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.

I like to pay for things—especially expensive things—with cash, as it sends a message to the cashier that I am wealthy. Perhaps even that I am a prince of a small country. When I am buying large ticket items, such as pianos or vintage grandfather clocks or whatever, if there is any chance to go to the ATM before hand, I do. I like the feeling of bills in my pocket: it makes me feel strong.

Odds are you're an average person. You've probably done a bit of travel at some point in your life, you probably have basic intelligence in most areas of life, and you probably like to have fun once in a while. Well, my friend, you are not alone. There are a lot of average people in the world. Just recently in fact, the president of Average Peoples Anonymous, along with several high-ranking officers commissioned me to write a piece for their annual newsletter entitled Norms. The following is the article from Norms entitled, “I am an average person and I only have one day to explore Panama City: What should I do?”