Reviews of Volunteer Programs in Panama

Allison volunteered with children in Panama

Morning: I shared a room with one of the two high school students I was working with, and each morning we would get up before seven, when the roosters stopped crowing, and get ready for the day. Our host grandmother made us breakfast every morning, and while eating we would put together a lesson plan for the class we would be teaching that day and gather the necessary materials for each activity. After breakfast we would help feed the chickens, assist our little host siblings in getting ready for school, and purify our water for the day. Once everything was ready, we would take the twenty-minute hike through the valley to get to the elementary school and begin teaching.

Afternoon: In the late morning and early afternoon we would teach the grade we scheduled for that day. The elementary school went from kindergarten to the sixth grade. We would be finished by 11:45, when recess begun. Usually during recess we would spend time working with the teachers on our community project, or play soccer with the fourth and fifth graders. Once everyone was back in the classrooms, one grade at a time would go eat lunch in the outdoor cafeteria. We ate with the fifth graders, then usually took one or two of the three oldest classes out to work on the school gardens. After we would finish planting or putting a new garden bed together we would head back to the school at about 1:00, and then to one of our houses to hang out, nap, read, and play with the kids when they got home before dinner.

Evening: Once 5:00 rolled around, my two high school partners and I would head out to a new house to eat dinner every evening. We held a community meeting at the beginning of the summer to make a meal plan. Everyone signed up, and we were provided dinner each night. Because we had no map of the community, and because it was spread out across numerous foothills, a community member would come with us every night to take us to dinner. There we would eat, spend time with that family, and make the trek back home.

My partner who lived with me and I would walk back together, and usually stop by one of the fields to play soccer with the community teenagers we were friends with on the way home. Once home we would write in our journals, spend time with our host grandparents, and talk with the rest of our family about life in our community of Cabuya Arriba to get to know everything better. We went to bed at around 9:00, but would sometimes stay up later playing Monopoly with our host cousin when he was back from college.

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Casey Bryant, Amigos de las Americas Alum in Panama

Casey Bryant is an 18 year old high school student that lives in Boise, Idaho. He volunteered in Azuero, Panama from June 14, 2011 - August 16, 2011.

Morning: Every morning I would wake up, and my host mom would be just leaving for work, and my host dad would be out working in the fields before it got too hot out. We would have some coffee, and usually a typical Panamanian breakfast that was simple to make, such as hojaldres or even some pan. After breakfast I would always shower, then I would help out my host sister with chores. Most of the kids in the community had school in the morning, so I had that time of day to myself, and I could do almost anything with it. When I was able to, this time proved invaluable in completing the CBI process, and it was great to plan for campamentos.

Afternoon: Usually the afternoon would begin with lunch. Usually, I ate at home with my host sister, but on some days I would get invited to eat with other people throughout the community. Lunch was always rice, and some sort of meat or even the occasional soup. The kids of the community were still usually in school, but they all got out at around 2 or 3 o'clock. In this spare time, I liked to partake in my favorite snacks around the house, which involved going to one of the several fruit trees and having some mamones, starfruit, coconut, or even guanabana. After the kids got out of school, they would ofter come over to my host family's house just to hang out, at least until campamentos started.

Evening: Campamentos started late in the afternoon, and lasted for about two hours. My partner and I met with the kids at a central location, and played games and talked for the full time. Our goal was to teach them about environmental health, and we did the best we could. This was the funnest part of the day.

Campamentos would end and my partner and I would head home. After I got home, I would take a nice cold shower which was a nice break from the heat and humidity. My host family always said to shower at least twice a day, and I always happily obliged. Usually I would lay down in the hammock and watch some TV until my host mom and dad got home. After they got home we ate dinner, then we all went and watched TV as a family. Shortly after, it was time to go to bed.

Highlights: Campamentos were most definitely the highlight of my trip. See the kids everyday was such a great way to brighten the day. They were always so happy and so eager to help and have fun. Speaking a foreign language was always the easiest around the kids because they're more than happy to teach you, and they don't care if you're constantly making mistakes. It was just one of those times were everything always went my way, and I always had fun doing it.

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Vanessa Gerber, Amigos de las Americas alumna

Vanessa is from San Rafael, California and currently attends UC Berkeley. She enjoys playing the guitar, nature, and rowing.

Vanessa and her host sister

Morning: I would wake up, crawl out from under my mosquito net, slip on my sandals and walk outside to the kitchen. I helped my host mom wash and slice plantains to fry for delicious patacones, and then would boil some water for coffee. After eating and chatting with that morning's visitor, I would walk down to my partners' houses where we would plan the rest of our day.

Afternoon: My two partners and I would show up at the school just before lunch time. After eating with the kids, we would do fun environmental health activities with them like a community-wide trash pick-up, songs about protecting the water, or drawing pictures of their favorite plants. Then we would hang around and play soccer or tag with the kids after school. When that was all done, we would head back to my house and help my host mom cook or we would head down to the soccer field where the older kids were starting their daily after school game and join in.

Evening: I would hike back up the hill to my house and take a nice cold bucket-bath, get dressed and then help make dinner or keep my little host sisters and brother occupied while my host mom was making dinner, doing things like playing guitar, making friendship bracelets, drawing or just goofing around.

After dinner, I would do the dishes and meanwhile a few community members would congregate at our house, so when I was done I would often chat with them, or play my guitar as they requested quite often. It was really fun being a part of a family in the community and hearing them talk about funny things that happened in the past, and I could laugh with them and feel at home.

Stay with a local family in Panama

Highlights: I would have to say that the highlight of my experience was probably the first time I really felt a part of the family. I got sick within the first few days in my community, and when I was lying in bed my host mom came, brought me some soup and sat on the bed next to me, crying as she pet my head, because she didn't know how to make me feel better. From that point on, I knew that not only my host family, but entire community loved me like I had been a part of the family all along.

A few days later I asked my host mom if I could call her "mama" and she said of course, and that I was already like another daughter. Throughout my entire experience in Panama, and even still to this day, I know that I have another family that will always love me and be there for me because we shared something special. We bonded immediately, and that bond will never be broken.

Read more about volunteering in Panama with Amigos de las Americas.