You gonna just walk into my house like that?

Its rainy season here in Panama, my favorite time of the year. There is a cool breeze and overcast for the majority of the day that makes it feel like a autumn day back in the states. If the weather was like this every day it would be hard for me to leave. So I take advantage of the weather and leave my door open so I can catch the breeze. Unfortunately had no idea what would happen if I left my door. I guess having my door open is an open invitation to walk into my house. I recently have acquired two new neighbors. I think before I started leaving my door open I talked to them maybe twice, and that was just a short conversation. I guess within those two conversations they worked up the confidence to feel that we are best friends. Last week I was in the kitchen and homeboy from next door scared the hell out of me. He just walked in and said I smell coffee, you making coffee. When he walked in, he did it with soo much confidence and authority I thought I was in the wrong apartment. For a second I started to think maybe I invited him over and forgot. Two days later he walked in on me on a Sunday and smelled me cooking pancakes and eggs and asked can he have some eggs. I happen to actually made too much food for me and gave him the extras but DAMN, really, you’re going to just walk in like that. That same day the little boy from the other side of the apartment walked in while I was watching football on the computer and said hey who’s playing while he took off his shoes and made himself comfortable to watch. My door has been shut since that Sunday.

Getting along since the other volunteers left has been actually different than I expected. Its as if my time here has completely changed. My boredom has become busyness and my rush to go back to the states has disappeared. Between working in the high school, volunteering at the language institute and sometimes sitting in on the classes at the university my schedule has been pretty packed. And because I am constantly out the house I have met a bunch of cool and interesting people. The food no longer time bothers me and I eat beans and rice like a champ now. I’ve even started to pick up eating the meat that they serve on the street corners. I was kinda scared at first to mess with it, now I’m looking for the street meat carts every time I’m in the downtown area. Man I still can’t believe you can find meat on a stick for 25 cents apiece,, and its gooooood. People say that the meat may be stray cats, but I don’t care, it’s delicious. It seems the curiosity and excitement to learn that I felt the day I arrived here has somehow come back to me. I guess getting over the first year is the hardest part, and then it’s just all downhill from there.