Panama

Wednesday and Thursday March 14-15: On Wednesday, I attended a school in a rural mountain area near Las Minas. My group taught a hand washing skill activity with glitter and washable paint. We used bottle water to wash the students hands. The school did not have running water or electricity. There were 25 students of all different ages. It was interesting to interact  with the students. They walked through the woods for over one hour to school. The people that lived in Las Minas were very proud of their culture and willing to answer questions. Something interesting that I learn is that the women used corn cream to prevent pregnancy. On Thursday, I visited a state psychiatric clinic, it was very different from the USA. Patients were allowed to walk around naked in certain areas and the men and women were allowed into each other's  personal space.  The patients were allowed to walk around the local area unsupervised. The medications were the same as in the USA. The nurses stated that when they run out of a particular medication they often substitute with other medications. There are even times when patients have to go without there medications due to funding issues. During my group activity we introduced ourselves by hitting a beach ball to one another, we drew pictures, and we put makeup and nail polish on the female patients. We also danced with all of the patients together. This trip to panama has been very culturally enlightening to me. Sacha