Five Months Down
If you lean out of our apartment window and look to the left, this is the view. Our neighborhood reminds me a lot of New Orleans. Jon Hull
Settling In
August and July were hard months. Panamá is opposite to Finland in a lot of ways. Helsinki is cold and dark, so the culture developed amenities that enrich the quality of life. Panamá City has beautiful weather, and the public amenities feel like an afterthought.
We became accustomed to great public transit, museums, and libraries. We loved Nordic architecture with its wooden slats and concrete slabs. Things worked in Finland. They often don’t in Panamá.
Sandy’s beach apartment is beautiful and there also happens to be a pool if the tide is out. Jessica Stargardter
My life simplified in September. I developed a routine and found my groove at work. We secured our car and apartment. I became accustomed to the different lifestyle and weather. For me, the hardest part was over.
Coming and Going
San Carlos, Panamá
Our first trip in the fall was to Sandy’s beach apartment on the Pacific coast. We drove with Tía Sandy and met up with a few more of the Latin American Stargardter diaspora. I love spending time with them.
I smoked cigars and drank whiskey into the early morning hours with Rolando (Sandy’s husband), Roli (Sandy’s son), Francisco (Sandy’s brother who made an appearance on our blog during our Oxford trip), and Andrew (Sandy’s nephew). Francisco told stories of his boyhood, and I listened for words I recognized when the conversation switched to Spanish. It made me yearn to learn it even more.
I am so lucky to experience moments like that. I am a homebody at heart, but a night like that strengthens my resolve to see more.
Brookfield, Connecticut
Three friends and fellow groomsmen for Alex: Mike Mammele, Paul Molinaro, and Tyler Beakes. Tyler also acted as the officiant.
We flew North for Alex Kelly and Maddie Dorso’s wedding in October. Tyler Beakes and his girlfriend Maddie stayed with Jessica and I at Mom’s house in Newtown. It was as ideal a wedding as one could hope for. The ceremony was short and sweet, the weather was perfect, the speeches were some of the best I’ve ever heard, and the dance floor was rocking. I will remember it fondly forever.
Jessica and I found it pretty cool that stories from Finland and Copenhagen found their way into the ceremony. As the officiant, Tyler told the story of their harrowing journey to Finland: one that included a full-tilt sprint through an airport in England, and a group of gate agents who couldn’t believe they’d actually made it. He did an awesome job.
Southwestern Connecticut
I missed a few important events when we were in Europe. It was too difficult to come back on short notice. When we decided to move to Central America, I told myself that it would be easier to fly back from Panamá than it was from Finland. It’s proven to be true so far: five to six hours on the plane with no jet lag, and I’m back on American soil.
I came back alone for Connor Leahy and Sam Gay’s wedding in November. We had a few days off from work, so I took the chance to celebrate them and spend time with my parents and my best friends. It was the perfect excuse to fly back.
I spent Halloween night with my dad and Alex Kelly by the fire. I took a trip over to Rhode Island with my mom. I saw Cooper, Annie, and Anthony. I finished with Connor and Sam’s wedding and flew back early the next day. It was exactly the type of trip I pictured taking before we left.
Bogotá, Colombia
Jessica and I walked a lot in Bogotá. Unlike Panamá City, Bogotá has great infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians. The Andés Mountains are looming in the background, shrouded in fog.
In September, I realized that Jessica and I had no plans to travel outside of Panama excluding the wedding trips. I loaded up Google Flights and took matters into my own hands. I justified the expense as a birthday gift to myself. We’d be going somewhere relatively affordable before Christmas.
Bogotá is a one hour flight from Panamá City. It’s tucked in the Andes Mountains at about 9,000’ above sea level. As the capital of Colombia, Bogotá, is home to 11 million people. It was an awesome experience, and I’ll write more about it in another blog. For now, I’m going to sign off and try to finish my book.
