Predicting an Expatriate's Level of Happiness Over Time

Ashok, in his fascinating, informative, and occasionally hilarious blog about life in India, has charted the average level of contentment of freshly arrived expatriates in India. I think his findings are applicable to Panama as well:

"There has been enough expatriate evidence acquired to actually predict and plot an expatriate's happiness or contentment over time.

Because of the excitement of the adventure, you start at a 10. The first month is culture shock. Drop to 7. The second month is honeymoon. Jump to 9. Then real life starts to smother you and you lose your elasticity to novel situations. By the end of the sixth month you are at a 3,but then you begin to understand the situation and what you need to do to succeed. A plateau occurs at the 12th month when you’re at 6.

Three. Today is three..."

Things that take you back: ordering a Subway sandwich

After a gym workout this evening, I went looking for something to eat and noticed a Subway sandwich shop at Shaw and Palm, across from the Fig Garden Village center. I pulled up just a few minutes before closing and was not surprised to see a young Indian woman behind the counter. So far, every Subway I've visited in Fresno has been owned by Indians. Gotta love that enterprising spirit. Can you imagine going to India and monopolizing the samosa industry?

In Panama I went to Subway more often than I ever did in the USA. When I lived in El Dorado I frequented the one on the "Do-It Center" street, in the small shopping center that has the two Chinese vegetarian restaurants. After I moved to El Valle de Anton, I used to stop at the Subway in Coronado whenever I was on my way back from the city. The first several times I had to ask the names of the various sandwich ingredients, and the staff always answered me with a chuckle or a smirk. In time, as my Spanish improved and I racked up the Subway visits, I became very comfortable ordering in Spanish.

Walking into the Subway tonight, I had a flashback to Panama, and had to resist the urge to order "atun grande con pan integral."

Somehow life in Panama was richer, more full of the "stuff of life" in a way. More friendships, more interesting experiences, more challenges, more frustration and laughter and spirit-lifting beauty.

I was talking to a friend recently, and I said that I didn't know how to think of Panama now. What is it to me? What does it represent? And my friend said, "I think it is your home."

Why Panama? Part Two

In "Why Panama? Part One" I explained our reasons (or in light of my wife's comment on that post I should say my reasons) for moving to Panama.

But perhaps your question is not, "What do you like about Panama?" but rather,

"Why did you choose Panama over the myraid other places in the world?"

For example, why not...

• Canada? - Expensive, hard to get residency, and Laura doesn't like the cold.
• Europe? - Too expensive. Presents no savings advantage over the USA. In addition, Europe is experiencing a wave of cultural turmoil and xenophobia that makes it not much more attractive than the USA.
  
• Asia? - Certain parts of Asia are very enticing to me, particularly India, and affordable; but it's too far away. We want to be able to visit our families regularly, and vice versa.
  
• Australia or New Zealand? - Australians are weird. New Zealand, however... I've heard so many good things about it. Again, though, it's too far from California, in fact it's as far away as you can get.
  
• Africa? - Utter chaos, corrupt governments, civil wars, starvation. A place to go if you want to dedicate yourself to helping humanity, but not a place to start a family.
  
• The Arctic? - It's melting.
  
• Antarctica? - No one there, aside from a few insane scientists.
  
• The Caribbean? - Too hot, too poor, and land is expensive because there's so little of it.
  

So Latin America was the logical choice. It's close to California, it's affordable, and much of it is startlingly beautiful. Of course there are many Latin American countries.

So why not...

CENTRAL AMERICA (STARTING AT THE TOP AND MOVING DOWN - click on the map above to see a much larger image):

• Mexico? - It's the Wild West. Too many problems to count, including drugs, kidnappings, serious pollution in the capital, and police corruption. The government has been known to seize private properties, including those owned by Americans, on behalf of influential developers. I love Mexico but it's just not secure. And yes, for the smart alecs, I am aware that Mexico is technically part of North America.
  
• Belize? - A swamp with buildings on stilts and hostile locals.
• Guatemala? - Fought a brutal civil war from 1960-1996 that resulted in the deaths of 200,000 civilians, mostly Mayan Indians. The effects of that war are still felt in Guatemalan society and a lot of guns are still in circulation.
• El Salvador? - Also fought a long civil war in which a brutal dictatorship, supported by the United States, killed and disappeared tens of thousands of civilains. As a reslt, there is still much residual hostility towards Americans.
• Honduras? - A massive crime problem and the occasional big hurricane make it unattractive.
• Nicaragua? - Cost of living is certainly rock bottom, and property is very cheap. I've heard nice things about a small city called Granada. And Nicaragua by all accounts is a beautiful place. But extreme povery is a problem, along with overbearing government bureaucracy and an underdeveloped infrastructure.
• Costa Rica? - Sure, it's got the Pura Vida. The people are friendly, the country green and lovely, the government solidly democratic. But it's already overrun with Americans and Europeans, property values are almost equivalent to the United States, and getting residency is becoming more difficult. The roads are bad and the capital suffers from awful air pollution (I had to hold a rag over my mouth much of the time in San Jose).
• Panama? - Well, here I am. A democratic nation in which the military (like Costa Rica) has been disbanded. An incredibly biologically diverse environment, with more species of birds than any nation in the world. Large tracts of virgin forest, thousands of miles of coastline and beaches, a well-developed capital city which is becoming the shopping mecca of the region. A low cost of living and a simple residency process. No hurricanes or earthquakes. A racially diverse population with large minorities of Chinese, Jews, and Muslims, and a fairly large indigenous population. Sure, it's got problems, but they are minor in comparison to its attractions.
  

SOUTH AMERICA:

• Colombia? - Yeah, right.
  
• Venezuela? - From what I've read, street crime is out of control and the capital is not a particularly pleasant place.
• Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana? - Hot, stifling, sweaty chunks of jungle.
• Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil? - Each of these nations is unique and vast, but in general I think it's fair to say that they are unstable. Conflicts over allocation of land and resources, grinding poverty, drugs, crime and sprawling overpopulation make these nations a risk. But there certainly might be liveable and lovely places within each nation for someone who is willing to look.
  
• Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina? - These four nations at the southern end of South America have cosmopolitan capitals, first-world infrastructures and interesting cultures. But they're a little too far away, and not as cheap as I'd like.

So there you have it. A global process of elimination leaving Panama as the last nation standing. Do you live in Panama or one of these other nations? What's your opinion?

One Mosquito...

... can ruin your whole night. Particularly when you live in a country where it's too warm to sleep under the covers, or even clothed.

Now that the dry season has arrived, the insects have reappeared in force. I am seeing spiders on the floor, sugar ants everywhere, crane flies, moths, and the occasional mosquito. And the dreaded noseeums...

Anyway, by 3 am last night I had a cluster of mosquito bites on my left hip, another on my left shoulder and another on my left arm. I must have been sleeping on my right side.

Enough was enough. I applied this wonderfully effective cream called Systral (active ingredient chlorphenoxamine) to the bites, then I put on socks, jeans, and a long sleeved linen summer shirt. I opened the windows to the night breeze, turned the ceiling fan on the lowest setting, and went back to sleep. I still got another bite on the back of my hand.

But I've learned that mosquitos are to be appreciated and commended for the moderation of their bites. There are much worse buggers out there, like the noseeums, also known as midges or sand flies, shown greatly magnified at right. In Spanish they are called purrujas. These little monsters swarm in the late afternoon and around dusk, and they will drop a cluster bomb of bites on your ankles, legs and arms before you even know what hit you.

These bites are nasty, far more irritating than mosquito bites, and they last much longer. With mosquito bites I slap on a bit of Systral cream and leave them alone, and within a matter of hours I forget all about them. Noseeum bites, however, persist for days, and the itch is maddening. The bites are much more prominent and raised, with a crimson red spot in the center. Systral cream soothes the itch only a tiny bit. I hate these little devils! I always wear long pants now when I go outside, and sometimes I smear on some insect repellent oil. I recently learned that they lay eggs in water and rotting vegetable matter, so perhaps I should reconsider my compost pile and simply burn the waste like everyone else does here.

The University of California at Davis, Calif., a well known agricultural and environmental center (and the one from which my parents graduated), reports that no-see-ums will bite humans, domestic and wild animals and birds. They also may feed on other insects. Voracious!

But they say that God created everything for a purpose, right? And guess what? Noseeums are responsible for pollinating cocoa trees. So, no sand flies, no chocolate! I suppose I can put up with a few bites now and then...

Why Panama? Part One

The inevitable question. Whether it's an American I've just met at the grocery store, or an email from an old friend, they always shoot the same question:

"Why Panama?"

Now why would an American in Panama ask me this? After all, he or she is already here. He knows perfectly well what is attractive about Panama. But the person always asks, just the same, like a parrott with a pet phrase. Why Panama! Why Panama! Polly want a cracker!

Ok, I'm being unkind. People are genuinely curious. Alright, let's answer it then and be done. I'll get a business card printed up with this blog address, and anytime someone asks me, "Why Panama?", I'll just hand them the card. Or maybe, since it's such a popular topic, I should create a website called, "Why Panama?"

WHY PANAMA?

The number one reason for any American to move to Panama, according to a recent poll of expatriates living here, is the low cost of living. Noriegaville News calls us "cheap but happy." By the way, Noriegaville is fine for exposing corruption and scandals, but if you are looking for more balanced Panama news, the only real source is Eric Jackson's The Panama News.

And guess what? "Cheap but happy" goes for me too. I guess I could summarize my reasons as follows:

1. Low cost of living allows my family to make do with my income alone. Laura can take time off work in order to devote herself to the baby, learning Spanish, and personal projects. We're out of the rat race, no longer running just to turn the wheel. We have a maid and a gardener - try to do that in the USA on a middle class salary.
   
   
2. People are kind here. Anytime I go to the store or one of the local restaurants, they ask about Laura and the baby by name. People smile, shake your hand, make conversation. Friends call and ask how I'm doing. People are kind.
   
   
3. It's beautiful here in El Valle de Anton. Peaceful, green, and natural. When Salma gets older she can run around outside with no worries of traffic or kidnappers. I wake up to birdsong and fall asleep to the chorus of crickets and frogs.
   
   Of course sometimes I want to wring the necks of the neighbor's roosters, and occasionally the other neighbor's dogs start yowling like Armageddon has arrived, until I go to the window and shout, "Shut up!" To no avail, since they are Spanish-speaking dogs.
   
   And none of this applies to Panama City, where you wake up to trucks shifting gears, or cars honking because the traffic light turned green one tenth of a second ago, and fall asleep to the sound of car alarms.
   
   
4. The chance to experience something different, to learn a new language, and to broaden my horizon as a human being.
   
   
5. It's nice to live in a country where I don't have to worry that I might soon have to wear an armband and register as an Alien Minority, just because I am a Muslim. Think I'm being extreme? I hope you're right.
   

Ahh, but maybe your question was really, "Why Panama and not someplace else?" I'll address that question in Part Two, to follow soon.

New Circuit Boxes for Air Conditioners

Among the recent electrical upgrades on the house - which has been completely rewired, from the street to the house interior - the last thing to be done was an upgrade of the wiring to the air conditioners. We have three split AC units, one in each bedroom. Apparently they run on 220 volts and the wiring was not sturdy enough to handle the flow. The electrician said that eventually they would have burned out.

To avoid tearing the wiring out of the walls, the electrician built a new master circuit box for all three ACs, and an individual circuit box for each unit, and ran the wiring along the outside of the house to each AC. Here you can see the outside setup for the master bedroom AC. The white unit at the bottom is the external half of the split AC. The grey box above is its circuit box; and where you see the box at the top, it goes through the wall to the internal cooling portion of the AC, which is mounted high on the wall in the bedroom.

The final bill for all of the electrical work was $3,600. A big hit for us but necessary. I have been paying Adam in installments, withdrawing $500 at a time from the ATM machine when I have it available. Not quite paid off yet.

My Daughter Salma at Five Months

My daughter Salma, almost exactly five months old now.
Thank you, Diane, for the photo.

Lights, Action... Well, Lights Anyway

Wow! Though I may be alone, I am not in the dark! Adam's team has finished the majority of the electrical work. All the lights are functioning, our new refrigerator is plugged in and busy refrigerating, and I am back online, obviously. I am able to run several different appliances at once with no trouble. So far so good. I don't cross my fingers or knock wood, but I say, Alhamdulillah, praise be to Allah in every case.

There is still work to be done. In particular the lines running to the air conditioners are substandard and will need to be replaced, which will necessitate tearing the walls open in all the bedrooms. In addition the water heater must at minimum be cleaned out, and possibly replaced. Next week, or sometime, or later.

I have been invited to Christmas dinner at Tracy's house in La Chorrera on Sunday. An atheist inviting a Muslim to Christmas dinner, isn't that a riot? Ridiculous, but kind. And the Brunner's have invited me on Monday, perhaps because I am employing their services, but maybe also just because they are nice people and they know I am alone right now.

I'm really looking forward to seeing Laura and Salma again. Only nine more days, Insha'Allah.

Second Year as an Expatriate is the Hardest

I think the second year here in Panama, living as an expatriate in a foreign land, is the hardest. The first year you are still excited at the newness and strangeness of it all. Everything is interesting or amusing. Sure there are frustrations, and an inability to speak the language can make you feel like a idiot at times, but taken as a whole the experience is fresh, and disappointments are largely shrugged away.

In the second year the novelty wears off. You begin to take your life here more serously, and the frustrations begin to take on an edge of unpleasantness. The voluminous paperwork required for anything official, the way service and repair people fail to keep appointments, the lack of mail service, the blandness of traditional Panamanian food... all these things begin to grate on your nerves. And in my case in particular, living in a town with no other Muslims can be hard. I try to go to the city for prayer on Fridays, but it would be nice to have some daily interaction with other Muslims.

As for Laura, I can't say. She went through a very difficult period even though she had only been here a matter of months. But she was not taking her medication at that time and it's hard to say how much was culture shock and how much her usual anxieties, not to mention the difficulty of raising a newborn baby for the first time. Once we began filling her prescriptions again, and once we learned to develop a routine with Salma that worked for everyone, Laura seemed to return to her usual well balanced self and even better, taking genuine pleasure in her life here.

Anyway, somewhere in the second year more than one expatriate says, "I'm thinking about going back home."

My friend Tracy is saying just that. His life here is so much richer than what he left behind in Florida, but he is suffering from a bad case of culture shock.

So I think the second year is make-or-break. If you can learn to accept the flow of life here in Panama, and to find workarounds to problems in the ways that Panamanians do, then you can begin to relax and take pleasure and even find joy in the beauty of the country and the warmth of the people.

For example, the power is off right now. Instead of getting upset about the fact that I cannot get online to do my work, I am running my laptop off a battery backup unit that provides up to eight hours of power, and I am writing in my journal, something that does not require an internet connection.

Some Americans in particular - I think the Europeans are generally more relaxed about things - cannot make this adjustment. They become deeply frustrated with the attitudes of Panamanians, and they begin shouting at workers and service people. I mean, literally shouting any of the following:

"You've been telling me for a week that you are coming to fix this! This is B.S.! What kind of Mickey Mouse operation is this?"

"Why should I have to get this document renewed? Nothing has changed since the last time I filed it! And every time I have to pay another fee? This is a scam!"

"What's the matter with you? Why did you tell me you could fix it if you don't know how? Look at this, it's a mess!"

Etcetera.

These people don't last here in Panama. By the second year they are gone, back to the rat race and their empty, consumerist lives where everything runs on time but no one actually has any time.