I've taken a few days off. The class I've been teaching has extracted it's pound of flesh. I suppose that's a good thing. No sense coming down here with not enough to do. (the dean should be reading this).
Friday night I went to the movies. I caught "Star Trek" at the "Multiplaza". The movie was fine, actually fun, but I'm not blogging movies here.
Multiplaza is a fairly big and fairly nice (modern, upscale) urban-style mall. Lots of familiar designer and restaurant names. The movie theatre has 10 screens with stadium-style seating. Very similar to the newer theaters in the U.S. Apparently it started with fewer than ten screens, then with expansion came two to three more screens. These were upstairs. Upstairs is where Star Trek was playing. This was also the upscale part of the theatre; a bar serving mixed drinks plus a sushi bar. Not having dinner before the 6:40 show I ordered a "popcorn con mantequilla y una Coca-Cola". For some reason I didn't get the butter. Might be my pronounciation.
By the time we got into our seats it was 6:50. Fortunately just like the states, there are twenty minutes worth of previews. The movie was loud. Spanish subtitles. (I checked this out in advance, had it been dubbed, I wouldn't have gone).
On Saturday I mostly worked in my room, took a bit of a walk, had lunch at Manolos (a diner near my hotel, excellent sandwiches). It rained of course. Quite hard, for about two hours. Late in the afternoon I took a cab out to the "Causeway", a narrow stretch of land (man-made, with dredged material from the construction of the canal's shipping lanes). The Causeway runs a couple of miles out to some small islands. It's a lovely promenade, with bike paths and benches and great views and generally it's just incredibly pleasant. I rented a bike, rode to the end where there are quite a few restaurants and shops. With the trip back it took barely over an hour. Hailed another cab back to my hotel.
(Worthy of note.. .cabs don't have meters. You negotiate the fare in advance. The ride out cost me $5, and this is a 10 minute ride, maybe 5-6 miles. For the return trip when the driver asked how much I paid to go to the causeway and I replied "cinco", he winced. "Six?" he asked. I hopped in the cab quickly. Another buck is no big deal to this gringo.)
Sunday afternoon I spent with three other professors. We went to the other big mall, Allbrook, drove around the old canal zone (some beautiful homes, former U.S. government property), and also went to a Panamanian coffee cafe, Kotowa (similar to Starbucks). Allbrook was very busy on Sunday. I'm going to retract an earlier entry. There were plenty of shorts at the mall yesterday. I'm wondering if this is a function of (a) the weekend as opposed to a weekday and/or (b) it's a surburban mall as opposed to a city neighborhood. Anyway many, not lots, but more than a few, shorts, especially by women. The mall has many U.S. fast food chains (e.g. Burger King, Dairy Queen, Dunkin Donuts, Cinnabon, KFC) but no U.S. retailers. I went to a Target-type store, "Titan". Some of the prices were unbelievably low but the quality was suspect. There are children's outfits for 99 cents, men's shirts (polo-type) for 5.99. In the electronics section there were DVD players for 39.99 and some 32 inch LCD screens for 599. I haven't priced new TVs recently but these looked like very low prices.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Day 4 in Central America. Today's theme: (and it's a quick one) Clothes
Hey, I'm no fashion critic/guru/expert/controlfreak or even fan. But some things you just notice.
Also, by way of introduction, I've been spending a lot of time down here at a university. There are a few U.S. students studying here, but by and large these are local citizens.
At first glance they appear to dress much like their U.S. counterparts. There are quite a few T-shirts, some baseball caps, sneakers, jeans, ladies in capristyle pants. What you notice is that for a place where the temperture gets above 90 most everyday, you very seldom, and I mean very seldom, see anyone in shorts. And if you don't see it on a small university campus, you don't see it much on the streets.
This is one of those things I think is best left at the observation level. Trying to explain it is rather futile. I suppose some possible explanations for this could be there is something more fundamentally conservative about this country (or region), or maybe it's something that is fundamentally... whatever.. about U.S. culture that we think the moment it gets above 70 everyone is entitled to run around in their underwear.
If you can believe it, I didn't even bring a pair of shorts with me, with the exception of the gym shorts I wear in the fitness room. During that mental check-off of occasions I needed to prepare for, workdays, evenings and weekend, from the "sort of nice" look to "very casual" I remembered there was really no benefit to bringing a pair of shorts. Even this weekend if I stroll down to the supermarket or around town I'll probably be wearing a pair of lightweight long pants.
And a heavy metal T-shirt.
Hey, I'm no fashion critic/guru/expert/controlfreak or even fan. But some things you just notice.
Also, by way of introduction, I've been spending a lot of time down here at a university. There are a few U.S. students studying here, but by and large these are local citizens.
At first glance they appear to dress much like their U.S. counterparts. There are quite a few T-shirts, some baseball caps, sneakers, jeans, ladies in capristyle pants. What you notice is that for a place where the temperture gets above 90 most everyday, you very seldom, and I mean very seldom, see anyone in shorts. And if you don't see it on a small university campus, you don't see it much on the streets.
This is one of those things I think is best left at the observation level. Trying to explain it is rather futile. I suppose some possible explanations for this could be there is something more fundamentally conservative about this country (or region), or maybe it's something that is fundamentally... whatever.. about U.S. culture that we think the moment it gets above 70 everyone is entitled to run around in their underwear.
If you can believe it, I didn't even bring a pair of shorts with me, with the exception of the gym shorts I wear in the fitness room. During that mental check-off of occasions I needed to prepare for, workdays, evenings and weekend, from the "sort of nice" look to "very casual" I remembered there was really no benefit to bringing a pair of shorts. Even this weekend if I stroll down to the supermarket or around town I'll probably be wearing a pair of lightweight long pants.
And a heavy metal T-shirt.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Getting around in P.C.
Almost anyone who visits Panama City will comment on the traffic.
Without question, by U.S. standards it is appears "crazy". Though I'm not sure it's any crazier than what I hear about other parts of the developing world (India, Egypt, China, etc.)
It is true the streets are frequently thick with cars and things can move slowly (though in my experience no city is more clogged than Sao Paulo). Traffic signs/signals are sometimes obeyed/sometimes not. I'll give the drivers here credit, at least they slow down for stop signs.
Cars do just pull out into traffic, apparently counting on other drivers' sense of self-preservation not to cause an accident.
But what makes Panama City traffic irksome for most U.S. visitors is how loud it is. This is due principally to: loud vehicles themselves (engines, brakes, etc.) and the frequent use of the horn. The horn is an essential part of every car in Panama and must be used (so it seems) once per block. Reasons to use the horn can vary: 1. for men to alert any woman within 100 meters of their presence 2. to inform other drivers you have no sense of self-preservation 3. for taxis (a common form of transportation) to pick up fares, i.e. all pedestrians are potential customers and are to be informed of a taxi's availibility with a sturdy beep, 4. lacking of these three, as a test to ensure the horn is ready and in working condition.
Those who know me at least semi-well know that back in Towson I live a short distance from the university. My walk is a very pleasant 20 minutes. Here in Panama City my hotel is barely 15 minutes from the university. Do I walk? Sometimes. Here's what discourages people from walking more frequently:
1. it is hot. Ten minutes on the street and you're soaked.
2. crossing the street is an adventure. "Right of way" is something most Panamanian drivers seem to consider a challenge. And what's the point of yielding to a pedestrian?
3. the sidewalks and curbs here are their own special challenge. Many walkways are obstacle courses of cracks, holes and ledges. (for the record, this is how I wrenched my knee here last January.)
In all honesty Panama City is not a beautiful city. It's not particularly ugly, it just isn't beautiful. There are parts that are rather nice, for instance the "Causeway" is a long and lovely promenade with great ocean breezes and a good water view with the city skyline. "Casco Viejo" the old colonial quarter has some real charm. And the "Parque Metropolitano" just inside the city limits on the north side is a jem of a preserved habitat. All that said, there's not nearly enough green space in this city. There are quite a few empty lots that could be, but they are. This is perhaps understandable because this is still a country with considerable needs and relatively meager resources. If I were mayor and could put my money into schools, clinics, public safety, housing or landscaping I think I know which one would receive the lowest priority.
Finally there are the "Diablo Rojas", the privately-owned former school buses that serve as the city's public transportation system. As I understand it they are licensed and give a route of sorts, as indicated by some color system. However drivers, working on incentive systems, may make changes along the way, such as backtracking to find more passengers. There are also a lot of dangerous moves the drivers make to reach the next bus stop before the competition. And of course there are claims that the buses themselves are poorly maintained. I've seen plenty of D.R.'s on the road. They're very colorful too, each one custom painted. But unless I had I guide I'd never ride one.
Maybe it's an experience I should have before I leave.
Without question, by U.S. standards it is appears "crazy". Though I'm not sure it's any crazier than what I hear about other parts of the developing world (India, Egypt, China, etc.)
It is true the streets are frequently thick with cars and things can move slowly (though in my experience no city is more clogged than Sao Paulo). Traffic signs/signals are sometimes obeyed/sometimes not. I'll give the drivers here credit, at least they slow down for stop signs.
Cars do just pull out into traffic, apparently counting on other drivers' sense of self-preservation not to cause an accident.
But what makes Panama City traffic irksome for most U.S. visitors is how loud it is. This is due principally to: loud vehicles themselves (engines, brakes, etc.) and the frequent use of the horn. The horn is an essential part of every car in Panama and must be used (so it seems) once per block. Reasons to use the horn can vary: 1. for men to alert any woman within 100 meters of their presence 2. to inform other drivers you have no sense of self-preservation 3. for taxis (a common form of transportation) to pick up fares, i.e. all pedestrians are potential customers and are to be informed of a taxi's availibility with a sturdy beep, 4. lacking of these three, as a test to ensure the horn is ready and in working condition.
Those who know me at least semi-well know that back in Towson I live a short distance from the university. My walk is a very pleasant 20 minutes. Here in Panama City my hotel is barely 15 minutes from the university. Do I walk? Sometimes. Here's what discourages people from walking more frequently:
1. it is hot. Ten minutes on the street and you're soaked.
2. crossing the street is an adventure. "Right of way" is something most Panamanian drivers seem to consider a challenge. And what's the point of yielding to a pedestrian?
3. the sidewalks and curbs here are their own special challenge. Many walkways are obstacle courses of cracks, holes and ledges. (for the record, this is how I wrenched my knee here last January.)
In all honesty Panama City is not a beautiful city. It's not particularly ugly, it just isn't beautiful. There are parts that are rather nice, for instance the "Causeway" is a long and lovely promenade with great ocean breezes and a good water view with the city skyline. "Casco Viejo" the old colonial quarter has some real charm. And the "Parque Metropolitano" just inside the city limits on the north side is a jem of a preserved habitat. All that said, there's not nearly enough green space in this city. There are quite a few empty lots that could be, but they are. This is perhaps understandable because this is still a country with considerable needs and relatively meager resources. If I were mayor and could put my money into schools, clinics, public safety, housing or landscaping I think I know which one would receive the lowest priority.
Finally there are the "Diablo Rojas", the privately-owned former school buses that serve as the city's public transportation system. As I understand it they are licensed and give a route of sorts, as indicated by some color system. However drivers, working on incentive systems, may make changes along the way, such as backtracking to find more passengers. There are also a lot of dangerous moves the drivers make to reach the next bus stop before the competition. And of course there are claims that the buses themselves are poorly maintained. I've seen plenty of D.R.'s on the road. They're very colorful too, each one custom painted. But unless I had I guide I'd never ride one.
Maybe it's an experience I should have before I leave.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Now... from Panama
If you can believe it, I've had more than one person ask me if I would continue my blog from Panama.
After considerable, well.. some... actually.. minimal reflection I found myself thinking, "Why not?"
Because I've learned that to be effective, these entries should be short and interesting, I'll try to use several smaller entries rather than cram a bunch of stuff into one hard-t0-digest narrative.
Two items for today's entry.
1. just as background, in case anyone doesn't already know. This is my fourth trip to Panama in the past sixteen months. I came here in January 2008 and January 2009 with study abroad groups from Towson University. I was also here in August 2008 teaching "International Business" to students at our local host university ("Quality Leadership University" - http://www.qlu.ac.pa/html). Now (May 2009) I'm back teaching the locals again, this time it's "Business Society and Ethics". The study abroad gigs are very different from the local program. The former is lighter on the teaching but more of an all-day affair because of excursions and miscellaneous tours. Also I have to be a bit of a chaperone though fortunately both groups (2008 or 2009) were relatively well-behaved (the very high bar set for them was stay out of jail and the hospital).
The local program has Panamanian students taking the equivalent of a U.S. college course. I teach in English (of course), four hours a day, five days a week for two weeks. It is an intense experience, very challenging to keep things interesting from 8:00am to noon every day. Plus in the case of teaching a class like "Business Society and Ethics" I am extremely conscious of cultural differences that may influence how the message is received. It should be interesting.
Ok, item 2. Upon arriving at Tocumen airport yesterday I noticed almost every airport employee wearing a surgical mask. This included the wheelchair people standing the jetway, the cleaning help, many of the store employees, everyone at immigration and customs, police and airport security personnel, even a few of the taxi drivers. Also today I visited my customary lunch spot close to the university, the cafeteria in the Reba Smith grocery store where a plate of rice, beans and chicken (that's about as Central American as you can get) will run you $2.45. All of the employees including the guys running the trays of food, the women serving it on plates and the cashiers were wearing the masks. So Panama has a big case of the flu jitters.
Enough for day 1... more mañana.
After considerable, well.. some... actually.. minimal reflection I found myself thinking, "Why not?"
Because I've learned that to be effective, these entries should be short and interesting, I'll try to use several smaller entries rather than cram a bunch of stuff into one hard-t0-digest narrative.
Two items for today's entry.
1. just as background, in case anyone doesn't already know. This is my fourth trip to Panama in the past sixteen months. I came here in January 2008 and January 2009 with study abroad groups from Towson University. I was also here in August 2008 teaching "International Business" to students at our local host university ("Quality Leadership University" - http://www.qlu.ac.pa/html). Now (May 2009) I'm back teaching the locals again, this time it's "Business Society and Ethics". The study abroad gigs are very different from the local program. The former is lighter on the teaching but more of an all-day affair because of excursions and miscellaneous tours. Also I have to be a bit of a chaperone though fortunately both groups (2008 or 2009) were relatively well-behaved (the very high bar set for them was stay out of jail and the hospital).
The local program has Panamanian students taking the equivalent of a U.S. college course. I teach in English (of course), four hours a day, five days a week for two weeks. It is an intense experience, very challenging to keep things interesting from 8:00am to noon every day. Plus in the case of teaching a class like "Business Society and Ethics" I am extremely conscious of cultural differences that may influence how the message is received. It should be interesting.
Ok, item 2. Upon arriving at Tocumen airport yesterday I noticed almost every airport employee wearing a surgical mask. This included the wheelchair people standing the jetway, the cleaning help, many of the store employees, everyone at immigration and customs, police and airport security personnel, even a few of the taxi drivers. Also today I visited my customary lunch spot close to the university, the cafeteria in the Reba Smith grocery store where a plate of rice, beans and chicken (that's about as Central American as you can get) will run you $2.45. All of the employees including the guys running the trays of food, the women serving it on plates and the cashiers were wearing the masks. So Panama has a big case of the flu jitters.
Enough for day 1... more mañana.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
About that video (below this entry)
The video in the post below was recorded on June 9 in my Buenos Aires hotel room. It was impossible to upload using the hotel's wi-fi connection and for fun I tried it out when a few days ago. (It still look a long time on Towson's dedicated line).
Even though I thought eight minutes flew by, I understand now that's an eternity in when watching online videos. Next time I'll know better. Still I'm including it in the spirit of sharing as much as I got.
Even though I thought eight minutes flew by, I understand now that's an eternity in when watching online videos. Next time I'll know better. Still I'm including it in the spirit of sharing as much as I got.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Links to South American pictures
I still owe some pictures, particularly from Argentina. In the meantime I highly recommend the pictures from two other seminar participants:
Katharine Bjork's photo site:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ksbjork/BuenosAiresJune2008?authkey=9jzseSMadk8
John Buck's photo site:
http://ciee2008.site.shutterfly.com/
Katharine Bjork's photo site:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ksbjork/BuenosAiresJune2008?authkey=9jzseSMadk8
John Buck's photo site:
http://ciee2008.site.shutterfly.com/
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