You Must be a Resilient Soul to Live in Panama.

Six years of my life have been spent living in the Republic of Panama. This country has truly made a man out of me. It has taught me patience, self conservation and self reliance.

I first lived in Panama way back in 1997 while serving the Colonial power that controlled this tiny country. It was a country of two lands. You had the comfortable life in the Panama Canal Zone which housed the US service members, Panama Canal workers and the US government employees. If you did not know better you might think you were in a resort community. Then outside of the gates you had the real Panama. Which was a struggling state filled with politicians fighting over the scraps from the Colonial power. While the regular people of Panama lived day to day living off of meager incomes.

Then in 1999 the Colonial power honored their word and handed over control of the Panama Canal.

Within a few short years the boom times for Panama began. The economy of Panama was on fire as it went into overdrive to show the world that it was the center of commerce and banking for Central and South America. Towers sprang up all over Panama City. The service industry of Panama had explosive growth. Whether it be in banking, tourism, restaurants, casinos or hotels but there was one giant problem.

Panama has very little experience in the service sector.

Unlike Costa Rica, its neighbor to the North, Panama never relied on the service industries to support its economy. This meant that the population was ill prepared for the growth it was experiencing. The growth was so rapid that companies and businesses became complacent and let the poor service slide. We don't have time to train these people we are too busy!

The worst offender is government offices. By the time whatever you need is completed your document probably touched the hands of 10 people. Then on top of that it seems the rules change every week which causes plenty of anger and confusion.

Panama has infrastructure issues.

Then the problem compounded itself. The country has infrastructure that was designed for a much smaller population in Panama City. Water outages, open sewers and electrical surges are common place. If a person does not use surge protectors in Panama your electrical devices will not last long.

Building Foundation Collapse in Costa Del Este, Panama Due to Rain.

On top of the infrastructure issues you have very low quality construction. It never ceases to amaze me when I see a brand new house with a crack down one wall or heaving floor tiles. Our current house is less than a year old but due to a water infiltration issue we are fighting mold on one of the walls. This is true incompetence!

The frustrations of life in Panama would break a weaker man.

Even though the chaos of Panama is way more than I bargained for I truly believe I am living in the right place at the right time. The instability of life in Panama has given my wife and I an opportunity to build a thriving business unimpeded by a prying government.

The quality of life in Panama is improving every day. The money for infrastructure projects has been allocated and due to massive amounts of immigration the customer service issues of the past are subsiding. Panamanians are slowly realizing that if they want a job they better learn how to improve their customer service.

If you would like to see our Cost of Living in Panama 2016 Click here.

The true cost of the chaos.

Even though the chaos of Panama has not scared me away. I know many folks who have put there tails between their legs and ran away like scared puppy dogs. Most people who are born and raised in Western nations like the USA, Canada or Europe are appalled at how things work in this country.

I recently had an older gentleman that we helped settle in Panama. The guy was absolutely miserable. He would say, "back in the USA I can do this, that and life is so much easier". I told him many times, "then go home", no one is forcing you to stay here. Anabell and I grew so fed up with how negative he was that we cut ties with him.

It truly takes a person that can adapt to a new culture to survive here. The truth is that it is not just Panama. I hear complaints about people having issues adapting to new cultures all over the world. Whether it is Thailand, Mexico or Panama people have to have open minds before they make a move. Don't hide in a community surrounded by grumpy expats. Choose to integrate with the culture, it helps you to adjust much more quickly. Plus an amazing thing happens, you make friends!

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