Michael: Homework

The bottle brush tree,
With its stab of red bristles,
Seems to be weeping.

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Our lawyer has assigned us homework.

We thought we had all the documents necessary to apply for a Pensionado visa; F.B.I. background checks, marriage license, and a letter showing I have a pension, but the latter two documents have not been stamped or signed by the necessary officials with a 2015 date, and none of the documents have been authenticated by the Panamanian consulate, or apostilled.

Lucky for us we’re planning a trip home next month. We thought it was going to be family, friends and vacation trip, but now we’ll throw in visits to the court house, CalStrs and the Panamanian consulate. Hopefully, that should do it.

The Pensionado visa will entitle us to a one time duty and customs exemption on the importation of goods up to $10,000, along with several other ongoing discounts that jubilados ( retired people, but shushhhh…Kimme doesn’t like to think of me as retired, but her Spanish is pretty weak) receive here in Panama. I don’t like to think of myself as retired either, more like on a sabbatical. But jubilado does have a nice ring to it.