I keep seeing mountains. In the
reflection of the floor in a wall of tile, the way objects interrupt the flow
of light through windows, casting shadows, in the clouds passing under each
other outside the airplane window. I want to see them; I want to forever have
engraved in my memory the landscapes I saw, each one taking my breath away.
The word repeating in my head
throughout the trip was “incredible.” How incredible it was that the geography
of a country could have characteristics of tropical places with its rainforests,
palm trees, and Miami-esque high rises, and also look like something out of New
England, with ascending hills and mountains, and beaches with huge chunks of
beach glass scattered among the colorful rocks (Chrissy understands…). I had
the best of both my worlds at opposite ends of the East coast in the U.S. in a
place that was so foreign to both of them. That kind of vision has a foothold
in my mind. In a way it started to feel like I was home, but I had only spent 8
days in Panamá.
I learned so much about Panamá
through everything we did; every hospital tour and visit to FANLYC, the hours
spent with the children at Nutre Hogar, the trip to the Canal, El Valle, Casco
Viejo, Panamá Viejo, the Embera, going out to club People on Calle Uruguay, Tinajas,
and dinners and drinks at la Taberna del Canal and the Irish Pub just outside
la Ciudad del Saber each contributed a special emotion and were all small
pieces of a puzzle that when complete with all the others we weren’t able to
see in our short time there depicts what is the Panamanian culture and people. Not
all of it was appealing to see; we saw struggle, hardship, and sickness, but
above all we saw a population that amidst all that could still have faith and
be content with what they have. That to me is beautiful. It shows that you can
appreciate life no matter what you’ve been handed or where you find yourself.
On the last night we were there
before we had to return to the States, Chrissy, Ladonna, Alexandra and I
decided that we had to pay one last visit to la Taberna to get some food. I had
the privilege of meeting the owner of the restaurant, and we conversed about
how we both found ourselves here in Panamá. He told me he was from Spain, and
had visited Panamá for the first time when he was 29. He fell in love with the
sights and people just as I did, and said that upon returning to Spain he felt
out of place, even though Spain had always been his home. He felt like he was a
tourist in his own country and that something was missing. He decided to return
to Panamá, and 14 years later has a family there and is the owner of a
restaurant that overlooks one of the seven wonders of the modern world, the
Panamá Canal.
Being back in the States now, back
to the daily grind, I’ve experienced that culture shock that Rene from
Education Abroad was warning us about before our trip. I thought it would have
occurred the other way around, but upon returning to the States it felt odd to
have to make the switch back to using English as a primary language, and I
began to have that feeling of being out of place that the restaurant owner told
me about. It was even more strange that I had to fly 4,000 miles north and end
up in the snow sprinkled city of Boston. In a place where I have always felt
more at home than anywhere else, something feels missing.
My trip to Panamá was everything I’d
hoped it would be and more. I am so thankful to have been given such an amazing
opportunity and to have been able to experience it with such amazing friends. I
think that was the hardest part, saying goodbye to everyone so soon. Although it
was the end of the trip, it marked what I hope to be the beginning of many
great friendships. No matter how much enthusiasm I put behind each retelling of
the story of how we discovered the closeness of the Panamá Canal, how beautiful
the buildings in Casco Viejo look, or how hilarious moments like the trip to “Enderun”
(On the Run. Yea, like the gas station.) that some of my classmates took were,
no one else gets it like we do. What we shared and are left with is something
truly incredible.
Until next time, I’ll just keep
looking for mountains.
-Christie Emigh
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