Panama is an amazing country, and we got the privilege to visit for our international business field trip. This was my first time abroad and I was so grateful to be able to experience this with the Reagents Ambassador Program. I hope to be able to explore other abroad programs in other countries and experience many more things to come.
My first impressions of the city and country was that it was full of life. Even when landing at 10pm, the streets were bustling and plenty of places were still open. I will never forget trying to order food for the first time and wondering why I wasn?t understanding anything. I couldn?t decide if it was the jet lag, lack of sleep or the fact that I was running on my last brain cell that made it hard to understand. It took me a while to realize that they were simply speaking Spanish. Despite the language barrier, I found that all the locals were very friendly and tried their best to help us out whenever we needed. Another first impression was that Panamanians love jeans. They?ll wear it regardless of the weather, the event, or the place. I died in my shorts and t-shirt while everyone else around me were casually strolling in their skinny jeans. The humidity was also something else. Although the temperatures were very similar to Texas, the humidity levels elevated the conditions and I genuinely thought that I was going to get heat stroke.
Through this experience I hope to be able to expand my understanding of global business by a tenfold. I hope to be able to successfully conduct business internationally and connect people. I want to be able to utilize the things I learned on this trip in the future. I am so thankful for this experience.
