"When one must, one can." - Charlotte Whitten

This will be a rapid fire post full of typos I don't have time to fix. I just paid too much money to access the itnernet here in Panama City, Panama at the Tecomen Airport. It's noon, Thursday (local) and I left Eugene 24 hours ago. My flight from here leaves in another 3 hours (7-hour layover) for a seven hour flight to Recife that arrives at 12:15 a.m. (local). I'll go through customs and meet Joe, who will take me to their place for a MUCH needed shower and nap. My first meeting is a few hours later with a group of about 6 church leaders, and then I start the seminar teaching at 7 p.m. Hit the ground running.
So that quote up there fits.

To avoid the health problems that have plagued some of my flights (if you don't know the stories you don't want to) I consumed almost lethal amounts of salt and non-caffeinated beverages for about 36 hours prior to leaving Eugene. The good news: one flight left and no problems so far. The bad news: I feel like the Michelin Man. And when all of this fluid decides it's time to leave my body...it ain't gonna be pretty, especially when I'm teaching for hours at a stretch.

If you have the opportunity to fly COPA Airlines, don't. It's the national airline of Panama. NO government should try to run an airline, and a country the size of Panama certainly shouldn't. My trips to foreign countries have been on Delta, KLM, and British Air. Everything about COPA is bush league by comparison, from the size of the seats, to the food, to the (one) bathroom.... Yikes.
They do give you free wine. I had a plastic glass of red, vintage Monday.

This airport is packed with people. Turns out COPA is the major carrier for Latin America so there are probably thousands of people here on their way somewhere else - like Brazil - but unlike LAX they all seem to be Latinos. I wonder if they realized how big COPA was going to be when they built this place. There isn't enough seating anywhere. I'm on the floor typing this.

I should have paid attention in H.S. Spanish class. Some of the airport's signs are also in English but shops are just Spanish. So my wrap from Quiznos was a shot in the dark and I'm pretty sure she thought this gringo's attempt at pronouncing that menu choice in Spanish should have been an embarrassment. (It was.)

OK, I need to go over to my "Brazil" folder and review my material for tomorrow's meeting and session. I need to start strong or people who come...won't come back for the rest of the 11 sessions.
I'll try to post from Joe & Michelle's as often as possible. Your prayers are earnestly solicited!