BOTANY CLASS

I think I may have too much time on my hands, because I find myself thinking of how some of the foods we commonly eat in Canada grow. I honestly have never asked or thought about how pineapples grow. I would just buy one, at the Superstore for $4.99, if they smelt and looked good. The other day, after a quick swim in a near by river, we met a pineapple farmer. Taking every opportunity to incorporate learning, I asked if we could see his pineapple fields. He lead the way. Below are some shots of the stages of pineapple growth.

The pineapple starts out as this beautiful flower

It can take months for the fruit to grow. Note how the strong pineapple leaves need to be to hold this heavy fruit up.

Almost ripe. See the new flower below starting to bloom.

Here I pay 79 cents for a huge pineapple. I guess delivery is what is so costly in Canada. I'm still wondering where the pineapples we eat in Canada come from? Can someone let me know?

Anyhow, class dismissed!

Linda

FELIZ NAVIDAD FROM PANAMA

Our annual Christmas pose.

Yes the kids have grown, but we are also bending down to fit into the frame!!

Christmas is just a few days away. Can you believe it? It is amazing to see everyone here in Panama get into the Christmas spirit. Christmas is HUGE here. Lots of front doors are covered in gold and red wrapping paper, many have Christmas trees outside on their porch, and most of homes have lights strung inside and out. In Boquete’s village square there are wooden cut outs of penguins skating and building snowmen. It’s more than interesting since most of the locals have never even seen snow.

One thing we’ve learned is that Panamanians know how to celebrate and enjoy finding any reason to party. People save all year to celebrate Christmas. The stores are decorated beautifully and are loaded with aisles and aisles of decorations and toys. It would be easy to spend lots of cash. One of the things that is so great about living here is that they wrap your Christmas purchases in the store, and for free. It’s actually expected. Now that is a great way to do Christmas shopping! Parked in the shopping centre parking lots are 4x4 trucks blaring "Boom Boom" music out the back with huge speakers. The music is so loud it sets off car alarms. Some stores will even serve you drinks to help you"get in the mood".

We have a beautiful tree in our living room, well the kids and I think it is beautiful. Paul would have preferred more lights. The other day Josh made on off handed comment. He looked under the tree and said, “You know, we really have enough presents under the tree this year.” (We had 4 at that time) If that is the only reason we came to Panama than it was worth it!! I hope my children never forget how blessed we are and how grateful we should be for all we have.

Paul and Josh debating how a tree should be decorated. Josh prefers "freestyle", Paul prefers "planned and symetrical". Josh won out!

Syd and Josh dancing while decorating our tree

Not having cold weather is a bit odd, and reminds me of our Christmas’ in Pasadena, California. But we will do some traditional things like attending our church’s service on Christmas Eve, open our gifts on Christmas Eve so the parents can sleep in, and read the Christmas story together.

I’ve got to tell you this story, a funny thing happened last Sunday when the Pastor of the church we attend was looking right at us, talking in Spanish, smiling and nodding. I guess I must have returned a nod. Little did I know that by nodding I was unknowingly agreeing to something. I only found out a few days later when I got stopped in a shop and was asked by the church music director whether we were singing in English, French or Dutch. “I beg your pardon?” I politely asked. Quickly, I cleared that up, “NO, we will be attending, not participating.” I guess we had agreed to sing as a family. I have got to get more familiar with Spanish! We plan to spend Christmas Eve with a group of families for potluck. On Christmas Day, I think we will head to the ocean for a picnic just like Paul and I did when we lived in California.

So, I send you all my love during this Christmas Season. I hope you all have a great time freezing your buns off and shoveling mounds of snow…no, really, have an incredible time with your family and friends. Know you will be in our thoughts.

Our family sending you our love this Christmas. This shot was taken in Starfish Beach on the island of Bocas Del Toro. Syd has a starfish and Josh has a coconut which he carried around with him all day. I think he thought he was on survivor!

Love Linda, Paul, Syd and Josh

LATINO TOOTH FAIRY

Rest assured children of the world, the tooth fairy deals in all currencies and countries. Syd lost her molar the other day and we wondered if we would get Canadian or American money, if she found us. Low and behold, the Canadian Company must have contacted their Latino counter parts. As well, the Tooth Fairy must have an excellent GPS sytem because she found us on our mountain in the middle of Panama. Amazing!!!

Linda

LICE AFTERNOON FOR A VISIT

I had to put this on our blog. I got a text message on my cell phone from my friend Jenni. Quote “Ellie has lice, she is covered!” Immediately I started to itch and went around and checked everyones head for the little creatures. We headed over to Jenni’s place and did a complete lice check, house clean, linen bleach of their house. Brave Ellie sat for 1 ½ hours as her dedicated Mother removed all the lice and eggs. It is amazing that I have never gotten lice with all my traveling to Africa and exposure at the Children's. Maybe I shouldn’t speak too soon. I should go, just thinking about it is making me itch!

Alayna, Jenni and Linda. A bunch of monkeys!

BLISSFULLY HAPPY

We have mentioned a few times about the Bliss Family. This family has become friends to me and my family. Besides having the coolest yard complete with a rope swing, dirt bike track, a great climbing tree and a trampoline, they have become very dear to us all. Have you ever met someone that you connected to immediately? I have been fortunate to have that happen a few times in my life. This has happened both to Paul and I with Steve and Jenni. Today, as morning coffee became lunch, (as often is the case at the Bliss house) the kids were having a blast on the trampoline with water and we think laundry soap. They came in soaking wet and smelling and looking ultra clean, not what normally occurs in their yard, clean that is.

From (L) to (R)

Josh (8), Alanya (11), Zion (6), Jayden (9) Ellie (4), and Syd (10)

Seeing my kids adapt to so many new things and finding friends here who they adore has been a gift to me as a mother.

As well, some of you have been asking about the bugs. Below is a cool picture of a bug Steve caught and took a picture of. The bug was deep orange, chocolate brown and beige. I could decorate a room around the colors of this bug!

Beautiful in a creepy sort of way!

Until I blog again, which may be sooner than later. I have been feeling creative today and Paul has bought me a new camera. Yeah! Thanks Honey! Your the best!

Until I blog again.

Linda

PRINCESS ON A MOUNTAIN

I haven’t blogged for a while. Two reasons for that, one, I dropped and broke our beautiful camera (boo hoo) and can’t get the images downloaded to our computer. What is a blog without pictures? A little boring if I have to say so myself. Secondly, life has settled down to a quiet routine here. The most excitement we have had was receiving some Christmas packages in the mail the other day. That was very exciting for us. We walked into our post office, showed them our name, "Dias?” No “Day” We have this conversation with Marisol, our postal lady, every time we go. I have our names written out in sharpie on a piece of paper now to ease along this process. Low and behold, not just 1 package of love, but 3 and a postcard from my parents. WOW!! We all hooted and high fived each other. It was just what we needed after a day of getting a flat tire fixed. Yesterday morning I woke up to a very flat tire on our car. Well, as you know, I am quite isolated on my mountain. Paul was away in Panama City for a few days, and I was alone. I have never changed a flat, yes I know, I am a bit of a princess. I usually call CAA or drive to my local Fountain Tire. Not the case in Boquete. I had a few options. One, stay on my mountain until Paul got home. Yes,I had enough food and water, but I don’t think so. I haven’t mellowed that much!! Two, call our friend Bruce who is very handy or three, call my landlord, Jerry. The third option was the winner. Jerry was kind enough to give me the 101 on tire changing. “You really should know how to do this Linda.” He said in his firmest voice. The guy is very soft spoken and sweet. I honestly don’t think I could have loosened the bolts myself. They are on extremely tight. Well, spare tire on, kids loaded into the car and down the hill I drive, slowly, avoiding every pothole. I am having images of the tire flying off over the huge cliff and me bumping my way down, sparks flying. I get to the garage and show them my nail in my tire. In my beautiful frespanglish (French, English and Spanish) I somehow get the point across that it needs to be repaired. 1 hour is all they need. The kids and I do our daily run; bakery, grocery store, school supplies, ice cream cone and the post office. By then I am sweaty, my hair looks like a lion, even worse then when in Africa, and I am covered with grease. Quite a looker! So receiving those parcels was just what we needed. We then rented Shriek 3 and headed over to the Bliss’ house for movie and supper.

Know I think of Calgary and all my friends often as seen below in a creative moment during "school" .

Can you find your name?

Well, just got a call, Paul is back from Panama City. Got to go and pick up my beloved.

Until I blog again.

Linda

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A...DAY

Last week I had one of the coolest experiences to date. Linda, Syd, Josh and I were hanging out with the Bliss family at their place. Steve asked me if I was up for a "guys" trip to the Ruiz coffee factory to meet up with Maria Ruiz to check out some experiments being done on the "3-Rock" stoves the native Indians use. I got the nod from Linda and said, "sure".

For hundreds of years their stoves have consisted of 3 large rocks, maybe 10-12 inches high, positioned in a basic triangle formation to be able to hold a cooking pot with a small fire in the middle. It works, but is quite inefficient (poor heat distribution) and quite unhealthy (excessive smoke inhalation). We met Maria at Cafe Ruiz (my favorite spot to load up on Java in Boquete) and then headed off to the coffee factory where many Indians have already left their homes in the mountains, as coffee picking season has begun, and are living in the modest campus barracks. January and February are the big coffee picking months. Most of the workers will make their entire annual income in these few months. A "good" family of pickers can earn up to $20 a day. This is considered quite a good day's income.

After we visited the community kitchen and new stove concepts, we were invited to a surprise tour of the operations. What an education! From the fields to roasting is an incredible 5 month process (Oct 31-Mar 30). Then they shut everything down for 7 months (Apr 1-Oct 30), and have a new crew take over who take every machine apart from top to bottom, make repairs, clean everything, then paint it all. And if they are fortunate, after working around the clock for 7 months, they are ready to go again when the coffee picking season arrives at the end of October. I had no idea all that goes into preparing my favorite drink. Paying $.50 a cup seems criminal.

Then on the way home, Maria asked if it was OK if we dropped in to visit an 86 year old missionary from Germany. I knew in my gut that it would be more than a quick visit. Steve and I both quickly said, "yes".

Charlotte Luebner arrived in Panama off a freighter just over 45 years ago to serve as a bible translator. She lived with the local Indians in the area and, after nearly 40 years, completed the only bible in the local Indian dialect. I was so humbled by her dedication and commitment to her calling. As a 42 yr old wondering what's next, I found myself at the feet of a woman who had devoted 40 years to learning a foreign language that has never been translated into written form and then translate the entire bible. Wow! Her gentle yet unwavering spirit moved me deeply. It was amazing sitting with such a saint in the faith. After hearing about some of her experiences, I asked her, after devoting her entire adult life to the scriptures, what did the scriptures mean to her now. She paused only briefly, and with her bible held closely by both arms, said, "it is a weapon for me". She has been experiencing some terrible pain in her ailing knees in the last couple months which is making it difficult to sleep at night and has limited her mobility. She said she is in a "waiting period" to hear what God has next for her (talk about putting my journey in perspective), and her health condition gets her down. So she has been reading Isa 53 to strengthen her spirit. As our time came to a close, I asked if I could have the honor of praying for her. I left so thankful I for the gift of being with her.

It was a great day.

Paul