BOQUETE, PANAMA – Days 2-5

I'm not yet fluent in Spanish. You'll notice I said "yet."  That says a lot about my first four days of Spanish school here in Boquete. I always try not to have many expectations of trips like this. Even so, I'm surprised at how hard and what long hours I've been working. First off, I'd expected "classes" to entail at least a balance of classroom work with field trips and other real-world, "fun" experience. In other words, less time tightening my grammatical grasp on the language, and more on gaining confidence and applying the skills I already have. Not to mention being more active, socializing with some of my fellow students and getting to see some of this gorgeous countryside.

Still, even with all this work—five hours of that intensive one-on-one classroom instruction, plus about another five doing homework and keeping up with my writing—I don't think the experience could be much more rewarding.

I'm really looking forward to my first extra-curricular activity with other students tomorrow evening. Some of us are heading to a restaurant for what I hope will be just a time to relax and have fun with our Spanish. I'm also excited about the chance to imbibe just a bit, since, but for one or two beers all week, I've had to forego my accustomed before dinner cocktail(s).

The Bell Miranda family continue to humble me with their generosity and concern for my happiness. Yesterday I returned home from school to find my room completely re-arranged, the two single beds now stacked and, in the additional space, a small table and chair for my laptop. All my clothes had been nicely arranged and all my toiletries and other small stuff neatly stashed in a closet. They're even getting WiFi installed next week, so I won't have to work so hard at school each morning before classes begin.

This weekend, Guillermo has promised to show me around the area by car, including a visit to his finca, or coffee farm, up behind the house. I can't wait for the chance to see everything and take some better photos than the shots I've been able to get walking to and from el centro every day.

Tonight I wrapped all the small gifts I'd brought for the family, and made the presentations at the dining room table. Stuff from Minnesota—a ceramic moose figurine, an ice-skating black bear Christmas tree ornament, a Twins cap, a picture frame for the family portrait I promised to take, some nice soaps for the ladies, and a few Pearson's Nut Goodies and Salted Nut Rolls. I think they were all a big hit.

That's it for now. Here are a few photos:

View from the second floor window of the school

My incredible maestra, Minerva

The school occupies part of this handsome complex.

A view of Boquete's main street

The Bell Miranda family home

Habla Ya's academic office and student "cafeteria"

My morning maestra, Monica

Guillermo in the kitchen

My bedroom, before the makeover

Guillermo and family with their regalitos from Minnesota.

BOQUETE, PANAMA – Day One

A SPECIAL HELLO TO TEACHER, CHRISTINE, AND MY ELL STUDENTS AT THE HUBBS CENTER IN ST. PAUL. I'LL MISS SEEING YOU THIS WEEK AND NEXT, AND HOPE WE CAN STAY IN TOUCH HERE THROUGH YOUR COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AND LISTEN TO YOUR TEACHER ;-)

It looked like a long ways on the map, but all the hours in transit have really made the point. Seven in airplanes, seven on a bus, another two in taxis and by car. But here I am, at last, in Boquete, Panama, a sweet little town of about 15,000 in the misty mountains of western Panama. Exhausted, I arrived at the home of my host family last night.

My wonderful hosts, Nivia and Guillermo Bell Miranda

Señor Guillermo Bell Miranda is a coffee farmer. Every day, he works his land on top of the steep cerro just behind the house. His wife, Nivia, is a secretary in the local high school. Guillermo's parents live with them, 83-year-old Abuela Tomasa spending much of her time caring for her husband Guillermo senior, 95, who's no longer able to get out of bed. Guillermo and Nivia's two handsome sons, Tomás, 23, and Antonio, 17, (he only uses that name to help stem the confusion of being the third Guillermo in the household) also live with them, as does their very sweet daughter Stephanie, 21.

Nivia with son Antonio and daughter Stephanie

Tomás and Stephanie attend university in David, about an hour down the road. He's studying marketing, with an emphasis on graphic design, and she wants to become a teacher. Antonio is still in high school and loves motorsports. Stephanie comes home at night, but we don't see much of Tomás. Rounding out the household are four dogs, one of which bites and is expecting puppies, and two of which I haven't yet seen. The fourth, Fergie, is a sweet little dirty-white poodle who has the run of the house and has taken a liking to me—since my well-known dog whispering is now bilingual.

I'm sure the kids speak some English, as at least the basics are now mandatory in Panama's public schools. But everyone's going along with the program, which is to help me with my Spanish. The parents and grandparents speak almost no English.

The Bell Miranda house is spacious and comfortable compared with many I've stayed in in Latin America. I'd say they're considered fairly well off by local standards, though there are still obvious differences between their lifestyle and that we enjoy back home. Internet, yes, but still the sluggish dial-up kind (though they're getting WiFi soon); TV—in fact, two—but no big flat screens or hi-defs; no dishwasher; nice furnishings; and, of course, the apparent emblem of all Latin American middle-class homes: the single bare light bulb dimly illuminating each room.

Everyone's been very nice to me. They've included me in many of their normal family activities which, at least so far, have consisted of sitting around and chatting with relatives and friends who occasionally show up, watching TV and eating. Tomorrow's Monday, so I suppose the daily routine will be quite different. This morning, Guillermo and I drove downtown to pick up some groceries. I tried to buy a cheap ($21) cell phone and calling card, but the store proprietor couldn't make the thing work, so I passed for now. I'd still like to have one, since my regular cell phone won't work with Panama's cellular infrastructure.

Tomorrow morning I'll walk into town—about a mile and a half away—to my first classes at Habla Ya Spanish School. There I'll meet my teachers and compañeros, my classmates of the same level of skill. I don't expect there to be more than two or three at the most. Each weekday, I'll have four hours of group classes and one hour of individual instruction. The website promises the instruction won't be confined to the classroom; there are supposed to be many outings to mix with the locals and learn about the area. That sounds good to me, and I'm excited to get started!

I'll have to spend a couple of hours each afternoon tending to my two blogs—this one and my other, more philosophical one, OneMansWonder.com. Even though the Bell Mirandas have Internet, it won't work for my laptop without my first installing a huge software program. Since I can't risk that, I'll have to get my connection at school, at least for now.

From Boquete, ¡buenas noches!