COCONUTS, CHICKENS & MACHETES

All is well with the Stoney family!  It's hard to believe that we've been in Panama for 4 weeks, and time sure flies by when you're having fun.  The kids have really made a wonderful adjustment to school and each week at Academia Internacional Boquete seems to get better.  Monica enjoyed a fun field trip with her 6th grade class to a finca this past week and Matt will be doing the same field trip with his 2nd grade class next week.  I (Christina) started taking Spanish classes.  I've signed up for individual classes 3 mornings a week at Habla Ya, a local Spanish school here in Boquete.  The classes are challenging, and I even have HOMEWORK, but I'm enjoying them and know that improving my grammar and vocabulary will enhance my overall experience here.

Matt has been asking to buy a coconut ever since we're arrived in Panama.  We've been looking and looking for several days now, with no luck.  This week, while I was headed to a local panaderia to buy homemade hamburger buns and Monica and Matt's favorite Panamanian coconut cookies, I happened to stumble upon a coconut stand right in the middle of downtown Boquete.  Matt couldn't believe it when we picked him up from school and surprised him with 3 coconuts.  So fun to cut them open at home and drink the fresh coconut milk for an afternoon snack!

As I mentioned earlier, Matt gets out of school at 12 noon on Fridays.  We've started a ritual of either taking him out to lunch or on some fun outdoor adventure.  This week we went out to lunch at a local restaurant called Big Daddy's, which serves fabulous fish burgers and tacos.  While waiting for our food, we spotted two chickens walking out of the kitchen.  They proceeded to hang out with us on the restaurant patio.  Just when I start to think to myself, "Living in Panama isn't so much different than being at home...", I am reminded that life really is different here.  Certainly, back in California we don't have chickens walking around at restaurants.  Sometimes, it's the little things (like chickens in a restaurant) that make our experience here so fun and exciting.

Speaking of chickens, after lunch Matt asked to go to the local feed store to check out the baby chicks and machetes (Yes, machetes are a very common and useful item here).  The chickens were adorable, and Matt was so sweet while petting them.  Of course, Matt and Greg just thought the machetes were so cool and had to buy one (a $3.70 purchase) even though we already have one at home.  Greg explained that this purchase was totally necessary and that he needed an even BIGGER machete than what he already had.

Buying coconuts for Matt

Beautiful chickens roaming around the restaurant

Matt loved petting these little ones that were for sale at the local feed store.

Of course, Matt is happy as can be playing outside with Greg's new MACHETE!