Day 356

December 30, 2012 

Mom's Visit

My mom came to visit me for a week. She came down to spend Christmas with me in Loma Bonita. I picked her up at the airport, diplomat style (at the gate), and we headed into the city to have a beer at the hotel and relax before our travels to my house the next day. Monday morning we got up, and mom got to meet my closet volunteer, who was also in the city meeting his family for the holidays. While my mom had never met him in person, they have facebook friends in common, so my mom felt like they already knew each other--so it was easy to become best friend in no time. They my mom and I headed over to the 'american' grocery store to buy supplies for the next week in the campo.

Mom's trip started off great with unbelievable holiday traffic, an incredibly stuffed bus ride, and a slight accident when the bus sideswiped a kid while passing through a community. To reassure everyone, the kid was okay (freaked out, but not hurt badly), and this does not happen often.

On Christmas Day, we went to Torti. I, being American, didn't expect anything to be open, but I asked several people how stuff works in Panama on Holiday, and everyone assured me that everything would be open--that most people celebrate on Christmas Eve. Well, of course, we got to Torti and everything was closed. We headed to a popular Peace Corps spot to sit on the porch to use the internet. The owner of the closed hotel came out a little bit later with dinner plates filled with ham and rice and potato salad for my mom, me, himself and one of the yard workers. We all sat together and ate an unexpected Christmas dinner together. Panama will let you down with it unreliableness, and then surprise you with its wonderfulness.

The next day, my mom and I host a Christmas cookie decorating party at my house. We didn't know what to expect. We weren't able to find all the cookie ingredients, we didn't know who (if any) would show up, bug ate half of the candy canes we bought, and it was HOT. But we made the dough as best we could, mixed up some icing and put it in ziploc bags, made some 'apple juice' and waited to see what would happen. Well, about 50 people showed up right on time. And like good Panamanians, everyone was too embarrassed to be the first to come in and make a cookie. It didn't take too long for a brave kid to set up, and after that it was cookie making madness. The party went great! We used up all the dough and decorating supplies, some how there were still enough candy canes for everyone, the juice was drunk, and there were no 'that's my cookie' meltdowns. Huge Success!!

My mom and I spent the last couple of days in the city enjoying restaurants air conditioning. We met up with one of my friends serving as a volunteer for the Japanese version of Peace Corps called JICA for lunch and cheese cake. Then we headed to the movie theater for my first movie in a year. I have to say that I really enjoyed the inspirational and deep Twilight Part 2. Then, on December 30, my mom and I headed to the airport to fly back to the US together!!

(I have pictures, but again, can't figure this thing out. So, I'm going to try to put them up on Facebook)