Catching a Wave, and Other Milestones

We continue to stay busy with a lot of new things, including work. We continue to explore bits of Panama and hit a milestone that the dogs have loved, which involves the fact that they are now out of in home quarantine and got to go on regular walks. We have also officially sold our house in Arizona.

This past week Robert and I began taking surfing lessons. This sport is by far one of the most difficult things I have done, probably second to hiking down the Grand Canyon to Plateau Point and back in one day (which is a 12 mile/20 kilometer hike).

I have found surfing to be mentally and physically challenging. The mental part of it comes from all of the physically challenging aspects. We have had four lessons and there has not been one where I have come out with some kind of souvenir/injury on my body. 

Day one is the day I got stung by jellyfish. Go figure, now is jellyfish season and there are a lot of little broken up pieces floating in the water. Those feel like quick little needle pricks that go away as fast as they hit. I get pricked by those, but I also had a more serious one on my arm. Vinegar and shaving cream took the sting away. Lesson number two resulted in a cut in the arch of my foot. It probably wouldn't be so bad except for the location and the fact that sandals and tennis shoes irritate that spot. Surf lessons number three and four resulted in bruises on my hip bones. This was something I was expecting, since you have to keep your chest lifted (think Cobra pose for yoga) when you are paddling and are trying to catch a wave; that is a good sign, right? 

Jellyfish sting on my arm

Robert seems to be faring a little bit better. He has avoided any big jellyfish stings,  but has had his share of cuts and wipeouts.

Because of all of the physical stuff, your mental abilities get really challenged. This sport is masochistic and is a hard workout. To put it in perspective, Robert burns roughly 1,200 calories when he surfs for two hours. As hard as it is, Robert and I are both addicted. Both of us have caught several waves which makes the hard parts worth while.

Processed food is some what hard to find and can be unreasonably expensive here. I have been trying to make a lot of food from scratch. While you can find mayonnaise pretty easily, I decided I would take a shot at making it for no other reason than the fact that I had what I needed: eggs, oil, and mustard (in my case, I found pineapple mustard that is amazing). With my emersion blender at hand, within seconds the sight of mayo was coming to life.

It's magic!

I am not a fan of mayonnaise, but this was not awful and Robert seemed to enjoy it. It was suitable for a classic egg salad, which was perfect for a lazy/tired after surf snack. I have also become proficient at making refried beans and have found a decent taco seasoning which we both seem to like. It is simple: canned beans with a healthy dash hot sauce (Caribbean hot sauce) and some cumin, heated in a pan-we do not have a microwave. We go out to eat less and less frequently and as a whole, have been eating healthier. 

When we moved the dogs down here, they had to be in home quarantine for 40 days, meaning they could not be around other dogs. There are multiple reasons for the quarantine, including the idea that the government does not want there to be a rabies issue. The dogs are very happy that they now can anticipate a daily walk...and they do!

On another note, we also have officially sold our house in Arizona. All I have to say is thank goodness for the internet and email. It was a good house to live in and a great neighborhood, but I do not think I ever anticipated on growing old in that house. 

The most interesting experience with the house was trying to find a notary down here to sign some of the documents. At first we thought we would have to go to the US Embassy in Panama to get a US notary in order to have a notary from the US notarize the documents. The wait was going to be at least two weeks. That did not work so other possible options included flying to Colombia, Costa Rica or Miami, Florida.

For whatever good luck on our side happened, we were informed that a Panamanian notary would work. We were able to find one about 45 minutes away from us. The challenge was the common theme for locations in Panama is there really aren't addresses here. As we asked for directions, we were told to go straight and find the park. Sure enough, we did and the notary was easy to find. The directions given and talking to the notary were all in Spanish. I think Robert and I are starting to get an ear for the language, but being able to speak it is going to take time. 

Time and time again things in life continue to surprise me. If you would have told me even five years ago that we would be doing what we are doing now, I would have told you that you have lost your mind. Now I am finding it more and more unusual to not have a conversation in Spanglish with people other than Robert. Things in Panama are simple and relaxed. The more time I spend here, the more time I understand how people in Panama are the happiest in the world.