Mi Nueva Familia!

As with every upcoming new experience, I didn't really know what to expect from being placed in a home with complete strangers whom I had no prior knowledge about, other than the fact that they were somehow associated with the University of Panama. I never had the experience of going to sleep-away camp and this is my first time studying abroad, so all of this was new to me. I definitely thought about the many negative possibilities/outcomes and was just hoping and keeping my fingers crossed for the complete opposite to occur. I took into consideration and was apprehensive about many things including communication barriers, total change in living conditions, safety, lack of available resources (supermarket, phone, internet, etc.), and general comfort. Fortunately, much of my anxiety was quickly put to rest when I met Edy and Raoul (my Panamanian adoptive Mama y Papa).


We arrived in Chitre on Wednesday, May 26th, to the Universidad de Panama, to be warmly welcomed by several staff members and introduced to and picked up by our home stay parents. Caitlin, Melissa, and I were greeted by Mama Edy and Papa Raoul. They were waiting, and waving miniature Panamanian flags, which they handed to each of us. They were so welcoming, friendly, and quick to accomodate us. I could tell right away that they were both more than delighted to meet us and have us stay with them in their home. They took us "home" to drop off our luggage and went with us to the supermarket to make sure we would be situated with food that we wanted for the next couple of days. We had a wonderful time getting to know each other the first night! Our new family "clicked" so well right away, including Edy, Raoul, Caitlin, Melissa, Dukay (taco bell commercial Chihuahua look-alike), Shalon (Dukay's older brother), and of course myself.


I am so grateful for my home stay family and truly enjoy their presence in my Panamanian experience for many reasons. For example, "Papa" gave us a cell phone to use in order to readily get in contact with him. He calls to check whether mi hermanas and I are safe and sound, and have a ride home after our clinical/school day is over. They allow us to have our friends/classmates over at any time. They gave us a key to their home! We always have the most interesting conversations; enjoy learning how to communicate in order to always be on the same page, and are constantly teaching one another each others' language. "Mama" and "Papa" are extremely patient people. Especially "Papa"; not only is he patient but a very brave man, because he has never had a daughter before and all of a sudden he went from living with one woman to living with four! When they came back from going out of town for the weekend, they brought beautiful souvenirs for each of us which even more so shows their genuine generosity! They are just amazing people, always wanting to help in any way that they can. Whether it is laundry, class assignments/presentations, fixing the internet, or preparing meals with us, they are more than happy to be there! Here are some pictures that show some of what I've mentioned above! :)

Greetings from Panama!!!

From the moment we flew into Panama, it has been an adventure from the very start. The first part of the week we were in the City of Knowledge. We stayed in little villas within the community. We had an amazing tour throughout the city which included a tour through ancient catedrals, a tour about the Panama Canal and a closer in depth look of where people live. The food here has been very interesting in a sence that we are not all use to eating rice and chicken everyday two meals a day. Our spanish speaking ability is not up to par it seems. Ordering food and catching cabs is always a challenge but we always somehow make it through. Overall the challenges we have had to endure over the past week or so have made us better people and I have learned so much more about a culture and a country I thought I would never in my life ever get to experience. I feel very grateful and honored to have recieved the chance to experience the country of Panama.

First Day at Clinicals

Today was an interesting and different first day experience at clinicals. Upon walking in to the site, the instructors and the patients were all speaking so fast in Spanish. It was very different to our clinics because there was a whole room full of patients waiting already at 7am. This room was very open and just had rows and rows of benches and no air conditioning for the patients. Many patients travel by foot to the clinic and some live far from the clinic. Luckily, Jean was there for us to translate from Spanish to English. We were able to meet students from the University of Panama and interact with them. I was able to work with Jean on blood pressures and weight in the adult immunization portion of the clinic. I communicated a lot with hand signals and pointing. It was difficult at first with the communication barrier but after a while you were able to understand.

Interesting fact: Penicillin is still widely used here but in injection form because it is cheaper than over the counter. If a patient needs this medication, they have to travel to the clinic to receive it.

After clinicals, we were able to travel back to the university on the bus and have lunch over there. It was interesting seeing all the students and how they interact with one another. I truly love it here. The people are very friendly and kind. They love to help us and are always willing to help us with our Spanish. It is beautiful here but hotter than Florida!

Panama

The thing that has struck me the most about Panama is the difference between their culture and ours in the United States. I think they are a lot more open and trusting of each other. Most of the houses don´t have air conditioning and they leave all the windows and doors open. Neighbors and friends will just walk in and out at any time. At first, this really freaked me out because I´m used to locking all my doors, even when I´m at home. Once I learned that this is the norm in their culture, I felt a lot better about it. Also, I think the general public trusts medical professionals a lot more. We´re used to being questioned about everything, and we worry about being sued for the smallest thing that someone thinks we did wrong. Here in Panama, I have noticed that they are more accepting of what nurses say and tell the patients to do. For example, not one person has turned down a vaccine for their child. They are even vaccinating children for H1N1 right now even though it´s not flu season. In fact, I am writing this from a school where we are giving vaccines today because we haven´t had much internet access to the blogs! The main problem for me has been the language barrier, because we don´t have any translators except another student Jean, who is amazing for helping us out so much on the trip! It´s hard to communicate with the families we are staying with, and also with our patients. I´m trying my best though! Sorry this is so short, but other students have to write posts now too.

Clinicals....

Upon walking in the front door of the clinic the first day, I was immediately struck by the vast differences in this clinic versus the clinics and things I had experienced in clinicals back home. I walked in the entry way of the clinic to find people sitting in rows of pews. They sat there patiently and quietly in a room with no air conditioning. We then were introduced to the nurses of the clinic. They wear similar white scrubs but they still wear the caps. I quickly observed that the nurses essentially run the clinic. There are a couple doctors but the nurses take initiative and are independent. The clinic offers various services. There is a room for pediatrics, vaccinations, dental work, and for gynecological exams. All these services are offered in single rooms off the main waiting room. My first day of clinicals I worked in pediatrics. I loved this experience. I weighed, measured, and gave the babies shots. I was surprised that the mothers were so trusting and not once questioned my ability, even as an obvious foreigner. I have performed a papsmear and given school-aged kids vaccines. The clinic has meager resources, yet they offer so much to the community. They have an emphasis on teaching and health promotion. The nurses display empathy and patience. They spend time answering questions and caring for their patients. I am so impressed with the patient nurse relationship. The patients seem to have so much trust in the nurses. This is something I am not accostumed to back in Florida. They are making such a difference and I am having fun taking part!

Las Experiencias Nuevas

We have been in Panama one week now but we have already seen and experienced so many new things. As I reflect on this past week I am amazed at the transition in my own comfort level in this new culture. When we first arrived in Chitre, we stopped at the University of Panama and were greeted with food, the traditional arroz con pollo. Our individual families that we live with then came and picked us up. When my homestay mom arrived I quickly learned that communication was going to be an issue. She nor the family I stay with speak a word of Spanish. This is when I began to get uneasy. We then arrived at our house in a modest part of town. My roommate Lindsay and I were shocked to see that they leave the doors and windows wide open, and that they did not have air conditioning. With the windows and doors wide open, people would just walk right through our front door and meander around the house. Lindsay and I were freaking out. We did not understand this and felt unsafe. Now, a week later, I laugh at these feelings of discomfort and vulnerability. The Panama people are so different then us Americans. They are trustworthy and kind. They believe in community, within the family, between neighbors, and between complete strangers. The ¨random¨people walking freely throughout the house I soon learned were cousins and neighbors. There are various people who live in our house throughout the week other then the family members. There is an old professor who comes and stays Wednesday and Thursday. They also have a housekeeper who lives with them. I love how they all take care of one another, whether it be family or a neighbor. I am especially touched by a woman who lives across the street. She walks in every night just to greet me and Lindsey. She is so kind and fascinated by us.

The communication barrier still remains, but it is getting easier. I am able to understand more and more, and they are patient with our lack of understanding. We somehow manage, and with each day I get more comfortable in this place that is so different from my real home.

Hola from Panama!

It's hard to believe that we have already been in Panama for a week! I have learned so much in the short time that we have been here. Well, I guess I'll start by saying that we flew into Panama City and stayed at the City of Knowledge for a few days. We took a tour of the Panama Canal and the city while we were there. Panama City is different from US cities because it is still developing and there are very rich areas right next to very poor areas in the city. Many people speak English in the city because it is so close to the Canal zone that the US controlled for a long time while the canal was being built. After a few days we left the city and headed to where we are now which is Chitre :) The clinical experience has been great! I was able to give vaccinations, take height, weight, and head circumference of infants, and today I did a few Pap smears! It was definitely different than I thought it was going to be but in a good way. The nurses in Panama are able to do more than the nurses in the US like doing Pap smears. They focus a lot on teaching and prevention of diseases in Panama. While I was in the Pap smear area of the clinic I noticed that the nurse took the time to go over the self breast examination with each of her patients even if the patient already knew how to do it.

This past weekend we were able to go the beach for a short stay. It was very beautiful and relaxing before our long week of clincals, class, and cultural activities!

Today, the universidad de Panama students invited us to play volleyball and few other games wiht them after we were done with clinicals. It was a great bonding experience for us to be able to interact with them.

While we are here in Panama we are staying at homes in the community to really learn about the culture and be submerged in it. We are staying with a great family, Edy and Raoul, and they have 2 dogs. The experience so far has been great and really eye opening as to how people in other countries live differently than we do in the US. I can't wait to see what's in store next and to share my experiences with my family and friends in the US!!