Preparing to leave...

So I figured this is the perfect time to start a blog, right before I am leaving on my two month adventure, thought it would be a good way to keep everyone updated. I can't guarantee how often I will update but I will try to as often as I can!!

It's that time, only THREE days till I leave and that means time to start packing. I keep putting it off, I mean who likes to pack! Not this girl!! Especially when it is for 2 months. I don't even know where to begin. Panama only has two seasons, the dry season and the rainy season, and I will be going during the rainy season (ofcourse!) where there will probably be afternoon showers every single day, so I have to be packed and ready for this as well. But I am extremely excited to get to Panama and meet everyone and start my summer adventure. I am quite nervous, new place, new people, and a different language. It will be an experience that I will never forget.

SO here is a little information about what my summer will entail when I am studying abroad in Panama. I will be studying climate change and sustainable development through the Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean (also known as CATHALAC). I will have the opportunity to explore firsthand the diverse direct and indirect effects of a changing climate on natural and human systems. I will get to experience a new culture and while there will be living with a homestay family where they will ONLY be speaking spanish. So I am hoping that after this summer my spanish will be muy excelente. The first half of the summer is an actual class and the second half is an internship where I will be doing a group project. I have already found out my assigned topic which is Extreme Weather Events, Vulnerable Communities and Indigenous Cultural Survival in Eastern Panama. I am hoping this experience will help me gain professional experience in business, government, and nonprofit organizations.

This is going to be an experience of a lifetime!

Panama City Skyline

Panama Canal ( Get to see a view of this from my class room everyday) 

Panama City Skyline (again)