Study Abroad in Panama

It's nearly impossible to go to another country without having preconceptions about the culture and the people.I was confident maybe even cocky with my Spanish before I left, but when I arrived in Panama and people started talking to me, I was completely overwhelmed.For the first 24 hours I was always three sentences behind in comprehension. I was still processing what was said 10 seconds earlier while the person in front of me waited for me to respond to a question.

I was stuck in what is known as the silent period.I understood what I was hearing, but every time I opened my mouth to respond, nothing came out.By the end of the first week, I was responding more, but constantly stumbling over my words. I was adjusting quickly, but it felt like the world was moving forward without me.In class, we learned anything and everything there is to know about the Panamanian culture, but most of what I learned came from teaching at Omar Torijos, a rural elementary school.The students in Senora Juana's third grade class taught me how to not speak Spanish like a robot. They taught me that a smile from their precious faces could brighten any day, and when they misbehaved (which was often) they taught me to put my foot down and be secure in my abilities to teach and speak their language.

Their teacher, Juana, taught me to laugh at myself and loosen up. She taught me to actually open my mouth and speak, even if it wasn't perfect. She taught me to how to talk around words I didn't know and communicate effectively.Those children and their teacher are proof that love knows no language barrier. They changed me, and I left a piece of my heart with them.From a future educator's standpoint, I have had the unique opportunity to experience what life is like for an English language learner.So many times we put our Spanish-speaking students into a classroom and expect them to catch on. We speak quickly and expect them to understand. When they don't, we repeat the exact same thing but slower and louder.

When was the last time you put yourself in their shoes?I went into this experience focused on what I was going to do in Panama, but Panama did much more for me than I did for it.I am forever changed by my experiences there. Studying abroad offers the opportunity to see the world through different eyes and so much more than an education from the classroom.