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!