ay pero Ariana, que estas haciendo?

I haven’t written in a while, sorry. To be honest, I wasn’t certain that anyone was reading this. But apparently you are! Thanks!

Well, as far as the apartment goes, I am uploading a video now. It’s not that I do not like the apartment. The stove, people tell me to suck it up. For me the issue is not so much the physical inconvenience of the lighter, but instead the fact that something CAN be done and thus far it has not been handled. Also, this is an English speaking apartment. The lady who owns it, and who is now here [table that for a second], does not speak Spanish. At all. So now I understand why she consults her American friends before the powers that be. However, this is exactly what I did not want. I am an English speaker, but I still enjoy Casos Cerrados and 12 corazones, los Simpsons, the local news and other tv shows in Spanish. She doesn’t understand anything so it is cnn all the time. That is irritating. And I also see that she decorated for herself. Makes sense. She curled up the first night on that hard wooden porch swing with its piece of cushion that does not cover the length of the seat to watch tv. To each her own. : )

So yeah, she just showed up one day with her four large suitcases. Surprise! A little notice would have been nice, but I suppose she wanted to catch me in my element. I don’t blame her, really. That is something I would do. If ever I complained about being alone, I take it back lol. I had my system, my habits, my space. Now I must share, compromise, and concede when necessary. Bah. She is cool people. I don’t want t give a false impression. [I have retreated into my room though. Wireless router was my best purchase yet! She is a talker. I can’t imagine living in a country where you do not speak the language and thus do not talk to many people each day. Although I only have about 2 friends who are not family members lol I enjoy my random conversations with the cab drivers, the waiters, other walkers, etc. I don’t have a tv in my room though so I need to figure out the tv schedule so I can schedule my ‘share time’.]

I am sorry that I am coming off as very lonely here. I am not lonely in any sad way. It is just an adjustment to not have people needing things from me, coming in and out, calling me, talking to me, texting me, or just wanting to talk. I didn’t know what to do with all of this quiet time. But trust me; I have many ways to fill it!

Which is a nice segue into: what do I do with myself??

1. Spanish class. Yay! My teacher and I have a lot of fun. We have only had 3 classes since I took off last Wednesday to Portobelo (next entry I promise) but she brings me events and bulletins relevant to my research, not as part of the lesson but just as FYI stuff. I really appreciate that, especially the article she gave me about Arnuflo Arias’ sterilization of West Indian males in the 1940s during his brother’s presidency. I knew Arias to be a raging racist during his own presidency, but I did not know about this. Anyway, I like my classes. I do some exercises to learn grammar rules (if you know me, you know I LOVE grammar) and improve my writing.

2. Research: I am still waiting for my IRB approval= no interviews yet. No such process exists in Panama so I get some odd looks when I describe what the process is in the US for working with human subjects. Since I plan to use the Internet for data collection, am working abroad, am using participant observation and want the right to use this data for future publications without re-obtaining consent from everyone, I had to fill out some extra forms.
They commented on my initial application, I made revisions, and am now waiting for the verdict! In the meantime, I am constructing my survey on surveymonkey.com in English and Spanish, meeting with people and organizations that can help me make contacts for interviews and who work with Antillanos in Panama. I take a lot of fieldnotes about what I saw, learned, etc for the day so I write a lot.

3. READ. Yay! I read Graham Greene’s End of the Affair in my first days here (loved it!), but now I am reading Luna Verde, then Gamboa Road Gang, two classic Panamanian novels dealing with the Canal Zone. I thought I read that Luna Verde was banned in English in the US for a while. Not sure. I also found some GREAT articles by Panamanian scholars from the National library’s website, so I have a lot of background reading to do.

This is long so I will conclude with some fun facts

My hair has been curly since before I left the DMV (DC-MD-VA)

I have a deep tan… and it is winter here.

Dunkin Donuts has dulce de leche and guayaba donuts. They are just as delicious as they sound.

Michael Jackson movie preview day tomorrow!! I have to get my ticket!

I am doing well, I promise. Miss you! *lemme find the apt tour*