There is a kind of a nice rhythm to life in the Acosta household.
Marilyn or Cha Che as everyone calls her is not necessarily the “boss” but like in many homes she is the one who is looked to for the day-to-day management and leadership. She is very confident and self assured in a quiet sort of way. Javier says that she is a great negotiator and when any work needs doing on the house or at the ranch that requires a contractor, she is the one who negotiates with and oversees the work. He says that in Panama it is very common for contractors to take partial payment up front for work and never show up. It has never happened to Cha Che he says because she never pays anything until after the work is done. He says that she will not even give them money up front to buy supplies. Cha Che works full time as a lawyer for a large law firm and also does legal work from her home. She speaks about as much English as most Americans speak Spanish, which is next to none.
Javier is a unique person. He is from a humble background and somehow managed to become an electrician. Electricians at the canal make almost 10 times as much as electricians who do not work there, so Javier set his sights on one of the jobs at the canal. The problem is that it is a requirement that all technical people who work at the canal speak English. Javier learned, so he says, just enough English to get one of the electricians jobs. Then he found out that electrical engineers at the canal make way more than electricians, so he became an electrical engineer. In addition to that, he now teaches 3 electrical engineering classes at a college here in Panama City. Javier is Cha Ches' second husband. Her first died several years ago. This is Javier's first marriage.
There are three children in the household, Fernando 16, Jenifer 12 and Jemena 5. Fernando and Jenifer are children from Cha Ches' first marriage, Jemena is from the union of Javier and Cha Che.
Javier tells me that there is some friction between him and Fernando because Fernando is 16 and Javier is not his natural father. Javier says that he gets only as close to Fernando as is comfortable for Fernando. Fernando doesn't have much use for me, I think because my Spanish is so limited (read poor) and he has a little bit of the Latin Machismo running through his veins. They all speak somewhat slowly around me out of courtesy, so that I can at least try to keep up with the conversation. Not Fernando. He speaks very fast and at times looks at me and smiles after he finishes saying something.
Jenifer is very chocalato, as they say here in Panama. She is pretty and smiles all of the time. Sometimes she literally bounces in her chair when she talks. She makes conversation with me more than the other two and I can understand her better than any of the others.
I don't think that Jermana even knows that I'm here. She has more energy than should be allowed, but I have never seen her eat. They don't even set her a place at the table. Javier says that he's not sure when she eats either, but he's sure that she does because she is still alive.
Julia is the person who really runs the place. She takes care of the children, the house, the washing and cooking. She is very quiet and gets a lot done. I never have to ask for anything, it just mysteriously shows up. Every couple of days my dirty close are gone and clean ones show up. The bed linens get changed, sometimes warm coffee shows up in my room if I step out for a couple of minutes. Even the TP gets replaced just in time. In the mornings I have breakfast by myself, because Javier and Cha Che leave early and the children either eat earlier or later, I'm not sure. Any way, Julia serves my breakfast, and then sets down at the table and looks at me until I say something. It's very strange. We carry on the most simple of conversations, due to my limited Spanish, until my driver shows up. She lives here during the week and goes to her mother's house close to, but out of the city, on the weekends. Julia has two grown daughters.
There are three dogs. The two small house dogs are Goldie, a chawawa (I have no idea how to spell that) and Kitty, a white kind of Scottie dog. Capitan is a larger, very skinny mixed breed who guards the outside with a very over-sized bark. Javier says Captain is an excellent herding dog and works the cattle at their ranch. Goldie and Kitty are mine. They sleep outside my door and when we eat they lay under my chair. I have no idea why. Something comes through the neighborhood every night between 2 am and 3 am and Captain and the other dogs in the neighborhood bark for about 15 minutes and then shut up. My room is on the first floor and has no glass windows only screens and bars. When Captain and the others start up in the middle of the night, you can forget about sleeping. I mentioned it to Javier after I had been here a couple of days and he just shrugged his shoulders.
My bedroom is the only one on the first floor. For some reason they refer to it as the basement. The kids TV room is down the hall as is Cha Ches' office, which I use to access the Internet. The room is spartan but clean, functional and large. When I close my door, it's almost sound proof to the rest of the house, so studying is not a problem.
From what my class mates tell me about their accommodations, I am living like a king here in the Acosta household. I think I am the only one with a private bath and hot water. Es paraiso.
Javier is a unique person. He is from a humble background and somehow managed to become an electrician. Electricians at the canal make almost 10 times as much as electricians who do not work there, so Javier set his sights on one of the jobs at the canal. The problem is that it is a requirement that all technical people who work at the canal speak English. Javier learned, so he says, just enough English to get one of the electricians jobs. Then he found out that electrical engineers at the canal make way more than electricians, so he became an electrical engineer. In addition to that, he now teaches 3 electrical engineering classes at a college here in Panama City. Javier is Cha Ches' second husband. Her first died several years ago. This is Javier's first marriage.
There are three children in the household, Fernando 16, Jenifer 12 and Jemena 5. Fernando and Jenifer are children from Cha Ches' first marriage, Jemena is from the union of Javier and Cha Che.
Javier tells me that there is some friction between him and Fernando because Fernando is 16 and Javier is not his natural father. Javier says that he gets only as close to Fernando as is comfortable for Fernando. Fernando doesn't have much use for me, I think because my Spanish is so limited (read poor) and he has a little bit of the Latin Machismo running through his veins. They all speak somewhat slowly around me out of courtesy, so that I can at least try to keep up with the conversation. Not Fernando. He speaks very fast and at times looks at me and smiles after he finishes saying something.
Jenifer is very chocalato, as they say here in Panama. She is pretty and smiles all of the time. Sometimes she literally bounces in her chair when she talks. She makes conversation with me more than the other two and I can understand her better than any of the others.
I don't think that Jermana even knows that I'm here. She has more energy than should be allowed, but I have never seen her eat. They don't even set her a place at the table. Javier says that he's not sure when she eats either, but he's sure that she does because she is still alive.
Julia is the person who really runs the place. She takes care of the children, the house, the washing and cooking. She is very quiet and gets a lot done. I never have to ask for anything, it just mysteriously shows up. Every couple of days my dirty close are gone and clean ones show up. The bed linens get changed, sometimes warm coffee shows up in my room if I step out for a couple of minutes. Even the TP gets replaced just in time. In the mornings I have breakfast by myself, because Javier and Cha Che leave early and the children either eat earlier or later, I'm not sure. Any way, Julia serves my breakfast, and then sets down at the table and looks at me until I say something. It's very strange. We carry on the most simple of conversations, due to my limited Spanish, until my driver shows up. She lives here during the week and goes to her mother's house close to, but out of the city, on the weekends. Julia has two grown daughters.
There are three dogs. The two small house dogs are Goldie, a chawawa (I have no idea how to spell that) and Kitty, a white kind of Scottie dog. Capitan is a larger, very skinny mixed breed who guards the outside with a very over-sized bark. Javier says Captain is an excellent herding dog and works the cattle at their ranch. Goldie and Kitty are mine. They sleep outside my door and when we eat they lay under my chair. I have no idea why. Something comes through the neighborhood every night between 2 am and 3 am and Captain and the other dogs in the neighborhood bark for about 15 minutes and then shut up. My room is on the first floor and has no glass windows only screens and bars. When Captain and the others start up in the middle of the night, you can forget about sleeping. I mentioned it to Javier after I had been here a couple of days and he just shrugged his shoulders.
My bedroom is the only one on the first floor. For some reason they refer to it as the basement. The kids TV room is down the hall as is Cha Ches' office, which I use to access the Internet. The room is spartan but clean, functional and large. When I close my door, it's almost sound proof to the rest of the house, so studying is not a problem.
From what my class mates tell me about their accommodations, I am living like a king here in the Acosta household. I think I am the only one with a private bath and hot water. Es paraiso.
Pictured above from left to right and down are Julia and Fernando and Cha Che
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