Find One Thing You Love

One day, out of the blue, a Panamanian friend of mine said she knew I would fall in love with this country. She could tell because I had already become concerned for the people, had started to understand the history and culture, and yes, there was an occasional spark in my eye indicating that this place was giving me energy rather than sucking it out of me.

She had also lived abroad some years back and had encountered difficulties. Her home away from home was Chile. She had remembered that, despite speaking the same language and having similar cultures, she felt completely disoriented, friendless, insecure, and eventually filled with apathy for everything around her. When asked if she liked Chile back then, she couldn’t find one positive thing to say - not one - until a Chilean told her to find one thing, just one thing, to love about the country. She chose the mountains. From then on, when anyone asked her how she liked living there, her answer would be, “Oh, I love the mountains!” She started to make friends and saw a change in the way people around her reacted and treated her.

As for me, there are many things I can honestly say I love about Panama – the mountains, the oceans – especially the Caribbean side with San Blas and Isla Grande, Casco Viejo and the Causeway (or Amador). I love the view from my balcony. I love the friends I’ve made. I love that when people open their hearts to you, they open their arms and homes as well. I love that unless I have to wake up at 4:30 a.m. for an early flight, I always wake up with natural light. I love that there are almost always 12 hours of light – maybe not sunshine, but light – every day. I love that it’s relatively safe. I think I’m even beginning to like the catcalls from the construction workers.

So, yes, I’m getting used to it here. I can honestly say that I love Panama – in parts. No place is perfect. I still believe that it takes 3 years before any place feels 100% like home. For now, I’m going to continue to seek out new things to love and hope that one day this place feels like home.