Día 12: Un triste "adiós" a Panamá (y a Héctor)

 Today is our final day in Panama, and we can’t and don’t want to believe it is already over. Our last A-Term at POHS has flown by! 

In honor of this special day, we woke up an extra hour early to watch the sunrise at the Cinta Costera. With tired eyes, we hobbled down the never-ending flights of stairs at La Isabela Suites and then carefully played real-life Crossy Road to dodge the speedy morning traffic. For a place where coffee shops don’t open until 9am, there sure are lots of early risers. 

While the sky was a little cloudy, it was still beautiful when the sun rose above the clouds and lit up the colorful streets and structures of downtown Panama. The reflection on the ocean was almost blinding, which made “smiling” during Jessica’s photoshoot rather challenging. Turning away from the rippling waves, Casco Viejo from afar looks like one of those picturesque, 4000-piece puzzles. 

After our morning sightseeing, Josey cooked one final breakfast using the remainder of our food. We walked to class and made a quick stop at our new favorite Panamanian coffee shop. We even ran into Hector and JJ at the shop, which was totally not awkward at all. The shop ran out of cup lids, so it was rather stressful to balance and transport the piping hot cups through the rest of the bustling city and up the narrow flight of stairs to our classroom.   

We continued our work on preterito indefinido and preterito imperfecto by watching various videos that involved filling in the blanks with proper conjugations. We also shared our fables and did some writing activities, and discussed what factors influence the switches between tenses. We only took two breaks to savor as much class time as possible but nonetheless, the four hours flew by increiblemente rapido. We had this magical moment where the tenses finally “clicked” in our brains, and we were able to decipher between imperfecto and indefenido like… day and night. 

After class was over, we said our final goodbyes to Ervin, Felizardo, and of course Héctor. It really was sad to say goodbye to Héctor because we’ve spent a lot of time learning to admire his patience and calm attitude. We were both honestly trying not to cry. Hopefully that didn’t make him too uncomfortable…tsk emotional Americans. We are already brainstorming gifts to send him from Texas so he won’t forget us (and to prove to him that we are not cowboys who live in the mid-west). 

After our class, we scurried home and immediately headed out to the Biodiversity Museum. Taxi Man Carlos intercepted us just in time and we enjoyed his company for the 15 minute drive. The museum can be seen from a mile away due to its unconventional architectural style. In the words of bike tour guide Kiki, “It’s muy loco!” The museum was beautifully and thoughtfully arranged, creatively displaying the various species of animals and plants that inhabit Panama. The guides spoke clearly in Spanish and led us to a room where the walls, ceilings, and floors are covered in flat screen TVs mimicking the natural world. The immersive experience was very successful, as we felt like we were traveling all over the country, from deep in the ocean to above the trees and into the clouds. 

We moved deeper into the museum and learned about the giant sloths and saber tooth tigers that had once roamed Panama when it first emerged as the “bridge” between the Americas. One reason for the immense diversity here is because, when the land bridge was first created, the animals from South America migrated towards North America, and those from North America migrated towards South America. This resulted in many of them finding new homes right here in Panama. On the other hand, oceanic creatures became divided between the Pacific and the Caribbean. We got to see many native aquatic species in a dark, aquarium-esqe room which was surprisingly mesmerizing. At any minute, I was expecting Sebastian to burst out of the coral and all the fish to start performing a choreographed “Under the Sea” musical number. 

While the museum thoroughly illustrated and elaborated on plant and animal life, it also talked about the First People of Panama (asians?!) and origin theories. An outdoor section walked through prehispanic, hispanic, colonial, and contemporary ages (which of course included, but was not limited to, information about the construction of the canal, destruction of native cultures by Europeans, disease, the overconsumption of natural resources, and distribution of Panamanian people). Did you know ⅔ of Panamanian citizens live in Panama City?!

We stopped to enjoy some tomato, mozzarella, and basil paninis with fresh oranges and allow some time for Ms. Gregg to catch up (she is part of the “special” population of museum connoisseurs who read every single word and study every single artifact in great detail). 

The last part of the museum was on climate change and the extinction of these species, many of which are disappearing due to the destruction of their homes. It was sad to see all the species that are now only found in the zoos or wildlife sanctuaries because they are no longer able to survive in the wild. We also drew connections to what we learned about climate change in Biology class this year. 

After a quick walk in the flower garden at the back of the museum, we hopped back in the cab with Taxi Man Carlos just as the rain started to pour down from the sky. So glad this was the one outing we forgot our raincoats! We arrived back at the apartment and started prepping everything for our big day of travel tomorrow (Covid testing, packing, crying, sappy music, etc). 

Our final night in Panama, so we decided to celebrate the same way we did when Sutton arrived- dining at a rooftop restaurant! We squeezed into a 3ft x 3.5ft elevator and were seated right across from a vibrant sunset. Per usual, the online menu was excessively complicated and overwhelming so we decided to share an assortment of “schmancy” delicacies. It was one of those restaurants where everything costs a million dollars and is an enormous plate with a tiny shrimp with a flower and a splash of neon sauce. Nonetheless, it was the most delicious meal yet, and our waiters were attentive and flirtatious patient with their spanish.  

The walk back home in the dark was a dark-mode version of Crossy Road, but we succeeded. We enjoyed our final trek back up the stairs and celebrated a trip to remember!