!Adiós Panamá!

 My morning essentials!

Well, last night was the last of my experiences here in Panama! It is finally coming to a finish.  We went to dinner at Alberto’s Café, which is an Italian restaurant with tons of pasta and pizza. It was on the Causeway, so there was a beautiful view of the water from our table.  The food was delicious, and I was definitely looking forward to a giant bowl of spaghetti! We didn’t get home from dinner until about 11 pm (I hate the fact we always eat so late here), and then finished up packing for my departure this afternoon! I didn’t sleep well last night, probably because I’m just so excited to come home :)) We are heading to the airport at 11am, but our plane doesn’t leave until 3pm. As of right now, I feel like this day will inch on forever! I have a long layover in Miami, and don’t expect to be home until around midnight.  The waiting continues, and the excitement endures, but I’m trying to stay patient!

 I never expected I would say this but saying goodbye to Panama is definitely bittersweet.  Despite the many adjustments and hardships I faced on this trip, I will never forget my experiences, the numerous lives I impacted, the relationships I have formed, the knowledge I have gained, and most importantly the everlasting memories I have made along the way.  It has been a fabulous trip, and I am so glad I had the opportunity to travel here.  I have missed many luxuries of America, since I have been gone, though, that’s for sure! I’ve spent tons of my time here dreaming of hot water, air conditioning, and a bug free living space!! I can’t even begin to name them all, but those are just of the few ranked high on my list! Well, I’m headed off on a jet plane, and can’t wait to touch down in the U.S.! Until next time…

 

XOXO, Jenny

Hombres de Negro

Tonight was the perfect end to an amazing experience here in Chitré! We went to dinner at a sport’s bar called Memories (how ironic), and then went to the Movie Theater! One of the ICU doctor’s, from the hospital we worked at here, also joined us for the party.  Originally, it was planned that we would see Snow White and the Huntsmen, but after purchasing all of the tickets, we found out that the movie was in Spanish! The lady at the ticket counter was very nice, and she let us change our tickets out for a movie that was in English.  There were only two options for an English movie, “Men in Black 3” or “Dark Shadows.”  “Men in Black 3,” or “Hombres de Negro,” was the winner.  The movie was surprisingly great! The theater was similar to one found back home; however, there were only about three theaters total inside.  The movie screen was very large, the seats were comfy, and the air conditioning was set to freezing, just like at home! They even had a snack bar with popcorn, candy and drinks. We took Taxi’s home from the movie theater, because our driver gets off at 5pm.  That was an experience in itself! This was our first taxi ride in Panama; normally we usually take our bus or walk anywhere we need to go.  We stood on the side of the road waiting for a taxi to drive by.  This didn’t take but two minutes, because taxis are a main mode of transportation in Panama.  I wasn’t sure what to expect of the ride, but it was sure a fast one.  The taxi driver drove 78 mph at one point, and we didn’t even travel on any highways! Thankfully, I made it home safely and the cab ride only cost us $2.50.  Overall, I had such a great night, and it was a great way to celebrate our last night here in Chitré.  The bus is picking us up at 10am tomorrow morning to head to Panama City! I’m almost done packing, and crossing my fingers I won’t forget anything! It has definitely been one heck of a journey, but I am so excited to finally be making my way home!

 Go Bulls, even in Panama! :)

 XOXO, Jenny

Last day of Clinical!

Well, it has finally come to an end! I am finished with my clinical hours for the summer semester, and done working at the hospital here in Chitré.  Today, I was on the Neurology floor again.  I was able to read CAT scans with the doctors, and I even was able to see the patient whose surgery I watched yesterday.  It was so neat to see how much he had improved overnight! After the hospital, we went to the University of Panama to meet with the students majoring in English.  They were able to practice their English, while we were able to learn more about the Panamanian culture! I had such a great time conversing with them, and they spoke English very well! Overall, it was an awesome day! This evening, I made brownies with one of my classmates for our presentations tomorrow! I’m definitely looking forward to a sweet treat, since I haven’t really had any here! Only two more days waking up here in Chitré! Tomorrow, we are giving presentations in the afternoon then going out to dinner and to the movie theater to see Snow White. Apparently, the movie is in English, with Spanish subtitles! I’m super anxious to see how the theater will be!  I’ll let you know what I find!

XOXO, Jenny

Rainy Days & Naptime

It storms quite frequently here in Chitré, normally in the late afternoon.  Today was a different story, though. It began raining early this morning and continued to do so through the late afternoon.  When this happens it definitely doesn’t make for a quick drying process of my laundry, and of course, I did two loads last night.  So unfortunately, both loads are still wet, and I must wait for a day of sunshine to allow them to dry. We ended up making a contraption for our clothes under the patio awning; in hopes they would dry quicker, but with no heat it is still a slow process. Crossing my fingers, Mr. Sun will come out tomorrow!

Anyway, instead of going to the Psych hospital as planned this week, my group ended up going back to the hospital we worked in last week, Caja de Seguro Social.  Since I have already rotated through the ICU, OR, and ER at this facility, I was placed with two other classmates on the Orthopedic floor.  There wasn’t much for us to do besides take blood pressures and pass out medications, so we quickly finished up our tasks early on in our day.  Towards the middle of the day, one of the doctors we had met last week, stopped by the Ortho floor, realized we didn’t have much to do, and took us away.  He works on the Neurology floor, so we were able to spend some time their today.  There were about 15 patients on his floor, most suffering from spinal injuries, and a few others with brain injuries.  We even were able to head back to the OR, and watch a spinal repair surgery! It was pretty intense! The surgery lasted for about 8 hours, so of course we weren’t able to see the entire procedure, but it definitely spiced up my day for the little bit I was able to see. We got home from the hospital around noon, made lunch, and then I was able to take a much-needed nap! I have woken up around 6am everyday since I have been here, and it is definitely catching up with me.  It was still raining at this point, and since our trip is coming to an end most of the assignments are already completed.  I figured taking a nap would make the time go faster as well, and I would wake up and be closer to coming home! Yipee :)) I’m going back to the hospital again tomorrow, for the last time.  Tomorrow is our last day of clinical, we will spend Thursday giving our final presentations for the class, and then we leave early Friday morning to head back to Panama City.  We are staying at the City of Knowledge again, when we arrive in Panama City.  Our flight leaves on Saturday, it’s almost here, I can’t even wait!!

XOXO, Jenny

Las Minas

Today we traveled about 2 hours away to a community called Las Minas. The Elementary School we visited is on a high mountaintop, and is located in a very impoverished area.  Some of the children have to walk an hour and a half each way to get to school.  There were very few cars, and most people traveled on horseback.  On our way there, I felt as if I was on a safari ride at Busch Gardens! The roads were all made of dirt and rocks, were very bumpy, and animals were found on the side of the road, such as loose horses, pigs, and chickens.  The roads wound around the mountains, and it was kind of scary driving up steep hills with enormous cliffs on each side! At one point, our bus even began to roll down the mountain road backwards! We taught the children the same activities we used at the other schools.  There were only about 40 children at the school though, and they only had two classrooms.  The school kitchen, where the children’s lunches were prepared, was a hut made from palm frons.  The school even had their own chicken coop, and I'm sure you can assume what that is used for. The restroom was a cement toilet with a hole in the bottom that drained through the ground, and I’m guessing down the mountain.  It is so sad to see the way some of these people are accustomed to living here! We received donations of shoes from back home that we brought with us to Las Minas.  Each child received a new pair of shoes, since most of the ones on their feet were worn to death.  They were all so grateful to receive them! We also handed out toothbrushes and toothpaste to all the kiddos! Overall, it was awesome to see all the smiles on each of the kid’s faces, which made the trek up to the school totally worth it!

On another note, the countdown has officially begun until I come home! Five days and counting!! I’m so excited to see everyone, but it’s definitely bittersweet, and I will definitely miss Panama.  My experience here has been very rewarding, and the benefits definitely outweigh all of the struggles I have overcome.  I even began putting some things in my suitcase tonight, ahhhh the excitement! :))

Here are some pictures from Las Minas:

He was so excited about his new light-up tennis shoes!

XOXO, Jenny

Last Day in El Valle!

I started my day off on the right foot, horseback riding through windy mountain roads! I was definitely in heaven; I have missed riding so much! My horse’s name was Domino, and he was such a good boy throughout our ride.  The ride only lasted an hour, so afterwards we had more time to shop in the market before heading back to Chitré.   Of course I couldn’t resist shopping, and picked up a few more things to bring back. I am in love with all the handcrafted items here! We headed back home to Chitré around 1:30.  It was about a 2 ½ hour drive this time. We fixed dinner at home, Spaghetti tonight, and have just been preparing for our day tomorrow at Las Menes.  It is a small school in the mountains that we will be teaching at tomorrow.

Here are a few more pictures from this weekend; I truly think El Valle is the prettiest place I have ever seen!

 Meet Domino :)

 The famous "Golden Frog!"

 This is the Sleeping Indian Girl Mountain! I hiked from her head to her toes! Can you see her??

My friend Monica, again!

 

Welcome to El Valle!

This is the hotel I stayed in for the weekend! It has ALL the necessities!

 We ate at Bruschetta's both nights for dinner! The food was delicious!

XOXO, Jenny