This morning 15 middle school kiddos, Warren and myself set of on the journey of a lifetime! Over the next 7 days these kiddos will experience language, culture, history, environmental learning and fun, but most of all they will gain cultural awareness and independence. They have met monthly for a year to prepare for and make the most of their trip!
Throughout our tour of Panama, I will give you a glimpse of our adventures via this blog. Each day students complete coursework to get the most out of their journey. Part of this coursework is to contribute two images to the blog! You will see many of the submitted images here. We hope that you enjoy traveling along with us!
We started our journey at the airport in Wichita at 8:45AM. All of my previous trips have started before 6:00AM so it was nice to not have to start so early and the airport wasn't busy at all! Students checked themselves in and said goodbye to loved ones. They also learned who their "Travel Buddies" are for the trip. This is one of the many check systems we have to ensure the safety of all students!
We had a couple hour wait after making it through security without any issues. Students enjoyed Dunkin Donuts, Uno, checked out their Traveler Folders, and shared fun stories while they waited!
The trip to Houston was a short one on a VERY tiny plane (we were 17 of the ~40 people total)! This was a GREAT experience for our FOUR FIRST TIME FLYERS! Their faces said a lot!
We arrived in Houston just in time to get off the plane and make a mad dash to our next gate for our flight to Panama. Our gate was in a different terminal so several students also had their first experience with the SkyTram.
A HUGE shoutout to the United staff for making our experiences at the airport amazing! We might have had help locating a passport, snapping a group photo, finding a dropped boarding pass, and photo bombing! Devonte and Jeanette, and all of the workers were great to work with today!
We arrived in Houston with 8 minutes until boarding. This was just enough time to fill up water bottles and take a quick pitstop at the bathroom. We then began the 4 hour flight to Panama City! Upon arrival we were blessed with an amazing sunset, a view of the city skyline, and ships waiting to enter the canal.
Not only was it a first flight experience for some, but for many it was their first time navigating through immigration and customs. Some practiced their Spanish, some relied on friends, and some hoped that they could watch and copy. All of the aforementioned tactics are great survival skills! I am proud of all of them!
They passed through immigration and customs, we found the bags that we were forced to check due to space, and headed out to meet Irving, our Tour Director (friend).
These kids were extremely excited to be in Panama!
The population of Panama is roughly 4 million and 1.4 million live in Panama City. There are 10 distinct regions in Panama. We talked about the work day (8-5) and how the school year works. There are three parts to the school year, with breaks in between each. We discussed how various things impact the school system (strikes and protests) and the differences between public and private schools. Students also asked about the drought and how that impacts the canal. I'm proud of the questions kids are asking and their attention to all information being given to them.
Here are some of the images captured/shared on our ride from the airport to the hotel.
You may not have noticed, but the last time food was discussed was at about 9AM with Dunkin Donuts. Due to our VERY FAST transfer in Houston, lunch consisted of whatever snacks the kiddos had. Needless to say, they were hungry and ready for the hotel dinner. We arrived at the Holiday Inn Panama Canal, checked into our rooms and then headed to the lobby for dinner. Students will have breakfast and dinner at our hotel (various local fruits, main dishes, and desserts) and then we will have our lunches out, in various areas of Panama. Immediately after getting their food, the room went silent. They were hungry and the food was delicious! It was a wonderful assortment after a long day of traveling.
These kids are constantly growing and full of energy. One room even has a drawer devoted to snacks!
It is 11:45 now, all students were "in bed" by 10:30 and I am getting ready to go to sleep. Here are other fun pictures that students wanted to share! These are some of their favorites from today!
SOMETHING NEW:
This trip I have decided to start something new! Students have been learning how to be a "Top Traveler" for the last year. We have talked about how to act, what to experience, how to express your thoughts and how to step out of your comfort zone. I have decided to create a "Top Traveler Award". This award will go to the student who earns the most Potter Points throughout the trip and there will be a "Top Traveler Trophy"! All travelers currently have points! Students earned points today for many things, here are some examples:
-reading something in Spanish
-pointing out things they have learned in class
-helping a fellow traveler
-utilizing the resources provided in the folder
-paying attention to our guide and answering questions at the end of the night.
Current Top 3 - Top Traveler Award Standings:
1. Claudia Meng
2. Brooklyn Jones
3. Zaine Garcia-Wright
QUOTES OF THE DAY:
I have also decided to continue a tradition that started several years ago. Each evening I will add a couple quotes to the end of the blog. These are quotes that were said throughout the day that caused a bit of laughter. Feel free to email me or make a comment on your guesses to which traveler said what! At the end of the trip I will add names to the quotes!
1. "Mrs. Potter, can we order room service?"
2. "I'm a little shocked that we have already misplaced two passports, a phone, and a boarding pass."
3. "Oh, I know! It's like one of those words you talk about that looks like and sounds like an English word. You know, congruent!" (cognates)
4. "Mrs. Potter, the worker took my passport and didn't give it back,"
5. "This plane is very, very, very small."
6. "I checked my bag 3 times to make sure it had everything in it. Will you check it again just to make sure I won't lose anything?"
7. "We should really be able to take Spanish for two years in middle school. Seriously, I was able to say "television problema grande" and then he started telling me what was wrong with it and I couldn't understand a thing. Help."
8. "I really hope our hotel has a waffle maker. I've always wanted to go to a hotel with a waffle maker."
9. "Mrs. Potter do you want to show off your fit with us?"
10. "They are middle school kids!"
If you got to this point, thank you for reading! Tomorrow we head to the Caribbean Coast to visit Portobelo and go snorkeling! Stay tuned...
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