OUR PANAMA ADVENTURE IS COMING TO AN END...

Well, with just a few days left, our year-long Panama adventure is coming to an end, and we're heading back to California on July 1st!  We're packing our bags, giving away clothes and other items that we will not need in the United States, selling the vehicle we purchased here, getting our Volcancito rental house ready for new tenants to arrive, trying to fit in all of those last-minute fun Boquete activities (just one more time!) that we've come to love, and of course, saying 'goodbye' to friends we've made along the way. 

It's been a truly incredible year spent together, and we are forever grateful for this experience we've had as a family.  In reflecting on the past 12 months, here are some of the highlights, as well as some of the things we are looking forward to when we return to California...



Top Experiences During Our Year in Panama
1.   Learning and speaking Spanish
2.   Christina:  Travel to countries I've never visited before (Colombia, Peru, Cuba) 
3.   Christina:  Volunteer work with the psychologist at the Boquete Centro de Salud
4.   Los Quetzales Cabins
5.   Guna Yala Archipelago (San Blas Islands)
6.   Christina: Homestay in Soloy at the Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca
7.   Greg:  Great fishing
8.   Hiking in the cloud forest
9.   Greg:  Seeing cool birds
10. Greg:  The Amazon jungle in Peru
11. Greg:  Exploring around Panama
12. Christmas in Nicaragua with our family (Noni, The Blankenhons, The Lindens)
13. Trips to Panama City
14. Trip to Bocas del Toro with Nana and Papa Stoney
15. Trip to Hacienda del Mar (Pearl Islands) with Tutu and Papa Linden
16.  Playa Cambutal in the Azuero Peninsula 
17.  Visiting the Emberá tribe and village
18.  Matt:  Fishing with Captain Tony
19.  Matt:  Seeing Monkeys

What We're looking Forward to When We Return to the USA
1.   Monica and Matt returning to Crane Country Day School
2.   Seeing family and friends
3.   Trader Joes
4.   Good Mexican food
5.   Greg:  Planting in my garden
6.   Greg:  My garage - "Opening the garage will be like a combination of Christmas morning and a time capsule.  I've forgotten how much killer stuff I have!"
7.   Greg:  Going to the Channel Islands
8.   Greg:  Sushi
9.   Monica and Matt:  Going to YSSC (Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp)
10.  Monica and Matt:  Seeing friends
11.  Monica:  Going to surf camp
12.  Sleeping in our own beds in Carpinteria and not having to worry about being stung by scorpions
13.  Matt:  Going to June Lake
14.  Matt:  Fishing with my Dad
15.  Matt:  Shooting bows and arrows in our yard

What We're Going to Miss About Panama
1.   The slower pace of life/quality time with family
2.   Lower cost of living
3.   Great hikes in the cloud forest
4.   Christina:  Living at Wild Orchid (small house, beautiful property, great view, Cathy & Larry, seeing Ngäbe-Buglé each day)
5.   Christina:  Cafe con leche and orejas in the afternoons, all for $1
6.   Living in the tropics
7.   Greg:  Great fishing
8.   Greg:  Reading in the hammock at Wild Orchid property with beautiful views
9.   No crowds, no traffic...
10. Friends we've made in Panama
11. Monica:  AIB (Academia Internacional Boquete)
12. Sugar and Spice restaurant and bakery in Boquete
13. Matt:  My friend Gabriela
14. Matt:  Hiking in the cloud forest with my Dad
15. Cathy and Larry (our fabulous neighbors and friends at Wild Orchid in Boquete)
16. Matt:  Fishing
17. Matt:  Having scorpions and cool bugs as pets

Our fabulous Wild Orchid property view that we've enjoyed each and every day for the past year.  Living here has been a wonderful experience!

The entrance to Wild Orchid, our Volcancito home in Boquete, Panama