Snapshots From David
There Is A First Time For Everything: For four years I have viewed the traffic in David’s downtown, and around the Parque Centro in particular. On numerous occasions I have marveled at how few auto accidents there are based on the way folks drive - a scene I compare to ‘un-scripted chaos while seemingly totally oblivious to surroundings’. However given that, I have seen only two accidents, both minor fender-benders. Shows what I know?
Even more amazing is the fact that pedestrians seemed to be bullet-proof. They all – young, old, handicapped, loaded with packages, monitoring a bunch of kids - just wade out into the traffic as is it doesn’t exist. Some cars yield, some change lanes and zoom past, and others just modify there heading just slightly just missing them by inches. But there are seldom screeching brakes and no one gets run over. Well, until yesterday!
I was sitting on the balcony reading the morning paper when two things happened almost simultaneously. I realized that I no longer heard the ambulances I’d heard approaching (and they had not passed me), and I saw some folks on the sidewalk along the park running towards the corner (no one in David EVER runs on the streets). Sure enough there was a pedestrian down.
(My camera was in my room so I took this picture after he was picked up.)
There was a man on the ground partially under the front bumper of a taxi. Ironically he was down in a pedestrian cross walk. The EMTs from two ambulances were attending to the injured man, and after about 15 minutes he was transported to the hospital. I don’t know how serious it was, but it was encouraging that he was talking to the EMTs.
I did find it interesting that the spectators who arrived on the scene responded in typical Panamanian manner. I have mentioned before that the Panamanians, by our standards, are very inconsiderate of others. It manifests itself in a lot of ways, but it is just a cultural thing you have to get used to. In this incident that manifested itself by many who arrived on the accident scene merely pushed themselves through the crowd to the front so they could get a ‘good look’. People where practically standing on the injured guy. Even the EMTs where getting jostled by one person after another as they positioned themselves for a better look. And the fact that it never even occurred to either the medical people or the policemen present to do any crowd control illustrates how ingrained that attitude that you don’t infringe on others prerogatives runs. Did not even hear a single ‘Step back and give us a little room here, folks,” not even a hand signal of such.
The Deaf People Around The Park: There is a large group of deaf people who tend to collect around the hotel. I am not certain whether that has something to do with the fact that several deaf people work in the hotel and restaurant, or the reverse – people got introduced to the hotel because they hang around in the area. (By the way – I apologize in advance if ‘deaf’ is not the politically correct term for people who cannot hear and converse using sign language.)
I have had a couple of interchanges with some of the group that I find rather amusing that I thought you might appreciate:
- When employees in the hotel come across me sitting on the balcony ‘trying’ to read the newspaper in solitude, there must be something in their job description that requires that they stop and tell me a story. They must get extra credit if it is a long story, and bonus points are evidently involved if they talk fast enough that they insure that when they are through, I have not even figured out what the subject is. Then, and only then, they are authorized to walk off smiling.
However, if either one of the two deaf porters decides to share the latest with me – by the time they combine sign language, grunts (and other noises for which there are no descriptive terms), facial expressions and a repertoire of body language that would make a mime envious – I understand the whole story. Seriously. Even the punch line. Everytime!
- One of the young fellows in this group can talk, and even speaks a little English (he knows sign language because several of his relatives are deaf). Just as a lark, one day I had him show me how to sign ‘Hello’. And a couple of nights later I had a chance to show off my new language fluency.
As I was coming across the edge of the park returning from the pharmacy, a large group of the deaf folks (about 20) where having a big conversation of some kind on the park in front of the hotel. As I approached, one of the guys stopped ‘talking’ when he made eye contact with me and mouthed ‘Hello’. I responded by signing the new greeting I had learned. Initially he looked stunned, but then broke out in a big smile.
But, as I was crossing the street I heard a commotion behind me. When I turned around and looked about half the group was in convulsions laughing and the remainder where looking at me. About an hour later when I came back out of the hotel my ‘speaking’ friend approached me to assure me that they were not laughing at me. One of the guys had just said something funny. “What was said?” I asked. He chuckled, “He said that it is hard to understand a ‘signer’ with an English accent.” OMG, that’s funny!
What’s Hot In Panama?
New Police Vehicles The National Police have a new fleet of cars to fight crime. Thirty-four new Ford F-150 pickup trucks are waiting to take to the streets, and the motorized units have a lot of 20 new 350 horsepower motorcycles to safeguard the security on the beaches, as well as ten new ATV's and twelve vehicles specially modified for the riot control units. (La Critica)
Striking Banana Workers Close Bridge: The San Bosco banana company said through a press release their workers have been on strike for more than 15 days, after three months of fruitless negotiations. The press release highlights this is the first time in 30 years the banana company has been affected by a strike, which, they say, is unusual in this industry. The union decided to go on strike as a means of applying pressure, as is their right under the labor law. Among the threats made by the strikers is the possible invasion of private farms, the use of violence, and impediment through intimidation.
Larry’s Comments: Unions are very strong in Panama and virtually every industry and sector is unionized. One of the things that makes this entire thing so delicate is that Panama has basically one highway in the country. The Inter-American Highway (we call it the Pan Am highway in the U.S.) runs the length of the country from the Costa Rican border to the Darien jungle bordering Columbia and that is it – the only route. The point is, when unions strike and close down the highway, they have shut-down the country. The other thing that is shocking to an outsider (or visitor) is that most strikes are accompanied with threats of serious violence issued by the unions.
Serious Health Issues:
- Health officials are investigating a possible death due to Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) in the district of San Miguelito. If the investigation turns out to be positive, this would be the second death caused by DHF. The first was reported in the village of 24 de Diciembre in the district of Panama where a child died because of dengue hemorrhagic fever.
- In addition, 50 patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Social Security Fund hospital have been infected by a bacteria resistant to antibiotics, in the past two months of which 30% have died, explained Lizka Richard, the National Sub-director of Health Facilities. The Klebsiella pneumoniae Carbapenemase (KPC) bacteria attacks ventilated patients by air, infects internal organs and in some cases leads to death, especially those in delicate condition (50 confirmed cases, 30% have died = 15 deaths in Panama in the past two months).
Problems Filling Newly Created Jobs: The growth of the Panamanian economy and labor market is a fact, and there are serious problems getting local talent to fill the vacancies being generated by the economic development. That is the general conclusion reached by the participants of the forum "Education: Pilar for the labor market," organized by Corporación La Prensa SA.
Larry Notes: The report from the forum then went on to itemize the problems of education, training, labor pool, competition, blah, blah, blah. The problem with all of this was that most of the solutions being pondered would have resulted in the speaker(s) being flunked out of Basic Economics 101 in any reputable school.
They discuss the shortages of young Panamanians of a certain age being unavailable in the work force as if discussing it to death will make a demographics problem go away. Hey, go count heads again folks – they ain’t here.
They also discuss all kind of ‘endemic’ problems that basically boil down to the fact that Panamanians have, as a general rule, NO concept of customer service. My comments in the article above about being ‘inconsiderate’ – do you think that attitude goes away when they go to work. Just try to find a ‘good’ bartender in this country, or get service in a department store – you will swear you are invisible. Now envision that approach when manning a Call Center or a high tech group that requires a lot of enthusiastic cooperation and coordination!
One corporate head complained that they are forced to train people up, and once they are prepared and experienced they leave to go get a better (higher paying) job somewhere else. It is as if a competitive compensation environment is totally foreign to them. “But our employment manual says we pay $ __s for this job!”
I think Don Winters (Panama Guide) hits the nail on the head: “I bet no one at this forum said ‘get more dudes’ or ‘relax the restrictions on labor laws for immigrants’ or ‘allow foreigners to work in Panama.’ That simply has to happen, and I've been predicting it for years.”
Hmm. Nuff said!
My Book – ‘Angels in Panama’
Judy Brown from Texas sent me a nice review of my book. She also included this picture with is most appreciated and very clever. Thanks again Judy.
Bad News – Due to some kind of disconnect between the publisher and retailers, the ebook version of my book on both Amazon (Kindle) and Barnes and Noble (Nook) are priced off the chart. I am trying to get that resolved, but until it is I have removed those links from my postings.
The link below is for the paperback version of my book from Publish America (the publisher) I have also included a link to my website where you can read excerpts of ‘Angels in Panama’ if you want.
Paperback from Publish America $9.95
Till Next Time. Pura Vida
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