Submitted by Kirsten Gerhardt a on the 2017 winter session program in Costa Rica and Panama sponsored by the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology…
We arrived in Panama after a long and tiring flight that got delayed 3 hours. By the time we got to Panama City, it was around 12:30 in the morning. Since it was so dark, and I couldn’t see any of my surrounding, I still didn’t feel like I was in a different country. It felt like I could have been in Florida or something along those lines. After I crashed on my hotel bed with the A/C cranked up, it was the morning and I could finally get my bearings for where I was. The first thing I saw was a palm tree and a giant boat approaching the Panama Canal. (Yes, we had a great view from our room). I’m still getting used to never having a game plan. Everything we do is basically a secret until 30 minutes ahead of time. I’m glad I have a very laid back personality or else I would be way too stressed out. This is actually my kind of program because I don’t have to make any decisions on what to do or where to eat! I HATE making decisions! So I am so happy to have everything planned out for us, it’s very refreshing. I’m just along for the ride.