7 Things You Learn From Traveling To Panama On A Global Brigades Trip
By Krupa Patel
1. The less you complain the better the outcome. Take in new environments with open eyes and arms to make the most out of the experience of a lifetime.
2. You’ll learn to get used to beetles, lizards and other creatures because when you’re on your own no one will get rid them for you. You get to enjoy their company.
3. Community members are so shy and quiet until they see foreigners with genuine smiles that are willing to help them learn.
4. Teaching a community about budgeting, trust and unity isn’t as easy as using definitions and words. Activities with images and bright colors attract the eye.
5. Being assigned Spanish to English translators doesn’t help when the majority of the community speaks a native language known as Embera.
6. You can’t, I repeat CAN’T throw toilet paper down the toilet unless you don’t mind giving up the restroom for the time being.
7. You’ll sleep in a room with two fans and a relative humidity between 80-90% during the Panama rainy season with 15 near strangers and one bathroom.