Day 20

Today we went to Boca Chica and got settled in our homestays. Boca Chica is a small fishing community on the Pacific coast, sheltered from storms by an array of islands off the coast. The village is very cute, with a nice park in the center, and one convenience store.

 In the afternoon, after we were settled, we got on boats and went to a beautiful beach on a small island. We swam and relaxed on the beach and explored the island. There were coconuts and pipas, which are young coconuts whose shells haven't hardened yet. What a beautiful island! It was great to relax after a few intense days in the Naso Community and in Changinola. 

Day 27

Our morning began with picking up the Youth Ambassadors.  The Panamanian Youth Ambassadors are similar to us in that they are a U.S. government-funded program that has allowed them to travel to the U.S., specifically Washington DC, New York, and then half went to Michigan while the other half went to Idaho, in which they learned about recycling, environmentalism, and leadership.  Our groups traveled together to a beach along the Atlantic coast to clean up.  When we arrived we got to hear the U.S. Ambassador to Panama speak. Then we worked side by side with the Youth Ambassadors to pick up trash along the beach shore.  After working in the sun we got to hear from Marianne, a tropical plant specialist from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.  She walked up down one of the piers and pointed out the importance of mangroves for the beach environment.  The mangroves make the ocean a safer place for all kinds of wildlife to exist as well as protecting much of the land from surges.  We also observed from afar the coral reef which created a wall that protects the shores.  During lunch we had the chance to interact with the Youth Ambassadors and hear about their experience in the US.  It was rewarding as well as relaxing to clean and then enjoy the beach on such a bright, hot day.  Once we got back to the City of Knowledge, where we are staying, we got the chance to visit a nearby cafe in which we drank smoothies and coffee and ate churros, empanadas, and carrot cake.  Happy International Youth Day to all those out there reading.

-Fuego Watch Group

Day 26

   Today we woke up around six o´clock.  We had a breakfast of empanadas, fried croquettes, flatbread, an omelet, and pear nectar.  We then proceeded to load the buses in our Aguacate and Bananu groups. 

  We drove about thirty minutes to the Soberania Port to load a boat that would take us to the Smithsonian Tropical Reasearch Institute of Barro Colorado, which is an island about forty minutes away from the mainland.  Once arriving to our destination we saw a presentation about the secondary tropical forest that surrounded us.  From there we split into our watch groups and ventured off into the wild.  We observed many different species of plants and animals including howler monkeys, agouti, woodpeckers, army and leafcutter ants, poison dart frogs, spiders…the list could go on and on.  We were given pamphlets to help us identify the wildlife as we journeyed through the jungle.  We also had the opportunity to talk to some research students about their projects, which were very impressive. 

    We returned to the main building after two hours of exploration and hiking and enjoyed a leisurely lunch.  Following that we watched documentaries made by research students and then loaded the boat to head back to the port.  We arrived back to the City of Knowledge around four o´clock and now students are either preparing their LLPs to present to the Embassy on Monday or have the luxury of some relaxation time.  Later tonight we will have dinner in our respective villas and some group activities.  Its been a fabulous day and promises to be a wonderful night.

Day 25

    This morning we went to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. We learned about marine life and how some species are becoming extinct, like the black sponge. We also saw slugs, sting rays, sharks, sea turtles and sea cucumbers.
   Later we went to the Panama Canal's visitor center and museum. While there, we learned how the canal was built and how it functions on a daily basis. We were able to see a boat go through the one of the locks. There are three sets of locks in the canal, two on the Pacific side and one on the Caribbean. Water in the lock is lowered at a rate of 3 feet per minute. We had a fantastic afternoon learning about the history and future of the canal.
  For dinner we went to a restaurant where we ate traditional Panamanian food and saw dances from across the country. It was a wonderful way to end to our day.

Day 24

   Today we left the National Institute of Agriculture and made our way to Panama City. Even though the bus ride was four hours long, it was worth the wait. We arrived at the City of Knowledge during lunch time where everyone got assigned a Villa (small apartments). City of Knowledge used to be an american military base, but it is now being used for International Educational Programs.
    After the room assignments we got on the bus and took a tour of Panama City. We got to see many stylish modern skyscrapers. Along the way we made stops for shopping. We took the Causeway to the east side of one of the three connected islands, Punta Culebra. The Causeway was built back when the Panama Canal was being developed with the extra rocks extracted from the Panama Canal. There we got to shop for some souvenirs and ice cream.
   During the walking tour we got to see some beautiful historic buildings, some dating back to the 1500's and 1600's. We also got to see some of the Panama Canal, and are looking forward to seeing the rest of it tomorrow. It was a great informative tour of this beautiful city. Today was a great day.

Day 23

    Today we had breakfast at around 8:00 am. Sadly, one of our coordinators had to leave a little early for family business and as we said our goodbyes we cherished the memories and leadership skills he shared with us.  Although he left, we still had a wonderful day were we got to visit different farms here at INA, led by high school students like us.
     We learned different processes from the raising chickens and ducks to drying fruits. Plus, some of us got to see how some of the students here spend their spare time by going to a cultural celebration that the students participated in. At the end if the day they brought home 3rd place but won number one in our hearts. As we welcomed them with warm arms, they played us numerous songs and we even got to dance in celebration bringing both of ours cultures together. To show our thanks we sang our national anthem along with the american and spanish versions of  "We are the world". We enjoyed our time here and have many memories to cherish. Tomorrow Panama City!!!!!!!

Day 22

Today we went on a four-hour drive from Boca Chica to INA (Instituto Nacional de Agricoltura). When we arrived we were given a presentation about CATHLAC who control water management in Central America and give satellite information to the governments of Central America on different environmental issues. After the presentation, three students in INA explained their senior projects about corn, rice, and poultry. The students are required to apply what they’ve learned to a farming project. They sell what they produce at the local market as well as to their own cafeteria. They are then graded on their projects. Afterwards we received a brief presentation about the background of INA. In the presentation we learned that it was only recently that girls were admitted to INA and that there are still a lot more boys than girls.  About 85% of the student body are boys and the remaining are girls.
     After the INA presentation, we finished presenting our LLP’s, which allowed us to gain feedback on improving our individual projects.  Following dinner, we were allowed to converse with the students of INA and watched a musical performance by the students. Many students played soccer with the AYLP members, which allowed them to learn more about the school atmosphere.  There were games of foursquare, knockout, and ping-pong to round out the night.  Overall everyone is very happy to have arrived safely in Divisa and excited for what is to come.