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Stuff I like about being in Panama so far that actually has to do with Panama...

1) The sound of marching bands practicing in the distance. All the time. But I have never SEEN a marching band here. 

2) A one-off Zumba practice in the Parque Central with gringos, indigenas, and panameños alike all gawking on a Sunday morning.

3) The downpours of rain each day.

4) When you stop to think about the canal, it's mind-blowing:

5) An improvised horse stall in the bed of an old pickup truck.

6) The processions of leafcutter ants bearing small flowers and sail-like portions of leaves aloft.  

7) EVERYBODY uses taxis here-- it feels super fancy. And school buses are regular buses while vans called "colegiales" function as school buses. Initially confusing.

8) Paso Fino horses (a.k.a. criollos) are a big deal in Panama. The original power walkers, they are naturals at what's got to be one of the most energy intensive ways to cover ground. 

9) The insects that wake us up each morning by making a sound akin to a cabasa.

10) The fruit truck that trawls the neighborhood each week calling out via megaphone, "¡Bananas, papayas, maracujas! ¡Fresas frescas!"

11) Kindness. A lot of kindness.