My first thought when getting off of the plane and traveling through the city was, “WHAT DID I GET MYSELF INTO?!” We arrived in a small city, San Miguel, where their biggest attraction is a bar made from an old concrete building, and a population of 500. Everyone in the town was very welcoming, their favorite way to tell someone they like you is to buy you a round. The background of San Miguel looks like it was pulled from a postcard. Not only is this the greenest area I’ve ever been to, but it was also decades behind our technology in the US. I am fortunate that I made this journey with one of my closest friends to reassure that this was a great decision. The shock died after we found out we would be moving into the city permanently and I couldn’t wait to start expanding the business program. We were given our first task to put together an art show, which is very new to me. I love to advertise and market but I was unsure how the language barrier hold us back, after two weeks I noticed that my Spanish was started to be refreshed. The city is the perfect place to start up and coming businesses, with so much potential and a blank canvas we couldn’t go anywhere but up. Besides all of the aggressive honks from the locals one of our favorite pastimes was wondering around until we were too lost and forced to take a taxi home (each way is only 1$). Throughout the planning phase of the art show we had to run errands around the city allowing ourselves to become more comfortable with directions and maneuvering our way around. Last night at dinner we realized that we have only been together for a little over two weeks but the bond of living in a foreign city is so strong it feels as if your time is tripled.
My favorite difference in Panama is their transportation…
They believe the more “tricked” out their bus is the more passengers they will have, we took a cab for an hour ($12) and he had a 12’ plasma blasting Panamanian rap. BEST CAB RIDE EVER!! You will also see random Panamanians offering to hold someone’s baby if there is not enough seats, I would love to volunteer with that job!
My least favorite difference from Panama and my hometown is the humidity…
I cannot walk anywhere with my hair down or any make-up, but I can’t complain about not having to get ready anymore. I guess this is a plus as well!
