Monday, June 11, 2007
From Panama to Tampa
We finally left Miami around 10:40p and made it back home in 30 minutes (Waooo!). On arrival to the Tampa airport, we were the only ones on the plane applauding after landing. It feels nice to be back home!
Friday, June 8, 2007
Day 19: Our last day in Panama
Today we went to the University of Panama to do a presentation on the Panama's health system. We were divided in 5 groups: The healthcare system, Rural community health, Pediatrics, Women's health and Mental health. These presentation were presented to the University of Panama faculty, students, and the dean of the College of Nursing. They said it was great and that they liked it very much. They welcomed us to come next year and are very excited about coming to visit USF in November 2007. After that we headed to Albrook mall to do our last minute shopping and have some lunch. Then we went home to pack and then get ready to go have our last dinner together in Panama.
We had dinner at a restaurant on the causeway called "Pencas". Dinner was great. After that we spent a few minutes deciding on whether to go out clubbing or come back home. We were so tired we ended up coming back home.
We listened to some music, danced, chit chated then jumped in bed and went to sleep. We are all very excited about coming back home tomorrow.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Day 18: Ciudad Del Saber/Hospital de Punta Pacifica
We then visited the UNICEF office which was just across the lawn. An employee from the facility presented a powerpoint on HIV/AIDS and how it affects the young population. It was a very interesting and informative lecture. We also got to learn about UNICEF and their goals for healthcare. We concluded our visit with a tour around their building.
Since we live at the City of
The day ended with dinner and class discussion at my villa. We made fried plantains, red beans and rice, salad, broiled chicken (with a Hispanic twist of flavor), and fruit salad for dessert. The days are quickly winding down, but we are all pretty excited about coming home.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Day 17: Boca La Caja, Mobile Clinic
The group at the mobile clinic was divided into three teams, the first of which gave the following vaccines: polio, MMR, tetanus, Hepatitis A and B, Influenza, Pneumonia, Varicella, and Yellow Fever. The second team took blood pressures while the third assisted with Pap Smears inside the mobile clinic of the University of Panama, which was donated by the Spanish government. While clients waited to be seen by the student nurses and Lourdes (our Panamanian professor), elementary school students performed traditional folk dances and sang songs for the entire community and their peers. So adorable! At 1:00 pm, we finished with the mobile clinic, but we could not return to the University of Panama due to riots. The campus was even closed for security measures. We then headed to the Multi-Center Mall for lunch and some last minute shopping. We left the mall just in time to avoid the daily downfall of rain that is similar to summers in Florida. We were very happy with our "hands on" experience and learned a great deal about community health and the Panamanian culture.
Next, we headed home to our villas to shower, nap, socialize, and catch up on our studies. Tomorrow is our last class discussion and group dinner here at the villas. We are finalizing our presentations for Friday at the University of Panama provided that things calm down there. Tomorrow morning we will stay here in the City of Knowledge to learn about UNICEF and then continue with our busy day.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Day 16: El Casco Viejo
Finally we stopped at the Smithsonian Institute's Marine Research lab. In addition to a beautiful nature trail complete with wildlife, they had two awesome exhibits. The first included a movie about Isla Caiba (quite far from where we are staying) which became a national park and wildlife preserve that its only accessible by boat and quite costly ($100-200 to get there). Outside exhibits taught us about the different types of sea turtles, how they are protected here, and how far they travel. The Smithsonian is able to track sea turtles via satellite, and one turtle swam from Panama threw Costa Rica and up to Nicaragua in less than 30 days! We all got to hold a sea urchin and two different types of starfish.
There was an incredible view of bay, their research beach, and the city. A large out door tank the size of a swimming pool contained many exotic fish, turtles, and some nurse sharks. What a beautiful day! Tonight we have a class discussion and group dinner. We are all looking forward to our "hands on" experience with the University of Panama mobile health clinic tomorrow.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Day 15: University of Panama College of Nursing
Today's itinerary included a visit to the
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Day 14: Chagres National Park and Embera Village
Everyone woke up this morning with their own ideas and thoughts about what it would be like to visit an indigenous village; little did any of us know that we were embarking on a miniature journey into the heart of
Day 13: Free Day
On the BULL:
Laura
Amanda
Brittany
Mary
Jolene
Friday, June 1, 2007
Day 12
It was off to an early start today! We all had to be ready to leave the villas at
Our next stop was at the Nursing Association of Panama. Here we received a quick presentation on the association and some refreshments to revive us. To end the presentation our speaker sang for us. I find people in
Now, back at the villas, some are sleeping, exercising, reading, or working on projects. As for tonight our plans are dinner and maybe a movie at the mall! It should be our first adventure with taxis here so wish us luck.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Day 11
For a lunch break, we ate at Nikos Café. After lunch we spent more time at the Universidad de Panama. While we were waiting for Ms. Lordes (our guide), the students offered their computer lab for us to catch up on email. After the lab, the students welcomed us into the classroom for an introduction and picture time. We were given a tour of their clinical labs, both the adults and women/children's. We also discussed our plans to visit again on Monday.The university is so welcoming and we look forward to strengthening our ties. As a parting gift, we were presented with a cake and key chains. We used the cake to celebrate
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Day 10
Today we began our day visiting the
The highlight of our day was the labor and delivery experience. We were all fortunate to have been able to see the birth of a child. The hospital was very busy and it was a challenge to get us in but the nurse managed to find a place for us. We all went in groups of about 3-4 students per delivery room. The first two groups of four students witnessed very quick deliveries and the final group had the opportunity to watch a lengthy delivery, placental removal and the suturing of an episiotomy.
In the postpartum period the hospital emphasizes a lot of health education about breast feeding. We passed by a section where mothers are taught to breast feed and care for their newborns. Our maternity clinical day exceeded our expectations because from the beginning of our trip we did not anticipate being able to observe the labor and delivery process.
After the hospital we had lunch and some people did laundry. We then headed to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in the City of
The day concluded with a quiet evening spent at our villas.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Day 9
We started off the day at 8:30 a.m. and headed for Panama’s only mental health facility. Unlike in the U.S. the institute had a variety of interventions in treating their patients. The five areas of focus were: therapeutic gardening, self-image/self-esteem building, art therapy, psychoeducational groups and occupational therapy. The art that some of the patient’s created were for purchase and the money raised went back to funding the mental health center. Some of the art was very impressive, it looked professional. As for the self-image/self-esteem building, patients are encouraged to participate in manicures, pedicures and hair styling. Among the many addictions treated, gambling was one of them. The focus seems to be that they want the patient’s to go back to there families after the 30 days treatment. Just like in the U.S., medicine compliance is a problem. Not for financial reasons, but because the patients believe that that their conditions aren’t chronic and that after therapy they are cured.
After, the mental health institute we stopped by the grocery store. Tonight it was Amanda W., Mary, Jolene, Brittany and I’s turn to cook for the group. I wish that I could have helped more with dinner but couldn’t due to there being a respiratory infection going around. We made Tacos and attempted to make rice, but the rice turned out a disaster. However, the rest of the meal turned out great, everyone enjoyed it and overall it was a good group effort.
Towards the end of the night, Amanda and Brittany had trouble with their laundry. Since there is only one washer and dryer, another individual took it upon themself to take their clothes out of the washer and dump them on top of the dryer. They were not very happy campers and will be up late tonight making sure that there laundry gets done properly.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Day 8
*Jolene
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Day 7
We had an early morning start with our day that consisted of visiting a quaint mountain village. The drive up to el Valle took two hours of snoozing away the miles. The highway from Panama City to the mountain village was flat and straight. When we entered the foot of the mountains, the roads changed from calm straight-away to a zigzagging, body shifting nightmarish drive with a beautiful backdrop of mountains with clouds melding with the peaks and forest covered mountain sides.
Our instructor had warned us not to expect too much of the hotel that we were suppose to stay over night. However, when we arrived at the hotel, it was much better than we expected. It was a three story building with vibrant colors and its own restaurant. The rooms were small, but decorated with the local artworks (tree trunks with pictures of birds in flight). Some rooms had two beds while others had a queen sized bed and a bunk bed that roomed three people. Located on the third floor was a rooftop patio, half-covered by a roof and the other half was open to the sky. Under the roof covered area were multicolored and very comfortable hammocks, hardwood tables and chairs. While standing on this rooftop patio, you can appreciate the full beauty of the small community within the mountains. You can almost feel the mountains looming above. One specific section of mountain peaks was a main topic by the people in el Valle. They say that the mountain peaks resembled a woman lying on her back with one arm resting on a side of the mountain and the other arm supporting her head on the ground. Some of us saw this woman, but others could not.
The village had many things that you could visit, for a cheap price. There was the zoo that contained many indigenous animals from panama; animals ranging from avian species, reptilian species, and some mammals…some of Panama’s flora were also included in the exhibits. The only disappointing thing about the zoo was that they advertised a golden frog, with all the walking we did that day throughout the zoo; we did not see a glimpse of this supposed golden frog. The admission cost for the zoo was only a dollar, which balanced out the disappointment from not viewing the golden frog.
Another activity we truly enjoyed while we visited el Valle was the zip line above the rain forest floor. Twelve of us decided that we would do the four lines, which were so high above the ground that we had to drive up the mountain and walk 10 minutes within the forest to reach the first pad and pay $47.50 to experience it. The scenery within the forest was surreal. We even saw those ants that chopped up leaves and carried them in this single filed line from a tree trunk across the path to another tree trunk. Amazing! Something that is usually seen on television came to life before our eyes during a great adventure within the forest. Another amazing event was the waterfall we were able to take pictures of while we hung hundreds of feet above the river bed below us. That was a truly breath taking view of the waterfall while exhilarated with adrenaline.
And then, the group was very excited to jump into the “hot springs” for some relaxation after the exciting flight through cable within the forest canopy. I must say that the best part of these hot springs were the volcanic face mask that cost a dollar, the .50 cent admission price, and leaving the hot springs! These springs were pools of dirty brown water layered with body gunk. You could not even view the bottom of these pools with the use of the Hubble telescope.
With that being said, our experience over all was great! After a full day of fun, we all sat down for a great dinner at the roof patio while accompanied with all the bugs of Panama. And tomorrow is another day of adventure and fun.
-Holy-
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Well, today was a pretty relaxing day. It was a wonderful
day to sleep in and get some much needed homework done. We left for the Gamboa Resort at 12:30 this afternoon. When we arrived to the beautiful resort we had some time to walk around and admire the gorgeous view of the rain forest surrounding the
On the boat, ready for our adventure!
The tour guide would make a calling noise and eventually they jumped down onto our boat. The cutest was when we saw a mother with her baby on her back. They came onto the boat and ate food from the guide's hand. After leaving that island, we went to a different island to see the Howler monkey. We could not approach this island because the Howler monkeys are more aggressive, so we just saw them from a distance. After our rainforest adventure, we headed back to the house to work some more on projects, readings, and laundry!
P.S. Our internet is struggling so we are having some troubles posting (especially pictures). We will get the posts up as we are able! Makes us a little more appreciative of our wonderful technology back home!