Hola, mis amigos! This week was so much fun, and I got to experience so many new things. On top of that, I was also given the opportunity to manage the social media account for UA in Panama, which was so fun, keeping everyone in the loop about our experience throughout Panama! When we first arrived at the airport in Panama, I felt kind of sad. As happy as I was to be returning home, Panama was so much fun, and I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to go. Throughout my trip, I got the chance to go to several different companies to learn about them and get to ask questions regarding my major. I even got the chance to get some of these executives’ LinkedIn, which was really important to me. Apart from the “studying” part of this abroad trip. We got the chance to try different types of restaurants as well as experience the entertainment life within Panama. My favorite was when we went to the carnival and got the chance to really let loose. After that, we went to this area that had a lot of street vendors, where we bought some food and treats. The overall entertainment experience throughout Panama was truly amazing. When I arrived back in the US, my brain was still used to expecting everyone to only speak Spanish. It was so weird because I knew I was in the U.S., but I had done a lot of basic-level Spanish speaking in Panama that I felt the need to greet everyone with an “Hola” and things of that nature. The reverse culture shock was really weird but cool to experience. I will definitely be back to Panama!
Some advice I would like to give to future study abroad students would be to EXPERIENCE. Try new things, do new things, and be uncomfortable. This is how you transform yourself into an even better person. Doing these things abroad will cause you to have a new perspective on things, and cause you to really value things more as well
I am so grateful to the faculty and study abroad department for creating an amazing trip for my cohort and me. I also want to thank Dr. Summerville (BRIDGE) for presenting me with this opportunity.