Liz's Blog

Lots of Panamanians speak English fluently, including many well-to-do locals who have studied in the United States, Canada, or Great Britain. Servers in fast-casual restaurants often speak well enough to have a light conversation and most medical doctors and pharmacists are completely comfortable discussing complex medical situations in English.    And then there are the Zonians […]

Panamanians watched in horror as hurricane Ian made its way across Cuba and then directly onto the West Coast of Florida, near Ft. Meyers. It was sobering to hear about the 125 individuals who lost their lives because of Ian and damages estimated to be over $50 Billion dollars.    Panama does not have hurricanes. For […]

Many retirees are not looking for the urban hustle of Panama City or the business vibe of Costa del Este. Even the beach properties of Gorgona and Coronado have not answered the call for those seeking a location with a more moderate temperature, laid-back feel, and generally lower cost of living.   Boquete, a small town […]

Most North Americans actually know very little about Panama. There is the Panama Canal and the invasion by the United States to depose General Manuel Noriega more than 30 years ago, but generally, that completes the list. In a recent poll, individuals in the US, Canada and seven other countries were asked about their knowledge of […]

Now that we have put 2021 behind us, I would like to share with you some of the exciting things that are coming in 2022. While the year 2021 was certainly miserable for many, there were also outgrowths of the pandemic, both positive and negative, which will affect Panama for generations.   After a difficult continuation […]

It’s no secret that between the Millennials and pandemic, how we work, live, and communicate continues to change and evolve. Only a few years ago employees filed into offices and cubicles without question or complaint. If someone was “working from home” it was questioned and silently considered a day off regardless of what was accomplished. Today, […]

As the long, long season of COVID-19 wanes, everyone worldwide seems ready to get back to traveling. Booking sites can’t take reservations fast enough, wedding venues and caterers are booked months out, family celebrations are hastily being planned, sporting, arts, and musical events are back and Panama, it seems, is at the top of many travelers’ […]

The recent crisis with the grounded container ship in the Suez Canal was something that made many Panamanians become instantly grateful and then reflective. Of course, a tragedy like the giant container ship getting stuck for six days is something that could happen here, but the bottom line is that it hasn’t and it certainly isn’t […]

The Panamanian economy retracted by as much as 14% in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Approximately a year ago when the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a global crisis, Panama went from being one of the strongest economies in Latin America to one with the largest contraction.   But, of course, that kind […]

It seems like everything has changed and much has stayed the same since the COVID-19 pandemic descended on us a year ago. When things first started closing and quarantines were enacted, it never occurred to me we would still be grappling with the pandemic a year later. Nonetheless, a year in and Panama continues to aggressively […]

The American financial journal Money. Inc., noted recently that Americans may never go back to a traditional office. Then, they took a deep dive to identify what people should look for in a work-from-home location. Some people are right where they should be, but not being tethered to a 40-hour-a-week office opens the possibilities!   The […]