Ultimo Post

Well better late than never. Here's my last post so I can wrap this all up. Par for the course I'm going to be all reflective and maybe impart some wisdom on some fellow travelers (though I guess some of it is specific to Panama). So here’s to hoping that’s not a complete disaster. I've picked up a few things, learned a few lessons. Some of it is from personal experience, some of it is from personal non-experience and things I’ve heard from the other students. Here's what I think is important.

1. When walking down the street follow Pokemon rules.

Comfy AND easy to wear. That's the dream.

This one is for the ladies. Men are going to try to get your attention when you’re just walking around.  They will cat-call and wolf-whistle and beep their horns, call out to you, sing etc. That’s just the kind of culture it is. Try to avoid eye contact, because they play by pokemon rules, where eye contact is some sort of obligation.

So I know, it's silly, but really eye contact can easily be interpreted as interest so if you just want to be left alone, don’t go microscoping people’s eyeballs.

 

I think I’ve pretty much mastered this since I had to walk in my daily commute (past several construction sites even). First I had my mp3 player on full-blast and keep the headphones visible (though if you’re going to do this determine if your neighborhood is safe enough for you do so).

If someone does try to get my attention (often they just want to whistle and let you go about your day) I never break my stride. 

Also you can just sort of make faces too. 

2. Realize the importance of taxis

Taxis are going to be pretty essential to your getting around. Try to get the numbers of one or two that you like so you don’t have to stand around waiting all the time. 

The taxis here drive even worse than everyone else so try not to freak out about that.

Also some of the taxis are really nice, they look new and shiny and have air conditioning, while others look like they’ve been being driven around since 1960. It’s really just luck of the draw, and you shouldn’t freak out about that either.

If possible, try to talk to your taxi drivers. I mean some of them are quiet and stone faced the whole time, but plenty of them are talkative. So do that, it will make the ride go by faster (which you’ll need given the amount of time you spend in traffic) and may help determine your rate. Also it will make them more likely to actually come get you if you need a ride somewhere else.

Also no tipping

Tip in general for services and what not, but the taxis more often than  not are going to overcharge you. Yes, it is because you are a foreigner. No, there isn't much you can do about it. So my advise is not to tip.

3. Talk to strangers

This is something that made me uncomfortable, as I'm not big on talking to strangers. But it's a foreign country, everyone is a stranger. You're gonna have to talk to people.  Obviously use your discretion, but part of your experience should be meeting people, getting to hear stories and what not. So talk to strangers, but don't take candy obviously.

4. Try everything

Try everything, the food, the places the activities. Try it all. Take in as much as you can, because it's new. You won't like all of it, that goes without saying, but you'll be glad you tried, I know I was.

5. Pack less; bring more money

If there was one thing I could go back and tell pre-departure Tiffani is that she didn't need three suitcases. You don't need a lot of clothes and things. You do need money. If I could do it over, I would bring a few items of clothes and buy the rest at the mall. There are plenty of places to get cheap and cute clothes, and this is coming from someone who doesn't even like shopping. Once I was able to get something like 10 new outfits for about 30 bucks. You don't need to bring a lot of things either. There are few things you can get in America that you won't be able to get in the city, as parts of Panama are pretty much little USA.

6. Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)

There will be opportunities to dance. Take them, even if you're a bad dancer (like moi), you're in another country. What's the worst that can happen?

7. Creep (Oh I, Oh I, Oh I)

Sometimes you just gotta creep on people. Just go to a cafe, take a book or your laptop and just people watch. Listen to people talk, see what you can pick up in body language. Take time to just observe the culture around you. All that jazz.

8.  Don't feel obligated to stick with the first jerks you meet

I cannot stress this enough. I think there is a sort of misconception that when you go abroad everyone you meet is going to be super awesome and friendly. There are jerks just like in the US. Jerks are universal. So please, don't cling to people just because you happened to run into them first or because you see them often. I know it's an easy trap to fall into, especially in  a new place. Everyday is a new opportunity to make friends. I mean did you really fly hundreds or thousands of miles away from home not to be with something less than awesome?

9. Take lots and lots of pictures

10. It's not going to be what you plan or expect

I'm not saying it's going to be better than what you expect or worse, I'm just saying it will be different. But it's what you make of it when you get there that matters.

So that's the end of my blog. Hope you've enjoyed the ride. Panama was definitely an experience I won't forget, and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to go. I didn't get to do everything I wanted, but that's just an excuse to come back (currently planning a shorter trip for next summer). I learned a lot about myself, my family, and strangely the world in general. And I had the best program director in the land.

Also I've got the traveler's bug and I want to go all over the world now. Mexico, Sweden, Italy, Japan! Though I guess I've got to get this graduation thing out of the way first. 

No next time (at least not in this blog) but here's the first picture I took in Panama: