Pedestrian Street in Panama City, Panama

Snapshot of Pedestrian Street (Calle Peatonal) in Panama City, Panama; the only one in the metropolis. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Today is Mother’s Day in Panama; one of the most important holidays of the year.  It’s almost as big as Black Friday or CyberMonday in the States.  Millions of dollars are spent on all sorts of presents or gifts  to Panamanian moms during this day.  It’s really something to see if you are new in the city.

Yesterday evening this site was packed with people buying their presents for their moms.  It’s a cultural habit of most Panamanians to buy mom’s presents at the very last minute and business people know that.  They prepare for this evening like a general prepares for war.  A lot of money flows during these last hours of December 7th.  The next euphoria is of course Christmas Day on December 25th and New Year’s Day on December 31st.  Then we start preparing for the madness of the Carnival Week and so forth, but that’s a story for another day.

I took this shot about three years ago. I liked the idea of placing my Canon PowerShot A720 IS close to the ground to get the right angle of people walking on the surface of the red bricks—at the same level of the camera.  I saw this trick somewhere and I decided to give it a try.  You decide whether the picture is any good or not.  I believe there are no strict rules in photography; only general guidelines.  Whatever you try is okay if the result is good and people like it.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you who celebrate this day inside the Isthmus of Panama or abroad.  Moms, today is your day.  Felicitaciones!

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Pine Trees and Snow in Panama

As your probably know, the Isthmus of Panama is located in the tropical Zone which is hot and humid with thick tropical vegetation.  It rains a lot during the wet season, and quite dry during the summer.  In Panama we don’t have natural grown pine trees nor snow, not matter how hard our supermarkets makes us think this is true during the Christmas Holidays.

It’s absolutely ridiculous the amount of money we pay for Canadian pine trees during the month of December.  Another interesting habit of most Panamanians is using snow to decorate their homes during the holidays.  I consider this a cultural brainwashing.  We have been penetrated by cultural patterns of other countries where pine trees and snow is commonplace during the winter time and transplanted this environment to our homes.

I would feel a lot better if our artists, government authorities, community leaders, teachers and other social agents would make our Christmas more authentic and closer to our culture and traditions.  Our festivities should be based on our own environment and not imported from other countries.  Lately, Santa Claus is a lot more important and easily recognized, than baby Jesus in the manger.  Our children even learn how to laugh like Santa, (e.g., Ho, Ho, Ho).

Below is a huge Snow Man in the middle of a mall in Panama City, Panama.  Imagine having a snow man in a country that has no snow.  An example of a cultural asymmetry.  Good Day.

Snapshot of a tall artificial snow man at one of the entrances of MetroMall in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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The Real Story of Black Friday

As you probably know, I was born and raised in Panama.  My native language is Spanish, though I’ve been struggling with the language of Shakespeare since I was six.  I’ve been to the United States on several occasions when I worked for Texaco, but never lived in the country.  Therefore, there are hundreds if not thousands of idiomatic phrases which I don’t fully understand, since it only makes sense to a native American.  For example, “you’re pulling my leg”, has nothing to with a  leg being pulled.  I could give you several examples more, but you get my point.

When I first bumped into the term, “Black Friday”, I thought it was related to something bad or sinister,  like a Wall Street crash or the assassination of a Mafia member.  I was absolutely wrong.  It has nothing to do with Wall Street or Al Capone.  Anybody in the States will tell you that Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving when shoppers swarm the stores and malls looking desperately for bargains. For businesses, the day after Thanksgiving can be the highest sales day of the year and is considered a barometer for planning what to do the rest of the season.

Why is Black Friday called “Black Friday”?  The answer is pretty simple—it’s the day retailers go “into the black,” or turn a profit for the year.   It’s black because revenues exceed expenses.  On the other hand, a “Red Friday” would mean that a business turned a loss for the day, meaning that expenses exceeded revenues.  Probably you’ve heard the expression: “This company is leaking red ink all over the place.”  What the expression really means, is that the company is operating at a loss.   The goal is to operate in the black; the bottom line should show a profit.  That’s the way a capitalist system should normally work.

But it turns out the term has a darker, less happy origin.  In 1966, Black Friday was the name the Philadelphia Police Department gave to the Friday after Thanksgiving.  The police hated the day—massive traffic jams, overcrowded sidewalks, lots of shoplifters—all because downtown Philly stores were filled with shoppers taking advantage of the first holiday sales.

The negative name started to spread outside Philadelphia a few years later.  In a 1975, Associated Press article, datelined Philadelphia, a sales manager at Gimbels was quoted as saying, “That’s why the bus drivers and cab drivers call today ‘Black Friday.’”  At the time, she was watching a traffic cop trying to control a crowd of jaywalkers.  “They think in terms of headaches it gives them,” she said.

It was only later that retailers, and other people who rely on Black Friday to make money, attempted to redefine the term as something positive.  Nowadays, everybody goes bananas during this shopping extravaganza.

And now you know the rest of the story.  Good Day and happy shopping.

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Flashbacks of Christmas 2010

Today is December 28, 2010.  The time is 04:40 a.m.  This day is considered, “Día de los Inocentes”, a day very similar to April Fool’s Day.  April Fools’ Day is celebrated in the Western world on April 1st of every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools’ Day. All types of jokes and pranks are carefully organized in Panama on this day, so I’ll better be extra careful.

I’m getting ready to pick up my head scan results at the Centro Hospitalario de la Caja de Seguro Social.  They said it would be ready by 07:00 a.m.  I hope it’s true and not a prank on the Día de los Inocentes.

Even though Christmas is gone, I still cling to its spirit.  It’s such a nice celebration, that it saddens me to let it go.  So for today, I decided to include three photographs to remind you of the Christmas celebration in Panama.  Soon we will be celebrating New Year’s day, but in my opinion, it doesn’t have the mojo that Christmas has.

Here we go my friends, with a flashback of Christmas 2010.

A tall Christmas tree illuminating the Coastal Belt near the Panama Bay. As you can see, Coca Cola's logo is everywhere. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Photograph of a lonely Santa sleigh at the Cinta Costera. Could it be that the reindeer decided to spend their Christmas in Panama and abandoned ship? Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

The bottom section of the Cinta Costera's Christmas tree consisting of white and bright red silk. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Starting tomorrow I will post several eye-opening photographs of the Villas Navideñas organized by the Municipality of Panama.  From day one it was the immediate delight of both adults and children alike.  Please stay tuned for more gorgeous compelling photographs.  Good Day.

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Red Christmas Spheres

Starting today I will start posting Christmas images since we are on the final week of the holiest celebration of Christianity.  Some of the pictures are not exactly religious, but in some way or another, reminds us that Christmas is here.

Having said this, Merry Christmas to you all, and if you are not the religious type, that o.k. too, then Happy Holidays. It’s the time of year to be happy, time to smell the daisies and enjoy life the best way you can.

This is the first picture of Lingua Franca’s Christmas Theme.  Here we go.

(Credit: Photobucket.com)

Feliz Navidad a todos, desde Panamá. (Merry Christmas everybody, from Panama.) 

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Photograph of the Day: Christmas in Paris

(Credit: Pixdaus.com)

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Christmas Decorations at Albrook Mall

Panama takes Christmas very seriously.  Millions of dollars are poured over this small country during the last month of the year.  Stores are full of people making all kinds of purchases for their loved ones.  Supermarkets are loaded with customers buying food to put on their tables during Christmas and New Year’s Eve.  It’s a month of frantic activity.  I’s almost impossible to drive on the congested streets.

Albrook Mall is no exception.  It has been full to capacity with Christmas shoppers since late November.  Its administrators made sure the mall was properly decorated for the occasion.  During my recent visit to its premises on November 28, 2009, I was positively impressed with what I saw except for one thing.  I’ll tell you and the end of the post.

Meanwhile, let’s take a look at some of the Christmas decorations at Albrook Mall in Panama City, Panama.  Here we go.

A richly decorated Christmas tree at Albrook Mall in Panama City, Panama. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

Photograph of a colossal Christmas Tree located at the entrance of Albrook Mall in Panama City, Panama. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

A closer view of the Christmas decorations at Albrook Mall. Notice how big the toy soldiers are. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

A view of a Christmas tree at Albrook Mall taken from the second floor. I stared at this tree for several minutes, in awe. Digicel is a cell phone company operating in Panama. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

A close-up view of the Albrook Mall Christmas tree. The toy soldiers were mesmerizing. For a short while I felt like a six-year old kid. Maybe I never ceased to be a kid. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

Remember what I said about missing something?  Well, I didn’t see a nativity setting in the whole mall.  Here we are in the midst of the Christmas season, and no where did I see a sign of baby Jesus.  We are celebrating the birth of an invisible child.  When I was young, there were nativity decorations in every home and most commercial places.  Nowadays, you can barely see them.  Baby Jesus has been replaced by Santa Claus and the Christmas Tree.  This is unfortunate.  Good Day.

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Photograph of the Day: Santa’s Seat

Abdiel and Carol share Santa's seat at Albrook Mall in Panama City, Panama. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

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Happy Thanksgiving

To everyone who will be giving thanks for all you have received during your life, I take this opportunity to wish you the best Thanksgiving of all.  We all have so much to be thankful for.  Good Day.

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