The reason I decided to come to Panama was to experience the way Panamanians live and to help out their community. On our way to the villas we passed through the city, which from far away you can see amazingly tall buildings that are expensive and new. To my surprise, in between buildings there were apartments that were home to many poor Panamanians. It was interesting to see the rich living among the poor in such a close area. We were told that there are a lot more rich or poor residents than middle class. The new Trump Tower is only a few miles away from homes made out of shacks. This was a difference I noticed in the Panamanian lifestyle. The villas we stayed at were much nicer than I thought they would be, especially shocking was the drinkable water! The next day we went to visit the Panama canal, it was an amazing experience to see how the whole engineering process works. We were lucky to see a huge ship cross it. Today we went to visit the hospitals we will be working at. It was definitely a culture shock to see where people go to seek medical attention. They are seen in very small hospitals, which look like small houses, and all their supply is limited. It amazed me to find out that a pregnant woman may have to travel 3 days to deliver her child and is brought in a hammock. I must admit it was upsetting to see the difference in the health care provided to the Panamanians. The universal health care system, in my opinion, is a good idea, but when you notice the difference in the quality of care and supplies in stock you realize the care is divided between rich and poor. My hopes are to help out as many men, women and children as I can. So far this has been a very good experience, I know that by the end of this trip I will have a completely different perspective on life.
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