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Date: Sat, 30 Apr 2005 23:19:39 -0500

To: Friends

Hello Friends!

I can't believe it has been so long since I've sent an update - I could say that I've just been too busy, which is true, but then you'd want to know what I've been busy with and I'd have to tell you that we are still trying to get the G_ _ D_ _ _ road in on our property, and have been trying to do this simple task for 6 months. All you have to do is hire a contractor, sign a contract, and expect the job to be started, worked on, and completed. Well, we hired, and signed and got started at the end of December just fine, but then the work stopped due to some bureaucratic baloney, but it finally started again, and then stopped again a month ago, which is where we still are today - the road is half in and rainy season begins soon and our contractor is great at hide and seek; he hides, we seek and the road remains untouched. But this is Panama and the slow life is part of the charm, the slow life is part of the charm, the slow life...Repeat after me...

But it also explains why Chris is the contractor for the building of our house and cottages - we are hiring our own crew and ordering our own materials and have only ourselves to blame when things go wrong. We can't be any worse than the highly recommended guy who is building our road...We have a small but reliable core group of 5, and will hire additional people as necessary. We actually started on the foundation a few days ago - hurray! A milestone! But we failed to consider the cows. Chris made new watering barrels for them a few weeks ago, and they love them. So they saw the guys building something new this week, thought whatever it was must be for them, and decided to check it out - so they walked all over the first 2 days of work on the foundation, crushing the work that had been done. The slow life in Panama is part of the charm, the slow life in Panama is part of the charm...Make your reservations now, we'll be opening in 2012!

(If you haven't looked at our web page recently, check again as we have new pictures up - www.ginaandchris.com and click on the Panama page.)

So since we haven't built anything yet, you might ask me again - what have you been doing all this time? OK, I've been working on my Spanish, but I confess that my teacher has good job security. I have made progress but this country is so darn easy to live in without learning Spanish. And my motto is to speak English unless there is no alternative. The slow brain in Gina is part of the charm, but I expect to be reasonably fluent by opening day in 2012!

So, what else? Oh yea - there's my Monday morning group and my lunch group. My Monday morning group (ex-pat ladies) - well, actually it is 2 different groups but I only go to one of the group meetings. The first is the creative writing class, which meets every other Monday morning. Since my mind freezes at the thought of a creative writing class, I've so far opted out of this one. The other one is far more important anyway, and meets on the other Mondays - we meet to discuss important cultural events - we watch a movie (Ray and other currently popular movies), eat some lunch and numerous desserts, talk about the movie for a few minutes and catch up on the local Boquete gossip. To be included in this group, each of us must bring either a dessert or wine to each showing. So since I don't drink, I actually have to make desserts, so that keeps me busy. Movies and desserts...And then there is my Panamanean lunch group - we meet for lunch every other week, and it is quite a production. It starts at 1:00 and, being the A-type gringo that I am, I usually head out by 4:00, often one of the first to leave - many stay til after 5. Since the group is Panamanean, you'd think that I'd have to use my Spanish there, but being the considerate gringo that I am, I let the Panamaneans who want to practice their English converse with me in English. There really are quite a few who speak more than adequate English. I'm really not that bad - I do try to understand the Spanish at the luncheons and will speak my Spanish some, but it is not natural for me yet. But these events are one of the plus sides of the slow life in Panama - enjoying each day to the fullest.

Truly, though, there are a million things to do. Paperwork, more paperwork, and then some paperwork - Panamaneans love paperwork (setting up the corporation, environmental studies, IPAT studies, residency issues, employment contracts, social security, insurance, buying property, getting land titled, etc). Something "simple" like a notarized document requires a 40 minute drive, waiting in line, paying a few bucks, sometimes the office must retype the document (I haven't figured out why they have to sometimes and not other times - and then it isn't necessarily a computer - it might be an old IBM Selectric typewriter), signatures and a few ceremonial stamps. You have to pay bills at the various offices - electric, phone, satellite dish - there is nowhere to mail the payments to. These are the kinds of things that I thought would drive me crazy, but somehow they don't - I must truly be acclimating to Panama. The slow life in Panama is part of the charm.

But Chris has way more to do than I do - he is still doing MMS and trying to oversee the construction of "Rancho de Caldera" - and this includes hiring, getting equipment, buying materials, reviewing plans, bringing containers from the states and a container of bamboo from China, etc. - a huge challenge, and contrary to our dream of moving to Panama for the charm of the slow life. But the truth is that all the delays have given us time to figure out more things, hopefully to make fewer mistakes and ultimately to make a more fabulous B&B. As long as we keep our minds on a Panamanean time schedule, it'll get done when it gets done and Chris and I can hopefully continue to enjoy the process, despite the bumps.

We have an employee, Nick, in Caldera, the town we are building in and we have rented a house there for him. It was a bit of an extravagance but we since we moved him there, we want him to be happy - so we're picking up the $50 a month rent for the 2 bedroom house! It was in disrepair but after a couple of days of clean up, painting, repairing and furnishing, the place looks darn nice. Even the locals here can' believe that we've rented a place for $50/month. So anyway, on Sunday afternoon Nick was driving through town and sees this fellow riding his horse towards him (remember, horseback riding is still a real and legitimate means of transportation in Caldera). As he gets closer, he sees that this fellow is swaying on his horse - clearly the guy is seriously drunk. As Nick gets closer to the horse, he surprises the rider, just by being there, and the rider kind of jerks when he sees the truck, loses his balance and falls off the horse. So remember - don't drink and ride - it's dangerous! I wonder if you can get a ticket for RUI around here?

And then on Friday I went to the phone company to get a land phone line for Nick in Caldera. I was informed that they only have 27 lines that go into Caldera and all 27 are being used (we think there are 600 - 700 people living in Caldera but don't really know). But we can put our name on the waiting list and when someone disconnects their line, and it is our turn, we can get a phone line. Weeks, months, years? But not to worry, I just found out that this old man in town just died of a massive heart attack, so maybe his line will open up? I'm not kidding folks - this is all true! I told you, I freeze at the idea of creative writing - who needs to be creative when you live here? Who needs telephones at a resort anyway? There's always an answer - answers just take time, money and more time. And a sense of humor. Who'd of thunk?

The kids are great - the 4 in college are all done for the year within 2 weeks, all having done very well, and Ariel finishes her Sophmore year in high school in a month. Only Kelly will be in Cleveland this summer. I was in the states recently to close on our house which finally sold, and was able to squeeze in some quick visits with family and friends. We'll be back in Cleveland in July for 2 weeks, for a more normal and enjoyable visit. I hope to see as many of you as possible then! While we're just loving it here, I miss all of you - please drop a line when you get a chance as I would love to hear from all of you! And hopefully you can visit us here in Panama for a peak into the slow life - and hopefully well before 2012!

Lots of Love,

Gina