Connections

This school year is drawing to a close, and as exciting is that is, it makes me nervous as well! I won't be returning to high school in the US until my senior year! That's September of 2013! I'm more excited than anything to go on this exciting adventure and study in Panama, but I'm so sad to be leaving my friends and family for a whole year.
As scared as I am about leaving everyone I know at home, making new friends and having my host family become a second family is something I'm really excited about! So far I have met about fifty other students who are also going to Panama with AFS this year. Though I won't meet any of them until September, it's still really nice to talk to them, and be able to learn not only about the Panamanian culture but a little bit about where all the other kids are from as well! So far I have talked to students from Belgium, Amsterdam, Germany, and Thailand! It makes me smile to know that even though we are from all different places and backgrounds, we have a lot in common.
It's great to know that wherever I want to go in the world after Panama, I will have these connections and friends to see!

"Puente del Mundo, Corazon del Universo"

Yesterday I learned that Panama is sometimes called "Puente del Mundo, Corazon del Universo". In English, this translates to Bridge of the World, Heart of the Universe. In addition to just being a beautiful nickname, there's a great reason behind this. "Bridge of the World" comes from the Panama Canal. The Canal, in Panama city, was the first way for ships to get from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean without going all the way around the southern  tip of South America. The "Heart of the Universe" part of the name comes from the fact that if you look at a world map, apparently Panama is on the left side of the planet, in the position that the heart would be in a human body.
Just a fun fact, but it makes me that much more excited! :) Only four and a half months to go!