My first impression after arriving in Panama is just how cool it is to be in a new place. I was nervous and anxious about our weeklong trip, but once we got there and settled in I started to appreciate the opportunity to study abroad. Once we arrived, Delta informed me that my luggage didn’t make it on the plane and that hopefully it will be delivered that night. Thankfully, it did, because everything I needed for the week was in there. Our first couple days were full of business visits to places like Provivienda, Copa Airlines, OpenBlue, etc. where we were given presentations by executives. Our group had 10 students, and each pair chose a company to research and give a presentation on at the end of the semester. These visits were important not just to get firsthand knowledge to use in the presentations but to also expose us to international business firsthand. When we weren’t visiting businesses, we had lots of cultural excursions or activities planned. We explored the historic part of the city, went salsa dancing, snorkeled, and went to group dinners among other things. One of the best and most eye opening parts of the trip was our visit to a local school. They take in children who are most in need and provide them resources for an education. Being able to talk and hangout with them helped ground all of us in in the trip and show how much we take for granted at times.
One thing I noticed is how friendly all of the people are in Panama. They don’t hesitate to help, are understanding of the language barriers, and are overall fun to talk to. It’s interesting to hear about their lives and the differences between our experiences and theirs. I really enjoyed the new culture and food, especially the fruit. Everything seems more authentic and fresh, and the cost of things are way lower which was pretty sweet. What made the trip even better is travelling with a great group. Being surrounded by people who I enjoy being around and experiencing things with was great, combined with having an amazing faculty team as well. One last thing I want to add is not to be scared of language barriers. Most of us in the group knew very minimal Spanish, but we got along just fine without many issues. I wish I had more time to spend here. It was such a cool experience and has made me interested in studying abroad in the future. I encourage everyone if they have the opportunity to study abroad to do it!
