Thanks to GapGuru offering a social media internship this year, which was funded by the Government Turing Scheme, I got to spend 4 incredible weeks in Panama.
This meant I got to take part in many activities, which ranged from running workshops in schools, hiking, cooking, and even learning traditional dance.
The Panama Hub Team:
The Panama hub team (Josias, Germaine, and Martina) are some of the most supportive people I have ever met. Since day one, they were always there to support us and to offer advice whenever we needed it.
The night before each day, we would get a rundown from our group mentor of the schedule for the next day. This helped us keep on track and know what was happening.
If ever in doubt, they were always one WhatsApp message away!
What We Got Up To:
Each day was varied, and this made it super interesting for us. In Anton Valley, we got to run workshops in both the local and high schools and visit the tourist information centre, Golden Frog Centre, The Butterfly Haven, and take a trip to the Recycling Centre. At each visit, we would learn about that specific place and either look around or get involved in a task. For example, at the Recycling Centre, we got to sort out the rubbish collected from the local area into different plastics.
When we went to Pedasi, we got a tour of the local area, and this is when we were told about tree planting and helping with Project Azuero. We spent one week assisting with planting the trees and giving them feed so they could grow.
Workshops:
During our time in Panama, we got to run workshops within the schools to support developing the children’s English skills. We did this by planning out games we could play with them, which also had a learning aspect to them. We would workshop-plan all week, Monday to Friday, for the following day so we were all prepared.
The kids really loved the workshops and were well engaged.
Food:
The food provided on the trip was delicious. I enjoyed eating at El Rincon Colombiano in Anton Valley. In Pedasi, we would also eat the most incredible vegetarian homemade meals each day, and my favourite part was waking up in the morning for the best-tasting jam on bread!
Weekends and Free Time:
The weekends! This is when we could plan our own trips and activities. Our group chose to go to the San Blas Islands, which had the most incredible clear water I have ever seen!
Not forgetting that Hub Manager Josias is always on hand to help plan weekend activities. He was extremely helpful and pointed us in the right direction about which tour to book and which not to!
Culture and Panama:
Panama was incredible. The residents are so friendly and helpful. They would always say “hola” when passing by on the street. We got to really experience Panamanian culture when we went to the high school in Anton Valley for English Celebration Week. The craft and traditional dancing were highlighted to us.
The GapGuru Panama Programme outweighed my expectations and allowed me to discover another part of the world and gain an understanding of a different climate and environment.
Written by Ben Thornbury 2024
