Submitted by David Haynes on the 2020 winter session study abroad program in Panama sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures…
The second school week in Panama was one of the hardest in my life. A combination of lots of homework and a splash of homesickness and I was starting to countdown the days until I returned. But it all changed once the weekend came around as I had some of the best experiences of my life.
Every year, Panama City hosts a jazz festival that lasts an entire week. Musicians and jazz fans come from all around the world to enjoy concerts every night from professionals and local students, too. Lucky for me, the festival is held every year in January! How could I miss it? Friday night, I bought the tickets and went to a concert highlighting Reggie Johnson and Ravi Coltrane. Then, Saturday night, I went to the last concert of the week—a free show outdoors. This one was even better! There were tons of people there to attend the free concert. The music is a perfect representation of the people of Panama—it’s a mix of everything and it makes you dance like nothing else. Everyone was dancing and having an incredible time. It even ended up going about an hour past the end time because people kept shouting for one more. If you are ever in Panama in January, you really can’t miss this event!
On Sunday, I went on an excursion with the group to a town called Portobelo where we saw incredible sites and took a boat to a tiny island to enjoy the afternoon on the beach. The water of the Caribbean was spectacular! But, I only swam for a little bit as I spent most of the time talking to a family on the beach from Colombia. These people were incredibly nice and had no problem with me joining their family for a couple of hours. We talked about everything from Colombian slang to politics in the United States. It was just another example of how insanely kind the people here are. It is so easy to just walk up to anybody, as I did on the beach, and start a conversation.
Classes are still tough, but I’m really excited to talk to more people and see more of Panama as we head into the second half of the month.
