5:30a.m. Wake up…uggghhh. Our plan was to leave for the West side of Panama  and settle into what would be home for the next 6 months. But first we had to make the long journey across Panama’s thin strip-of-a-country to our apartment located near Volcan (our assignment.)  The plan was to take a shuttle to the bus station in time to depart on the 6:30 bus to David, where Brother Vickerman would pick us up. I say plan because as some plans go, it didn’t turn out as we had intended. By the time we got to the bus station and deciphered where we needed to go, the 6:30 bus had come and gone. “Ok, no problemo. We’ll get the 7:00 bus…” or not. Long story short, we misunderstood the timing of everything and the fact that we had to be ON the bus at least 15 minutes before it left. We were informed that we’d, once again, missed the bus. Thankfully the attendant (each bus has a driver and a “little helper” to collect the tickets) was able to change our tickets for 8:00 and we made sure to arrive plenty early, which wasn’t a problem since we were already there.

When we finally made it on the bus, we were able to relax somewhat and laugh off what could have been a very stressful situation. The ride held a lot of eye opening scenery; some outside the bus and some inside. J I won’t even go into the bathroom situation, which in itself was a life changing experience. I’ll just say this: a small cramped space plus a moving bus don’t go well together. At all.

Moving on, literally, most of the scenery outside was of small towns with a little tienda and gas station. That, and a lot of people just sitting outside their houses and watching the “goings-on” of the day. So much of this trip has reminded me of Ecuador. It’s probably helped that I’ve had exposure to that type of culture before coming down here and thus am not so shell shocked because of it. After making our 8 hour trip from Panama, we finally arrived in David tired and somewhat worn. But the moment we stepped off the bus, a friendly smile greeted us and Sheila Vickermand introduced herself. She and Cliff, her husband, are in their 50’s and are a very friendly couple originally from Minnesota (which is apparent by their accents.) After loading up their car (and yes, we all fit into it, luggage included) we headed off towards our apartment right outside the city of La Concepcion. Cliff and Sheila are both very open and fill us in on the congregation of Volcan, life in Panama, and the new group that they just recently started in the city of La Concepcion. You can tell both are very eager to have our help, especially since it’s technically closer for us to attend the new group (Bugaba English) than Volcan English.

Finally we arrive at our apartment to unload, making arrangements with the Vickermans to be ready in 30 minutes to be picked up for the Bugaba meeting that night. Side note: yes the name is exactly as it sounds- BU-gaba. Fun to say right? Back to my chronicle; after being dropped off we were able to make a full inspection of the house and get a few things put away. The house is actually very cute and the yard itself has a coconut, papaya, and avocado tree. As far as the inside goes, it’s very basic, like any typical Central American house. Concrete floors, one couch, no table or bed for me (at this point.) But we do have a washer! That, I was very happy about. Plus, for 6 months we’re not going to need a lot. The bed, of course, is a must (the couch is not very comfortable…that, and I’m too tall for it, so my feet stick out the end.) But besides a few minor changes, we all feel that we can make this home.

Having assessed the living situation, we were once again picked up by the Vickermans and given a ride to the meeting. Since the group is so small, they meet with a Spanish congregation and only have the Bible study and Bible Highlights in English in the back room and then join the rest of the congregation in Spanish. Our whole group of English included two local sisters who are trying to learn English, the Vickermans, one pioneer couple that was visiting from Panama City, and Miguel, one of Cliff’s Bible studies. The plus side to having a smaller group is that you get to participate more, which I feel Brother Vickerman appreciated, as he conducted both the Bible study and Highlights.  The other bonus was that I had a chance to, once again, practice my Spanish while listening to the rest of the meeting. This might work out perfectly.

Once the meeting was over, we were dropped off at the local grocery store, Romero’s, to get dinner and few basic food items. On the way down to the meeting Sheila kept mentioning the newly remodeled Romero’s store, going on and on about how much she loved it. As soon as we stepped inside, I could understand why. It looked like I had just walked into Safeway in the U.S. Clean, plenty of selection, and they even had Peanut Butter (although very expensive.) I have a feeling that when I’m having a craving due to homesickness, Romero’s will be my haven. At the end of our long day, it was nice to come back to somewhere we can call home…even if that be in a foreign country away from family and friends. Talk to you all soon!