Panamanians
Panamanians seem to be sincerely friendly. What’s that George Burns quote? “The most important thing to succeed in life is sincerity. And if you can fake that, you’ve got it made.” Well, these people seem to be pretty sincere and are always enthusiastic to help out a wayward gringo. I don’t know how many times I’ve been lost in this city and have had the fortune of meeting a kind stranger who showed me the way. It may just be that I always look unquestionably lost, but I always seem to get some help.
In all my travels, I’ve noticed that we gringos aren’t particularly liked these days. But I haven’t felt any anti-American sentiment here. The people don’t seem to harbor any prejudice against us. That’s good news, because there’s no way I could pass as Latin with this pasty white skin. Many Panamanians are just excited to meet someone to practice their English with. A lot of them speak it pretty well.
I’ve noticed that many Latinos are shy about their English. They’ll tell me they speak a little English and end up being practically fluent. I on the other hand, tell everybody I speak great Spanish, and well...let’s just say it’s getting better.
Being in a developing country, you always have to watch your back and expect that people will try to take advantage of the tourist. It might not be too PC, but it’s part of learning how to survive here. When I was in the Dominican Republic, I felt always on guard and leery of everyone. The country had just come out of huge economic meltdown that placed a lot people into poverty. Since desperate people tend to render desperate deeds, I was ripped off often and even chased for money. Panama seems to be different. The economic stability from the canal has kept the country wealthier than many Latin American countries. I think as a result, the people are more well off and don’t have to resort to tricking Johnny Gringo. Also, tourism here is still in its infancy. The culture of relying on tourist money has not really taken root. Thank goodness -it tends to keep things more authentic.
In all my travels, I’ve noticed that we gringos aren’t particularly liked these days. But I haven’t felt any anti-American sentiment here. The people don’t seem to harbor any prejudice against us. That’s good news, because there’s no way I could pass as Latin with this pasty white skin. Many Panamanians are just excited to meet someone to practice their English with. A lot of them speak it pretty well.
I’ve noticed that many Latinos are shy about their English. They’ll tell me they speak a little English and end up being practically fluent. I on the other hand, tell everybody I speak great Spanish, and well...let’s just say it’s getting better.
Being in a developing country, you always have to watch your back and expect that people will try to take advantage of the tourist. It might not be too PC, but it’s part of learning how to survive here. When I was in the Dominican Republic, I felt always on guard and leery of everyone. The country had just come out of huge economic meltdown that placed a lot people into poverty. Since desperate people tend to render desperate deeds, I was ripped off often and even chased for money. Panama seems to be different. The economic stability from the canal has kept the country wealthier than many Latin American countries. I think as a result, the people are more well off and don’t have to resort to tricking Johnny Gringo. Also, tourism here is still in its infancy. The culture of relying on tourist money has not really taken root. Thank goodness -it tends to keep things more authentic.
posted by Bram Fiebelkorn at
1:07 AM
1 Comments:
I was in Panama in 2000 and I'm so happy that the situation I witnessed then couldn't be more different from what you are reporting today. At that time I felt a huge amount of anti-Americanism and economic desperation. In 2000 it had been less than a decade since the U.S. military had left the country (officially 31 December 1999, though a majority of the presence was withdrawn sooner from what I understand), although many Panamanians seemingly had wanted that to happen for a long time, and were very happy we were finally gone. Secondly, economically I think Panama was not doing so well when I was there, as people seemed pretty willing to chase you down the street (or worse) for money, similiar to the situation you described in the DR. I'm so happy thing seem to be better and that you are able to enjoy yourself! -Kelsey Vaughan, Ambassadorial Scholar 2006-2007, Rotary International District 6990
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