Feliz Día, Panamá

Noviembre, Mes de la Patria! I loved the beginning of November growing up. I have to explain to friends here that I'm not into Halloween 'cause we never grew up with it. Instead, we celebrated this time of the year with lots of real holidays (who doesn't love no school!). November kicks off with Kids Day, dia de los disfuntos, one of two Panamanian independence days and flag day. We also celebrate my grandmother's birthday. Then you had more holidays in between and in the end (the other independence day).

I was goofing around surfing the web for old Panamanian poetry:

"¡Oh Patria tan pequeña que cabes toda entera

debajo de la sombra de nuestro pabellón:

quizás fuiste tan chica para que yo pudiera

llevarte por doquier dentro del corazón!"

"¡Bandera de la patria! Sube..., sube

hasta perderte en el azul... Y luego

de flotar en la patria del querube;

de flotar junto al velo de la nube,

si ves que el Hado ciego

en los istmeños puso cobardía,

desciende al Istmo convertida en fuego

y extingue con febril desasosiego

a los que amaron tu esplendor un día."

Can't believe I had to memorize a lot of these poems for school. I remember our literature professor challenging us to recite our national anthem, without singing - way harder than one thinks!

And now, here's a treat: Me in our national Panamanian dress. Feliz Día de la Independencia and Día de la Bandera!