Panamá 2025 - Students Going Global (Day 5- 5/24/2025)

 Panama - Day 5:

This morning we were able to sleep in a bit and had breakfast at 7:45. We wanted the kiddos to be well rested for our snorkeling adventure today. Breakfast had a lot of foods that the kiddos enjoyed and we were off on our journey.

Today we headed on another adventure to test students’ responsibility, courage, and endurance. We drove to the other side of Panama to visit Colon and the Caribbean Sea. Students had a large dose of the Panamanian rain and it appears that I spoke too soon with respect to our luck! It rained the WHOLE WAY THERE! I am sure this heightened the nerves for my students but there was sunshine awaiting them for snorkeling and the beach!

To snorkel we traveled to the Colon providence to the city of Portobelo. This city was first named by Columbus and Portobelo means “beautiful port” in Italian. For several of them, this was the first time they would get into the ocean (the Caribbean Sea). As we traveled, we encountered more rain than we have the entire journey combined and we were worried that it would impact the snorkeling. While part of the boat ride there wasn’t the best, we were able to snorkel right after the rain stopped and the fish were very active! Kids swam with their flippers, facemask and snorkel and, after a brief lesson on water safety and lifejacket use, they were ready to rock and roll! While I know there were nerves in this group regarding the water and snorkeling, you would not have known it. They did a great job and saw quite a few fish among the coral!

After snorkeling the kids had some free time at Playa Huerta. They played Marco Polo, found hermit crabs and raced them, searched for shells (even though we cannot take them home), built sandcastles, and even buried Cal in the sand! For a lot of them, this was the first time they had done many of these activities and it was fun to watch them discover new things! Feel free to vote for your favorite sandcastle in the comments!

 

We took the boats back to the scuba rental station and had lunch. Students chose from fish or chicken for this meal and both were accompanied by fried plantains! This wasn’t the only fun food of the day. When I first studied abroad in college, I went to Puerto Rico. I tried a small green fruit with a jelly inside while I was there. Since 2007, I haven’t been able to find that fruit. I have traveled to many countries where it can be found, but never during the right season. I told this story to our guide Nafi and our friend Irving. They told our bus driver Carlos and this morning when I arrived to my bus seat, I had a whole bag of mamón waiting for me. This is my favorite fruit! We had enough for everyone on the bus (who was willing) to try some! Several kids enjoyed it! Maybe one day they will come back and find more on their own!

After snorkeling we took a walking tour of Portobelo. Our first stop was La Iglesia de Portobelo to see the Cristo Negro (the Black Christ). Students learned about the history of where the statue came from and the miracles he is believed to have performed. They also learned about the traditions that are common in this area with respect to pilgrimage. 

Next we stopped at the museum in Portobelo. We learned about the history of African slaves in Portobelo and saw quite a few pieces of artwork that showed the culture of the Caribbean. We also learned about the patchwork dresses and their history. The beautiful dress you see below in an example of a dress that would have been sewed by a slave in Portobelo. This beautiful dress is made up of various colors and patterns because they used the scraps leftover after making clothes for the people in the family they worked for. 

Next we stopped at the Fort of Portobelo. This fort was built and used by the Spanish to defend against the attack of pirates. It is quite possible that the likes of Henry Morgan and Sir Francis Drake once stood on the ground where we were standing. Students learned about how they communicated, were able to see the cannons, and understand a little about the underground barracks at the fort. We concluded that several students were a bit to tall to live in these underground barracks!

It was time to head back to Panama City, but before getting there we had one last stop to make! Since it is the end of day 5, we figured the students had seen quite a few things and were in a much better spot to return to the handicraft market for meaningful souvenirs. They were asked to plan ahead on the bus ride there and make their purchases quickly. In one of the towns we passed through, there was a town anniversary celebration that caused quite a bit of traffic. What happened next is just another example of how an amazing guide can make great things happen. Knowing that we only had one day left in Panama, and all wanted souvenirs, Nafi called the handicraft market ahead of our arrival and asked that they remain open 15 minutes after their scheduled time to close. She didn’t have to make the call and the handicraft market didn’t have to stay open, but kindness is evident in Panama and the tourism industry is essential to the economy. We appreciated the efforts! I don't have pictures of this mission in the handcraft market due to my own shopping and chatting habits! ;)

Following our shopping adventure, it was time to head back to the hotel. On the way there, Nafi taught is a very Panamanian phrase – “Que sopa?”. This is a fun Panamanian way to say Que paso? (What’s up?). It is simply a flip of the syllables for fun, but very common!

Tonight for dinner, we had the options of traditional spare ribs, lo mien, chicken and more! There’s always something new to try for dinner, as well as a large buffet of dessert bites!

A very competitive group competition for Potter Points and it was off to rest! Tomorrow is another amazing day full of opportunities to learn and make memories!