I'm finally packed and ready to go! I'm incredibly excited to leave for Panama City on Monday (despite looking like a pack mule). It's strange to be finally leaving home after spending a month preparing to leave, but I'm eager to start on my adventure!
My plan is to keep this blog updated of my travels, with as many pictures as possible. I'll be spending my first week in Antón Valley for orientation with the 16 other students in the program, then I'll be at a homestay in Panama City for 3 weeks taking Spanish classes. After that, we leave Panama City for the jungle to live in various rural communities and visit research centers until April. Then I choose an ISP (Independent Research Project) and spend 4 weeks at a location of my choice before we present our projects at the end of the program in May.
While I can't wait to practice my Spanish, learn about the country's conservation efforts, meet my host family, and get to know the other students in the program, I think I'm most excited about the unpredictability of this trip: each day I'll have completely new once-in-a-lifetime experiences and I can't wait to share them with you all! :)
Hi Michelle -
ReplyDeleteWishing you a wonderful adventure where not only will you be discovering new things about the world around you, but also about yourself! Enjoy every moment, absorb every experience and come back safe and sound with great stories.
Best wishes, Christina Mohacsi