponic project in El Frances. For a video report on the story, click here.

Paul

HOLIDAYS

This is a picure outside my front door Christmas morning. Gorgeous blue skies and mountain views. Hummingbirds everywhere. Doesn't feel like Christmas however without snow! We did go to a pot luck on the 24th with a bunch of families from here. Below is a picture of a few of my girls. We don't dress up very often here, so when we all arrive with clean clothes, hair combed, no flip flops and make up on, we take pictures and all coo "Oh, your so pretty!"

From L to R-Lizanne, Sharron, Nicole, Me, Jenni and Tammy

HO HO HUMBUG?

I trust you all had an incredible Christmas with your loved ones. This was our third Christmas in Panama. Every year it seems our traditions evolve and we adopt some new traditions. As a parents, you always want to make the Christmas season special for your children. This year was a little different. As some of you know, Syd has been struggling with her skin so a real tree and a trip to the ocean was out of the question. Before we knew it, it was Dec 23rd.



This was the type of tree we wanted to have, but we improvised and came up with the following new tradition!

Our Christmas pineapple tree!

Until I blog again,

Linda

FELIZ NAVIDAD

Holiday Greetings to all our blog followers!!

We have switched from rainy season to windy season. I have to say, it sure beats minus 38 degrees and snow. I send my condolences to those freezing in Calgary today!

Christmas and New Years is huge here in Panama. People save all year to buy their loved ones presents and to decorate their homes. Many people wrap their front doors in wrapping paper and put their tree on the front porch for the whole community to enjoy. Even the poorest of places will have some type of Christmas decorations displayed. The stores are packed and there is always a free wrapping table outside each store that will wrap each gift individually. On New Years, at midnight, almost every home sets off fireworks. It is such a beautiful sight and a really neat way to ring in the new year. Another tradition is that people will paint their homes, top to bottom, inside and out. It is a way to symbolically remove all the bad of the previous year and start the new year fresh. Paint is on sale everywhere!

I always have such a tough time getting into the Christmas spirit when there is no snow. This will be out third Christmas in Panama. This year we hope to go to the ocean for a few days. This year we are praying for new skin for Syd. As many of you know, Syd has been really struggling with her eczema. She has been improving, and we hope all her skin will be closed so we can all have a good soak in the ocean this year!

I will take a picture if a few houses today and add them to the post.

Until I blog again.
Love Linda

Merry Christmas

Make a Smilebox greeting

ON THE ROAD FROM WHITE TO BLACK

About a month ago, Joshua started TaeKwondo - and he loves it. Here's some vids of our new martial arts student beginning his journey from white belt to black belt.












Til next time,

Paul

A NOT SO LITTLE CREEPY CRAWLY

Driving back from a friend's house, my attention was arrested by something on the road. I was listening to my Spanish CD's and focusing on the correct pronunciation of the Spanish word for "I remember" that I didn't actually clue in as to what it was until I was nearly on top of it. Half stunned (as this was the closest I've been to an uncaged large snake), I drove past it and stopped the car about 20 feet past it. Grabbed my camera. Stuck my head out the window and took some pics.

It almost seemed to be posing for me - like it loved the camera. It just sat still, moving its head only slightly. But never looking at me. So I decided to get a little closer. I backed the truck up so the back tire (on the drivers side) was face to face with the little critter. Turns out, it wasn't so small. At least 6 ft and a diameter of about 6 inches or so. And turns out coming face to face with a snake is a sign of aggression. It began to coil and point its head straight at me. I can confirm, when a snake of this size does this, its a bit unsettling. So I rolled the truck ahead a bit and rolled video as it decided to exit stage left.

After doing a little research, it appears the snake might have been a Bushmaster - one of the planet's most deadly snakes. Gotta love Panama's outdoor zoo.



Ineffective snake charmer,

Paul

YES I HAVE BECOME ONE OF "THOSE"PEOPLE

I never really got it when people would gush about their pets. I would politely listen and nod appropriately, but honestly, I never really got it.

We now have a puppy. Actually a huge, 110 pound, 10 month old, messy, slobbery hunk of hairy, nastiness, sweetness and love. I could never understand those people who actually proclaimed love for an animal. I now get it. I actually caught myself kissing his head the other day! I know, ewwww. Uzzi has been a part of our family for 2 months. He is an incredible guard dog, playmate, composter and friend.

Hello, my name is Linda and I am a dog lover.

Thank you for accepting me.

THANKFULNESS

You know you are due to blog when you forget your blogspot password. It has almost been a full month since I last updated, for that I am sorry. Life really hasn't been very busy, so I have no excuse besides I didn't feel like it and I was feeling a little lonely and sad. No one wants to read a sad blog!

I have officially pulled both kids out of the Spanish school they were in this year. My decision point to do this came when my beloved son asked me "Mom, please tell me why you feel you need to keep us in the school." I paused and starting saying all the right things: good to finish things, tough lessons help you appreciate life, if you stick it out maybe you will make some friends. As I listened to myself, I realized I didn't even believe what I was saying. One core value we hold to firmly is truth telling. The kids were there for 7 months, and hated almost every minute. The turning point also came when Syd was being made fun of because of her eczema and she was crying. The teacher told her to stop crying and smarten up. Needless to say, that was Syd's last day! So at the moment, the children are starting grade 5 and 7 with me and are taking private Spanish classes with a high energy and fun-loving Argentinian called Maria. Today they will be baking and need to explain in Spanish how to bake whatever they are bring. Already, in one day at a private class, they have learned more Spanish then in the other school. Josh asked if he could burn his uniform. I think it is a great idea, except, I know a few boys who could use the pants. I know, way too practical. Maybe we could burn a book or two.

As some of you have heard, Syd is having a tough time with her eczema. A few pretty bad flare ups. At the moment, she is only eating fish, eggs, chicken and veggies. She is on week 6 of this. We are dealing with the root of her eczema, the gut. We have a doctor of nutrition here in Panama City who is helping us sort through this. Such a learning experience for me. It is so hard to resist the urge to slap on the meds for a quick fix. She has chosen to heal naturally, from the inside out. I come from such a medication, quick fix background, that this has been a learning experience for me as well. Please pray for Syd. She has had her tough days. Who am I kidding, who doesn't. The other day I walked out of the home schooling room. I was so frustrated, I had had it. I guess I must have had a look on my face because Paul followed me outside and asked if I was coming back. Of coarse, I always come back! All I needed was a good walk with the dog, space by myself and a cup of coffee

Rainy season has hit full force. Translation: heavy rains and fog for days at a time, mud everywhere,green everywhere, cooler temperatures, meaning mid 60's so the sweaters and extra blankets get pulled out. I know, poor me! This morning I woke up to glorious sunshine and clear skies. Many times I don't appreciate things until they are gone, like the sunshine, like a normal day.

Saying that, I received some shocking news last Friday. A friend of mine, Shannon Bow, age 31, suffered a major stroke. Shannon went to Zambia with me Jan 2006. The most vivid memory I have of her is of her leaning out the bus window, right up to her waist, waving and saying "Hi "to all the children we passed. Her smile was so huge, her face hurt that night. At this point she is in the hospital in stable condition, but will have a long recovery ahead of her. Her story is being blogged by Leisa at http://www.shanbow.blogspot.com/ for those who know her.

Really, my life is pretty routined, and I appreciate a normal day where I will chose to enjoy mopping the muddy footprints from my white tile floor! I chose to thank God for a roof that doesn't leak, for time with Paul and my children, for a full belly, for a sweater I can pull on when I get cold.

"Be thankful in all things."

Until I blog again.

Linda

STUFF

I was sent this video the other day and thought it was worth while to send out to my friends. My kids also got a lot out of this video. Syd is studying China and Josh just finished a science module on our worlds wastes. It is 21 minutes long, relavant and well worth the time.

http://storyofstuff.com/

Until I blog again.
Linda

COMPLETED COUCH

Here is our completed couch. Not perfect, but very cozy and comfortable. We all fight for the lounging section! In life I have learned a few things: Love and laugh often, pick your battles wisely and lower expectations. Linda's survival guide!

ANOTHER VISITOR

We were having a nice quiet home schooling morning when we all suddenly heard a loud buzzing. This is not unusually as the flying creatures here can be very loud and very large and we have our doors constantly open to let the fresh air in. This is what we saw:

Because they use up so much energy to fuel wing flapping up to 80 flaps a second, they need to eat every 20 minutes. This poor bird was tiring quickly. He finally flew out the door and crash landed on our front lawn.

We all quickly ran down our stairs and secured our dog. He would have had a great time playing with this bird! It is not often you see a hummingbird this still.

We picked up the bird in a cloth and hand fed him some sugar water.

After a few minutes of refueling, the hummingbird flew away. What an exciting morning! How often does someone get to hold a hummingbird?

Hummingbird Facts and Information

The rapid beating of the hummingbirds wings (60 to 80 beats per second) makes the distinctive humming sound from which they get their name.

The hummingbird is the smallest bird and also the smallest of all animals that have a backbone.

They have no sense of smell.

Because they can rotate their wings in a circle, they are the only bird that can fly forwards, backwards, up, down ,sideways and hover in mid air.

To conserve energy while they sleep or when food is scarce, they can go into a hibernation-like state (torpor) where their metabolic rate is slowed to 1/15th of its normal rate.

During migration, some hummingbirds make a non-stop 500 mile flight over the Gulf of Mexico.

During courtship dives they can reach speeds up to 60 miles per hour and can average speeds of 20 to 30 miles per hour.

They are the second largest family of birds with 343 species.

They can beat their wings up to 80 times a second during normal flight and up to 200 times per second during a courtship dive.

Their heart rate can reach up to 1,260 beats per minute.

Percentage wise, the hummingbird has the largest brain of all birds (4.2% of its total body weight).

Hummingbirds have very weak feet and use them mainly just for perching

There is your class on hummingbirds. By the way, the gecko is still alive. Back to school!

Until I blog again

VISITOR

On the long walk to home school, ie from the kitchen to upstairs, Josh and I noticed a wee gecko stuck in a spiders web. Being the kind souls we are, we rescued him and put him in a safe place while he heals. His tail and one of his limbs looks like it might fall off. He has changed color around 3 times, and yet still is alive at the end of the day.

So cool.

Until I blog again.

Linda