Six months ago today, Mr. RO, the dogs, and I boarded this plane in Florida and flew to Panamà City.

It was the culmination of several months/years of planning. We had decided to retire to Panamà a few years ago. The only question at the time was when. It turns out everything aligned earlier this year. It was earlier than we planned, and I know I certainly took my boss by surprise when I informed him I was retiring.

In some ways, that plane ride feels like it was a long time ago, and yet there are times when it feels like it was very, very recent. A lot has happened in the last six months.

We went through the mandatory 40 day pet quarantine, where the boys were on house arrest and not allowed to have interaction with other dogs.

We found an apartment, signed a lease, and moved in within a month of arriving.

I retired! It’s hard to remember now that for the first month of being in Panamà, I was working full time. I am still learning how to be retired. 30+ years of working establishes some strong habits.

We received our permanent residency visas, which are lifetime visas as long as we spend one night in the country every two years. We also received our national ID cards (e-cedulas).

We obtained our driver’s licenses, which require blood tests and a large amount of paperwork.

We bought a car, which brings so much freedom but also makes the very bad Panamà traffic so much more of a lived reality.

My Spanish is improving, and I finished the Duolingo course. I still practice every day. I’m happy to be able to have basic conversations in Spanish, though the locals still speak way too quickly for me! Some very kind locals speak slowly for me so I can get every word.

Some of my best Spanish teachers are still Uber drivers.

The boys have made lots of friends, both at their pet hotel but also here in the apartment building, where they have learned to stop at the security guard office every time they go out for some pets and treats.

We are also working on making friends. That will be an ongoing effort. As it is, we are starting to be recognized at local businesses we frequent, and they let me practice Spanish with them. There are many ex-pat groups that have meet ups, and I expect we’ll try some of those.

We’ve joined a gym, and try to make it three times a week. I continue to take Zumba classes three times a week.

Our diet has changed. I will write a post about food in another post, but I have learned to prepare meals a little differently here. And pineapple in Panamà is the best we’ve ever had (yes, better than Hawaii).

We have started traveling, as we wanted. Our first trip this year to the Maldives was wonderful, with another short trip scheduled soon and a longer one next month. I am learning to deal with the delightful problem of figuring when to schedule our travels, as there are many places we want to visit.

We found medical and dental care, both for us and the boys. Level of care for all of us here has been excellent so far.

We survived a major earthquake! Our gas was off for a week, but we sustained no damage.

As all of you know, I started a blog! I actually started two – the sister blog to this one chronicles my LEGO collection and journey.

Many accomplishments in the first six months. We are very much enjoying Panamà, and are looking forward to many more accomplishments in the next six and beyond.

Thank you for sharing the journey with me so far.