Panama City, Panama Report of what it's like to live there - 06/26/15

Personal Experiences from Panama City, Panama

Panama City, Panama 06/26/15

Background:

1. Was this post your first expatriate experience? If not, what other cities have you lived in as an expat?

No. We lived in a few cities in Asia and Europe.

View All Answers


2. What is your home city/country? How long is the trip to post from there, with what connections? How easy/difficult is it to travel to this city/country?

USA. I think it's about 3 hours from Miami and also 3 hours from Houston.

View All Answers


3. How long have you lived here?

Three years.

View All Answers


4. What brought you to this city (e.g. diplomatic mission, business, NGO, military, teaching, retirement, etc.)?

Spouse's employment.

View All Answers


Housing, Groceries & Food:

1. What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?

- We live in a gated community close to work and school in a suburban area where beautiful birds fly over our heads sometimes. Love the neighbors. However, you need the world of patience when things need fixing in the house. The number of visits of technicians and the length of time to fix things, their lack of knowledge and expertise is something we never experienced in any other country. This affected my morale significantly.
- Downtown/city is not far in terms of distance but takes a while to get there because of traffic.

View All Answers


2. How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?

The great thing is you can find U.S. products but they are expensive. Local fruits, vegetables, milk, yogurt are cheap/reasonable.

View All Answers


3. What household or grocery items do you wish you had shipped to post?

Portable dishwasher if the house doesn't come with it, lawn mower (available in Panama), carpets (sometimes available in small sizes).

View All Answers


4. What typical restaurants, food delivery services, and/or takeout options are popular among expatriates?

McDonald's, Wendy's, Taco Bell, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Papa John's, Dominoes. Indian, Thai, Chinese, Mediterranean, Italian, French, Mexican etc

View All Answers


5. Are there any unusual problems with insects or other infestations in housing?

Cockroaches, ants, mosquitoes etc.

View All Answers


Daily Life:

1. How do you send and receive your letters and package mail? Are local postal facilities adequate?

DPO, pouch for embassy families.
DHL. Mailbox services to receive things via Miami for non-embassy families.

View All Answers


2. What is the availability and cost of household help, and what types of help are typically employed by expatriates?

Panamanian helpers generally don't iron. It's hard to find good part time helpers. At the moment the going rate for part time is US$30 (/plus) per day 7:30am - 3:30pm. Full time helpers can live in or out. You can apply for work permit for non-Panamanian helpers. I believe if a helper is pregnant or delivers baby while employed by you, you are liable to pay for her medical expenses, however I don't know if you need to pay 100% or partial.

View All Answers


3. What kinds of gyms or other sports/workout facilities are available? Are they expensive?

Yes.

View All Answers


4. Are credit cards widely accepted and safe to use locally? Are ATMs common and do you recommend using them? Are they safe to use?

U.S. credit cards are accepted and there are plenty ATMs that might charge you additional fees for withdrawing cash.

View All Answers


5. What English-language religious services are available locally?

Not sure.

View All Answers


6. How much of the local language do you need for daily living? Are local language classes/tutors available and affordable?

Some.

View All Answers


7. Would someone with physical disabilities have difficulties living in this city?

Some.

View All Answers


Transportation:

1. Are local buses, trams, trains or taxis safe and affordable?

Yes. I take taxis and the new subway. No experience with buses. Please negotiate with the taxis since they charge 2-3 times more to foreigners.

View All Answers


2. What kind of car do you recommend bringing to post, given the terrain, availability of parts, burglary/carjacking risks, etc.? What kind of car do you advise not to bring?

Any but SUVs might be better so rain water from the streets doesn't get in..

View All Answers


Phone & Internet:

1. Is high-speed home Internet access available? How long does it typically take to install it after arrival?

Yes.

View All Answers


2. Do you have any recommendations regarding mobile phones? Did you keep your home-country plan or use a local provider?

There are different options you can choose from, no issues.

View All Answers


Pets:

1. Are qualified veterinarians and/or good kennel services available? Do animals need to be quarantined upon entry to the country? Are there other considerations regarding pets that are particular to this country?

Not sure.

View All Answers


Employment & Volunteer Opportunities:

1. What types of jobs do most expatriate spouses/partners have? Locally based or telecommuting? Full-time or part-time? Can you comment on local salary scales?

Maybe if you speak Spanish and if they think you are in Panama for not short term.

View All Answers


2. What volunteer opportunities are available locally?

Many.

View All Answers


3. What is the typical dress code at work and in public places? Is formal dress ever required?

Work: formal and smart casual. Public: whatever you feel like. However you are not allowed to go to offices or local schools wearing shorts.

View All Answers


Health & Safety:

1. Are there personal security concerns to be aware of at this post? Please describe.

- Snakes and scorpions both inside and outside the houses. We cut all the bushes off and maintained small grass; did not let our kids go to the backyard. We didn't see snakes or scorpions in our house but previous tenants and several neighbors did.
- Heard about some house robberies, rape cases and robbing people at restaurant at gun point but nobody we know was robbed or raped.
- Car break-ins to steal cell phones etc is common.
However when you're in Panama it feels pretty safe as long as you use your common sense.

View All Answers


2. Are there any particular health concerns? What is the quality of available medical care? What medical conditions typically require medical evacuation?

No health concerns. Medical quality is good however for general cold etc. it seems like local doctors believe in antibiotic for simple issues.

View All Answers


3. What is the air quality like at post (good/moderate/bad)? Are there seasonal air quality issues? Does the air quality have an impact on health?

Good.

View All Answers


4. What do people who suffer from environmental or food allergies need to know?

I heard for nut allergies you can't buy shots to carry with you, I think you need to go to the hospital to get the shots when needed.

View All Answers


5. What is the overall climate: is it extremely hot or cold, wet or dry, at any time of year, for example?

Always summer. Rainy season: hot and humid with pouring down rain, dry season: hot with beautiful breeze.

View All Answers


Schools & Children:

1. What is the availability of international schools? What has been your general experience with them, if any?

Balboa Academy, Metropolitan School of Panama, Kings College, Christian Crossroads Academy, International School of Panama. Our kids went to the Metropolitan School where teachers are very nice, loving and caring. Our kids are very happy there and their after school activities are great. The school focuses a lot on reading, technology (iPad, computers) etc, however, math level seems to be lower than Panama and marginally lower than the U.S. standard. Students are always encouraged to speak English except for Spanish classes so it's not easy for non-Spanish speakers to learn Spanish unless you work with the teachers or speak Spanish at home. Other international schools are similar when it comes to Spanish. The school doesn't believe in helping young gifted and talented students, however, the homeroom teacher tried to help on her own. It worked out excellent for us because they were willing to work with every single issue we had. I would highly recommend them!

View All Answers


2. What accommodations do schools make for special-needs kids?

Not sure - Met had a pull out session first thing in the morning.

View All Answers


3. Are preschools available? Day care? Are these expensive? What has been your experience with them, if any? Do the schools provide before- and/or after-school care?

Daycare and preschools are available at a reasonable price. However, a lot of preschool seemed like in between a preschool and daycare. Instituto Atenea is a proper local school from nursery to 12th grade. Our kids went there for preschool. Other than their psychologist's off the chart questions during the admission interview, we had a very good experience with them. The school is fantastic, most of the teachers speak Spanish but the principal of the preschool speaks English and is very helpful. Cost was very reasonable too (very low compared to international schools).

View All Answers


4. Are local sports classes and/or activities available for kids?

Yes

View All Answers


Expat Life:

1. What is the relative size of the expatriate community? How would you describe overall morale among expatriates?

Size = Big.
Panama is oversold but morale is okay to good.

View All Answers


2. What are some typical ways to socialize, either with local people or with other expatriates? Are there groups or clubs that you can recommend?

Go out to tourist spots, meet up with friends, go to restaurants, go to beaches, watch movies.

View All Answers


3. Is this a good city for single people? For couples? For families? Why or why not?

Absolutely!

View All Answers


4. Is this a good city for LGBT expatriates? Why or why not?

I think so.

View All Answers


5. Are there problems with ethnic, race/racial minorities or religious prejudices? Gender equality?

I haven't noticed anything.

View All Answers


6. What have been the highlights of your time in this country? Best trips or experiences?

Tourism. To go to Cinta Costera, Causeway, Ancon Hill, Metropolitan Park etc. at the weekends. Hang out with neighbors, go to the U.S. 2-3 times a year. Chriqui, Bocas del Toro.

View All Answers


7. What are some interesting/fun things to do in the area? Can you recommend any “hidden gems"?

Beaches, tourist places in the cities.

View All Answers


8. Is this a "shopping post"? Are there interesting handicrafts, artwork, antiques, or other items that people typically buy there?

Mola, local t-shirts, arts and crafts.

View All Answers


9. What are the particular advantages of living in this city?

Close to the U.S. and in same time zone with family. Summer all year round, beautiful country, for the kids to learn a widely used second language. Good schools. Beautiful country.

View All Answers


10. Can you save money?

I don't think so.

View All Answers


Words of Wisdom:

1. What do you wish you had known about this particular city/country before moving there?

One day everything is easy and the next day the same thing at the same place will make you pull your hair out.

View All Answers


2. Knowing what you know now, would you still move to this city?

Knowing what I know now would I do the first time tour here?
Answer: Probably (if I can't get my top 5 choices). It's better than hardship posts.

Knowing what I know now would I do a second tour?
Maybe not. To deal with housing (fixing/maintenance) issues sucked the energy and happiness out of me. Also I'm not great fan of Panama heat (weather wise). However expat community is great!

View All Answers


3. If you move here, you can leave behind your:

People said you can leave behind your winter clothes so we did but ended up buying them every time when we visited the U.S. in winter.

View All Answers


4. But don't forget your:

Patience, patience and patience.
Sunblock, rain boots, swimming and snorkeling gear and CAMERA (it's a beautiful country!)..

View All Answers


5. Do you recommend any books or movies about this city/country for those who are interested in learning more?

View All Answers


6. Recommended movies/DVDs related to this city:

View All Answers


7. Do you have any other comments?

We met a lot of awesome people here.

View All Answers


Subscribe to our newsletter


New book from Talesmag! Honest and courageous stories of life abroad with special needs.

Read More