Blog número tres!

Outside of the clinical settings we have had many interesting community experiences in Panama. First, we went to Nutre Hogar, which is a daycare for malnourished children around ages 2-5. The daycare provides meals for the children and basic activities. We had a lot of fun playing with the children and teaching them about hand washing and healthy eating. We put on a puppet show, played tag, ran around like horses, tossed le pelota around, and more! I feel that we made an impact on the children by simply providing them with needed attention.

We also visited two elementary schools in Panama. The first one was in Chitre where we taught the students about hydration and sun protection, values, hand washing, and nutrition. The children were so excited to play games with us, we gave them some donated toothbrushes and overall we had a very rewarding experience at the first school. The second school we visited, Las Minas, was in a poorer area up in the mountains. We brought more donations of many shoes and toothbrushes to the children who were very appreciative! However, the tone of the school was a lot more serious in comparison to the school in Chitre. I believe this is possibly because the students of Las Minas endure a difficult way of life up in the mountains and are not very used to socializing with strangers.

Over the weekends we had free time! The first weekend we went a casino and a beach where we enjoyed a very relaxing environment. On our second weekend in Panama we went to El Valle up in the mountains. El Valle was definitely one of the most beautiful places I have ever been! I hiked up a gorgeous mountain; zip lined over a waterfall, and went horseback riding like the locals. Overall from this experience, I learned so much about the importance of culture within a community. This trip has given me a new perspective on a completely different way of life and has truly made me appreciate all the common commodities at home that I often take for granted.