My initial impressions of the global business program are that our days are scheduled very nicely because we have a lot of free time in the afternoon to explore the city and bond amongst each other. As for the city, Panama City has a lot of traffic and driving seems almost impossible, but there are so many restaurants and shopping malls to explore! Along with retail areas, Panama City has amazing excursions such as visiting the old city, ports, and beaches! The country of Panama (from what I have seen) is very friendly towards tourists especially at restaurants! From this global experience, I hope to gain new friendships within the Regents’ community, a better understanding of Central American culture, and an open mind towards trying new foods. Some of the differences between the United States culture and the Panamanian culture include Panamanian people being friendly and kinder to strangers, tipping is not as encouraged at restaurants, and staring is very common. To elaborate, in the United States, from my experience, strangers do not usually help out other strangers and keep to themselves. This is completely different in Panama. For instance, I was struggling to say a word in Spanish at a restaurant and my table neighbors heard and helped me out. Next, tipping culture in the United States is very prevalent even at drive throughs. However, in Panama, it is definitely the right thing to do, but it is not as encouraged from what I have seen. Lastly, in the United States, staring is common, but not as much as I have experienced it in Panama. Anything different or new is definitely going to get stares, but I was not expecting cars to roll down their windows to stare. All in all, this experience is turning out amazing and I hope to meet my goals!
