Sooooo I decided to go shopping! Hah! What’s a girl to do??? It seems as though the clothes I wear in my life here are not quite what I envision wearing when I live in Panama. The clothes I wear to work tend to be a bit more trendy and dare I say, fancy? I know…. I’m not the fanciest girl in town , but fancy as far as Panama standards go. I think I’m probably on the less fancy, more casual side in terms of Los Altos standards, of this I am pretty sure. We have spent a bit of time in Boquete and I think I’ll be wearing mostly jeans and sweats and capri pants maybe a sundress every once in awhile, but I’m not certain ,or shall I say, I can’t decide exactly what I should bring!I do know that up in the mountains it’s not nearly as hot and humid as it is down in David, so I don’t think I’ll be wearing a lot of shorts, except of course when I go to David. I have already gotten rid of quite a bit of clothes and I’ve even already packed a bunch of stuff that is sitting in the storage unit . I still have 23 days to work! (whoop! whoop!), so I have to keep a selection of “work clothes” out and I have separated a selection of things I want to take but don’t need now and can live without in Panama until they arrive in the container. The important selection of clothes is the clothes I want to fit into those four suitcases we can bring with us on the plane (sadly, I have to share some of those bags with the dumb cats and that silly man who’s coming with me!) . These are all the clothes that I will have with me in Boquete at least until the container arrives in possibly November or December. Mind you. I’m betting that when the container arrives I’ll most likely open all those boxes of clothes and wonder what the heck I was thinking! I’m hoping I will be happy with the smaller amount of clothes that I bring with me and then I can hopefully find a place to donate the excess. I just really hope to be living a much more casual life . That being said, I somehow still find myself agonizing about ‘what’ to bring! I don’t really know what my day to day life will look like, I hope we will eventually get to do a bit of traveling in and around Panama . This will call for some much cooler, lighter weight cloting. I’m hoping this post will prompt my friends who already live there to give me a bit of advice? What do you where most of the time? Sweats? Jeans? Capri’s? Shorts? Long Sleeves? Layers? Tank Tops? Huh? And don’t forget shoes? Sandals, Teva’s, rainboots, tennis shoes? I’m thinking a pair of flip-flops, a pair of Teva’s, a pair of rain boots and a pair of tennis shoes. If I go out at night to dinner or to someones house, are my flip flops gonna offend anyone? Of course Scott will not be seen without his Teva’s that’s a given, but he just doesn’t have that gene that makes him wonder what people think or if he looks ok! I aspire to someday be more like him in that respect! I’m workin’ on it! (Eye Role!)
Yesterday we went to have a consultation with an attorney to get a trust started. I had a very exciting ‘milestone’ moment, while filling out the paperwork I got to put “RETIRED” in the box that said vocation! Wow! It felt so foreign to refer to myself in such a way. RETIRED? REALLY? Well, 23 more days, but who’s counting? This move is a big one! So much is changing in my life and honestly, my wardrobe is the least of it but it’s a great distraction from some of the bigger changes. For now I’m kinda thrilled to begin to redefine myself beginning with the style of clothes I will be wearing. It’s an exciting transition and one that I am not takin lightly. But really folks,what’s a girl to wear for her life of leisure? Given the fact that the fashion police will probably not care , I’m pretty sure my new sweats and jeans will suffice for my new life in Boquete . Mostly, Scott is just hoping I can fit everything I need into the allotted four bags we can bring without incurring large fee’s for excess baggage. I know It wont be a problem but I just want to bring the right things.
Let The Adventure "Continue"! 
There’s an old saying about packing for a vacation, and the question, What To Bring?
The answer is half the clothes and twice the money.
I’m laughing! Thanks Don!
I had the same problem. What the heck would I do with all my glorious shoes?
Anyway, this is just me, but I basically live in capris, tank top/t-shirt and crocs. Yes, my glorious shoes turned into 3 different pairs of crocs. (hangs head in shame) I also wear a lot of long sleeve button downs over the tank, to keep the sun off my shoulders, etc. That’s me – e.v.e.r.y.s.i.n.g.l.e.d.a.y. Oh and let’s not forget rubber boots for the rainy season!
I only wear shorts at home. You won’t see a Panamanian in shorts, it’s not part of their culture and it’s frowned upon unless you are at the beach.
Oh boy! Thanks So much Andrea! I think I did pretty good on my shopping spree. But Crocs?? Ive never even thought of wearing those but I bet they are comfy and I do remember noticing alot of them when we were there last time! I’ll have to get myself a pair when I get there, I’m assuming they are easy to find there. I might need a few more pairs of capris, but I did buy some good comfy jeans. My daughter got me the cutest pair of rain boots for christmas so I’m good there! Well, I suspect my days of caring too too much about what I’m wearing are coming to an end, yippee! Andrea, I’m getting soooooo excited !!! 23 more days of work!! Did I tell you I reserved a studio appt at Villa Marita? Just for the first month while we look around for a longer term rental. See ya soon!
For our first trip to Panama in October, I expected a lot of rain and bought THE BEST Croc flip flops. They are fantastic in rain and dry weather. Overall, a great purchase (I had never worn Crocs before–super comfortable).
I bet you are excited! The generic “crocs” you find around here are only $4 bucks a pop…but they are horrible on slick rainy surfaces. The real crocs (you can get in PC or bring from the states) work pretty nicely. The reason “I” wear them is because all the floors are concrete with tiles laid on them. It’s tough on the old feet, so having some rubber type substance to cushion the blow helps me.
You are talking to a gal that never missed a sale at Nordstroms (especially shoes)….now, sigh, well, ahem, not so much…… and I think I like it. 🙂
Well, Too late! I got onto the crocs web sight right after your last message and ordered three pairs! Who knew they have so many different styles! Although I’m pretty sure I should have just gone with the basic ones, I just couldnt resist leopard print ones! LOL! I think you can relate to my shoe love! See ya soon! 22 more days to work! Cheers!
Oh and good going get the studio at Villa Marita! You’ll enjoy it there. Just make sure you come by here for a visit when you can. It still boggles the mind that everything fell in place so quickly for you….sell house/sell business, etc. YAY.
I came down here with 3 pants, 3 shorts, 5 better shirts, 3 funky t-shirts, a pair of dress shoes, a pair of plastic sandals, and I wore my tennis shoes, jeans, shirt, and sweater. I did fine with that for 3 months. I wear the shorts. funky t-shirts and sandals at home, pants and better shirts out with the dress shoes, or jeans and sneakers if I’m just going to the vegetable market or something. Panamanians are well dressed when they go out. If you are going to the bank or anywhere else to do business, you can’t even get in with shorts and sandals. You can get by with surprisingly little here, a few comfortable things for at home, and a few decent outfits for going in to town, and a pair of shoes that can get wet. And, whatever you don’t have you can easily buy here. (except maybe shoes if like me, you need a size 12!)