Final Blog-Kathleen Pombier

While I looked forward to my trip to Panama all semester, I never expected it to be as incredible as it was. While all the tourist activities we did were awesome, it was the volunteer work and the people whom I did it with that made this trip so special.

Visiting the Emebera tribe the first day of the trip was incredible. The scenery was gorgeous and getting to swim in a waterfall was something I never anticipated getting to do. While I was a little disappointed seeing them try to make a living by selling their culture and was saddened by how unhappy they appeared while doing it, I did laugh about the fact that all the souvenirs we bought which we thought were authentic, were being sold all over Panama, often for a lower price.

Our trip to El Valle was also something new for me. I had never zip-lined before, nor had I intentionally covered my face in mud. Maybe it was my imagination, but my skin did feel a little softer that evening. I loved getting to walk through the forest and seeing even more waterfalls and sloths. Getting to go to the market was also fun. I bought a mola which was one of the things I wanted to make sure I did before I left.

The third day of our trip was the beginning of our volunteer work, and I had no idea how much it would affect me. My group visited Nutre Hogar first. Personally, I was not very familiar with babies. I’m the youngest child and no one in my family had a baby while I was growing up so before this, I could probably count the number of times I’ve held a baby on one hand. In fact, when the first brought the babies out, I was a little hesitant to pick one up because of my lack of experience. However, the moment I did, I realized there was little to be afraid of. All that my baby wanted was to be held. He leaned against me and put his head on my shoulder and stayed still like that for a good forty-five minutes. If I shifted him slightly to get more comfortable, he would wait till I was done, and then place his head back on my shoulder. After a while, I decided to see if I could get him to smile. It took a while, but eventually he did, and I was thrilled. We got to feed the babies which was kind of difficult for me. If I stopped for a second or set down the spoon, he would try to get my attention or hand me the spoon. What bothered me the most however, was once he finished the food, I set the spoon down, and he immediately picked it up and handed it back to me. It was obvious that he wanted more food, but there was none left. The most difficult part of the day was putting him back in the crib. The moment I did, he looked up at me and began to cry. I was unsure of what to do, so I picked him back up and he stopped. However, it was time to go so I put him back in and he started crying again. It was extremely difficult for me to leave him there crying because I knew no one was going to go pick him up and comfort him, not because they didn’t care, but because there just weren’t enough people working there to handle all the babies.

The next day volunteering there was easier. I think I knew what to expect and was able to separate my emotions from my intellect. I knew the baby I was taking care of wouldn’t remember me in a couple of days and that my holding him for a day would not have much, if any, long term effect. Still, when I got there, I began looking for the baby that I cared for the previous day. I couldn’t find him and was disappointed. I looked all around the room where I place him the day before, but he was not there. As I turned to leave the room however, I noticed that one of my group members was holding the baby I had the day before. As she went to hand him to me, he caught a glimpse of me, and a smile spread across his face. I was ecstatic. I took him downstairs, and, in opposition to the previous day, he was very active. He crawled across the floor, played with balls, and even interacted with other babies. He was obviously enjoying himself and it made me happy to see how happy he was. It came time to feed them again and it was the same event as the day before. When it came time to place him in his crib, I set him down and left. As I was walking out of the room and heard him crying, but I knew if I went back, I would never be able to leave. I hope that in the future, I will be able to do more for Nutre Hogar. I know there is only so much good that can be done in two days of service. I also know that was most important to the organization were the donations given and not our presence there. However, I think it was imperative that we physically go there and see the children, not just mail them supplies. By seeing those babies, I know that I want to get involved in more service and I want to do more for that specific organization. I hope we are able to continue to donate to them and especially find some way to help Adelaida, an amazing six year old girl who needs a surgery her family can’t afford.
The fifth day of our trip was the first day we went to Casa Esperanza. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. I knew these were kids who used to work the streets and that they were living in poverty. I guess I thought they would be unwilling to interact with us but the other group was right when they described these kids as awesome. It was amazing to see that after all they’ve been through, they are still kids. They were willing to open up to us and describe what their lives were like. They wanted to learn English very badly. They were incredibly interested in where we came from as well. It was great that even though I speak no Spanish, they wanted to know about me, even if I did need a translator. I was thrilled that these kids had a program like Casa Esperanza that could serve as a haven. I knew they appreciated having us there, but I was also happy that even if we hadn’t been there, their day would have still involved them all getting to play and have fun. I was also very happy we were able to donate computers with programs that would help teach the kids English since many of them made it clear that they truly had a desire to learn.

Friday was our trip to the canal and to see the ambassador. The ambassador seemed very down to earth, although we laughed afterwards about how generic her answers were in terms of the United States relationship to Panama. Even though we had learned about the canal, I was amazed to see it in person, especially how large it was. The museum was interesting, the view from the top was great, and the way the ships got through the canal was incredible. There was so little room on either side of the ship I was astounded that the ships didn’t hit into the sides. Seeing how high the water had to rise to allow the ships to pass was shocking. I couldn’t believe the difference in the water levels on each side of the lock.

All in all, this trip has been one of the most amazing things I have ever gotten to do. I enjoyed all our day trips and really enjoyed the volunteering which kind of surprised me. I was able to learn a lot more about Panama by seeing it firsthand. I think what really made this trip great was the people who I was there with. The entire group was amazing and I had so much fun. I really hope I will have a chance to return to Panama some day. By far, this was my best spring break ever.