Don't Mess With... Panamá?

Recently I've concluded that Panamá is very similar to my image of Texas. (Read: all things Hope Floats)  Stay with me on this. Beauty pageants and rodeos are really big here. Substitute futbol with football, and we'd have Texas. Obviously, I'm generalizing Texas, but there we have it; you'll get over it.

Belly dancer.

Since being here I have attended a one legit beauty pageant, one school queen selection and coronation (I'd consider this to be pageanty- but not quite as legitimate as the other one.), and modeling shows. I've mentioned that my host sister is a beauty queen, and yes, that's why. Let's just say - life is weird. Schools choose reinas (queens) for the entire year. It is a combination of beauty, popularity and talent from what I can tell, and they seem to have more power than the Homecoming Queens at home, but if we're honest - the U.S. is not THAT different, in case you're thinking Panamanians are weird or something - falso. Weirdly, at all the events I've been to with my sister, there have also been belly dancers. Belly dancers seem to be haunting me. They're everywhere. At first I thought they were pretty awesome, but now I realize they're just buying time as they make us wait to reveal the winners. (The waiting time here would make some people I know have a stroke. These announcers just love s t r e t c h i n g everything out f o r e v e r. So, one Friday night we went to cheer on my sister as she competed in a pageant and sadly lost. (Although I feel like she was robbed. I went to several of the pre-pageant events, and she was way more beauty queen than the other girls... Just saying...) The event itself was in a hotel, and for hours - hours! - we sat on metal folding chairs waiting for it to start. We ended up sitting in the front row with seats that said reserved on them. How? My host mom. A girl literally got up to go to the bathroom and we moved in. The girl came back and I have no idea what my mamá said to her, but she left. (Read: Don't eff with Arlenis.) Also, can you imagine that at home? I feel like there would be blood. So the girls danced and they showed some footage from their photo shoots and then they finally announced the winners, and it was so complicated and boring and unexciting by the end. And they kind of screwed up the announcement of the winner, so while it was a bit confusing due to the outrageously loud bass and Spanish, it was confusing for everyone in our group, too. The best parts were when the contestants danced with a partner, and instead of using her partner, Josmel - her brother - she danced with Abuelo. I filmed it to give her. I thought it was pretty darn special. And I did really like the

Sister taking on the red carpet.

All the models... Note: one guy model.

One of the losers but great dress!

belly dancers, since this was the first time I'd seen these girls perform. Also, an urban dance team performed and I loved that. They were great!

The contestants. Keysha was the crowd favorite.

My sister in her handmade bejeweled dress before she handed over her crown.

Now. Rodeos. I've been to 3 in my life, and 2 of those were in Panamá. The other one was with Danny and Christie in Idaho. The one in Idaho was way more official and clean... The first Panarodeo was when my 14 year old host brother was competing. He did not do well, but I think it's pretty cool. We stood outside at night around a horse ring with a sprinkling of other folks and mostly men on horses. It was definitely a small rodeo scene, but there were a surprising amount of riders. Then the next rodeo was a giant stadium with horses and riders from each of the provinces competing. It was pretty cool, but also disgusting. Let me explain. You know how when you sit on bleachers, there's a raised portion to sit on so when people knock over drinks and throw snacks on the floor, there's some buffer. Unquestionably, sometimes your shoes can get gross at a ball park or a stadium, depending on what is being eaten and drunk, but in this stadium there were no raised seats. You were sitting on questionable stuff and when beers were tossed aside, you got even dirtier. Yuck. So mind over matter, I acted like it was fine. And my host family was doing it too, so there's that. After the rodeo, they have bailes. And the songs are played by live tipico bands and people dance close and fast. The dancing is not line dancing, but there's some definite two-step similarities. My host brother and sister danced a lot together before we were finally able to leave. I hate to sound dramatic... "finally able to leave", but I was told prior to getting there that we'd leave after the rodeo and not go to the baile, and by that point I was busted! So sleepy. So, I was duped yet again! :)  But what can I do about it? I think I handled it alright.  Everyday I'm grateful to be here, living this new life, and developing a thicker, more patient skin.

So "Texis" (said in Will Ferrell's GW Bush's voice). Pageants and Rodeos. See what I mean?

Trying on the crown for size...