My initial impression of Panama City, Panama was a peculiar one, I did not know what to make of it. I tried to compare it to Mexico and although it had kind of the same look and vibe there was something completely unique about it, and I couldn?t put my finger on it. I was eager to learn what made it different from home. Looking at the itinerary, I knew that this program was going to help me accomplish that. I was looking forward to meeting the indigenous people and observing how business was conducted in Panama. I was hoping to gain a new perspective through these experiences, and to think beyond what I was familiar with.
The main differences I saw was obviously the language, the official language is Spanish in Panama, but quite a few people spoke English. It was great to be able to speak in both languages to Panamanians. Through these interactions I noted how lively and affectionate the people are here (not unusual of Latin Americans). There?s music everywhere you go, which is lovely. It?s definitely more chill and laid back here, even in most of our business meetings I noticed this. They emphasized how relationship oriented they were as a company. One company even mentioned how 90% of the time it didn?t feel like they were working.
It was amazing to see how the indigenous people lived, very in tune with nature and peaceful. By far, it was my favorite experience. But the mind-blowing part was to contrast their way of living with the daily lives of the Panamanians who lived in the city. The same roots but an entirely different story.
I am blessed to have been given the opportunity to come here and enrich my life just a little bit more.
