Razor Sharp Insights: Panama 2015

Thunderstorm rolling into Panama City as seen from atop Cerro Ancon

Part of my rather "Trip Filled" year, was a visit to Panama back in September.

I had asked Sandi, almost a year ago, if she wanted to take a trip to Panama. Her Mother is native to Panama and met her Father while he was serving there while in the U.S Army. She has always balked at the idea of going back...perhaps because it had been so long since she had left there.

Sandi left Panama when she was 11 years old and had not been back since. I have always wanted us to connect with her family there, as Sandi's Mom is the only one (of her siblings) that left to live in the U.S.

On a night when she was in an especially receptive mood, I asked her about taking our vacation there this year. When she agreed that it "might" be fun to do so, I got on Expedia, checked out Hotel Reviews, discovered i could get a great price on airfare and booked the trip! The next morning she was more than a bit surprised when I told her I had locked us in for Panama. She told me, "I didn't know you were going to go book it! Yep, I did.

Long story shot, she connected with a couple cousins via Facebook and let them know we were coming. One of those cousins, Amett, would faithfully message Sandi and stayed in touch for the months leading up to our visit. He and another cousin of Sandi's, Malvira, would prove to be wonderful friends (and cousins!) and would make our trip incredibly memorable.

I will not attempt to condense the experience of this trip into a blog post. There was simply too much in the way of experiences, sights, and family connections to explain and properly write about.

I will say this. In over 20 years of marriage, I have never seen Sandi smile as much or as big...and have never seen her moved so deeply, as I did during this trip to Panama. She was able to retrace her beloved "Mama's" steps both figuratively and literally. She walked through "Mi Pueblito", her Mother's favorite place to visit every time she went back to Panama. She saw and re-connected with Cousins and Aunts and Family that welcomed her as their own...as though she had never left. She smelled the jungle, enjoyed the food and re-discovered the sights and sounds of Panama...the Panama that for the most part, had not changed much (outside of Panama City) since she had left. She visited her Great Grandmother's house where she played as a little girl and chased chickens...and there are still chickens there! She put her hands on her Mama's hand prints still preserved in the cement floor of a house built by her Parents, that sadly, no longer remains in the family. These were special moments and often, very emotional experiences. I think she had forgotten how "Panamanian" she is.

It was the first time I can remember, that Sandi was not ready to come home at the end of a trip.

Rather than even attempt to tell the story, I will select a few special photos and caption them. It will provide a glimpse into our experience in Panama.

I went through approximately 900 photos taken between the two of us, edited a ton of them and put together a 109 page Photo Book from Shutterfly, so that Sandi would always have a chronicle of the trip. I will post a pic here of the prologue contained in the book as well as the cover "quote". A picture (or several) is worth a thousand words...and saves me ALOT of writing in this case!