If you are from the US or other First World place where you have a culture of efficiency, you have to be what you would consider to be very patient with people here in Panama, especially when you are building a house or something like that. If you are patient, then you will get along.

 

Try to accept the fact that you are no longer living in the United States and that the culture and the importance of efficiency is different here in Panama.  

 

(Pictured: a home being built in Panama.)

One point few people mention, but I think it is important is a style issue: often we North Americans get right to the point when asking for something. I have heard explanations that sometimes people feel they want to get to the point - they don't want to waste anyone's time.

 

In Panama - who you know is more important than money - and family is very important part of Panamanian life. Instead of what can be seen as bulldozing your way in, saying "I need..."  try getting to know the person, find out about their family, their health - take the time - it will pay off in dividends you can't begin to imagine. Its another great reason to learn a little Spanish.

 

BTW - this is the way your grandfather did business - it's all about personal relationships.

There are a lot of cool differences in etiquette and customs here in Panama. The one that comes to my mind immediately is that in restaurants, if you put your handbag on the floor, somebody will rush over to you, pick it up, and put it on a chair because it is considered bad luck to put your purse on the floor because your money will run away. It was something that actually shocked me when I first came here. I thought the person picking up my bag was trying to take it, but she wasn’t. She was just trying to put in on a chair for me and told me that it is very bad luck to put my bag on the floor.

 

Another difference is in the way you dress. If you are doing something official, then gentlemen need to wear shirts and shoes; not flip flops or sandals.  Preferably, they should also wear long trousers. If you are a woman, you need to keep your shoulders covered. It is actually a funny irony because you could go in a low cut blouse and a short skirt, but you have to have your shoulders covered. That is something that you need to know if you are moving here. They will not let you in government buildings, if you are not dressed appropriately.

 

(The Attorney General's office in Panama City, pictured.)

 

If you really want to see the different cultures Panama has, you have to go out and about and see all the different indigenous cultures. Go to the interior and see girls in polleras (their national clothing) and the men who sing folk music about everything in their culture. Panama has a very rich culture that has so many influences over the years. They have influences from the Caribbean, from the US, from the French, and Colombians. They just have so many influences that it shines through them. It is lovely.

 

If I were invited for dinner at a local Panamanian’s house, I would certainly bring some wine or anything appropriate to drink, but other than that, they wouldn’t expect you to act any differently at their house. I guess the only thing is you have to eat a lot. They would want you to eat a lot.

Etiquette and rules in Panamá

 

Panamá is unique when comes to etiquette and rules, in every way.  And the reason is that since the 15th century, Panamá is, by excellence, the path of the "Américas" and to the world, a tradition that keeps until the present day, in the 21st century.

 

Many foreigners consider the Panamanian and Latin women very beautiful.  But, in all honesty, I can relate that this is because they put a special "touch" in the way they dress, or make every move; very delicate, feminine and with a very special code of dress, always in style.

 

Panamanian, as well as all Latin American women, take pride in being gentle, and make their best effort to always look nice, especially in the afternoons, when very often they make plans to go out with their husband, friends or relatives.  Even if they go only with their children, they also take care of their children's dress code.

 

Latin American people are very social and love parties.  They don´t need any excuse to make one.  If there is no reason, they invent one; but the idea is to have fun. No matter where they are-- in the city, country, mountain or beach, they always find a way to get together with neighbors and have good time. 

 

Regarding different customs in Panamá, you may ask, "Compared to what?". 

 

If you go to Europe, people are very culture- oriented and more formal.  In Asia, they take extremely good care of their seniors.  In Africa, tribes have their very own traditions based in the customs of their ancestry. In Oceania they have their very own way of life.

 

So, you ask.  "What is it like in Panamá"?

 

Well, Panamá, as I said before, is unique.  Their people are warm and caring.  They will help you in any way they can, no matter if they know you or not, as long as you are not rude to them, and you make an effort to speak any word of their language. They will giggle and try to understand.  This is especially true in the "interior" (or countryside), where more of the people are farmers, but also in all the modern resorts spread out through the country and in the expats communities.

 

In the city almost everyone speaks English, and the city is very modern and cosmopolitan.  In the city you will find anything and everything, like a "mini New York City".

 

Yes, we do not expect to be a super city... there are some aspects to take in consideration, like sometimes, due to city budgets, garbage is not picked enough; or the streets are not signed the way they should be; or the traffic is heavy because of the numerous cars in the streets.  But great things make Panamá great, like the very new "metro" in the city; our singular Panamá Canal (which is one of the Eight Wonders of the World); our beautiful train from Panamá to Colón, and wonderful fishing, water rafting, scuba diving and all kinds of outdoor adventure opportunities.  Ahh... and what to say about our great abundance of birds, rainforests and plants, which are unique in the world?

 

Regarding folklore, Panamá has an enormous tradition of beauty and elegance.  We have all kinds of dresses throughout the country, and a singular "pollera" (our national dress), that are handmade, and sometimes take up to three years to make, and for which, complete with jewelry, the price could go up to $20,000 (US dollars).  And what about the beautiful congo dances in Colón? All that, because of the "crisol de razas" (crucible of races) that is Panamá.  We have beautiful things brought from every corner of the world, just ready to share with our visitors.

 

(Shey Ling Him, Miss Panama 2007, pictured.)

I think there is a lot of pride in the Latino person in general anywhere south of the border.  Here in Panama, it is best not to offend anybody, but sometimes you may not know, for example, how much food they made, if they want to argue about something, or if they want to show you a project or some of their land or something that is dear to them. If you have the time, I suggest you go ahead and take the time to honor their wishes because I think they can be a little touchy when they feel offended.

 

The Panamanian culture is a culture that waits, so they may like you to make the first step in terms of settling a dispute. It is best that we take one foot forward because they are not really good at that. It is difficult to offend them in this way.

 

Us Americans are used to walking around and even going to banks wearing shorts and flip flops. I know that in some nicer businesses, banks, and government offices, they feel offended if you come in wearing very casual clothing. Panamanians dress up to the tee. It doesn’t matter if they have the economic means or not. Even the poor Panamanians wear their best shoes. If they have their old pants, they will be nicely pressed. They wear pressed shirts. So I think sometimes they feel offended when foreigners come in wearing flip flops and shorts, and not shave and then go to a bank or come to a business seminar. Panamanians like doing business in business clothes and they act nicely. I think they are offended with gringos who do not respect that. That does not happen in the beach towns but when you go to town and you go to a bank, they will respect you more if you dressed up clean and nice.

 

(Panamanian foreign minister Francisco Alvares de Soto with Ecuadorian Foreign Minster Ricardo Patino wearing traditional guayabera shirts, pictured.)

 

There’s nothing dramatic in terms of different rules of etiquette or customs in Panama. Panamanians are more old-fashioned, so to speak. When you walk in an elevator, you say “Good morning” to everyone standing there and they say “Good morning” to you.  There’s just more emphasis put on being polite in Panama as opposed to just ignoring people and living in your own little world when you travel alone.   That surprises some people. I figured that’s something you can get used to very quickly.
 
The customs aren’t really that different at all. For society as a whole, act in a polite and friendly manner and you will be just fine. 

In Panama, if you set a meeting at 8 PM, you will find it quite common for people to tell you that because of a traffic jam, they will arrive at your meeting place at least 30 minutes later. If the plumbers tell you that they are coming to fix your toilet, most likely, they would call you again to tell you that they could not make it because of a traffic jam. It is very common so you should be more patient.

 

Traffic in Panama City if terrible and most people use that as an excuse for being late. So the common practice here is to set a buffer against the exact meeting time. For example, if you are invited to a birthday party that starts at 10 AM, they would tell you that the party starts at 9 AM because they know that you would arrive at 10 AM.

International etiquette applies also in Panama, especially in highly educated and elite circles.

 

Also, as other places, Panamanians in general view kindness as weakness so being just cool (not going out of your way) does the trick.

 

 

The first thing that comes to mind regarding how etiquette and customs are different in Panama than in Canada are that, in Panama City, the drivers are, from a Canadian perspective, maniacs.
 
Relative to business, Panamanians are rarely on time.  You can have a meeting set up for 10 AM, and they’ll call around 11:30 and tell you they’re not going to be able to make it.  In general, Panamanians don’t feel a necessity to be punctual.  They’re very laid back here.  In North America, we try to be on time and call if we’re going to be late.  Here in Panama, however, it happens quite a bit that you’ll wait for someone to show up and they won’t.  Later, they’ll just tell you they were busy.
 
When you’re dealing with someone on a face-to-face basis, the way you do business in Panama is similar to how you would do it in North America, with the exception that there will be less than 50% chance that they’ll show up on time.
 
From a personal perspective, our experiences here with local Panamanians have been mainly with people we’ve met through golf.  Anybody who can afford to golf in Panama is a professional.  In Panama, most professionals are educated, they speak English, and many have gone to school in the US, so their attitudes are quite a bit more like North Americans than the lower income Panamanians, who, in contrast, have been locally educated, and with a less professional job. 
 
Many upper income Panamanians send their children to boarding schools, many times in the US.  These people have a different attitude compared with the average Panamanian—more similar to North Americans.  They’ll be more likely to be on time, phone you if they’re late, leave messages, that type of thing.

  
Even the professionals, though, have a different attitude towards punctuality than North Americans.  If a North American is in a meeting that’s running so late he’ll be two hours late for his or her next meeting, he or she will generally ask to be excused and call the people at the next meeting to let them know.  In Panama, that generally doesn’t happen; you won’t get a call.
 
I recently asked a Panamanian lawyer who was extremely punctual, called back, left messages, etc., why he acted that way.  His response was that he realized that if he wanted to keep his expat clients, he had to act like them.

The Panamanians can be very formal in many ways. For instance if you are going to a government office for say, your resident permit then you must always wear appropriate clothing. Men, long trousers and a shirt with proper shoes. Women should wear a dress, trousers, skirt or blouse with proper shoes. The top clothing should cover properly. If this is not respected then you will not be permitted to enter. When Panamanians go to a restaurant for dinner the men always wear long trousers and a shirt and the ladies tend to dress smartly. Similar to Spain. As opposed to Spain there is also great use of the word Usted (you) instead of Tu which is now common in Spain. Usted being a formal manner of address and (you) Tu being familiar. Also Hola (hello) is not used as much as Spain being, again informal so it is usually Buenas, buenas dias, buenas tardes etc.

Equal to hello, good day, morning etc. Another nice thing with the Spanish based culture is that you will often have someone enter a restaurant and when passing your table say "Buen Proveche" equivalent to "Enjoy your meal."

 

(Ad for men's clothing at lA Onda, Panama City, Panama, pictured.)