At the beginning of this trip i set out the goal to develop the following: gratitude for the experience, humility, and understanding of Bocas del Torro and the people that live here. Gratitude has come to me the most naturally. I am grateful for this experience, for being able to see such a beautiful part…
As I write in this hammock, I am internally happy. The stringed lights shine down yellow streams of bliss and reflect upon the white ceilings and pillars. I feel peace at this very moment, knowing that today exhibited success in learning about the beautiful people of Bastimentos and in befriending the children playing in the…
OK today was a fun day. We woke up at 8 am, had breakfast (these delicious pancakes), and got on a boat to go snorkeling. The boat ride there was so nice and breezy, and when we reached the first stop (which was a beach), the water was incredibly clear and clean . There was…
Today is day five. This morning we began our day with a hike to Wizard Beach. One of the most memorable things we saw along the trail were all of the ants carrying food for their colonies. Arriving at the beach, only slightly bitten by ants, we were greeted by soft sand and the sight…
While watching the kids live through their daily lives, I realized how numb I’ve become to my privilege back at home. I talked a lot to a child named Jesus, and as we read picture books together, we were equally teaching each other our respective languages. For me, the Spanish I learned has become helpful…
As our trip goes on, we begin to learn, focus, and practice Learning Service and how we shift our comfort zones. Seeing the group practice to understand Learning Service has been so amazing. Understanding in Cristbol & Basti that we are not here to benefit or change people’s way of being, but instead, learn about…
Today was the first official day of our Panama trip! Despite the heat and humidity, I really enjoyed our boat ride to Bocas Del Toro. I’m really happy that everyone has learned a lot about each other already. My favorite part of today was meeting all of the kids at the Cristobál school. I was…
We just received a message from the field informing us they have settled into their program with Give and Surf. The group arrived in Bocas del Toro this morning and, after orientation, jumped right into supporting the after-school centers run by Give and Surf. They will be staying on Cristobal Island until Wednesday afternoon, at…
What is a memory that you bring with you home? I enjoyed the afternoon swims next to the hotel and I learned that there is a type of apple called “marañon”. I loved seeing the reefs and the fish but my favorite part was going back to the centers and developing my relationships with the…
Eight AM consisted of hojaldres and roosters. I awoke wrapped in both blankets and aromas, of the ocean, the humid island air, and, of course, the hojaldres. The smell of the hojaldres eventually pulled us out of our beds and down the stairs to where Louis was busy cooking. “My favorite breakfast” I commented, not…
Today was an adventure that was unexpectedly unique, we started the day similar to many others with the noises of Caribbean waking us up and leading us to a breakfast of French toast and a variety of fruit. After the usual breakfast routine the group boarded two boats to take us to La Loma cacao…
Today was the first day my room was on time for breakfast. Princess began our day with the theme song from Frozen to make sure we were awake. Shockingly, we had already woken up from the tropical music playing outside of our window. As everyone arrived for breakfast at different times, I could hear the…
Today we woke up excited to go and visit the cacao farms in San Cristobal. We woke up to some freshly made pancakes and some delicious pineapple. We then took a long boat ride to San Cristobal. We got to San Cristobal and were welcomed by so many kids. When we got to the Cacao…
Yesterday concluded with a horrific episode of a four-cockroach invasion in the instructor’s room after dinner. Without further ado… Welcome to Snorkeling Saturday! The morning commenced with the usual reluctance to get out of our warm beds. Later we ate a delicious breakfast of omelets, bread, and fruit while talking about random subjects. To our…
The group returned late with little energy for writing in the travel journey – a night off! Word from the field: some students’ evening excitement was an introduction to cockroaches!
It was really satisfying to wake up hearing the crashing waves and the palm trees swaying in the distance. After leaving the bed and opening the windows you could see the beautiful colors of the houses and a bright sun for beginning the day, (I couldn’t really enjoy it as the alarm didn’t work and…
Today was a very busy but fun day! We started the morning with omlets, toast, and fruit before boarding onto 2 boats and making our way to the island of Bocas del Toro. While the whole archipelago is called Bocas del Toro there is one main island that shares the name while the others all…
Today was probably my favorite day that we have had so far. It was really hard to get out of bed because I have been sleeping so well with the sounds of the ocean. We had pancakes and fruit for breakfast (so good!). Then we went to Red Frog Beach by boat and arrived at…
Today was a very eventful day that began with waking up and listening to the soothing waves and birds. We all got ready and sat in the main room to eat breakfast with a lookout of the beautiful ocean. The breakfast today was pancakes and fruits. My favorite fruit was the pineapple because of how…
June 18th Today was our first full day in Panama, and it has been very eventful! We started off the morning with a tour of the city as we learned about the history of this place. Panama is a country filled with so much diversity and culture! As we were walking through the city, we…
The group has arrived safely to Panama and is enjoying their first day together. Here is a picture of the group at the Trapiche Restaurant where they had dinner tonight.