When Joaquin was hardly 24 hours old I remember staring down at his tiny, perfect face and thinking to myself with a wry smile, a touch of fear, and an overwhelming love swelling in my heart “Great. I’m completely screwed.” As I looked at this incredible miracle in my arms, I knew in that moment that I would forevermore be… Read more →
“I’ve lived here for 42 years” she said. “I raised my children here. I’ve seen a lot of changes.” Almost every evening, Joaquin and I take a stroll around the neighborhood at dusk. In doing so, we always see the usual suspects: Dani having his 6pm drink outside of Manolo Caracol, a slew of local kids running rampant, Julio the… Read more →
I recently heard from an old friend that he and his wife quit their jobs in San Francisco, and with their very young daughter, moved to Italy for the next six months while he pursues a wine apprenticeship. My instantaneous reaction was pure glee as all I could do was imagine how much of an exciting roller coaster adventure the… Read more →
Summer in California explodes at the seams with fruit and veggies. Farmer’s Markets buzz with local chatter usually accompanied by a live bluegrass band of some kind, and people of all ages come together to make the experience of buying food, a communal one. Call me a cheapskate, but I love to fill myself up on free samples as I… Read more →
Probably the best thing about being on vacation (besides not working and losing all awareness of the calendar) is being on vacation in California. Yes, it’s home and yes, I grew up here, but it’s still definitely vacation and it always hits-the-spot. It’s as if my job is to relax and eat. Literally. All I’ve been doing is visiting with… Read more →
When I was in my 20’s I wasn’t even sure I wanted to have kids. I didn’t think that marriage was rational or necessary. For many years, I lived out of a bag, I loved being on my own, I traveled as often as I could, I moved a lot, I explored any job that allowed me to make my… Read more →
Moving often and living in new cities and countries involves starting over. Obviously, the starting over includes basic things like an apartment, a job, discovering the local hangouts and markets, transportation, the general day-to-day stuff. But, moving abroad is also largely made up of the people that we meet along the way, the friends we make, and the social circles… Read more →
7am Pick Up – Casco Viejo, Panama Nobody’s Turning Back Now Wave goodbye to El Arco Chato, Joaquin Passing Folks and Blurry Colors Central America, Car Seat Not Always Required Waiting for Take Off Empty Middle Seat : Happy Baby, Happy Parents Layover Snacks I see California Clear Skies and A Clear Coast Bay Bridge View of The City Smell That Air Joaquin?… Read more →
Sunday was one of those perfect Panama day trips that will stick with me for a long time. Living in Casco Viejo (Panama City) it’s important to get out on the weekends as often as we can. Geographically, the world is our oyster. We can be swimming in the Caribbean or the Pacific, we can be hiking in volcanic craters… Read more →
Living in the tropics is just as one would imagine: hot, steamy, moist, luscious, fresh, green, sticky, and humid. There are two “seasons” here in Panama (if that’s what you want to call them) which are Dry Season and Rainy Season. The only real difference between these two seasons should be blatantly obvious: one is dry and the other is… Read more →
It’s June. The school year is coming to an end, summer is nearly upon us, vacations are beginning, and most everywhere, teachers are boxing up their classrooms for a well-deserved vacation. It is obvious to most how hard teachers work, and how much time and energy they put into their jobs. Without summer, without vacations, without some kind of a… Read more →
In life we have to take risks if we’re going to learn and grow. As a mother, I realize this is true but when it comes to Joaquin I cannot help but be anxious and worried sometimes (*Footnote 1). Maybe it’s me but “Mom” is just not synonymous with “Risk Taker” even for the sake of learning and growing. It… Read more →
For all the years that I have ever spent living away from home, there has always been one song that wraps up my deepest and fondest feelings of California. In my Junior year of college I lived abroad in Brighton, England. It was a huge year for me and a really big step. Somehow, I had always known that studying… Read more →
I’ve always loved design and designing. Photography, writing, making jewelry, arranging a room – I love the creative process of putting things together. Being in Panama, I am exposed to an endless amount of pattern, color, texture – the cultural and artistic products of Panama’s people and history. Casco Viejo is a stop on every tourist’s map when they come… Read more →
The following is a dialogue, translated from Spanish to English, that occurred yesterday in Panama. It was the first time in three years of extreme driving conditions, that I have been pulled over by a cop. For those of you who know me well, I was completely telling the truth. I promise. Nothing about what I did was exaggerated, feigned,… Read more →
I started practicing yoga in 1998. Throughout the years it has become a practice, both physical and spiritual, that keeps me centered, challenges and rejuvenates me unlike anything else. Moving abroad was a difficult transition for my practice because of a lack of studios, until one fateful day when a best friend of mine in NYC suggested a website called… Read more →
Sometimes photos say it all. Sometimes the initial, wide-eyed looks of friends & family who come to visit us in Casco Viejo, say it all. Casco Viejo is not perfect; it is a disheveled and gloriously flawed neighborhood in a developing country. When many first arrive, they are shocked by the dichotomy of old & new, clean & dirty, rich… Read more →
Ten days ago, I was about to start making dinner when casually, my brother walked into my kitchen. My kitchen in PANAMA. I had absolutely NO idea that he and Juan had been scheming this surprise visit for weeks. I stood there dumbfounded and beyond-belief excited to see him, and to learn that he’d be here on vacation, for over… Read more →
If you happen to find yourself in a tropical place, longing for one those luscious coconuts that dangle from the palms, then welcome to the club. It’s probably not news to any of you that coconut water (agua de pipa) is incredibly hydrating, full of natural electrolytes, packed with B-complex vitamins and amino acids, a kidney purifier, and when served… Read more →
I’m always taken by the colors that surround me here in Panama. It’s a bright country, both aesthetically and socially. The people, the clothes, the music, the weather, the fruit, the buses – it’s loud and bright with colors here. Panama has a large Caribbean influence which somehow, in my mind, adds to the sultry sexiness that seems to seep… Read more →
Juan and I got married in Napa, July 2010. Two weeks later I was sitting in a random apartment, ALONE, in Panama City. I knew two people, I couldn’t speak more than a few words of Spanish, and I was about to start teaching third grade at an International School where I knew none of the faculty, staff, or students.… Read more →
It seems to me that a lot of people would love the adventure of living abroad. Once they’re actually past the moving to another country part and on to the living part. Like when you’re traveling, once you’re in that hammock with a cold beer in hand, or eating a perfectly simple linguine arriabiata with a glass of wine in… Read more →
My husband Juan and I are both big on family. We are each incredibly close with our families and when we got married our families became one giant family. I often joke with him that I married him for his family. That’s only partly true, but it does have everything to do with why he is such a great man… Read more →
I’m a mother. I’m about to celebrate my second Mother’s Day. When I look at my son Joaquin Fox, my heart clenches and I feel weary with adoration and love. Joaquin’s dad (and my husband) Juan and I had been living abroad in Panama for seven months when we found out I was pregnant. Those first thoughts of packing up… Read more →