Small Town ~ Tropical Living!

When I go to the supermarket and 99% of the time I run into someone I know after only being here for 6 months, I know it is a small town. This is very new to me, and an aspect of Panama life I am really enjoying.

The population of the San Carlos to Gorgona community is maybe 14000, which also fluctuates during holidays and during dry season and rainy season. The expat community they say is maybe 1000 of that. My whole life I have lived in the suburbs of major metropolitan centres. As a young child I lived outside of Montreal in the West Island. We then moved to the Toronto area where I have lived the majority of my life; Mississauga a city just outside of Toronto. The population of Mississauga is just over 500 000. When we moved there in 1979 it was 200 000. I am now living in 1/20th of that here in Panama.

I know that in any small town, there is a grapevine that can lead to terrible gossip and bad reputations. My Dad lives in a very small town and he has told me some terrible stories of peoples lives being tarnished due to the broken telephone of a small community. I know that I am not going to like everyone and everyone is not going to like me. However I also know that rumours are painful and can run even the nicest person out of a town in a blink of an eye. Mutual respect, compassion and honesty are qualities that will keep a small community from self destructing. Respect of each others space and privacy. Compassion to those that have fallen on sad or bad times and honesty and integrity at all cost.

With that said, I am now going to tell you the benefits of making quality friends in a small community and getting involved in activities that are healthy and are for the good of everyone conceerned. Allan and I had a car mishap just over a week ago. We found ourselves without a vehicle. The motorcycle was waiting for new tires and the plane was even out of commission for a week. Not only did we have people calling us and offering us a lift, but I had friends calling and asking if they could pick up milk for us or any essentials. I even got a lift to the vet with Nina by our friend Steve who waited with me for over 2 hours in the Vets office so that Nina could get her vaccination. I said to him, not only was he our Surfing Coach, but he was our Puppy Coach and Driver. He said all those characteristics fall under the umbrella of "Friend". Steve and Adele are from the New York area. It is amazing how we have all easily shifted into the philosophy of all for one and one for all.

Even my new puppy has friends. She has an extended family over at really good friends of ours, where I can pretty much drop her off anytime and know that she is going to be more than well taken care of. I love it! I truly feel like I am apart of something special and I know that there is support of any kind only minutes away.

My advice or my lesson in this blog is this: Before you start any rumours or decide to start yapping about something you heard from a 3rd party, stop and say to yourself is it worth it and what am I going to get out of getting involved in the rumour mill. The friends and the fellowship that Allan and I have down here is worth far more than me getting involved in a grapevine that will only have me standing there with egg on my face and my puppy licking it off of me.

Abrazos,

Karyn