Panama City

I was back in Panama City last week for the first time in more than 6 months. It had been long enough for the office staff to ask if I was a volunteer or just lost. My site is more than 12 hours on buses, taxis and boats from the city. When anything comes up, I usually just call.

However, one of my good friends just had surgery. It went well and he is fine, but when a volunteer goes under they allow for a friend to come down and keep you company and help out. Being in the hospital alone in a foreign country can get a little depressing. So the office paid for my travel expenses, a few bucks a day for food as well as the hotel.







Let me first clear a few things up about Panama City. First of all it’s really nice. The downtown is affluent and filled many high-rise office, hotel and apartment buildings. Due to the population growth and lack of urban planning there is an odd combination between these giant skyscrapers alongside elegant spanish-style villas or other three or four story buildings. Much of the skyline is new literally is growing by the day. The skeleton of a high-rise can be seen under construction on every other block. The city is filled with the constant noise of construction. The metropolitan area has a population of about 1.5 million (the total counties population is about 3 million). The city is important for international banking and commerce, communications and of course, shipping.

There are several malls complete with apple, Gucci, Abercrombie and Columbia stores. The sports and shoe stores even sell Under Armour. The food courts have Wendy’s, McDonald's, Cinnabun, and many other classic American mall favorites. One mall even has a VIP theater with lazy boy recliners and “seat service.” Like an airplane, when you press the button on your seat an attendant comes up and takes your order. I got a cappuccino, sushi, popcorn and soda, just because I could. Another mall (Albrook) has about as many employees as the Canal does.

However Panama is still a poor country. Its GDP is just above that of North Korea and about half of that of the Dominican Republic, and much less than Guatemala and Puerto Rico. Panama has one of the highest income distributions in the world. Much of the wealth is found in the city and pockets such as Boquete or Isla Colon, which are driven by tourism. Almost 30% of the population lives below the poverty line (Compared to 12% in USA). There are many Panamanians from the city who are unaware of the conditions in the interior, in the places volunteers are living and working.

It was great spending a week in the city. Our hotel room had AC, TV, lights and hot water. The best part of it was the food. It has been a while since I have been able to eat buffalo wings, hummus, sushi and popcorn – in one night – but I am really looking forward to getting back to my community.