When at my parents' house in the States, I enjoy taking the opportunity to catch up on my reality TV seeing as though they have every cable channel known to man. Now, when most people say this, they mean the previous one or two episodes of their favorite show. When I say it, I intend fully to watch, for the first time, anywhere from 10-15 new reality TV shows and then playback, in sequence, every single episode that ever aired. Some might call this sort of thing a marathon, bur I like to think of it more as the notion of eternity, seeing as though marathons have a defined ending.

I met Elida through an acquaintance and knew our relationship would last when, on her first day of work, she color-coded the contents of my refrigerator starting with white on top. Elida has a peaceful, unruffled demeanor that affords her the ability to walk in, clean a room, and leave with all the disruption of a titmouse. She has a sense of humor and outgoingness that only comes out when you prompt it, almost like a social switch that goes on and off catering perfectly to my emotional swings. When she eats, Elida eats standing up: usually smallish rations such as one piece of toast or half a banana. 

Panama's Amador Causeway, at first glance, appears to be the evidence of a serious miscalculation. It's as if an office was packed somewhere years ago with men in suits agreeing positively that this would be the entertainment and nightlife solution Panama had been looking for all along. Build strips of attractive restaurants and bars, open bike shops and a convention center, and voila they must have thought: there's no way it could not be a booming success.

Some people contribute organs when they die, others write checks to charity. As a child, my body was my gift to science as numerous doctors in numerous states examined, without conclusion, my allergies the way one might consider a Rubik's Cube, as if simply being in its presence and going through the motions might magically produce a solution.

My two best friends and I decided to take a road trip the summer we graduated high school, symbolic of our coming of age. While other kids our age were experimenting with drugs and alcohol, road trips were our vice, characterized by a safe blend spontaneity and responsibility: an accountable first step towards freedom as adults.

I recently came across an article in New York Magazine that started by recounting the year of 1968, which marked the rise of Wall Street, a money machine that would eventually pump more dollars and life into New York City than ever before. The article went on to describe a time soon thereafter, in the 1970s, when New York and the market went into a proverbial tailspin: neighborhoods torched, factories shut down, crime soared.

Keenan noticed a red bug bite on his leg back last August, which then developed into a small crater-sized wound inhabited by microscopic flesh-eating sand flies. Several more of these holes began to appear and it was not until Keenan began to lose sensation in the lower body that he made a doctor's appointment to have it checked out.

When I first heard that they'd be filming segments of the new James Bond flick in Panama, I was half asleep and subconsciously wove the thread into a dream I was having. It came to involve me as a sidekick to Bond himself; going everywhere he went and doing everything he did, all the while offering small snacks as well as a pen to jot down some notes he didn't want to forget.

Holy week in Panama is called Semana Santa: a time the people of the isthmus are supposed to commemorate and enact the suffering of Jesus Christ. Instead though, the week is characterized by a number of amusing components that the juvenile expat in me finds jocular. Among them illegal liquor sales, outrageous beach parties, and KKK parades.

I have lived in five different countries on three different continents, and I will say as a fact that Panama has been the cheapest of them all – between Spain, Chile, the United States and Costa Rica. Homes for sale in Panama are relatively inexpensive as well.

Arriving to the isthmus of Panama, whether it's for business or pleasure, warm weather and wavy palm trees will greet you. The city skyline and immaculate beaches will embrace you with open arms. What will not welcome you warmly will be the onslaught of people trying to take advantage of the fact that you're new to the country, and trying to rip you off.

We try to cater to you the reader so in light of the questions you sent us last week, we have chosen our favorites and followed up on them. These are questions that a lot of people are thinking, but just as in Science class, not all of us want to embarrass ourselves by asking something stupid. I think there's a saying something like, "only stupid questions come from a stupid people" which I never quite understood. But here, for your reading pleasure, are Panama FAQs.

I arrived to Panama City as “that sick girl”. Not only was I sick, but with my self-diagnosed bronchitis; had it rolled off the tongue a bit smoother, I most definitely would have been labeled “that noisy, germ expectorating sick girl with whom no one wants to share an office or small public space”.

When I first began hearing about Panama around eight years ago, it was from the typical band of barfly gringo expats who like to gripe about everything. They made wild claims about how much cheaper, cleaner, safer and more modern Panama was compared to Costa Rica. As with my tequila, I take bar room talk with a giant lump of salt, so I decided to see for myself what all this Panama talk was about.

When I tell my friends and family at home that some of the nicest places I have been or nicest things I have done have been in Panama, they give me the typical “Really???” And I can say without a doubt, one of the nicest shopping malls I have ever been to was in Panama City. Whether you are looking for extremely inexpensive clothing, jewelry, electronics, house and kitchen accessories, etc. or high-end boutique imports you can find them all within Panama.

I like to exercise. I like the feeling you get after you just finished a great workout, take a shower, and then are in a great mood for the rest of the day. Endorphins and I get along great.