Missing the Movies in Panama?

by Expat Focus Columnist Stephanie Angulo

Just because you move abroad doesn’t mean that everything in your life is suddenly 100% different. You will find yourself partaking in many of the same activities you did back home, like going to the movies. The hubs and I have always been avid movie goers and didn’t let moving to Panama, a Spanish speaking country, slow down our movie date nights. Waiting in line to see midnight showings of Lord of the Rings, all the Matrix movies, and Ironman 2 barely scrapes the tip of the iceberg. Since our big move in January of this year, we’ve learned a few tips and tricks to enjoying our movie theater experience in Panama.

If you’re considering moving to a non-English speaking culture, or have already moved to one, these suggestions will help you know what to expect before you sit in front of the big screen, otherwise you just might not want to watch another movie in a theater abroad again.


1. Go with the subtitled movie. If you’ve moved to a non-English speaking country, some of the movie listings are subtitled and some are dubbed. Although you might be proficient in your new language, movies are typically better with the original voices. We also find that the locals are more likely to choose the dubbed movies so they don’t have to read the subtitles for 2 hours and possibly miss action on the big screen. We notice that locals going to a subtitled movie tend to talk more or read out loud, so if you choose to go to a subtitled movie, follow my next suggestion.

2. Be careful which times you pick. If you have chosen to watch a subtitled movie, don’t watch it in the evenings, weekends, national holidays, or school vacations. I know it’s starting to sound like those blackout dates for credit card miles rewards, but trust me on this one! We noticed that all the locals who couldn’t get tickets for the dubbed movie times will go ahead and buy tickets for the subtitled movie times. Then they will proceed to talk through the entire movie no matter how many times you nicely ask them to stop. Sometimes I don’t think they realize that there are other people who do understand English sitting amongst them.


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Expat Experiences: Panama - Jane Ellis, Panama City

Who are you?

I am Panamajama, also known as Jane, mother of three young children. I fill my time by looking after my children, taking photos, doing my blog and studying to become a translator (French to English – NOT Spanish to English!


Where, when and why did you move abroad?

We all moved across to Panama from Scotland last year as my husband is working on the project to expand the canal.


What challenges did you face during the move?

We had to decide whether to bring our furniture with us (including our piano), then our travelling date was pushed back several times. When we arrived we lived in a furnished high-rise overlooking the Pacific while waiting for our furniture to travel over on a container ship. This was a lovely place to live, but there was no way of walking anywhere, and I did not fancy driving in the chaotic traffic of Panama City until I had been here long enough to get used to it. So I felt quite isolated initially.


How did you find somewhere to live?

Our relocation agents helped us. These were provided by the company my husband works for.

There have been many difficulties associated with relocation, not of least of which that Panama has no postal service as such – not like the kind UK or US citizens are used to. It took us 2 months to figure this out, during which time my son’s birthday presents...

Read more about Jane's life in Panama www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-panama-experiences-panama-city-jane-ellis

New Panama Country Guide Now Available

Over 80 sections of new content for expats moving to Panama - available to read free online or download as a PDF file.

Go to http://www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-panama

Will Latin America be the next big expat destination?

For many people, one of the major reasons for choosing to live outside of their own country is that their income or savings will go a lot further and buy them a much higher quality of life. Several European countries including Spain, Portugal and Greece witnessed a huge expat boom in the early 1980s for just this reason. With the acceptance of the Euro as the standard currency throughout most of Europe, the cost of living has levelled out somewhat, making these destinations less desirable for those looking to spread their wealth as far as it will go.

If we take a look at the ten cheapest countries to live, we find that eight out of ten of these countries are to be found in Latin America, these ten being Uruguay, Nicaragua, Honduras, Panama, Argentina, Ecuador, Belize and Chile. If we consider the fact that almost all of these countries now benefit from a very well developed set of social amenities and an ever improving infrastructure, it becomes clear that they may well become expat hot spots in the not so distant future. Keep an eye on Latin America!