STAY IN THE KNOW

The Hispania house is buzzing once again. The Valley crew came back early on Monday after some automobile trouble needed to be fixed, and their 5-day work break started on Wednesday. Since then, the San Miguel crew has been filtering back to the ever-valuable Internet connection, researching, blog writing and long awaited phone calls to family. For the entire business program that has been in Hispania and the city, it has been quite a rollercoaster. Orientation week was hectic to say the least with 40 people moving and shaking all day, and then by week two everyone was gone and we remembered what it was like to hear silence. The whole crew got reunited last weekend as we made our way into the Valley, and now Hispania is busting with life once again this week.

It’s been great to catch up with everyone – where they are at on projects and how life is outside of the city skyscrapers – but I’ve gotten many, “So, exactly what is it that the business program does? What do you do everyday?” I think we are sort of a mystery to some here at Kalu Yala -so, I am going to do my best to clear this up and see what “A Day in the Life of Kalu Yala Business Intern” really looks like…

8:30 (or 9:45 for some..) – Wake Up, eat breakfast or head down the Riba Smith, the supermarket a few blocks away.The Riba Smith has been one of the greatest assets about the location of the Hispania house, it offers almost every American brand you could want, but I have found myself making up to 3 trips a day before – I am trying to curb my habit.

9:15 – Head to the business office. Most of us end up in here before our mandatory 10:00 am meetings begin to check e-mails and write back to friends and family. Some mornings I find myself in here before 8am to work on my online classes.

10:00 – The work day begins…Mondays we all sit down for a talk with the one and only, Jimmy Stice, and we have the chance to meet with him about our projects and pick his brain with any questions we might have – but most days we have quick meetings with our program director, Abraham Segovia, and then each head off to delve into our work for the day. Some stay in the office or spread out around Hispania.

12:00 – Around mid-day we break for lunch. We have awesome cooks that have introduced us to Panamanian style food and we take about a 30-45 minute break from our computers.

1:00 (ish) – Resume Work. Each day, work varies slightly; Normally, I spend the day researching on my computer, taking notes, or reading over books like, “Successful Business Plan,” the go to book for us interns.

4:00 – The work day ends. Sometimes we stay on our computers, but most of us are ready to turn them off and take a break…..Maybe take another trip over to Riba Smith.

4:30 – The afternoons have become very quiet around Hispania – we ran into this anomaly of not being quite sure what to do with ourselves. It seems that being in the city we would have the most exploring and opportunities for activities of anyone, but I don’t think any of us quite knew how to react to having time that we could spend alone after being surrounded by so many people.

6:00 – Once the sun starts to go down, I head out to running path along the Cinta Costera. I have always enjoyed running but I am surprised at how easily its become a part of my daily routine and how much I look forward to it. It gives me time to be alone and get in some physical activity. The running path is beautiful in the evening with the sun setting and there are so many people out – walking, running, playing sports or just sitting on the benches.

7:30 through the rest of the evening – The evenings offer a lull in the day – sometimes we hang around Hispania and other times we might go check out a restaurant or grab a drink. The newest favorite of everyone is Superbook – a very American style sports club where we have been 5 times since last Tuesday! It’s always a good time, but I don’t think I will eat another chicken wing for a while.

We are determined to see all that the city has to offer; we made a trip out to the canal last week, went to the movie theater, listened to live jazz and have plans to learn how to salsa dance…I’ll be sure to video tape that one – it will make for a few good laughs I’m sure…