Why I Keep My Jealous Bestie

A few days of missing daily checkins with Ang leaves Leslie feeling some kinda way: yeah, she’s a jealous bestie. 

So join us as Ang gives all the juicy updates of her adventures in Panamá and gives Leslie a few surprises to boot. 

Links to people and places mentioned in this episode:

Black Expats in Panama (BEIP)

https://youtube.com/@blackexpatsinpanama?si=w7IuN54v-yiynBMZ

Roshida Dowe

https://youtube.com/@roshida?si=zjCPprJZnLNLFmnm

Aisha Niang (Abroad Ability)

https://youtube.com/@abroadability?si=JkXwk11GtMW8STU0

Want behind the scenes content, Join us on Patreon at $5 or $10 level: 

https://patreon.com/user?u=83534204

Get Angie’s eBook: 

We’re Too Old for This! The Inquisitive Older Woman’s Guide to Joy http://joystrategy.co/ebook

IG: https://www.instagram.com/blackboomerbestiesfrombrooklyn

Visit our website www.blackboomerbesties.com

Transcript

Cold Open Bestie Banter

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Hey Anch. Hey Les. How's it going? It's going. There's a lot. There's a lot. No.

SPEAKER_00 0:11

I haven't talked to you in ages. I mean, I know that you're far away, but geez, it's been what, like a week? No. It only it seems like a month. It's When did I last talk to you? Like four days ago? No, every time I talk to you, it's like, I can't talk to you. I'm busy. I gotta go there. I'm with this person. Yeah. So it's blowing me off.

SPEAKER_01 0:36

We're gonna we're gonna check in today in front of everyone. Um, and I'll let you know what's been going on because you have been just hearing little little blips, and I know that's not satisfying.

SPEAKER_00 0:48

That's not true. I don't know how much dollars that's exactly. I'm that's not acceptable.

SPEAKER_01 0:53

Well, one thing that I've been doing is getting all of my art and photos and getting my recording spaces set up.

SPEAKER_00 1:02

It looks really cool.

SPEAKER_01 1:03

Um and so wait, I gotta oh yeah!

SPEAKER_00 1:09

Ah, you didn't even show me that. I love that.

SPEAKER_01 1:13

I love that.

SPEAKER_00 1:16

That's awesome. Still back there. See, now I should show the picture because I have that on my back window in my convertible.

SPEAKER_01 1:24

Oh actually, this um this this um uh file, I used our decal um uh JPEG file to give it to the printers to print it. Yeah, so um it's it's really the same one. Let's oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 1:44

Listen, what's wrong with you walk around? Why do you have to covet a photo? For goodness sake. Don't be covetous. And you have one on your car, and you still. And I still want another one now from my wall. It's not good enough.

Centering Joy As Black Boomers

SPEAKER_00 1:59

Welcome to another episode of Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn.

SPEAKER_01 2:03

Oh my gosh. Hey guys, I'm Angela, and that's Leslie, my best friend of almost 50 years. We are two free-thinking black women who have decided to center joy. And a lot of the joy work, yes, there is work in joy, is um rethinking a lot of the the assumptions and the ways that we've been socialized as um are we young boomers or old boomers?

SPEAKER_00 2:30

I think we're at the end of boomers. So we're young boomers.

SPEAKER_01 2:34

Young boomers, right. So ways that we've been taught to move in the world. We are challenging and finding so many opportunities to say, no, we're not gonna do that anymore. No, that's not quite. Does that make sense? I don't think it doesn't feel right. Not so much. I never like that. Plus, we are two geeks. We are um Leslie is a physician, and I am uh trained as an engineer, but I've done a lot of other things. So we um we're intellectuals and we want to kind of dive into topics, and so that's what this channel is all about. You'll see us living out loud. And today, because um this thing is so freaking hot.

SPEAKER_00 3:20

Listen, that the this light it's hot, but it's not illuminating. Um listen, it's not that bright. I feel like I'm being interrogated. Wait, wait, let me just leave it on so you can speak.

SPEAKER_01 3:37

Where were you? Speak the truth or shame the devil. No, it's going off.

SPEAKER_00 3:42

It almost looks like you're looking for like blood spat.

SPEAKER_01 3:49

Please be okay with this, everyone. It's on this room. I'm gonna get a fan. Um, so anyway, um, I'm here in Panama and I'm here in the United States. Yep, yep, yep, yep. And there's there's a lot going on. And so we decided for this episode, we're just gonna cap catch up with each other with you.

Reaching Out To Tara Roberts

SPEAKER_01 4:12

Um listen, I've been doing like a little bit of this, a little bit of that, but I'm gonna start with the fact that um we just wrapped up, as you all know, a series that um where we joined with you and watched Tara Roberts um Into the Depths um podcast series. And I wanted you guys to know that I actually reached out to her. Well, I sent her a how it started. How did it start? It started someone.

SPEAKER_00 4:45

Someone's okay, right, right.

SPEAKER_01 4:46

Okay, it's not really where it started, but it's it's early. It's early on. So so we have a um uh lit a friend of the show. She corrected me and said she's she's not just a fan, she's our number one fan.

SPEAKER_00 5:00

Um I know Marcus is gonna have something to say about it. I know, I know. Um they can start fighting.

SPEAKER_01 5:06

Meredith Danielle, 6773, um left a um a comment on the um on the last episode and said, Oh my god, I can't believe you guys are um doing this uh this this series with Tara. Tara and I were in a writing group together, and I said, really, because I've been thinking I'm gonna reach out to Tara and let her know how much this um series has impacted us and you know, being aunties, because listen, we are leaning in. I know I am Leslie, not so much. Leslie goes back and forth of leaning into our elderhood and kind of um adopting a posture of um of speaking, speaking to younger folks in an uh in a and a pos from a position of wisdom and also cheering young folks on, young folks who are not waiting until our age to seek joy and so on. And so Tara Roberts is one of those people. Yeah, so I reached out to her and okay, so I CC'd Leslie on the on the um email that I sent to her. It was such a nice email. It was so nice that what did you say? It wasn't very nice.

SPEAKER_00 6:26

It wasn't very nice. I said, you must have asked, I forgot I even said this, you must have asked Chat GPT to compose a letter in my voice.

SPEAKER_01 6:38

Can you this is what she said. It's like she she she she gave me the the edge, that was amazing. Good job, as usual. And then she said, you must have, it's like a snatchback.

SPEAKER_00 6:52

That was like what Mr. Reiner did. Like I've had people say, like, I plagiarize stuff. That's right. Yeah, but that was not my you know what that happened to me more than once in time. Um so I'm sorry, I know how it feels.

SPEAKER_01 7:06

Yeah, so hopefully, um I did hear back, but it was just kind of um, it was just uh um just a kind of scripted um message back. And hopefully we will hear back. And with all of the good juju that all of you guys can send, please um ask the universe to have her be a guest on our podcast. We think that would be amazing. And the other thing, Les, I don't think you know, but I got us copies of Tara Roberts' new book, which is called Um, oh yeah, hold on. It's called I just ordered it for us, so you'll be getting a box.

SPEAKER_00 7:46

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 7:47

Um and you get to keep one. I ordered two. It's called, oh my gosh, I wrote it down. I'm so sorry. It should be here. I'm gonna look it up real quick because it is um it is her new book, and it talks about this series. Um, so anyway, I did that and hold on, you know I can't do five things. Here it is. Uh Tara Roberts, it's called It's called um written in the waters. There it is, thank you. Written in the waters. Um so hopefully we'll get her on. Um, so that's the first thing I wanted to share. That's exciting. Um, and hold on, one other thing. I included in my email to her a comment that we got about our from one of our listeners. Yes, and it's it's from ooh, do you hear that? Lightning.

SPEAKER_00 9:00

I don't hear lightning. I only hit thunder.

unknown 9:03

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 9:04

I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_01 9:04

Um, that was thunder um after the lightning. Um it's from Dorstu D-O-R-S-E-W 98, and it says, I did my homework. I truly want to thank you both for sharing this podcast. It is not something that I would have um that would have been offered to me because I don't lean into this topic, this type of topic. It was a wonderful experience that I was able to listen to it all, thrilled and amazed with Tara for her drive to accomplish this feat, as are we. Loved hearing about DWP that's um drive uh divers with a purpose. Um, I just went to the African American Museum, the Black Zonian, but missed this part. Excited to go back and discover more. Thanks again. So, this is what we've been hearing from you all. Great feedback, yes, and so I let Tara know listen, she's got some flowers going on over here at Black Woman Besties from Brooklyn, and hopefully she will join

Panama City Expat Energy Surge

SPEAKER_01 10:04

us. Okay, so that's one thing. Um, first of all, I will say that Panama City is hopping. It's hopping. I'm tired. I need to get there. There's so much going on, there's so much going on here. Um and Black Expats in Panama B E I P had an event, and Rashida Dow from Exodus Summit was there. And I went and I had a great time, and I met Charlotte, um, Van Horn, um, and Aisha Nang, who does um, she has a great YouTube channel called Abroad Ability. She has cerebral palsy, so she talks about traveling. She travels a lot, she's been on um probably all of the continents at this point, but she lives here in um Panama City, and I met her, and um so I'm there, my energy's really high, and I'm speaking to um someone who moved to Panama maybe two weeks ago. I feel like I'm an expert now, right? Because I've been here six years ago. Yeah, yeah, yeah. People are coming up to you and like the things I know, the things I know. It is my fourth trip here, and I've been here a total of um maybe two months prior to to moving here. But anyway, I was speaking to her, and someone walked over and said, Um, you know, your bestie, and before she could say anything, anything else, I said, Oh boy, what does she do now? Okay, what does she do now? And I think I might have expected something that actually happened um a couple of years ago, where I went to an event and someone mentioned something that Leslie had done. She had recently taken a trip to Costa Rica, and this person that I was sitting next to, who I hadn't met prior to that, said, Yeah, because I know Leslie just went to Costa Rica and I'm going, and she really encouraged me to lean into my fears a little bit because um we'll put a link to that episode where Leslie was talking about how um exciting it was and how scary some aspects of her first trip to Panama was. So anyway, I expected um someone to say something about our podcast seeing Leslie there, but guess what? I couldn't believe it because the the my I felt like my head was gonna explode when she she said this. She said, Yeah, um I was in pre-med with Leslie. So I'm in Panama, I'm at this event, and someone walks up to me and says, Um I was in pre-med with Leslie, and I saw you guys when you did the takeover of uh Stephanie Perry's YouTube channel last year, and that's when I saw that uh Leslie had finished the program. She said she did not pursue um medicine, and she was so proud of you, and she's right there. Beautiful woman. I'll I'll send uh uh show you guys a picture. She said, You know that hooptie that you guys talk about? I used to ride around with her in that hoopty. I could not, you know, those times when you meet people from different points in your life and they're all together and you're not planning for them to be together, and your brain is like, should I be in high school mode? Like, should I be in college mode?

SPEAKER_00 13:51

Like, what is this 35 years ago? Sharon and I were studying together for our medical stuff, bio and chemistry. Sharon, yeah, we were both going to medical school together.

SPEAKER_01 14:02

Could not believe it. So I called Les. I'm at this event, you know, I don't know, maybe 4050 views.

SPEAKER_00 14:13

You know, and I'm like, oh I'm like, Les, you would not believe it.

SPEAKER_01 14:18

You would not believe it. So I actually gave my phone to Sharon.

SPEAKER_00 14:23

So small. It's like, but you know, I always say, that's why you have to do right by people. That's so true. That's why you just have to do right. I just remember not too long ago, I think I told you this, Ange, that I had a patient, middle-aged woman, probably my age or younger or whatever. And um, she said, Oh, you were my daughter's anesthesiologist three years ago when she had her baby. You did her epidural. And I'm like, What? And she said, I said, Did I treat her well? She said, You were so great. I said, Well, that's continuity of care. Family plan. But see, could you imagine if I had been a bomber if it was an awful experience? Because people remember doctors like that, too. Yes, yes, absolutely. Isn't that something? Yeah, so good old Sharon.

SPEAKER_01 15:11

Yes, Sharon was there. Sharon was there.

A Wild Premed Reunion Abroad

SPEAKER_01 15:15

And um, and the other thing is that so Exeter Summit this year, every year they have an international meetup day, right? And it's um black women who are either planning an exit, so in different states in the United States, or they are already living abroad or bopping around the world, and they decide to get together. That's it. Just getting together in their local community um under the Exodus Summit banner. And so it's gonna be on September 5th, 2026. Um, I'm gonna put a link to uh the Heartbeat app. That's where you can become members. If you're a black, a black woman, you can become uh a member of this community. And um I volunteered to be one of the three folks who are organizing the event here in um the city of. You didn't tell me that. Yeah, see, it's been a while. You haven't gotten all the latest news. So, yeah, so I think um, so we have the the restaurant already and getting that information out. I set up a WhatsApp group. Uh, by the way, shout out to Alfreda and Angie, my two co-conspirators in planning this event. And it's gonna be a May and Stephanie Perry will be at our event in Panama City. So she has chosen to come here of all the places around the world that she can be. Um, and another bit of news that you don't yet know, because I just found out today. I just found out like earlier today, maybe a couple couple of hours today. I'd reached out to Stephanie Perry, and I say her name fully because my partner's name is is is Stephanie, and I just want to be clear. Um and um sometime soon we're gonna be on her show talking about um our move here because we did it very differently than most people, and really I won't go into details, but yeah, so I was like, I think people should know because in our yeah, it but in our age group, we we do things a little differently. We have different stuff, we have different coins, and it may look um different than how younger people may decide to do these things, right? We don't have children. Um some of us uh don't or not sandwich where we have children and and older parents to take care of, and so we have some more um freedoms that can come from that, you know. Um oh, having lighting issues? It's too bright. That that's also a problem. Okay. So so that's going on also. So lots of stuff.

SPEAKER_00 18:16

Um man, that's that's really great, Ann.

The Packing List Gets Personal

SPEAKER_01 18:19

Yeah, but I do miss you. Do you you know that, right?

SPEAKER_00 18:22

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:23

I'll that's why I have you like soon.

SPEAKER_00 18:26

And and and over there, yeah, I'm starting to collect boxes of things that she needs me to bring. Amongst one of the things I just found in the cupboard today were her stack of boneless, skinless sardines. Listen, uh one of the eating plans that I do. I have to bring peanuts because she can't find the peanuts that she likes. Well, this is a revelation show, is it? Oh no, I I forgot the wrong show. This is ketchup. So we were roasting. I I'm a peanut. She and my partner, they they they compare eating peanuts because that's we we are we are they eat I've tried.

SPEAKER_01 19:17

We are peanut connoisseurs, right? It's not just any peanut. Don't put Planter's peanuts in front of me. That's not real peanuts. Those are not real peanuts. Um, we prefer peanuts in the shell. Um, I like mine lightly salted. He he does not peanuts. But we have a thing. Uh, and I I like peanuts are a great source of peanut butter. We bond over peanuts. We bond over peanuts. And I can't find my type of peanuts here. I gotta bring them. Leslie. Richard sardines. Sardines.

SPEAKER_00 19:48

Sardines are great sources. Can I also say what else you have? Can you bring a particular shower cap? Because she doesn't like the ones that they have in Benama. I gotta bring her the fancy American cup. She's having can you bring me the shower cap like what you have? Because I don't like walking by my bathrooms.

SPEAKER_01 20:14

I did exactly that. I can't. No, I don't do pink shark. But Leslie has nice ones with fabric on the side and they're Afrocentric and all the things. They have a little bow. And that's what I'm Rick looks great in it. I'm like, I need one Les. I'm still gonna keep trying to find some here. Listen, I can't get one in my bag. Competitive her, right? So I gave her like a list of four things that I that I need. Um, I've had a hard time. I haven't yet been able to find acetone here to take off gel nail polish. Um, I don't know if it's a thing. Of course, you can go to a manicurist and and they can remove it, but I would prefer doing that on my own sometimes. So I haven't been able to find it. So I gave Leslie a list of things, right? And I said, I haven't stopped looking yet. So I'll keep you posted if I find anything. What does she say? She said, challenge accepted. So now exactly.

SPEAKER_00 21:20

It's like a like a um I love a challenge.

SPEAKER_01 21:25

It's like a scavenger hunt. You're right, but your life is a challenge. Why are you making one that is fun?

SPEAKER_00 21:34

She was like, you know, I can go in four stores to find peppers. I can go in five to find acetone. I'll get the one without a scent. You know, like no additives. Natural acetone, which is an acymoron, because acetone is a compound.

SPEAKER_01 21:54

It's an awful, yes, very, very strong. Um you know, so. Anyway, Leslie will be here and we're we're so, so, so, so excited. Um the our place is ready. I hope you can stay here for a few days. I know that um you're not coming by yourself, but um meaning it's not just you and your partner. Um there they're more people. So, but anyway, so that's that's what's been that's what's been going on. Those are all the things that I can share publicly, because there there is something that right, right, right. There's something that maybe I'll put it on Patreon what we're what we're doing on Sunday. But um this has been such

Soft Landing And New Community

SPEAKER_01 22:45

a um an amazing choice of places to live. Um it is very kind of um it's a very soft landing. It's a very soft landing because there are um a lot of other um immigrants here, and um we are constantly meeting people, constantly being invited to events.

SPEAKER_00 23:08

You've met a lot of people, that's true. Yeah, just doing a lot of call, and it's like, well, hurry up. I got can't talk because I'm about to have dinner with these people I met from can you tell people how many tech nights? First of all, yes, Brooklyn Tech, when we were there, had about 7,500, 8,000 students. There were about 2,000 students in our class alone, and we can tell you it's amazing how many people, not just from Brooklyn Tech, but from our class have immigrated or are planning to immigrate to Panama. Oh my gosh. It's it's it's it's really crazy. It's like a magnet for us.

SPEAKER_01 23:48

It's the spot, it's the spot. Um, so I want to give a shout out. I'm gonna get there. I'm gonna get there. So oh the other thing I want to say, did I mention before that we took um an Afro-Panamanian cooking class? I don't know if I've told you guys that. No, no, we didn't.

SPEAKER_00 24:08

Did it have any packages? So we did.

SPEAKER_01 24:13

All the ingredients were there ready for us. We didn't have to go scouting for anything. So um the person that I mentioned before that talked about you going to Costa Rica, her name is Elizabeth, and she was here for uh Black Expats in Panama Tour, B B B E I P Cultural Relocation Tour. And so um she stayed um a couple of weeks extra. She found out about the Afro-Panamanian cooking class and invited us to go, and so we went. It was so wonderful. It was actually we made oxtail, it was so delicious. We made um uh um rice and peas, Panamanian style, which is very similar to Jamaican style. We made um fried um uh yucca um in Jamaica we say cassava, and um and it was it was delicious, everything. He taught us a whole lot. I'm gonna put a link to his two for those people in Panama who may be listening and want to kind of check that out. So just a lot going on, and I I'm gonna ask you to somehow like whatever you need to do to like really open up your your um your um your energy or reserve it so that you can give it all when you when you come, right? So I don't you can't come tired because you're gonna be outside. You can't come tired, you can't like just wanna lay outside. We're gonna be actively enjoying the city of Panama in Panama. So um visiting in-laws for a little bit. That's I understand that.

The Tick Story That Broke Leslie

SPEAKER_01 26:09

I I understand that you get two days for that.

unknown 26:13

That's good.

SPEAKER_01 26:14

So tell me what's been going on with you. Other than working, well, that's a lot.

SPEAKER_00 26:21

I'll t I'll tell you something. It's not it's funny now. It happened just earlier today, and then I'll close after telling you this because you mentioned something about my um I was afraid of something or bugs or whatever. When did you what made you mention it earlier just now?

SPEAKER_01 26:37

Oh, because um when Elizabeth saw that episode.

SPEAKER_00 26:41

Oh, right, right, right.

SPEAKER_01 26:44

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 26:44

I still have the fear. I had a patient today. And when I took him to the recovery room, what you know, and it was just the procedures were just unrelated to what he said. He says, you know, he says, This, can you look at something? Can you take something off my back or can you look at my back or something he said?

SPEAKER_01 27:06

Please, what do you do I need to be prepared? You do. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 27:11

You know, and and I said, Well, sit up, let me look at it. But and he said, because when I scratch it, I think it'll come off or whatever. And I'm like, oh, it looks like a um, you know, like um a mole or a skin tag. It looked like a skin tag or whatever. You know, I said, sit up, let me take a look at it. So glad I did not touch this tick that fell off his back. It was the size of like a a half a penny. It was huge. No, what huge? So I didn't, so it it fell off. I looked, I'm like, it, you know, it scurried away or whatever, and it kind of like fell onto the bed where he was, and it was like, okay. And then I told someone, I says, I said, Oh, it's it's gone. It's it's it fell off, or whatever. I said, No, I didn't take it off. I said, it fell off. I think it jumped off. But anyway, I don't know. I don't know. I'm just making up stuff for drama now. Because listen, somebody, you know, the guy, the nurse went over and he's like, it's a tick. As soon as he said that, I started like getting shaky and I started crying. And then they started talking, it's it's like there's a tick. And I'm like, why do you have to keep saying it? I started like crying, and I'm like, you know, and um all I kept saying, Ange, was thank god I didn't like get a glove and like take it off or try to do something because I would have passed out. It wouldn't, you know. I cannot imagine. It was huge. Ange and just the idea of it, and I'm like, why do you keep talking about it? When Leslie and I were roommates, right?

SPEAKER_01 28:59

Because we've we've lived together for several years.

SPEAKER_00 29:05

She would say to me, she would yell, Ange, come and get this spider, it's as big as my hand. Her perception. It's it's incredible. And I'm like, here I am, the doctor, and whatever. And I'm like, tears are streaming, and I'm like, getting away from me. Helpful Harriet.

SPEAKER_01 29:31

I'm there to help, right? Oh my goodness, are you kidding me? What?

SPEAKER_00 29:37

I couldn't believe it.

SPEAKER_01 29:39

What? I can't imagine a tick that size. You know, growing up in Jamaica, I've had a tick or two on my body. Oh no, I'll never touch your body again. Oh yes. Oh, yes. My my my parents, when I was young before we um emigrated, I I remember it was a part of their nighttime routine. Because we we would just, yeah, to check us for ticks with with a lamp, bringing it close in, like like my thing. It was a kerosene lamp, and they would bring it close in and check us every night because we lived in the country.

SPEAKER_00 30:12

And the nurses there, they um they like checked the rest of them and said there was no more. Yeah. Like, what do you do? What do you do with it? And the guy and with the other doc there with me, he kept holding it up. And I'm like, is it alive? It's in the container. He's like, I don't think so. I'm like, why do you keep holding it up? I said, I don't think we're being tortured. What do you do with it?

SPEAKER_01 30:36

Give it to the patient, and oh my goodness gracious. Yeah, I can't imagine. So shaky after that. I'm like, Wow, wow. I I it's a stitch on bugs, bugs don't really bother me as such, right? Um, because I I have some control, they don't come towards me, I go towards them, kind of thing. And um, I know that with a good shoe or broom or something, I have the upper hand. Um but in a situation situation like that where you think and I had to compose myself.

SPEAKER_00 31:17

I was trying to be all professional. I think it's a skin test. That's the first time I've seen a tick.

SPEAKER_01 31:26

Wow, really? They're usually not not anywhere near that big, but you know, I I would rather have seen a picture of it because it wasn't black, like I didn't necessarily believe you. I don't believe you when it comes to size because you don't have good. I don't have any size perceptions. It was huge, it's as big as my head. Oh my gosh. Wow. So yeah, so I think that's it.

Gratitude And Wrap Up

SPEAKER_01 31:56

Let me see if I covered everything.

SPEAKER_00 31:58

You can that was my meager contribution.

SPEAKER_01 32:03

That's what's been going on, and you've clearly been picking up items for me. I have been I got I got a stash. I so appreciate you because I was so like, uh, I don't want her to have to pack another suitcase or get in the way of her packing, but you're just like, okay, I'm bringing you this and I'm bringing you this. You want peanuts? So yeah, that's so sweet. I appreciate you. Um, all right, I think that's it.

SPEAKER_00 32:28

This has been another weird but catch up episode of Black Boomer Vesties from Brooklyn. Brooklyn