The final day in Panama is here. This has been an unbelievable experience. Before this journey I never imaged living in another country for three weeks and receiving course credits for it. I can honestly say that this has been my first one in a lifetime opportunity. Panama is such a beautiful green country, even though some areas were succumbed by mounds of roadside trash. But the mountains in Elle Valle were the most beautiful scenic place that I have ever seen, the mountains in Colorado do not even compare. The Panamanian people that I had the honor of meeting on this trip have been very welcoming with very vivid and spunky personalities. This experience has not only provided me with these unforgettable memories but also has advanced my clinical nursing skills such as giving injections, height weight, and performing pap smears. I would have never been able to perform a pap smear in an undergraduate nursing program within the United States, only at the graduate level. Exposure to the pediatric and labor and delivery area in the hospital has been beneficial since I will be enrolled in those courses the first half of this upcoming semester. Witnessing the labor process and seeing firsthand the intensity of the pain the mothers be going through was a learning experience within itself. Even though I did not see a delivery up close I did witness the cutting of the umbilical cord from the hallway which I enjoyed every moment of it. Overall this has been a fun filled yet education experience. I’ve learned so much about the Panamanian healthcare system which is similar but also has pronounced differences from the US healthcare system. The UP faculty and nursing students were accepting and made me feel as if I would always be welcome there if I decided to come back to Panama, a thought that has crossed my mind in terms of volunteering in the Peace Corp. The real world awaits me when I get back to the states a guess that’s all a part of life, mostly hard work and some leisure time. The best twenty-one days of my life thus far.
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