“Culture is the arts elevated to a set of beliefs.” – Thomas Wolfe

Question of the Day: What role do dance, music, and clothing play in Panamanian culture? Why is it so important to preserve these traditions? How does culture impact the development of a country?

In our first full day in Las Tablas, the Glimpsers learned more about the history and culture of this small but widely celebrated city by visiting Museo Belisario Porras, the home of a three-term president of Panama, and the home/workshop/warehouse of Roberto Villareal, the hardest working artisan in Los Santos Province. While separated by 100 years, both men are incredibly important to the preservation of Panama’s customs and traditions through architecture, art, diplomacy, folklore, and education.

Due to its geographic location and historical significance, Panama is one of the most diverse countries in the world. This displays itself in its music, food, art, and more, but it is also at risk of being lost to the modern developments and changes in society. Our goal was to learn how Panama’s culture is so unique and why it is imperative to keep telling its story.

As President of Panama, Belisario Porras oversaw the construction of the Panama Canal and also was a key ambassador to Latin America and the world. His family and historians protect his legacy through the museum (his childhood home) and were very excited to teach us about his story. The group enjoyed the artifacts and pictures from his life and even recognized some places from our trip to Casco Viejo yesterday.

In the afternoon, we visited the creative center of Las Tablas’ Carnivale. While it is difficult to imagine such a massive event taking place in the small plaza down the street, thousands and thousands of locals and visitors descend upon the scene every year. Roberto Villareal is the key to all of this through his amazing costumes and polleras. The intricate designs can take all year to produce and cost over $100,000! The Glimpsers were more than happy to try on all of the elaborate headdresses and decorations in his workshop, and he was a terrific host to all of the students.

To finish the day, we held our Nightly Meeting and then picked our Liders del Dia for the rest of the trip. They will take over the reins from the PC’s and GGLs (including the blog!) each day and hopefully become better leaders through the process. They are enthusiastic to step outside their comfort zones and lead our groups through each day’s themes and topics. Tomorrow, Jada and Montana will teach us about the important Environmental progress taking place locally and then coordinate the first of many Education nights of English Tutoring at a local school.

Everyone is happy, healthy, and bonding very well. The conversations are full of laughter and also becoming deeper as the lessons become more personal in this global setting. More to come from our student leaders tomorrow!

Big Love!

TA1A