In Panama, I had the most eye-opening study abroad experience!
Panama has changed my perspective in regards to how not everyone is educated in what we study, people we interacted with from the rural communities learned a lot! We visited rural communities and helped small businesses in Panamá, Altos del Coco, and Membrillo.
In Altos del Coco, our client’s name was Noriel. he sold handmade wooden chairs on the Facebook marketplace. We contributed to his business operations by delivering personalized monthly accounting, customer relations, and order history sheets, along with a new logo! We’re happy to fill in some knowledge gaps to help grow the business.
In Membrillo, I helped my other group with their client’s translation of each other’s questions and answers, about him and the business’s goals. He sold handmade artisan work and is very talented! Additionally, we presented a charla(lesson/talks) about Leadership(Liderazgo). These charlas were done right outside their homes and it also changed my perspective on rural living conditions, and that we are lucky to be living the way we do, but also discovering peace and calmness in rural living.
This trip was a very personal and full-circle experience for me because my mom is from Panama, and I was fortunate enough to be born in the US. Giving back to communities in a country that is part of my generational history was eye-opening. It made me realize how grateful I am to be educated, and bilingual, and to use my skills to give back to communities unique to my family background.
Thank you to Katy Lane for being an awesome program director and providing this study abroad opportunity! I enjoyed learning more about Panama culture and exploring the rural communities. Overall, I would say my expectations were accurate given I have visited Panama before, but it was still unique to fully experience the trip and understand better other types of living conditions within Panama.
