The Tiles, The World Cup, a Baby Shower and more...

Yep, a lot has been going on this week. I know I say we are busy, but we really were busy. The last week involved (finally) getting our kitchen tiles fixed. The World Cup has started, which has made things a little crazier than normal around Panama. Last but not least, friends of ours were kind enough to host a baby shower for us. Be ware, long post ahead.

Remember when I wrote about our last major trip? One of the things that "happened" was our tile popping up in our kitchen. This isn't uncommon around here. There are a few reasons for this happening, one being that the tiles expand and contract throughout the day due to the temperature changes.

Much better

It took a time to get fixed, but we were finally able to get our tiles replaced and fixed. The process itself took about 4 days, although we extended the process out to 5 days. Last Saturday was our last day of English class until further notice. We asked the repairman to come Sunday rather than Saturday so we could both attend class and say our goodbyes.

Robert and I taught the class for 3 years and had gotten to know some of the students quite well. These students are hoping to learn English for their own benefit. Many of them do not make a lot of money and are unlikely to ever venture outside of Panama.

Aww the World Cup. Panama's team made history by qualifying for the first time when they won against Costa Rica. The following day was declared a national holiday by the president—and for good reason. Everyone was celebrating after the game. Panama was off to Russia! 

It seems like you can go anywhere and see World Cup garb. My doctor's office is decorated in it. Doctors where I get my lab work done were singing the national anthem  An outdoor fonda (sort of like a fast food place) had people crowding around their tv as the game began. You can even see the muñeca (doll) of Ramón Torres who scored the winning goal against Costa Rica. Bars were open at 7am for people to watch the games.

Monday was Panama's first game. They lost 0-3 against Belgium Monday and lost against England today. However, Panama pride showed through in England's game. Panama lost 7-1 but scored a goal. Evidently that exceeded people's expectations. Ha! Robert and I have been keeping up a little bit. I hope Panama wins their next and potentially last game of the World Cup. It would be awesome to see the reactions of true, non-bandwagon fans.

Last but not least, friends of ours hosted a baby shower for us. It was a couples shower which made it a little untraditional, but lots of fun. We played charades, which included Robert acting out changing a baby's poopy diaper. I got to to sit back and enjoy the amusement as other scenes included waiting in line at a public restroom, and feeding a baby peas.

It's a whale of a cake!

Playing more games

Making bets on the kiddo's arrival!

This week flew by for all good reasons. We'll be working on adding some finishing touches to what we need regarding the baby. Let the nesting begin! Sorry Robert. It is safe to say that the baby will be a significant focus of our time. We also have work, summer movies (Jurassic World 2), and a few other things will also balance out the focus of the baby. This next month will be going by faster than a New York Minute. 

A few more pregnancy FAQs (some may be repeats)

How are you feeling?

Still good. We are both getting excited in a very surreal way. We know we'll be holding our little one soon, but it's still very surreal.

My back hurts on occasion. It is to be expected at this point. Baby's head is down and hormones (relaxin) is causing my hips to be a little loosey goosey in preparation for labor. I had decreased my 40 minute workouts to 20 minute workouts. Now I am sticking to yoga 3 times per week as per my doctor's orders. Oh, and sleeping with the air conditioning on is almost always a requirement.

What's the birth plan?

Ideally I'd like to go with as few interventions as possible. There is a part of me that also is accepting of the fact that things may not go according to plan. So is life. 

Do you have any names picked?

We're still working on that. We are narrowing it down though. Not sure if that is really saying much though...

Are you taking birthing classes?

Lamazze/birthing classes do exist here. They are in Panama City, over an hour away, in the evenings and not ideal for us to attend. I've been doing research and it seems like a lot of the methodologies of Lamaze, and Hypnobirthing are similar to yoga. It's a lot about the breath! Some women do not always have access to this and they still manage to give birth. If they can do it, so can I!

Did I miss any burning questions you have? I know this post is long so I tried to keep the questions to a minimum. 

Happy Fathers Day

Father's Day is upon on us. Mothers are awesome, but dads are too. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like most dads treat their kids different compared to moms. They're the ones that say a little dirt won't hurt, or push you harder even when you want to tell them you can't (thinking of more than one occasion here Dad, if you're reading this). But that's what dads do.

Like moms, they come in different forms. Some have lost their children, others choose to give back to the community in other ways or choose to have act as "dads" in other ways. I see you and acknowledge you all!

Panama and the US celebrate this day on the same day. The day is important, and kind of a big deal. While I cannot speak to exactly how it's celebrated, I have read that schools (public school goes from March-December here) usually have a special concert just for the celebration of dads. Some may even get out traditional clothing, called polleras, to do folklore dancing. Cool, right?

Polleras. Source 

Time to get personal. My dad isn't perfect. He's made mistakes and has taught me that it is okay to go your own path. His example is what made it a little less scary to get to where I am today. Not saying it has been easy, but he has been a major influence in my outlook in life. Thanks Dad!

There is also my father in law. I never expected to be treated like a daughter by an in-law. And yet, I feel like I am. His witty one liners can really catch you off guard if you're not expecting them. His passion for things he full heartedly believes in is a force to be reckoned with.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!

A Tale of Having to Conserve Water While Nesting

If there is one thing I have realized about living in Panama it's that clean water is a beautiful, and rare thing that many take for granted—including myself. I thought I had an appreciation of it before, but this week helped me appreciate it a little more than usual.

What was going on? We had a heavy rain storm last weekend which resulted in the local water treatment plant to need repairs. This meant that we had to conserve water. Neither of these events are that uncommon, and it is likely that heavy rains will cause additional repairs this season.

We were originally told that the repairs would take a day. The repairs were to occur Monday and that we could expect water to return Tuesday. That did not happen. We continued on with our week conserving water as much as possible. A two or three day repair is nothing unusual. The water company usually supplies water via water trucks. However, for unknown reasons to me, this did not happen this time around. We were on full water conservation mode.

Other surrounding towns were also on short supply of water. It seemed like everyone was unsure of what exactly was going on with the water situation, other than there was none coming in.

Here is where I come in! The last week or so I have been starting to nest. Am I crazy for wanting to dust off the hooks where we hang our hats? Of course not! Now get to dusting the hooks! 

Friday night came and still no water. A pregnancy meltdown may or may not have happened. What if we never get water again? How are we going to wash dirty diapers and the dirty clothes? I was getting annoyed by the ever growing pile of laundry and the lack of clean clothes. Water conservation mode or not, I was going to do laundry.

As it turned out, the repairs were done and water conservation mode was over on Saturday. I could feel a little less guilty for dipping into any water reserves our building had and do a happy dance in the process. This whole week has given me a whole new appreciation for the value of water and just how much I take it for granted. After all, it is a precious and rare thing.