Panamanian Necessities - A Volunteer's Gotta Stay in Touch

But what if my family needs to contact me?  What if I get lost or hurt? What if I need help?

No te preocupe! (Don’t worry!) You are just going to Latin America - not the moon! And you will be pleasantly surprised by the communication options available to you.

CELL PHONES

Disposable cell phones are a dime a dozen in Panama. Well, not exactly a dime a dozen but they are cheap and non-committal. The rates vary between cell phone companies and they are always running promotions. But don’t fret too much over which is cheaper because, just like in the US, as soon as you figure it out, something changes! 

 

The major carriers are:

Digicel

Movistar

Mas Movil

Claro

Kiosks and stores can be found in Allbrook (the bus terminal in Panama City) and in every commercial district of every major town. Just tell them that you want “un celular pre-pago” (pre-paid cell phone). A simple cell phone will cost you $16-$30 and there is no contract.  

Once you’ve purchased the phone. You just need to buy phone cards whenever you run out of minutes. They are generally available in denominations of $2, $5, and $10 and can be purchased in grocery stores, pharmacies, and local markets in every nook and cranny of the country. Remove the card from the protective plastic, scrape the grey strip with the side of a coin, and follow the instructions on the card to enter the code and load your cell phone with the newly purchased minutes. It’s that easy.

Your phone will be programmed in Spanish but you may want to ask the clerk at the time of purchase to "cambiar la idioma a ingles" (change the language to English). Even if your Spanish is strong, the jargon is not always intuitive. 

Panamanian pre-paid cell phones only charge you for the calls you make. You can receive as many calls as you want and talk as long as you want without eating up your minutes. But don’t let your minutes go down to zero or you won’t be able to receive calls. 

INTERNET

Yes, the Internet is accessible in Panama! The government has been on a mission to supply free access and in limited areas you can get a signal and log onto "Internet Para Todos" (Internet for All). The free service is only available in certain areas and for some reason, it blocks access to tons of non-objectionable sites. But if you can get a signal, you can check your email and your facebook page. If you want to do more than the free service allows, there are tons of internet cafes (Cafe de Internet) all over the country and no, they do not serve cafe! But for 50¢ to $1, you can use a public computer or connect your laptop to their internet connection. But remember, these are public computers so you always want to practice safe surfing. Load antivirus software on your computer and keep it updated. No one wants to bring a nasty bug back to the US with them. As a volunteer, the community where you will be living will probably not have internet access but you can go into town on weekends and get caught up on all the latest happenings. Cosecha volunteers and interns (and you know who you are) can use the internet in the office on weekends. The really good news about having internet access is that you can Skype!

SKYPE

If you don't already have a Skype account, make sure you set one up before you leave the US.  Your friends and family should also have their own Skype accounts and headsets because you can talk to each other through the internet for free! If your friends and family can't get their acts together to do it, no worries! Just set up your Skype account and subscribe for unlimited US calling for about $6 per month. This will allow you to call everyone you know in the US on any landline or cell phone using a computer, a headset, and an internet connection. How cool is that?

THE PONY EXPRESS

Ok, so the news isn't all good. There is a postal system in Panama but try not to take it too seriously. You won't have a mailing address and there's no person in a blue uniform carrying letters and packages from door to door. If you absolutely have to have something sent from the US, it can be sent general delivery to the post office in your nearest provicincial capital but it might not arrive in a timely fashion, if it arrives at all. Your friends and family will want to send you packages but try to discourage them. If there is anything you absolutely must have, you can purchase it in Panama. If they want to help, leave some deposit slips behind and they can drop a few bucks in your account which you can access through an ATM machine.