Families of Panama

This addition to the Families of the World series profiles the lives of two youngsters living in the Central American republic of Panama. First, viewers meet nine-year-old Juan Diego, who lives in Panama City with his bank teller father, industrial engineer mother, grandmother, and kindergarten-aged brother. After a breakfast of scrambled eggs and ham, Juan Diego attends a school with 2,100 students, where he enjoys activities such as swimming (which the students must learn due to all of the water surrounding the area), and takes an hour-long bus ride home. Juan Diego and his family later attend a school festival, a church service, a BBQ, and two birthday parties (one at a mall with rides and games, the other at a fast food restaurant with 26 of his cousins!). Next, we are introduced to Raisa, also aged nine, who lives in the country and walks 15 minutes to school with her brothers from the family's home, which is situated on the property of homeowners for whom Raisa's parents do domestic and outdoor work. Raisa goes to a school with around 130 students, where they have access to computers (and sometimes have Cream of Wheat for a snack, but on the day of filming are out of water). Much of Raisa's world revolves around her home (she enjoys her pet parakeets), and nearby wildlife such as wild monkeys and sloths, as well as going to church mass and playing baseball. Also featuring information on the Panama Canal (with computer graphics illustrating how the locks work), the rainy season, and footage of an Embera native village on the Chargres River, this informative slice-of-life entry in the long-running series is highly recommended. Aud: E, I, P. (J. Williams-Wood)