If you walk outside almost anywhere in Panama City between the hours of 8am - 12pm, you are almost guaranteed to see several students donning the country's school uniform; A white or blue button down shirt with slacks and dress shoes. Panama, like many other third world countries, has an education crisis. This starts from … Continue reading Education →

In a country whose economy thrives on foreigners, be it tourists or shipping companies, it is important to be able to offer something unique. Panama exploits its distinct ecology and geography to differ itself from other countries and to bring people in. The first idea that comes to mind when I think of exploitation of … Continue reading Exploitation of Resources →

Walking down to the school this morning, I noticed something I hadn't really thought about. The sidewalks, the streets and the buildings bring people and their belongings really close. Once I made a left turn onto Av. Manuel Espinosa Batista, there is a bus stop roughly 50 meters from the corner. Lined up on the … Continue reading Space →

Panama, like many other countries, is made up of a network of microcultures which form a greater understanding of the culture. Perhaps one of the most notable examples are the indigenous tribes scattered throughout Panama. The indigenous groups fall under the definition of a microculture perfectly; The culture of a small group of human beings … Continue reading Association →

If gender roles are overemphasized anywhere in the world, it is Central America or the Middle East. Panama is absolutely no exception to this outdated ideal. On my first night in the country, I went to a restaurant where the women were serving, and the men were behind the counter. I didn’t think too much … Continue reading Gender →

In a country where the Army is outlawed, there is certainly a large militaristic presence. Be it security guards outside banks wielding 12 Gauge shotguns, Presidential Guards carrying pistols, militarized police forces carrying sub machine guns or long rifles, or all the private security guards who carry pistols.  There hasn’t really been a single moment where … Continue reading Defense →

Panamanian recreation is not a simple topic of conversation. Rather, like most countries, there is a complex explanation to the different forms of recreation in Panama. In this blog, I will talk about two different forms of recreation; Sports and Dancing. On our last Friday in Panama City, before going to Boquete, a group of … Continue reading Recreation →

In the Army, punctuality is injected into our blood stream by the NCOs and Officers. One of our many mottos is "If you are not 15 minutes early, you are late." When you are late, the physical and mental punishment is waiting for you, like thunder waiting for lightening. This lifestyle has led me to … Continue reading Time →

The Panamanian spread of wealth is incredibly eye opening. Panama has extremes on both sides and everything in between. For example, there are the elites on one side and some homeless indigenous people on the other. Since Panama received control of the Canal and started increasing the revenue from it, Panama's economic growth surpasses the … Continue reading Subsistence →

Our first class in QLU for Intercultural Communication led us into one of our first intercultural experiences. We had met a few local Panamanians prior to the class, but we got to have a real conversation with the two Panamanian students in our class. After some rearrangement, we split the class into groups with three … Continue reading Interaction →