Yesterday.

It is Saturday and my session with the class finished at 1:00. It was an update for tour class of 16. On Monday we will be in the classrooms. There are two schools which we will be teaching at, one in the city and another in a rural area outside of Panama. I will be in the rural school first, teaching a grade 3-4 class. I will be observing for the first week, then I will be taking over and eventually doing eighty percent of the class. Tell you the truth, no one knows what to expect. Should be interesting.

So after the session with the group we decided to go visit the National Park. As a group we have done alot of sightseeing and touristy stuff. A bunch of us decided a walk in the park was where it was AT! SO off we were. It was ANDY-my roomate, Inya, Olivia and Charlotte- who we nickname Carlotta. It works better with a Spanish accent.

So we took a taxi. It cost 2.oo and was not too far away. The cabdriver was friendly but not very useful. Like most people i have come across in Panama, he was eager to find out where we were from and why we were in Panama. That is the most amazing thing. When we tell people we are going to stay here as vistiors for 2 months they are usually shocked. *why would you spend two months here?*
So after being dropped off at the park we entered it for 2 dollars. We didnt know what to expect. The day before we had seen some small lizards, mischiveous monkeys, one sloth, and some small raiant butterflies. We entered the park and began our trek. It was a two hour hike up the mountain that promised an awsome view of the city. And it did not dissappoint. It was the enormity of the park that amazed us.

The trees were a hundred feet tall and thin, the grass was over 10 feet and the birds of paradise were huge and plentyful.
Yesterday.

It is Saturday and my session with the class finished at 1:00. It was an update for tour class of 16. On Monday we will be in the classrooms. There are two schools which we will be teaching at, one in the city and another in a rural area outside of Panama. I will be in the rural school first, teaching a grade 3-4 class. I will be observing for the first week, then I will be taking over and eventually doing eighty percent of the class. Tell you the truth, no one knows what to expect. Should be interesting.

So after the session with the group we decided to go visit the National Park. As a group we have done alot of sightseeing and touristy stuff. A bunch of us decided a walk in the park was where it was AT! SO off we were. It was ANDY-my roomate, Inya, Olivia and Charlotte- who we nickname Carlotta. It works better with a Spanish accent.

So we took a taxi. It cost 2.oo and was not too far away. The cabdriver was friendly but not very useful. Like most people i have come across in Panama, he was eager to find out where we were from and why we were in Panama. That is the most amazing thing. When we tell people we are going to stay here as vistiors for 2 months they are usually shocked. *why would you spend two months here?*
So after being dropped off at the park we entered it for 2 dollars. We didnt know what to expect. The day before we had seen some small lizards, mischiveous monkeys, one sloth, and some small raiant butterflies. We entered the park and began our trek. It was a two hour hike up the mountain that promised an awsome view of the city. And it did not dissappoint. It was the enormity of the park that amazed us.

The trees were a hundred feet tall and thin, the grass was over 10 feet and the birds of paradise were huge and plentyful.
But what we were most amazed with were the ants. Never would of guessed that. We came across one colony just after we walked in, we must of spent 20 minutes just watching these things. We came across them in our path. There was a steady stream of them two inches wide, and there were alot of them. They had a train going on that led about 10 meters ahead up into a tree. They were taking little bits of leaves and stems from the top of the tree and bringing them to their nest. I could not even say how many there were. We saw about 5/6 of these ant colonies across the path.

After the park. We contacted a cab driver and headed for food. Having befriended a cabdriver named STANISLAV, we asked for cheap seafood to eat and he did not dissappoint. He drove us thirty minutes outside of town. We went to eat Peruvian foodat this place called CHIMBURASSO. It was actually the second time we had gone to one. So on Stanislav´s recommend we were taken for seafood that was not expensive and very delicious. We had a rockin´time in the car. A stuffed Toyota on its last legs filled with 5 hungry Canadians. Like other cab drivers in the city he was anxious to practice his English. In fact, I have had a couple of drivers already who have worked in Canada, in the Praries on a wok visa. To say the least they have all returned here because their VISA´s have expired.

He was sure to play us some Panamanian music inthe car. He proudly played something by Rueben Blades. He is one of the most famous Panamanians, an actor whowas in THE MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR and someone who is renown for is music and his political aspirations, narrowly loosing a bid for the Presidency.

Well to the Pewruvian restaurant we went. We sat in these priovate huts with these thatched rooves, cozy as anything. So in we went with our cabdriver. It felt natural to bring him in, he was young, he knew English and he was nice enough to show us a good time.

We started off with cerviche. I have never liked it in Canada, but I can say after having it twice here at two different places. I really do like it. It is a mixed seafood salad where the meat is half marinated and half cooked in a lime juice sauce. To die for. The flavour is bright and refreshing and I can say that it is one of those appitizers that does what it is supposed to do....get you more hungry. With thty came a duople of jugs of the National Beer....PANAMA.

In came the main course, Corvina, which is a Sea Bass that is caught locally. It was w2hole with the head on, and it came with fried and baked YUCCA. I have to say for $14 per person I coulda died. We took the cab back to town taking the scenic route and arrived back at our hotel.

But not before one of our crew was held back fromt he rest of us while exiting the cab. Stanislav held back Carlotta from leaving. He held her hand as she was about to slide off the seat. He held her hand and said to her "remember me, remember me".

The men here are persistent and they love American looking people, especially women. There are whistles everywhere, hssesss, honks and all of that.

Carlotta got out safely and we got his number in case we needed a taxi or a beach house on an adjacent island. I doubt we will call because the offers have been plentiful from the Panamanians. Vewry friendly to us.