Panama 2025 FFT

08/04/2025

Last set of pictures to round out the trip. These 4 twenty-somethings are amazing and will change the world. I couldn’t have asked for better traveling partners over the last month.
I went to experience Panamá and Costa Rica, but I made friends from Germany, Switzerland, Iceland, and Norway.

08/01/2025

¡Nos graduamos!

07/31/2025

Hoy el señor Perezoso está muy cerca. Ahora, creo que él vive en Spanish by the River.

07/30/2025

More sloths today, past tense verbs 🤦🏻‍♀️, and the school owner’s dog.

Lucy is a wanderer. She will follow anyone.

So I got off at the bus station, walked around the corner, and there’s Lucy. These 2 places are NOT just around the corner. If you’re in Glenpool, think from Walmart to Domino’s. Plus the hill winds around, and lots of big trucks and busses are constantly up and down. I was going to text Ingrid (the school owner) that Lucy was at the supermarket. Then she starts following me.

So here we sit, outside my hotel, waiting for Ingrid to pick up Lucy. 🙄

07/29/2025

So this morning I was thinking about the fact that a week from now I will be home, and 2 weeks from today is Meet the Teacher night. 😳

I started writing all the things I am thankful for that I mostly take for granted. This is my (not exhaustive) list:

1. Hot water on demand

2. Drinkable water on demand

3. Personal transportation

4. Quick bank tellers

5. 5g networks

6. Toothpaste in a tube (see attached image)

7. Liquid shampoo & conditioner

8. Toilets that flush with a handle/button (you don’t have to pour the water in)

9. 2 lane roads

10. Lack of pollution (people are clean, but the amount of trash in the water, on the street, etc. makes me horribly upset)

11. Air conditioning in cars

12. Air conditioning in buildings

13. Not living on an island

14. Food that is not rice

15. Sloths! And friends who get just as excited as me about them

16. My husband & kids (especially Ray who has picked up my slack and taken good care of Mark and Gunny)

17. My MOM! Woman has taken Gunny to the vet, taken Mark back and forth to the airport. I don’t know what I would have done without her. Plus she taught me that there is nothing wrong with being a strong woman, and sometimes some men need to know how strong I really am.

18. Suitcases with wheels

19. Washer and dryer

20. Kind people (in Panamá, Costa Rica, and at home)

21. Desks/tables and chairs

22. More than 5 shirts and 4 pairs of pants

23. This opportunity (Fund for Teachers)! Who would have ever imagined that I would get to spend a month in Central America learning Spanish, seeing amazing things, meeting interesting people, making friends from around the world? And I get to take these experiences back to my classroom. I can communicate with parents in Spanish! I understand not being able to communicate and being overwhelmed by it all. I know that just because something is originally from a culture, that doesn’t mean they experience it all the time (thank you very much, Mr. Americans-eat-pancakes-every-morning). I know that 12-year-old girls in Panamá act just like 12-year-old girls in the US, and I can pick out a 12-year-old pretty quick.

I think that’s it for now.

07/29/2025

07/29/2025

07/29/2025

07/29/2025

First full day in Turrialba was muy bien. Gian, Maria Louisa, and I went to Nortico to see how chocolate is made. We received an amazing education on the process of making chocolate and how to taste chocolate like a sommelier (they have a chocolate certificate for that). Then we went to a Venezuelan restaurant that was recommended, and it was very good.
Now, it is time to study!

07/27/2025

Made it to Costa Rica! I have my own toilet and shower until Thursday morning! This is something to celebrate.
There’s a store right down the street called Amara, so I’m taking that as a great sign.

07/27/2025

We just went through a town where they grow bananas. I have never seen so many bananas in my life.
Next time you buy Chiquita bananas, know this is where the workers live and work.