Goodbye Panama!

 

I didn’t know what to expect when I signed up for this trip to Chitre, Panama. I just knew that I wanted to travel and see what the medical field was like in another country. It was definitely a plus that I wouldn’t have to take this course in the Fall semester, but I really did come for an international experience. The moment we landed in Panama I had already experienced a culture shock. I have been out of country before but not to a third world area. I am not used to having the electric, AC, or hot water out unless there is a hurricane or something, so having this unavailable was something new to me. I have enjoyed all of the humanitarian work that we have been able to do for the children here and I will always remember some of their smiling faces. One of my favorite experiences here in Panama was being able to give shoes to the children of Las Minas. It is incredible that these children have to walk an hour and a half or ride horseback just to get to school. Children in America really don’t know how blessed they are to have a nearby school with air conditioning that has more than two classrooms. Working in the clinics was also one of the highlights of this Panama trip. I managed to get myself through the language barrier by speaking the little bit of Spanish that I knew and I was still able to learn even though my Spanish was not that great. I definitely will be practicing my Spanish more when I come home so I can improve it and hopefully apply it in the clinical setting back home. I was really expecting to be in a Pediatric setting for a day or even watch a delivery so I’d have to say that was probably the biggest let down in the clinincal settings. I am anxiously waiting for next semester now so I can finally see what these areas are like. Seeing as I paid for this whole trip myself, my only big complaint was that there wasn’t more for us to do in the hospitals. I decided to do it so I could get more international nursing experience here but I will still take all the other experiences from here as life lessons.

          The weekends here in Panama definitely made the trip worthwhile. From the beach to El Valle I enjoyed the weekends as if it were an actual vacation instead of a nursing trip. El Valle was absolutely beautiful and it really made me fall in love with Panama. What I am going to miss the most about Panama are the people here. Although they weren’t all accepting of the fact that we don’t speak fluent Spanish, they were some of the nicest people I have ever met. They are all very willing to help out and listen to my broken “Spanglish” so that I can at least try to communicate. I will miss seeing how appreciate the Panamanians are in the health care setting. In America everyone is in a rush and just expects everything without ever thanking anyone. However, in Panama everyone is always very respectful and thankful of the nurses and the doctors and they never seemed like they were in a rush. All in all, this has been an amazing learning experience and it made me realize just how blessed I really am in America. I knew there would be some bumps in the road on this trip especially since there are 16 girls and we’re all used to being leaders. However, I have learned a lot about myself on this trip and I plan on taking everything I have learned and applying it when I get back home. Thanks for everyone who hung in there and kept a positive attitude because you guys helped me get through this trip J It’s been an awesome three weeks ladies and I hope you all enjoy the rest of your summer break!