When moving to another country to live you expect there to be cultural differences in fact that is what the idea is.  Expose yourself and your children to the differences of the world.  Giving an education that you can't find in a school.  So what's happening here?  Am I  becoming disillusioned by culture??? Realizing that much of what I seek is not culture , it's awareness.  it's truth, it's right living...  ahhhhhhhh , all this feels a bit confusing.   Maybe it's another world I seek, one with peace and love and no  hate,
 no dis -ease, no plastic, no greed, no lies, no egos, no tv, no violence,  no chemicals, no competition...just LOVE... imagine...
But here I am on this big blue ball trying to make sense of what is .
  I now know that wherever you are there will be difference and I guess that is the lesson here, learning to tolerate and educate and learn where you can.
FASCINATING!!!!!

So what am I up to many of you ask...Sometimes, I am not sure how the days pass so quickly and wonder what the heck I did with myself, but they fly by.
And  I am doing some things...
      I was having dinner out the other night and someone asked me if I was the " garbage girl"  I guess there are worse names... like what????  trashy, dirt bag, dumpy:))) he he
I actually take great honor in that name, to be some small catalyst to a much needed awareness and change.   Helps me feel as though I am doing SOMETHING...

WE have had a lot of  support & interest for the beach clean ups .  The kids are really into it, so that feels like success.   But much change still needed of course the teachings of reduce, reuse , recycle   (one of the many plusses of SC).  Because here when the garbage does get off the beaches it goes to the dump,  and gets burned.  So regardless,the garbage ends up back in the ocean- via air.   WEW, muy grande problema.   It seems the solution always comes back to education, money...
poco y poco as they say

I have also been selling my postcards and art at a local gallery and hotels.  Not getting rich but it feels good to be sharing my work.   And for mind and body flexability I have been practicing a lot of yoga, we now have an amazing yogi here who moved from NY, she's been such a gift.
  After all, it's ALL about feeling good, and then the love spreads:)

 Tate  just started back to school, he has really risen to the occasion of the foreign land and schooling. He fits right in with the Panamanian kids, if he didnt have red hair and green eyes  you might mistake him for being a local.   Zade on the other hand is not loving  school and pretty resistant, can't really imagine spending 6 hours with 28 other spanish speaking 6 yr olds myself.
There is a definite lack of creativity in the teaching style here, even the private schools,  VERY old school.     Tara Redwood and  SC Montessori, you rock!!!  Blessed be for all the amazing teachers of the world, even the ones in Panama, they are doing the best with what they have.
 poco y poco:)))))

Lots and lots of life out in the sea... The boys caught Tuna and Mahi Mahi for dinner. The dolphins blessed us from every direction, it was a perfect day fishing.

So incredibly beautiful and very difficult to photograph.  Boat photography is not easy... but I'm up for the challenge:)

Tate got the tuna:)

Zade pulled in the MAhi, many smiles...

and the pelicans are our new best friends.

These photos are a bit mixed up, but you get the idea, were having lots of fun

living in the tropics.  Were getting spoiled rotten by warm tropical water,as much FRESH fish as we can eat and NO SCHEDULE...

Brotherly LOVE...

Uncle Doug and  Aunt Kathleen came to visit...

another excuse to go to the island.  he he he

Beach clean up at El Toro 50 big bags of garbage,

these kids  (and adults)are awesome!!!!  muchas gracias

                   DA BOYS, DOIN THIER THANG!!!!

                  Gangsters of LOVE, I presume♥♥

SOOOOOO much...

Nature has a way of entertaining...

Isla Iguana, Panama

I realize that I have really been a below par blogger, so inconsistent and really pretty vague.  So caught up in this adventure I really forget to stop and blog.  It's not easy keeping up with this modern technology-FB, Blogger, twitter, twitcher...

It has dawned on me many times since I have been here that I really need to photograph the people of Panama and their ways.  I have been sort of shy to do so, feels like an invasion, the gringa wants a photo of this poor, super photogenic man on a horse and buggy with his milk buckets.  I have not been able to bring myself to do this,  I start with my neighbor around the corner from us.  Beautiful, simple, people with hearts of gold.  Here is a glimpse...

Zade finally lost his first tooth, much excitement around that.  Actually our Panamanian neighborhood mama pulled it out the old fashioned way.  The toothfairy travels☺✩❃