Casa de Tortugas - Stories
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Our 1 year "house-a-versary"
It's been one full year in our Panama home, and what a ride it's been. We've had our share of highs and lows, and in many ways, this journey has been tougher than we imagined. Somewhere in our minds, we had built a fantasy version of island life, where every day was sunshine, rainbows, and ocean breezes. We pictured ourselves lounging on the deck or swimming carefree in crystal-blue water. Maybe we watched one too many tropical resort commercials.
Reality, of course, had other plans.
Life brings challenges no matter where you live or how much money you have in the bank. When we first landed on the island, our "home" was little more than a shell. A storage space under the house, a basic roof overhead, and four walls to call our own. No screens, no doors, not even furniture. What we did have were a couple of hammocks, a temporary couch, a few plastic dishes, and a pot or two from our old apartment in town. But despite how bare it all was, it felt incredible to finally arrive and start this new chapter.
Nights were rough in those early weeks. Insects treated our open house like their personal playground. We quickly learned we needed a net just to sleep in peace. Not long after, we made a trip to the city of David and ordered furniture and appliances. It took time for everything to arrive in Bocas, where we picked it all up by boat. The day we finally got to sleep on a mattress on the floor felt like a luxury.
For a while, we cooked using a makeshift kitchen. We slapped together some tables from scrap construction wood to hold the sink and cook-top. It was primitive, but it was ours. Slowly, over the months, we made improvements to our electrical and plumbing. We cleared and shaped the land near the house and the beach. Progress came one small victory at a time.
Nature, however, doesn’t care much about your plans. One night a storm ripped through and reshaped the beach. The creek that winds out of the jungle shifted course and started digging a channel under our dock. To save it, we had to redirect the creek and haul in sandbags to fill the washout. It was stressful, backbreaking work, but when it was done, we stood back and felt proud.
Tying up the boat turned into another painful lesson. Several times we had to rush out during heavy rain, adjusting lines and climbing into the water to find new anchor points. Our boat kept slamming against the dock until we finally figured out the best way to secure it. Trial, error, frustration - and eventually, success.
Then came the hardest blow of all. Our boat was stolen.
We had thought chaining it to the dock would be enough, but it wasn’t. It disappeared without a trace, and we never heard a word about it again. That single event shook us more than anything else. It left us nearly broke and left us wondering if we were truly safe out here. The theft cut deep, not just financially, but emotionally. Since then, we’ve worked hard to improve security and protect what’s ours. As I write this, our new boat is just days away from being finished. We’ve done everything we can to keep it safe, but the worry lingers. All we can do is hope this was a one-time nightmare.
Of course, learning a new language has been its own uphill climb. Our Spanish has come a long way over the past year, but we still have miles to go before it feels natural. Some days we surprise ourselves, holding full conversations and navigating local errands with ease. Other days, we blank on the simplest words we thought we had down cold. Maybe it's true that learning a language gets harder with age, but knowing that doesn't make the struggle any less frustrating. Still, progress is progress, and we’re moving forward bit by bit. One of the things that keeps us going is how encouraging the locals are. They genuinely appreciate our effort, and their patience and kindness make all the difference.
These struggles have taken a toll on us both. Stress wears you down, and we’ve had moments of tension and frustration. We each deal with things differently, and sometimes we clash. But when the dust settles, we come back to one simple truth: we’re in this together. That shared bond is what carries us through.
Despite it all, this first year has been overwhelmingly good. Sure, there are things we’d do differently if we could go back with what we know now. But isn’t that always the case? Looking back, it's easy to say "if only." Still, we’ve grown stronger, wiser, and closer.
Hopefully, the hardest lessons are behind us. But even if they aren’t, we’re still incredibly grateful for this life we’ve built. Living in Panama is a beautiful way to spend our retirement years, and we wouldn’t trade it for anything.
| Snake! (part 2) Published 29-May-2025 |
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