Submitted by Elise LaFramboise on the 2020 winter session study abroad program in Panama sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures…
I have officially spent three weeks in Panama! I have been having such a fun time and I don’t want to go back to the United States. This weekend, for the first time, we traveled to somewhere relatively far away and stayed there for a night! It was an amazing experience. We went to Valle de Anton, which is a mountainous region in Panama. It was interesting to see the pace of life there compared to Panama City. Life is a lot slower paced in Valle, a more rural area, which I liked a lot. Everyone seems a lot more relaxed, and the town itself is very tranquil. It was a big change between the city and Valle de Anton, but I liked the change so much that I am thinking of going back to Valle de Anton next weekend. It was beautiful there! I have also enjoyed Panama so much that I am actually thinking about going to grad school here. They have grad schools for what I want to do (Occupational Therapy), so this is something that I am considering since I love the country! This week has been amazing and I am sad that my study abroad program is going to end in less than two weeks.