Wow, Our Last Day in Panama!

The program is flying by, and it is hard to believe that we depart for Colombia tomorrow. Many of us stepped outside of our comfort zone as we embarked on our first journey of the day, ziplining through the Panamanian rainforest. Today we had the honor of meeting Kurt’s two young children as the joined us on today’s activities. We enjoyed learning from them about their experiences living in Panama. They were very excited to be the first to begin the tour as they had previously ziplined. It was a fun morning full of pictures by our famous photographer Kurt, rainforest and new experiences.

Next we were off to have lunch at an authentic Panamanian diner located on the Caribbean Sea. During our time in Panama we have had many opportunities to indulge in Panamanian Seafood, which was the specialty of today’s menu. During this time we debriefed and created our own analysis of agriculture in Panama with Kurt.

Then we became the characters of the Pirates of the Caribbean as we visited the historic city of Portobello. During our visit our tour guide Christopher gave us an amazing tour of the city and many details of its history. We learned the ports were strategically placed at the mouth of the Caribbean Sea to protect the city from pirates. However, Henry Morgan was a sly pirate who used small boats to come on to the land and attack the city without any warning. We enjoyed touring and exploring the remains of the forts overlooking the Caribbean.

From this historic city we headed off to a genuine Panamanian market where we had the opportunity to buy some souvenirs and memorabilia from our time in Panama. We had a great last night in Panama. We attended a cultural dinner and show, highlighted by traditional Panamanian dancing and costumes. We have learned a lot about agriculture and the culture of Panama and look forward to our time in Colombia. For the last time, Good Night Panama!

Matthew Barnhill – North Carolina State University

Chelsy Coen – Kansas State University