So there seems to be this ongoing battle between expats about whether expats are guests when they come to live in Panama.

I vote NO, not unless you are just here on vacation.

If I’m living here & a part of society, of course I’m not a guest, but for some very strange reason, there’s a whole host of expats that think you have to act like what you think & feel doesn’t matter & you are only here temporarily, so you better not rock the boat since you are ONLY a guest.

Granted a lot of expats leave Panama because they can’t stand it anymore or they become very sick & go back to North America, so it may appear that Gringos are flippant & don’t know what they want, but for those of us actually living here, I don’t feel it’s right to demean our position.

Now if that person was trying to take over Panama that’s another story LOL, but that’s not what is being discussed.

If you are paying for rent or buying a house, paying taxes when you buy something, purchasing items so you can live in Panama, then of course you are a contributing member of society AND not just a guest who’s leaving in a week or two.

That’s my opinion.