Good evening Families!

This is Leona and Akeem reporting in as today’s Leaders of the Day! After an unexpected start to the trip, our delegation has shown why they were the students selected to be Glimpsers. The students have shown leadership, resilience, and camaraderie by being the amazing people that they are and staying calm and cooperative through an exhausting experience.

We started our day with a delicious breakfast and bussed over to the Panama sign for photos. Then we had an amazing tour at the Biomuseo. The museum featured galleries that show the biodiversity in flora and fauna on the Isthmus of Panama. It was incredible seeing the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean at the same time in the entryway. We learned how the unique land bridge of Panama formed through volcanic activity and the kinds of life that existed then, such as giant sloths, rhinoceros-like mammals, and corals (Oh my!). There was an exhibit with choreographed music and visuals to show the vast diversity and beauty in the life that exists here. It was definitely the highlight of the day.

After the museum, we ate a traditional lunch of chicken and rice and plantains. Then we started our ~5-hour ride to Chitré. It was awe-inspiring to pass by the oceans and enter into a view of green-covered hills and giant rain clouds. We got to our destination, Hotel Esperanza. It is a beautiful hotel with wonderful AC (did you know Panama was hot?).

We had a wonderful dinner, provided by Angelina (Angie), from the restaurant, La Bruja (The Witch), which we will visit during our trip!

We signed our group agreement, which is a list of important actions and behaviors to ensure the group has a positive experience, that the delegation created earlier in the day.

Finally, we had our nightly meeting in which we reflected on the day and passed the torch to the next Liders Del Dia, Jasmin and Leslie! Big love to you for reading! 🙂