{"id":4194,"date":"2021-10-07T12:02:59","date_gmt":"2021-10-07T16:02:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/?p=4194"},"modified":"2022-08-01T11:07:22","modified_gmt":"2022-08-01T15:07:22","slug":"pastimes-in-panamanian-paradise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/2021\/10\/07\/pastimes-in-panamanian-paradise\/","title":{"rendered":"Pastimes in Panamanian Paradise"},"content":{"rendered":"

This summer, I studied abroad for one month in the country of Panama.\u00a0 I studied abroad through the School for Field Studies (SFS), and I took one class called Tropical Island Systems: The Human Impact.\u00a0 Panama was actually not my original destination of choice, as I had studied abroad for a semester in 2019 in Costa Rica and Mexico. \u00a0I was interested in going abroad again before I graduated somewhere outside of Central America. \u00a0I looked at several other programs and was accepted to the Bhutan summer program through SFS, which unfortunately got canceled due to Covid-19.\u00a0 I thought Panama would be similar to my experience in Costa Rica in the cloud forest, however, I could not have been more wrong.\u00a0 Returning to Central America was truly an amazing experience, one that I will never forget, and I would not have done anything like it if it had not been for the pandemic.<\/p>\n

I do not know how I got so lucky, because my program was the definition of paradise.\u00a0 Time went by blissfully slow, the days filled with adventure, smiles, good times, good food, and new experiences.\u00a0 While many SFS programs have different focuses, my program was nicknamed the \u201csurf and turf\u201d program, as we got to do many land and water activities.\u00a0 The SFS Panama center was located on an island in the Bocas del Toro archipelago on the Caribbean coast of Panama.\u00a0 The water was warm, clear, and full of ocean life.\u00a0 Our center was right on the beach, and our classroom was on a dock overlooking the ocean. We would discuss our readings there and were picked up multiple times a week to go on excursions.\u00a0 Our center was within walking distance of town, many other beaches, and nearby restaurants.\u00a0 Bocas is in the tropics, so we got to see lots of cool tropical flora and fauna every day, including frogs, sloths, and leaf cutter ants.\u00a0\u00a0Oh, and did I mention we had a personal chef?<\/p>\n

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My program<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think one of the best aspects of my study abroad experience was my awesome program.\u00a0 My program was different from a lot of study abroad options because I was not at a university.\u00a0 While I was taking a college-level course taught by professors, I was located at a small center with other students from the U.S.<\/p>\n

This program was HANDS-ON, which I think was one of its best aspects.\u00a0 Our class met six days a week, which, surprisingly, was not bad, as Saturdays were often half days.\u00a0 In class, we learned about rainforest and marine ecology and the human impact of tourism on local island communities.\u00a0\u00a0We were out in the field during most class time, which normally consisted of snorkeling, but it would sometimes consist of trekking through the rainforest.\u00a0 We had many speakers from the community come and talk to us about various conservation topics such as marine research, coral restoration, and sea turtle conservation.\u00a0\u00a0I believe this program would be great for anyone considering fieldwork\u00a0after graduation.<\/p>\n

We had seventeen students in my program, and we were the only people at the center except for the staff. \u00a0We got to know each other very well over the summer and spent A LOT of time together.\u00a0 I think that this group size let us all make lasting relationships even though our program was only a month long.\u00a0 By the end, we had all greatly improved our teamwork skills, as we had multiple group projects together as well.<\/p>\n

Lastly, the teachers and staff were truly amazing.\u00a0 You could tell that they loved their jobs, and it showed through their involvement with us.\u00a0 We got to eat meals with our professors, and I really enjoyed visiting with them during mealtimes and hearing about their lives.\u00a0 It was really cool to share their excitement about the material they were teaching to us, as we were able to experience it together. \u00a0I felt like by the end, we were all able to have better, personal relationships than what we could get in an average college classroom setting.<\/p>\n

Food<\/strong><\/p>\n

I really enjoyed the food in Panama.\u00a0 The food was very healthy, fresh, and delicious.\u00a0 I was originally worried about what foods would be available, as I have dietary restrictions.\u00a0 Our chef on campus, Hugo, cooked us amazing dishes.\u00a0 There were two of us who were vegetarian and two of us who were gluten-free. \u00a0He often made meals that all of us in the program could eat, and if not, he would make each of us with dietary restrictions separate meals.\u00a0 For breakfast, we often had eggs, fresh fruit, pancakes, yogurt, and coffee.\u00a0 For lunch and dinner, we often had different variations of chicken, rice, cooked vegetables, salad, and juice.\u00a0 The restaurants also served very delicious, healthy food.\u00a0 My favorite meal was during our last night in Bocas.\u00a0 We traveled to the nearby Carenero island to a restaurant called Receta Michil\u00e1, where I had one of the best meals of my entire life.\u00a0 Dinner was fish and breadfruit, and dessert was chocolate mousse topped with chili powdered cacao nibs. \u00a0The menu was small and limited to what foods were local and caught that day.\u00a0 After eating, we took a tour of the extensive garden located behind the restaurant in the rainforest. \u00a0It was one of my favorite nights during the trip.<\/p>\n

Culture\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Getting to experience the local way of life is one of the most immersive parts of study abroad.\u00a0 Getting to not only visit but live in and\u00a0learn about your surroundings you will be in for one or more months is a unique experience and makes your time abroad even more meaningful.\u00a0 While unfortunately, our exposure to the Panamanian culture was somewhat limited due to Covid-19, I think the relationships we were able to make with the people we met in the program and in the community were stronger because of it.\u00a0 Without the tourists in a tourist town, we were able to meet and connect with many more locals than we would have otherwise, which I thought was really neat. \u00a0In addition, our class really helped us learn about the history of the people of Panama and their relationships to conservation in the archipelago.<\/p>\n

Studying abroad as an environmental science major<\/strong><\/p>\n

I found that there are plenty of opportunities for study abroad in many different countries as an environmental science major.\u00a0 I feel like often, especially in Tennessee, it can be very discouraging to be an environmental science major.\u00a0 We are often having to fight for better environmental practices, even at our own universities. \u00a0We are often surrounded by people who still deny the existence of climate change, and I have sadly had many professors who still tiptoe around climate change topics to not offend or turn away people in my classes.\u00a0 I have found it extremely eye-opening that the narrative surrounding climate change and environmental science can be very different in different locations.\u00a0 After returning from my first\u00a0study abroad in Costa Rica, I was very excited and uplifted by my positive experience in a very eco-friendly country, and I was ready to fight for change back at home.\u00a0 After coming back from Panama, my eyes had been opened in a different way.\u00a0 I saw coral reefs that had been overfished, damaged, and bleached. \u00a0My class had discussions about rising sea levels and shrinking fish populations in Bocas and how local livelihoods have and will be affected in the future.\u00a0 Even with the environmental degradation that has happened and continues to happen in Bocas today, my class was able to see all of the teachers, researchers, nonprofit organizations, business owners, and even everyday citizens working for sustainable practices in a sustainable model, building from the ground up.\u00a0 I now realize that there is an\u00a0army of very talented people dedicated to fighting climate change and negative\u00a0human impact around the globe, and they\u00a0are not going to give up, no matter the circumstances.<\/p>\n

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Awesome things I got to do that were part of the program:<\/strong><\/p>\n