Submitted by Alexandra Mercedes Aviles on the 2017 winter session program in Panama sponsored by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures…
Week one in Panama has been a big success. Not only because of the warm weather, the busy city life and the beaches that are minutes away, but also because I have finally been able to see my family after not seeing them in almost four years. This weekend, I and most of the other students went to the Island of Tapoga where my great uncle has a beach house. Here we learned to cook authentic Panamanian food and spent the whole day in the calm waves on the Tapoga Shore. We got to take a look around the island and learn a little more of the island’s history. I can honestly say that so far Tapoga has been the highlight of my trip and the fact that I was able to experience it not just with the other students, but with my great uncle means the world to me.
