My Arrival And Settlement Pt. 1

Arrival and Settlement : First Impressions
The cliched ‘first impressions are always the most lasting’ apply to my arrival and settlement in Panama. These are some of the things that are firmly planted in my mind.

Airports in new places can be disturbing sometimes. Nevertheless, the day I arrived was a beautiful day for traveling and even with the airport under construction, “miles” to walk to Immigration, and another “mile-long” line to get your documents checked it was still exciting.

Until senility sets in, (or has it?) , I’ll never forget the welcome I received at the Airport in Panama City. There was a small welcoming party – complete with a little banner. It now hangs in my study at home, and it reads “WELCOME TO PANAMA – REV. MARVIA LAWES”. It bears pictures of the National Dress, National Flower, the Panama Canal, Flag, and anyone who knows me knows all of that is my kind of thing. Nonetheless, my colleague and friend Stacey and I nearly had heart attacks. This was totally unexpected and quite startling in a packed arrival area at the airport at that! Oh my!

The welcome party came to meet us with a bus, which was perfect for ALL the luggage we had. Well not as much luggage I would like – as it was most distressing to pack a few suitcases for relocating for two years. Truly distressing…So anyway, we loaded up the bus and we were off.

By the time we were done with all the greetings, warm (some shy) hugs and kisses the sky had turned overcast and I was informed that I was going to receive my first taste of the Panama ‘wet season’. And the thing that struck me was how comfortable I felt with this group of strangers, and I thought back with a smile at the looks of surprise when they got their first glimpse of me.

I’m smiling even now. I cannot help it and its now part of my ‘mental ritual’ every time I prepare to visit a place or meet someone who has only heard my name but never actually met me. No matter how they try, there will be an initial puzzling frown, eyes/mouth opened wide and sometimes even an involuntary glance over my shoulder even though consciously there is no one else around but me standing directly in front of them. Their minds still find it hard to accept that the person they are actually looking at is ‘the pastor’.

Not very long after my arrival I got a few confessions from persons at how taken aback they were. For some reason they were expecting to see a woman of “imposing stature and size” or as another member said of her own expectations, she thought I was of “substantial size not a little tiny thing”. So even though I was comfortable, I was also thinking of their first surges of anxiety that they might have made a mistake. For what could this ‘little child’ do? And that is what we are still finding out….

More in Pt 2

Marvia