So, what was our first Christmas like in Panamá? Here are some of my reflections of our holidays as well as other thoughts as our year closes.
November and December are filled with holidays and parades. There was no shortage of Christmas lights and decorations, from Santas to Snowmen (believe it or not)! As an expat, moving to a foreign country can mean holidays without your children and grandchildren, brothers, sisters, and parents. We knew this going in, and we certainly had our share of missing them. Thank God for video chatting! Moving away also meant that we would make new friends who would help us through without our family. We have been blessed with meeting a nice group of people since we arrived.
On Thanksgiving, we were invited to share the holiday with expat friends south of Boquete. They had German friends visiting also, as well as a couple of Costa Ricans girls who are currently living in Panamá. We had a fantastic meal of turkey and all the trimmings buffet style on their large covered patio. Our daughter Lauren was visiting at the time which made it “muy especial.”
We recently hosted a holiday get-together, our first real party since moving here in May. Our home has an open floor plan and an was able to accommodate our medium sized group very well. Our outdoor terrace is an extension of our home and made for a wonderful area to hang out and enjoy the canyon view. New friends from all walks of life, both Panamanian and Americans, enjoyed food and drinks, along with good conversation. And it also allowed us to practice our Español.
Many of the local restaurants had special holiday menus for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Living in Boquete, which has a large expat community, you will find turkey served on Thanksgiving and even on the US holidays such as Memorial Day, Labor Day, and 4th of July, there are special menus and celebrations.
Our town square was beautifully decorated. On Christmas Eve, we drove into town. Our first stop was to have a specialty coffee at one of the many cafes. The Café we stopped at was brand new and overlooking a creek. There was a nice breeze, the temperature was in the low 70’s and it was Christmas Eve! We walked across town to pick up a few things at the farmacia, then had dinner at one of the American-owned restaurants in town which had a special menu that night. I enjoyed a flavorful corvino fish meal (sea bass), and Craig had a Ribeye imported from Texas. We decided to walk off some of that good food and had a nice stroll around the town square and admired the lights. Once we got home, we made some video calls to our children.
Christmas Day was very laid back. We attended Christmas Day church services at the beautiful chapel at Valle Escondido The service was in English and it was very nice. It really felt good to worship at such a welcoming place. When we got home, Craig made us a fantastic brunch and then we spent the afternoon watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Christmas Vacation”. We also had another video chat with family that evening. I have to admit that it was a bit difficult. I did miss the craziness of watching the grandchildren opening presents and running amok. Luckily Panamá is only a three hour flight to Miami, and a five hour flight to New York.
Summer in Panamá : We are in the beginning of summer here. Children are out of school for summer vacation and the dry season seems to be starting. I’m thinking another trip to the beach is in order very soon!
We want to wish our our friends and family a very happy and healthy 2020!
More from us soon!!
