Mission 2: House Hunters International…Patino version

Kell Billed Toucan from Panama!

We have been blessed to know people who know people who live in Panama City, Panama. We serve an amazing God and believe me, He offers His children more than we deserve. Unknown to me, God had been working behind the scenes making connections/friendships for our benefit. This past bible study, a new member named Kalyn joined my group of ladies. Kalyn is young, vibrant and full of life. Kalyn’s good friend, Kelsey had just relocated to Panama City, Panama from the San Francisco Bay Area! She connected us and we have been exchanging info via email for the past few weeks. Because of her recent move, we received an excellent quote from the relocation company they used for our household goods (God’s favor!).

Renew Bible Study: All my beautiful sister's in Christ!

From Left to Right: (Back row)Anneke, Kalyn, Carol, Missy, Me

(Front row): Sarah, Patti, Lorna

Kelsey gave me information about the area her family lives at and others which helped us condense our home search to three areas: Clayton/Albrook, Punta Pacifica/Paitilla and San Francisco (sound familiar- hehe!). Though Kelsey told me about a new and up-and-coming area called Costa del Este that is gorgeous, I have read from other ex-pats that the drive into Central Panama City is ridiculous!! I don’t want Al to repeat the life he already lives here in the Bay - driving an hour and a half home every day. Going back to our new way of life: live simple and adjust when needed! I am mindful of the life we want to live here and plan on keeping our family grounded.

A big map of all areas we are looking at!

Homes, homes and more homes!

Our relocation company reps, Jeannette and Michelle drove us to the Clayton/ Albrook area. They had 4 homes for us to see. Two of them are in Albrook and new properties that no one has lived in yet. To my surprise, they were pretty nice! I was shocked to see maid’s quarters tucked in the corner near the wash area/utility closet. Though they were listed at 3 bedroom/3 bath, the maid’s quarters are not included as a bedroom. The room was so tiny and could only fit a toddler bed plus a separate shower and sink. Overall these two properties are well priced and would work fine for what we need.

The third home isn’t worth blogging about. Let’s just say that the building was poorly made and not something we would consider. Now to the last house. One word: AMAZING! The home is located behind the gates in the Embassy Club. This place has everything an American or ex-pat could want all wrapped into one community. The first thing I loved is all the greenery and the sound of the birds. I heard a unique chirp/sound and found out that it was Kell Billed Toucan!!  The tranquility of this area just melted our heart. As we approached the courtyard, I was amazed at how clean and well-manicured it was and the pool was just amazing!! Click on this link for the gallery: http://www.embassyclub.com.pa/index.php/community/gallery.html. I could go on and on about all the amenities but as you will see on the link, it is the full package!! The condo is 3 bedrooms/3 baths and offered a dishwasher which is virtually nonexistent in Panama!! Microwaves are also not built into the homes. That just lets you know that the amount of frozen food is limited and Michelle said that they don’t typically reheat food in the microwave but put it back in the pan. The rooms were a great size and had custom built closets. Our Master bedroom has a beautiful deck for early morning coffee and also has a customized closet area. See pictures below…

  

 


  

 

 

 

We saw other homes throughout the week but on Wednesday, we put an offer for the home at the Embassy Club. We should hear back from them by Friday an answer. The problem we are running into is that we won’t have our household goods delivered until the end of November. We will be living in temporary housing in the city for two months and the owner wants to occupy this home now. If this doesn't work out, we will trust in God’s plan and be hopeful for something better!

Mission 1: International School or Bust!!

There are three things very important to me in this move:

-our church and community (God first)

-an international school for our son

-a safe location for our home 

My beautiful family this past Easter in Hawaii!

Trust me, I understood what would come with this move. I researched their economy and understood that there is a huge gap of the haves and have nots. In short, Panama will never be the United States. We will live a simpler life with modifications we will adapt to. As long as we are together as a family and serving our Savior above all things, we will be fine. There is lots of work to do for His kingdom. 

We crammed four schools in one day and one school on the 2nd day. To say the least, I didn't prepare myself for all the pros and cons of each school. Now I understand why there are so many schools with different visions and missions statements at each location. I briefly outline my perspective of the international schools we visited. This of course is my opinion and not meant to offend anyone. 

Crossroads Christian Academy:

What an amazing mission statement! It stands for everything we believe in as a Christ centered family. As we approached the school we had high hopes for it. Though the exterior was run down, we saw it as a diamond in the rough. We were kindly greeted by the front desk staff and soon the admission coordinator met with us. Within the first 5 minutes, we soon realized that the mission statement is just words. Their love for human souls did not matter. They explained to us the mold they expect from their students and pretty much the student as a whole wasn't something they looked at. At the end, she was justifying why she would not accept a child with a mild learning disability and we kindly put the visit to an end. To say the least, we were disappointed in the schools lack of compassion as Christ followers and I could tell by her rapport that “Christian” is just a word in their school versus a way of life, as we live it. 

Side note: The pet cemetery on the side was also a big eye sore.

This was found on Google and pretty accurate.

http://www.ccapanama.com/

Balboa Academy:

When we arrived high school students were lined up outside to attend a college fair. We meet with Mary Ann, the admission coordinator who was fantastic!! She joyfully welcomed our family and cared for our needs as a whole. She took her time to explain the admission process and what a treat it was to see the children, being children – playing outside and laughing. The kids walked by her and gave her a hug, she smiled the whole time and you could just tell she loved her job and was proud of Balboa. Her daughter is now a teacher at Balboa after studying in the states! We took a tour of the campus and met a 7^th grade history teacher. His view and responsibility to his students was riveting! Calling his student “future leaders” and keeping his students up-to-date with current events, including world events such as Syria. They represent 47 countries and have approximately 850 students. Overall they offer sports with lots of trophies to prove their athleticism, a beautiful Olympic size pool, a soccer field and more. Their cost is steep but it was obvious why.

This photo is generic but does have gates and security.

I couldn't locate a better photo online and did not take one.

http://www.balboaacademy.org/

Metropolitan School of Panama:

This campus is also located in the same vicinity as Balboa except the outside view is gorgeous!! They overlook the Panama Canal which makes a difference. We met with Mary Tovar, admission coordinator, who immediately took us on a tour of the campus. It was very clean and got to see several classes. We found it interesting and exciting that starting in 7^th grade, which my son is in, he will learn Mandarin. Yes, Mandarin! She introduced us to the Mandarin teacher and he gave us a brief lesson on how he teaches the students symbols with drawings. This is hard to explain but my husband and I left his class wishing we too could attend this class. This man was brilliant!! The opportunity to be tri-ligual would be exceptional! Meals are included into the tuition which is unique versus the others. We met their chef from Argentina. He was passionate about food and explained to us that they prep all fresh food and none of it is frozen. They are very into integrating the arts and technology into their education. They offer an I-pad and laptop to every student they use throughout the year!! They also offer sports and building a state-of-the-art Green building in the near future. I was very impressed with this school and was given the opportunity to meet with their new Middle school principal and Kristina, the admissions director. I was pleased in their overall education program but more so, their desire in the family as a whole. She called us “family” which left a lasting impression of this school and their future! This school definitely displayed a sound infrastructure not representative of a school established only 2 years ago!! 

No accurate pictures of the campus online but in the City of Knowledge area near Balboa

http://www.themetropolitanschool.com/

Boston School International:

Let’s just say this school is technologically driven. They have two full time psychologists on staff that tests every student and each need. They have only been open for one year and broke off from another international school, which I gathered. They plan on a being a textbook free campus next year. They also use the smart board just like all the other campuses but taking the lead to be known for their heavy technology. Each student will eventually be taught on a tablet and the teacher will teach off the primary format to each student, which will be paperless. They use Singapore Math which is more geared to problem solving and heavy on English classes. They also offer Mandarin at a young age and sports seems to be on the back burner with PE only twice a week. Let me say that there is very little science and history. The England based schools apparently are the same way. Overall, the concept is interesting but not for our family. They have a very small campus and they kids are bused for outdoor activities.

This is the building but not exactly what I remembered. 

http://www.bostonschool.edu.pa/en/

International School of Panama:

One word: AMAZING!! I could write all night on why I love this campus. Nilsa met with us and she started her conversation with my son. She asked him several questions and opened up that line of rapport so he felt important in this school search decision. She was very confident in their campus and said that there is no school that compares to them. “Watch and you’ll see”. She was right! She took us briefly by the elementary side and headed straight to the middle/high school area. We also got to see several classrooms and met with the science teacher in the impressive lab. She was Canadian and new to ISP and told us how much she’s enjoyed the school so far. She explained all about the IB program and they offer three languages to choose from: Mandarin, French or German. My child will also learn Spanish which is mandatory. They have a cafetorium (cafeteria/auditorium) and it smelled delicious. They have a brand new tennis court that was just built this year, a track and field, soccer and two basketball courts (indoor and out). Sports are a big deal here which I loved. Lastly, they built a brand new bus area and currently working on a 5 million dollar Theatre Arts Auditorium. I can’t possibly put in words how beautiful this campus is. Sadly, the 7^th grade is impacted and they offered us a wait list. The school is the most expensive off them all but you can visibly see where your money goes as this is the only non-profit international school in Panama. 

This is off their website. A great view of their soccer area. Very spacious!

http://www.isp.edu.pa/

Knightsbridge Schools International:

We were kindly introduced from the beginning by Vicki Sizemore, the head of Special Education and Nancy Pierre, the Head of Admissions. Vicki has been in Special Education over 30 years in the states and in Panama. She called it her passion and I could tell she was very knowledgeable in the area of concern for our son. We spoke for a good 20 minutes and felt confident they could meet ALL needs and accommodations with no problem. She mentioned that they are the only international school that meets all students’ IEP needs. The school is very small. She mentioned a little over 100 students and the 7^th grade class has only 8 students, none are from the US. The downfall was they did not offer the basketball program my son wanted and he wanted more than just 8 friends. He doesn't know anyone and felt this school was too small. We loved the program itself and would be a great option in 5 years down the road when more students enroll. The Panama campus is one of many campuses around the world and supported globally.

I couldn't locate a picture. Possibly because it's so new.

 http://www.ksi-panama.com/

To wrap this up, we are really focusing on two of these schools. I will post later on which one worked out for us. The admission process consists of a lot of paperwork and a test. We just hope that the school that admits our son will see his value as a whole. He is a great son of God and works at our local church and will continue this at our new storehouse. His passion for basketball and love for children and people in need outshines any shortcoming! I am not worried for I know that God is in control and He will direct our steps to where he wants us to be. We will be content and make the best out of where he lands. For now, he is spreading his wings and praying for the best!

Next blog: House Hunting in Panama...