I guess a good way to start off is with a picture of a plane..considering I was in airports for over 40 hours before finally making it to Panama. Basically, my first flight from NC to LAX was delayed because of hydraulic issues, which led to a chain effect of missed connections and more delays. I definitely thought I was going to miss my flight to Panama for a moment there, but I managed to make it just in time. I didn't get to return to my apartment in LA to re-pack for Panama because of the delays, so I just brought what I had with me...which consisted of lots of sweaters and winter apparel.
I had pulled an all nighter the day I left for Panama, so besides some napping on the plane, I hadn't slept for about 2 days because of all the transit issues. But no rest for me, because we went straight from the airport to the Panama Canal. Not that I would have it any other way.
The Panama Canal also has a four story museum with lots of interactive exhibits, as well as many opportunities for pictures and photo bombing.
After the Panama Canal, we hopped right back to the bus to travel to Piriati Embera, the village where we would be working. Since it was four hours away from Panama City, we had plenty of time for bonding and selfies.
When we arrived at the compound, we found some pretty basic dorm rooms waiting for us. Each room had two bunk beds, a shower, and a toilet which was closed off with a shower curtain. Every time you had to use the toilet, you needed to fill a bucket of water from outside and bring it in to refill the water. Since there were no mirrors in the compound, we went the week without seeing ourselves- probably for the best.
It was pretty late by the time we arrived so I think we pretty much just settled in and had dinner.
I'll finish Day 1 off with this picture of Panama City taken out the back windshield of our van.
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