WEEK 2 - MONICA AND MATT STARTED SCHOOL

Week two has been another very busy week, with the biggest event being Monica and Matt starting school, Academia Internacional Boquete (AIB).  AIB is a private bilingual school located 10 minutes from downtown Boquete and is a 15-20 minute drive from our house.  The school year actually started at the end of February, so Monica and Matt are entering mid year.  Monica has entered the second half of 6th grade, and Matt has entered the second half of 2nd grade.  The school day starts at 8:15am and ends at 3:30pm.  Yes, it is a long day!  There is a 10 minute snack break in the morning and a 30 minute lunch break in the middle of the day.  The school has a full kitchen which serves snacks and hot lunch.  Some students bring their lunch to school, while many others order the hot lunch.  Monica and Matt can buy lunch for $2 every day.  They are both liking the lunch program so far, and there are a variety of options to choose from.  It is a great way for them to try the local Panamanian foods.  While hamburgers and spaghetti are always on the menu, each day special Panamanian options are featured.  The typical Panamanian almuerzo (lunch) consists of some type of chicken, beef, or pork served with rice, lentils, platanos (plantains) and salad - delicious!

Greg and I suspected that adjusting to school would be one of our greatest challenges and we are so proud of both Monica and Matt for their bravery and perseverance.  This week was a BIG challenge for them, and they both certainly pulled through!  Although half of the curriculum is in Spanish and the other half is in English, about 90% of the students are from Panama, and primarily Spanish is spoken.  Monica thus far has grooved right in, says that she has made some friends, and seems to look forward to going to school.  Matt on the other hand says that he does not like the school and is clearly stating that he'd rather not attend.  Everyone says not to worry, knowing that this adjustment will take some time.  The teachers say, "poco a poco", meaning "little by little he will adjust".  Not only are the kids having to adjust to a new language and culture, they are also having to adapt to a different school system and way of learning.  It seems that Panamanian education is more traditional and tends to have a greater amount of time sitting at your desk and writing in workbooks than what Monica and Matt are accustomed to.  Both Monica and Matt are already missing Crane's incredible academic diversity of classes, the innovative teaching,  and the experiential learning.  In addition, while technically half of the classes at AIB are in English, Monica and Matt both say the textbooks for these classes are in English, but the teacher who is teaching the class is not necessarily fluent in English and that some of the instruction is done in Spanish.  Not to worry - this school has tons to offer and we suspect it is the best match for us and the best option from what we have to choose from here.  I feel fortunate that Monica and Matt are able to go to this school!  We are not concerned so much about the academics, but see Monica and Matt's attendance and participation at school as the best way for them to learn Spanish, learn more about the Panamanian culture, make friends, and have a positive experience in a new country.  Just from our first week, Greg and I can see that AIB is absolutely going to help fulfill these goals.  The students at AIB seem happy and energetic and have openly welcomed Monica and Matt.   It has been so fun to watch Matt walk into his 2nd grade class and be greeted by a group of girls at the door who say, "Buenos dias Matteo!", with huge smiles on their faces.  So cute!  Yes, Matt is now going by "Matteo".   What a great learning experience this is going to be, even if the first few weeks (or months?) are a little rough and uncomfortable.  At the end of the week we learned that Matt's grade has a half-day on Fridays and gets out at 12 noon.  As you can imagine, Matt was beyond thrilled to hear this news!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!  While the typical school uniform in Panama consists of  navy  pants for boys and a navy skirt for girls, each worn with white collared shirts, Academia Internacional Boquete (AIB) is more casual and the uniform is jeans, tennis shoes, and the green polo shirt with the school emblem on it.  CUTE!

Aside from school starting, we were able to do some other fun things this week.  We took a family day trip to LOS POZOS DE CALDERA (hot springs) that are a short drive from Boquete.  While the hot springs themselves were not all that impressive, the drive, walk to the hot springs, and the overall area were beautiful.  It was a great day!

Walking to LOS POZOS DE CALDERA (Hot Springs) - such a beautiful area!

Spending time at the Caldera River during our outing to the Hot Springs

 This beautiful peacock was seen on the grounds of Los Pozos de Caldera.

Monica spotted this beautiful butterfly walking back from the Hot Springs.

Eating lunch in Boquete after a great day at Los Pozos de Caldera

Eating lunch in Boquete after a great day at Los Pozos de Caldera




HIKING IN BOQUETE is spectacular.  We were concerned that many of the trails would be too muddy and not accessible right now since it is the rainy season, but this hasn't been the case.  One of the highlights this week was a hike to THE LOST WATERFALLS.

Incredible scenery as we hike up THE LOST WATERFALLS trail

THE LOST WATERFALLS trail

This is the second of three waterfalls on THE LOST WATERFALLS trail.

One day while the kids were in school, Christina and Greg went to FINCA LERIDA for lunch and afterwards hiked the trails on the property.  Finca Lerida is a coffee plantation as well as a hotel and is a 10-15 minute drive up a hill from downtown Boquete.  As you can see from the pictures below, the grounds are beautiful and the hiking trails were fabulous.

The hotel at Finca Lerida

Hiking the beautiful coffee-filled trails of Finda Lerida

El Cafe