La Casa de Carmen

I thought this place was too good to be true. The similarities of Panama City and the States are incredible. Public transportation is scarcely more prominent than in Portland, as it seems most people here have their own cars. There are no guaguas running from their dirty black exhaust and little if any exhaust cloud to envelope me as I cross the street. The list could continue: drinkable tap water, eatable lettuce, 100 % all the time electricity, hot showers (not that I would ever consider them in this climate), and the plumbing to handle flushed toilet paper.

The hostel I have been staying at for these first few days in Panama City is of the Lonely Planet variety. Full of college aged English speaking backpackers and retired travelers. It even has a resident parrot that wakes me up in the morning and obediently sits on its roost all day long in the middle of the courtyard outback.

As I returned today, I thought to ask the hostel guy in the front where I could do my laundry, expecting to have to hike to some place across town. But he nonchalantly replied “no, aquí mismo. Y tu puedes secar también.” What!? Are you kidding me? You have a washer AND a dryer? Wow, I amazed once again at this country.

Not wanting to wear my last pair of underwear for a week straight as I figure out the laundry situation in my site, I got right to my laundry. The setting selection, soap in, clothes in, door down routine came so naturally to me (I did just come from the states). Finished with that callus causing laundry scrubbing, I grabbed a beer, book, and pack of crackers to enjoy as I kicked back and waited.

About thirty minutes later, my internal clock told me it was about time to throw my clothes in the dryer. So I went over and threw open the lid only to find, not my cloths spun dry and beautifully sticking to the sides of the washing machine, but the whole machine still full of water, stopped half-way through the wash cycle.

“It stopped, eso” I commented to the hostel guy who was involved with something next to me.

“Yeah, I know.”

Ok….and…

An intense waterfall of feelings and oh so tangible memories overtook me. I was seeing, hearing, smelling, and standing in a completely different time and place as soon as he said the words…

“Se fue la luz.”

Utterly speechless. Never thought THIS would happen HERE. This is Panama City, Panama, US of A.

“Oh, ok that’s fine.” I replied nicely, trying to comfort the embarrassed tone of his voice.

As I walked back to my room I passed two Australian backpackers, the kind that would frequent these types of Lonely Planet establishments, one of which smelled like pot. I noticed he was quickly and desperately hammering the light switch up and down.

“Electricity’s out.” I told him comfortably.

“Ah, man! That sucks! What the hell!?”

Smiling to myself on the inside for being such a Peace Corps Volunteer about it, I continued to my room to grab my head lamp.

But it suddenly dawned on me. I am leaving to my site for the first time early tomorrow morning. And half my clothes are stuck half way through their wash cycle. And even of I did take them out and finish the job myself they would never dry overnight in this humidity.

“Ah, man! This sucks!” I think to myself. “Well, I’m going to have to do something…”