"My first year in the country was filled with excitement. I was based in Panama City, and I found it easy to make friends through the many dance classes and meet-ups. My social life felt full, and most weekends were spent wandering through Casco Viejo (the downtown area), trying to find the best rooftop bars and underground nightclubs playing a mix of Reggaeton and pop music."
"Soon, though, the fast-paced lifestyle, combined with the constant traffic and sweltering heat, became overwhelming. I grew tired of living in a city of millions and craved a slower pace. So, I relocated to a small coastal town called Playa Venao, which is about 200 miles and a five-hour drive from Panama City. I hoped I could quickly build a community there as I did in the capital, but it didn't come nearly as easily to me."
"I was living in a place where there were more trees than buildings. In fact, I could pick and eat papayas, coconuts, and mangos straight from the trees on the property of my rental. The school I worked at was quite small and, because of our remote location, nature often became our third instructor. Children shared their outdoor play area with centipedes and howler monkeys, and splashed in the nearby stream and waterfall."
In 2017 I moved from Los Angeles to Panama to teach English. My first year in Panama City was active, with dance classes, meet-ups, and weekends in Casco Viejo's rooftop bars and underground nightclubs. The city's fast pace, traffic, and sweltering heat became overwhelming, prompting a desire for a slower life. I relocated 200 miles to Playa Venao, a small coastal town with a single road and a few hundred residents. Nature shaped life: fruit trees on the rental property, a small school where nature served as a teacher, children playing near streams with centipedes and howler monkeys, and walks on the beach soothed by exotic birds.
Read at Business Insider
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