Living and working in Panama

In 2006 my wife and I obtained permanent residency in the Republic of Panama. We moved there from Florida in the U.S. after living there for about two years.

The general population in Panama speaks Spanish. That’s the same language we mostly use at home due to the fact that my wife is Colombian. The Spanish language lends itself to talk about fun and family topics.

In Panama an international couple turned into a small family with another international member: our daughter was born in Panama City and is growing up in a multi-cultural and multi-lingual environment.

04 Dec 2011	Leaving Panama
20 Aug 2011	Finally - Paddock right in front of the house
05 Jul 2011	Snake hides in a moving box
30 Jun 2011	Horses, cows and a view to the Pacific Ocean
01 Apr 2011	Remarkable insect
30 Mar 2011	Water is essential for new pasture during dry season
06 Aug 2010	Farm plans on hold due to authority dragging their feet
19 May 2010	Teaching one handed Ruby on Rails after an accident
12 Apr 2010	Building a transmitter over the weekend
04 Apr 2010	Peruvian mares mastering rough terrain very well
01 Apr 2010	25 km and 10 river crossings
26 Mar 2010	Unwilling, stubborn or simply scared
23 Mar 2010	City girls - too afraid of creeks
17 Mar 2010	Right of Possession and local authorities that fear to act
10 Mar 2010	Building a temporary horse stable
07 Mar 2010	30 km and different food can have a dramatic effect on a horse's health
01 Mar 2010	Fine Peruvian Horses
18 Feb 2010	Meeting with the district administrator to complete the road
17 Feb 2010	Registering our brand
16 Feb 2010	Checkpoints everywhere during Carnival
15 Feb 2010	Crossing the "Brazo de Chuluganti" river
13 Feb 2010	Jeep as Logging Tool
13 Feb 2010	First baby trees in the tree nursery
07 Feb 2010	Where no car has gone before: what a great feeling
04 Feb 2010	Progress on our dirt road
02 Feb 2010	We are building a dirt road in the jungle
30 Jan 2010	Analysis of legal problems with Right of Possession
28 Jan 2010	The last 300 meters
27 Jan 2010	A path on top
26 Jan 2010	Hauling a tree with the Jeep
14 Jan 2010	Cherimoya fruit was seeded
12 Jan 2010	Started to seed in the new tree nursery
10 Jan 2010	Very pleased with the wood transport rikshaw
09 Jan 2010	Wood Rickshaw
07 Jan 2010	Nice doors and final paint job for the offroad trailer
05 Jan 2010	Doors for the offroad trailer
04 Jan 2010	Going off the road with our homemade trailer
30 Dec 2009	Setting up a tree nursery
27 Dec 2009	Homemade offroad trailer
25 Dec 2009	Making signs
23 Dec 2009	Making our own trailer hitch
16 Dec 2009	No solution yet to the legal issues
10 Dec 2009	There is a better access road
07 Dec 2009	Agreements are not always honored by all parties
28 Nov 2009	Clamp slabs together to saw poles
27 Nov 2009	Turning the guayacan log into slabs
23 Nov 2009	Think like a cow: pasture
23 Nov 2009	How to make wooden marker poles
22 Nov 2009	Land survey in the jungle
21 Nov 2009	Searching for wood and finding a "quebrada"; More weeding
20 Nov 2009	Fixing up and cleaning the rancho
19 Nov 2009	A farm in the rainforest - but with great cellphone coverage
18 Nov 2009	Removing a large jobo tree to unblock the access trail
17 Nov 2009	Pedron's hoof is getting better
16 Nov 2009	Our first two heads of cattle
13 Nov 2009	Buying cattle from a local farmer
11 Nov 2009	No luck today with the cattle purchase
11 Nov 2009	Buying cattle via Blackberry
04 Nov 2009	Pedron receives a house visit by the medical team
02 Nov 2009	Vaccines for our horses
31 Oct 2009	Where the rainforest is
28 Oct 2009	Flower and fruits
26 Oct 2009	Food and beverage in the wilderness
24 Oct 2009	How to do a land survey
22 Oct 2009	Rights of Possession in Panama
19 Oct 2009	Seems like this will be the access road (2/2)
17 Oct 2009	Seems like this will be the access road (1/2)
15 Oct 2009	Luzero's accident and rescue
13 Oct 2009	Luzero, Toby and Pedron visit a teak plantation
04 Oct 2009	Some more offroad fun
02 Oct 2009	Exploring a true jungle
22 Sep 2009	Another attempt at finding a good route for the access road (2/2)
19 Sep 2009	Another attempt at finding a good route for the access road (1/2)
18 Sep 2009	Didimo's old and new home
16 Sep 2009	Our temporary home base
15 Sep 2009	The big trip to the farm for our new horses
14 Sep 2009	Horse Beauty Salon
13 Sep 2009	Picking up Luzero to join the others
12 Sep 2009	Saddles, Machetes, Lasso, etc.
11 Sep 2009	Finding horses
10 Sep 2009	Going all the way to the end of the road (2/2)
07 Sep 2009	Sometimes leaving can be difficult
07 Sep 2009	Going all the way to the end of the road (1/2)
07 Sep 2009	Figuring out where to build an access road
06 Sep 2009	How the farm looks like at the moment
06 Sep 2009	Farming in the rainforest of Panama
06 Sep 2009	Exploring the farm
06 Sep 2009	The final 2 km are on horseback
04 Sep 2009	How to get to the farm
04 Sep 2009	A farm in the rainforest of Panama
28 Dec 2008	Left the city behind and went 4x4
13 Oct 2008	Small countries celebrate a little different
15 Sep 2008	IEEE Panama celebrates Dia del Programador
09 Sep 2008	Got invited to speak at IEEE Panama
06 Sep 2008	Launched
15 Dec 2007	PanamaJUG Conference
29 Nov 2007	PDF for my talk "Agile Development in Panama"
01 Sep 2007	Panama JUG: Two Day Conference
12 Jul 2007	Comment on Cultural Sensitivity and the backlash of having none
30 Jun 2007	Potential good news for snowbirds and investors in Panama
25 Jun 2007	Someone interested hearing about software development in Panama?
09 Jun 2007	Additional article about reduction of tourist visa term to 30 days
08 Jun 2007	Developing countries and immigration laws
08 Apr 2007	The impact of roadblocks on residential tourism
26 Feb 2007	Road trip with a surprise - Always carry your passport
19 Feb 2007	City is dead during Carnival in Panama
03 Feb 2007	Cerro Azul - Vacation Homes Between the Clouds
01 Feb 2007	Presented at 4th Geek Fest Panama
26 Jan 2007	UXcamp: Information Architects in Panama
19 Jan 2007	Smart brains in Panama
19 Nov 2006	Leading a mixed language development team
25 Sep 2006	Latin American business culture
27 Aug 2006	Leisurely Sunday at the beach
25 Aug 2006	Walks around Panama City
23 Aug 2006	Welcome Antonio
19 Aug 2006	Quite fast
15 Aug 2006	Fiber Optics for Internet Access
28 Jul 2006	Washing machines seem to be a rare good
23 Jul 2006	Moving in
20 Jul 2006	Buying a washer or how to loose a customer
19 Jul 2006	Fine Italian dining in Panama
14 Jul 2006	It's past 8 pm and there is some live accordion music from down the street
13 Jul 2006	Fourth day in Panama City
10 Jul 2006	Arrived in Panama and started working in my new office
29 Jun 2006	We're finally relocating to Panama

Want to leave me a comment? Please write to sns@caimito.net. Thanks!