Today was our last full day in Chitre, so we really had to make it count. I got to be leader of our Fun Day at the beach. Even though it was going to be a lot of fun, I knew that I’d have my work cut out for me.

This morning I managed to give my friends breakfast, juice, and hand sanitizer, I also reminded students of the question of the day. After we finished up our breakfast, some of us wanted to take advantage of a final chance to buy souvenirs and clothes here.

When we got to the beach we all had a nice lunch and chilled at the pool and beach. We were having so much fun at the beach that we were running late, but managed to get “home” safe to Hotel Bali to get dressed for our last day of English Tutoring. English Tutoring was a fun but emotional moment for us to come together and to just express the love in the beautiful culture we are in right now. Our students showed us how much they value us through hugs, gifts and smiles. It really was a rewarding experience, and these are connections that we will never forget.

As lider del dia, I felt like I was able to share my humor to uplift the group and I allowed myself to open up more to them. As teenagers, it can be hard to do this, but this trip has made us all a lot more open to sharing our experiences. It’s hard to believe that our trip is ending. We are traveling back to Panama City tomorrow. We started our trip feeling homesick, but now it’s going to be hard to say bye to this family vibe that we created here.