Today was the longest, hardest, and most tiring day so far. I woke up the Glimpsers at 5 am, and I myself woke up at 4 am (yes mom, I got up that early). We ate a delicious breakfast and then we headed over to Finca Pamel, a family-run farm. Today’s theme was working like a local, and we got to experience a day in the life of a local Panamanian in Azuero. Finca Pamel’s new theme is agritourism, where agriculture meets tourism. In Panama, the economy is largely based on tourism and agriculture, so the owners of Finca Pamel decided to create a place that combined the two.
At the farm, we worked extremely hard! We started off by learning about the history of the land the farm is now located on from Pablo and Melani, who are a part of the family who runs the farm. After this quick, yet insightful history lesson, we walked over to the cow, chicken, and bunny pens where a surprise was waiting for us. Pablo let us try milking the cow! It was an amazing, but surprisingly hard, thing to do. After this, we had another surprise waiting for us…cleaning up the animal poop in the stalls. After this, we helped to plant the corn seeds in the garden and then took a break after working in the heat. Soon after I was dressed up by Melani to show how a traditional Panamanian dancer would dress for performances. One dress with accessories can cost up to 50,000 US dollars!
The day was an amazing learning experience overall. We all got some insight into what it was like to work as the locals and how they earn their income. All of us glimpsers learned a lot about hard work, and to appreciate the lives that we have. Today was also the first day of English tutoring. It was rough at first, but we pushed through and made it work. I give a LOT of credit to teachers because it truly is a difficult job. No matter what struggles occurred, it was a memorable experience that I learned so much from and am honored to have been a part of.
Mom, Dad, Elena, and Bella,
Love and miss you guys so much! It is an amazing trip!
Don’t miss me too much.
See you soon
Love,
Gabby
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Sretan ti rodendan Ivo! I hope all went well on your special day! Call you soon! – Antea
Wow amazing costumes! Thank you for sharing the note from Antea to her brother. Can’t wait to speak to you Antea, miss you lots. Mama
GABBY!!!! You look amazing. Your nana is so amazed and proud of you and says you see you have her farming and planting Skills in your blood.
Being leader of the day must have been challenging but I have no doubt you would rise to the occasion.
Well, sorry we do miss you lots and can’t wait to see you!!!
Love you!!
Gabriella! I’m so proud and happy that you are able to experience another culture. You look so beautiful in the Panamanian dress. Keep pushing and keep working hard. I cannot wait to see you and hear about your entire experience! I love you so much!
I hope you are having the best time Gab! I love and miss you. I hope all is well! I’ll see you soon bubba.
xoxo,
Miranda
You guys are doing an amazing job..keep up the hard work. Great pictures and love the costume gabby!
Miss you Kayla
Nicky!!! Nana wants to know how it felt to milk the cow and clean the poop!!! Lol! She wishes she was there doing it with you!!!! Have so much fun!!!
Love you!
Aunt Lisa
Gabby I miss u so much! I have no one else to fight with lol. Hope your having a blast! You look so happy. You look like a princess (Elena of Avalon) in your Panamanian dress. I can’t wait until you get back so I can hear about your amazing experiences. Enjoy those amazing empanadas!
Xoxo,
Elena
I Love you Antea so much 🥰😍😘
Hello Gabby!
I absolutely love seeing all of your photos and reading about your experiences. What an experience of a lifetime. I believe this will change you in countless positive ways. I am extremely happy for you and look forward to hearing your stories in person!
Miss you lots!
Love you,
Michelle