Originally, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do a study abroad trip, but I had never been anywhere besides the United States and Europe, so I decided to give it a try. Throughout the second eight weeks of the semester, I participated in a class to prepare for the trip. During the class we learned a little bit about agriculture in Panama, as well as some of the history and culture of the country. 

When we got to Panama, I was blown away at what I saw. I was amazed at how different, yet similar, the country was to the United States. Panama City was very modern and you could very easily tell that it was modeled after the United States, however, there was a clear line where the city ended and the rest of the country began, where people lived in metal huts and shacks. You could clearly see that this was still a developing country. 

Studying abroad was an eye-opening experience about how other parts of the world live. You can read about poverty, and see pictures and videos, but nothing is the same as being there and seeing it firsthand. I would highly recommend that everyone do something like this once in their life to see what another part of the world is like and to gain a different perspective about the world.