Final Blog- Shivani Alamo

Friday, already. It was unbelievable how fast the trip came and left. Our last day in Panama was amazing like all the others. We started off with a tour of City of Knowledge then made our way to meet the Ambassador. The two women that spoke at the City of knowledge really summed up all of the hospital tours from the entire week. Then we went to visit the Embassy, this was an awesome experience. Almost like something I have never experienced before, going through high security, having to wear an official ID tag, and having to be escorted 4 at a time. Then when the ambassador spoke, she summed up a lot of what is going on in the operating of Panama and that explained a lot of things from the week as well. She tried to best explain Panamanian structure and did a good job at it. What I found even more interesting though were her colleagues, they really broke down the international affairs positions that they work in. This helped me as I am an international relations major. I felt like the speakers at Cuidad del Saber and the meeting at the Embassy brought everything from the week together. The experiences with the children, and where they were growing up, to the political structures, and medical system. Speaking with the representatives from the embassy really put my career plans into perspective and helped me narrow down what I want to do. Their accounts of how it is to work on the international field held much weight into the decisions that I will have to make in the near future. 

Friday, already. It was very hard when we arrived home after our day and it was time to pack. I started feeling very sad, as I packed my bag and looked around at my fellow classmates that I shared so many experiences with. In one week I grew closer to people I didn't know, and experienced with them things I have not experienced with my own family. Together we helped give attention to children who otherwise probably wouldn't have received it in those four days. Some may look at it as we came to Panama to play with babies and children in the park, but I think we did more than what we can ever see. I only hope that my fellow classmates and I don't forget this experience and take all that we have seen and learned to take action in our lives. All of this is going through my mind while packing. Scenes from through out the week keep reeling over and over in my head; everything from the smithsonian to little Arisberto laughing. I think about him a lot actually, sometimes I wonder what he and the other babies are doing. Or what Luigi and the other kids from Casa Esperanza are doing. Will I ever see them again? Will they achieve what they want in life? Will they survive? 

I am back in the states now, and all I can think about is Panama, the beautiful scenery, people and children we worked with. I look at all I have here, and what they had there. I keep thinking about everything we saw from hospitals to poverty stricken streets. I keep thinking about everything that we learned about the country, its people and their stories. I am grateful for such an amazing experience and can't even begin to put into words the feelings that I had throughout the week. I have made a promise to myself to not forget.