Emily Weiland

March 7-13, 2015

Global Business Brigades
Arimae, Panama

Over Spring Break, I had the opportunity to travel to Panama through Global
Brigades. It was the first time I left the States, and it was such a great experience for me.
People always say that going abroad changes your life. While I wouldnt quite go that
far, it definitely changed my perspective on a few things. Going into college, I knew I
wanted to travel abroad and to experience different languages, cultures, and lifestyles.
Panama provided me with plentiful experience in all three of these aspects. The lessons I
learned are something that I will be able to carry with me for the rest of my life, which is
why studying or volunteering internationally is such a valuable experience. Interacting
with others who speak a different language and partaking in numerous translations is
probably one of my most prominent and treasured memories from my week in Panama.
Experiencing a new culture was also mind-boggling for me. Furthermore, learning to
appreciate simplicity was probably the most important thing I gained from my spring
break trip. Lastly, business consulting in diverse groups with our self-employed client
was also a great experience, as it gave me a glimpse to a potential future career option.
As I stated previously, this was my first trip outside of the United States, which
meant that it was my first time being in a surrounding in which English was not the
primary language spoken. Fortunately, I have been studying Spanish for the past few
years and have aspirations of earning a minor in the language during my time here at

Penn State. When our plane landed and we had to go through customs, I began to use my
Spanish. Very broken Spanish, that is. To be honest, I was kind of disappointed in my
lack of Spanish communication skills. In school, learning another language is centered
on reading and writing, more so than speaking, which is why I think I struggled so much.
For example, for my first meal I was able to order my food without problem, however I
had a very hard time interpreting the workers response and needed some help from the
translator in order to complete the transaction. I was very appreciative of the kindness
demonstrated to me for attempting to speak the language, and fortunately by the end of
the week I was having an easier time picking up accents and dialect.
The other important aspect regarding language barriers dealt with the fact that our
Penn State Global Business Brigades chapter was paired up with a chapter from Bayreuth
University in Germany. For me, this was honestly one of the fondest memories from my
trip. I am still absolutely astonished at how well my new German friends spoke English,
considering it is their second language. Whats even more amazing to me is the fact that
most of them speak several other languages, including Italian, French, Latin, Spanish,
and Greek. In the United States, the majority of the population speaks only one language,
presumably English. However, in many other countries, the expectation is that people
speak at least two, if not more, languages. For example, I learned that in Germany it is
unusual for a person to only speak German and English; they are expected to be able to
communicate in additional languages. While a major reason for this is the size and
location of Germany as a country, especially its proximity to other nations who speak
languages such as French, Italian, Polish and Dutch, I am amazed at their language
capabilities, especially considering I was struggling using my second language, Spanish.

Additionally, engaging and taking interest in others opinions is a vital skill for
any career, and although language barriers can potentially make conversation difficult, in
an increasing globalized world it is an essential asset. When we were doing our financial
literacy workshops and business consulting in the Arimae community, there were several
moments that continue to stand out in my mind. On several occasions, a thought would
go from German to English to Spanish to the indigenous Embera language in order to
convey an idea or concept. While this was a very time consuming process, it was so
rewarding to see the look of recognition and understanding on everyones face once the
concept was conveyed to everyone in the group.
Being in a different type of culture and lifestyle, even if only for a week, was truly
eye opening for me. The moment we stepped out of the airport I knew we werent in the
States anymore. The first thing I noticed were young boys standing on the top of a
charter-style bus stacking and securing luggage. When we were driving, I saw cars
without license plates, a horse standing upright on small pickup truck, and children
without seatbelts in the backseat of a car. I also noticed many people darting across the
street, and the lack of guardrails along the road. This was only the beginning. When we
finally got the compound after hours of traveling on poorly paved roads, we were warned
of the consequences if we were not extremely cautious with water conservation. At my
house, I could literally spend an entire day turning the faucet on and off, never having to
worry about running out of water. However, during the dry season in Panama, water is a
very valuable resource and one that must be conserved very carefully. Throughout the
week, we had a few scares regarding running out of water, but thankfully after a few
hours it always kicked back on.

I think the most valuable lesson I gained from my brigade was the bliss of
simplicity. During our free time, we enjoyed playing soccer and volleyball, among other
sports. Except it wasnt really soccer and volleyball with all the equipment as most are
accustomed to in the US. The volleyball game was played with a net made out of a mere
string tied to the corner of a building and a tree. The height was nowhere near the correct
diameters, and the net was nowhere near the correct size. However, this did not matter;
we had so much fun playing the sport. For soccer, we played on an uneven field of grass,
with plastic posts for goals. There was no net to catch the ball, and we probably as much
time chasing it as we did playing, but I dont think any of us would have rather had it any
other way.
Another thing I never really thought about were the simple things that we are so
accustomed to in the US. For example, for the most part, any time you walk into a public
bathroom, you expect to find toilet paper. This wasnt the case in Panama. The septic
systems cannot handle much, including toilet paper. This is something that is very hard
to adjust to, and frankly something I never thought Id have to deal with. It made me
think of the countless times Ive heard people complain about the poor quality toilet
paper at PSU, but frankly at least we have it. Electricity and power are also sparse
throughout much of eastern Panama, and refrigeration is very limited. This meant that
during the heat of the day, the drinking water was literally lukewarm; I couldnt wait to
get back to the States to drink a tall, refreshing glass of water filled to the rim with ice
cubes. This trip really made me grateful for so many of the little things that I take for
granted on a day-to-day basis.

The last thing that stuck out in my mind regarding appreciating simplicity had to
do with one woman in the community, Melva. Melva was 9 months pregnant and was
awaiting the arrival of her third child when I met her. As the week went on, she began
sharing more and more about her life. When I was talking to her on the last day, I wanted
to ask if she had a name picked out for the baby. I was also incredibly close to asking
whether it was a boy or a girl, upon immediate realization that having a sonogram in the
US is considered to be a normal part of pregnancy, but in Panama health care is at a
minimum and sonograms are pretty much out of question. In fact, she likely will not
deliver in a hospital, but rather with a close friend as her midwife. She then shared with
me some of her insecurities regarding the birth of her child, and I was humbled at how
close we were communicating despite the language barrier.
In Arimae, the community members themselves were really inspiring to work
with; I will never forget the women in my group and how much progress we made. We
only spent about three days in total working with them, but I was amazed at the
relationships we built in that amount of time. The women we were working with, on
average, have only completed their education up to 6th grade, which is the norm for most
rural community members. Because of the low levels of education, we had to start at
very basic business levels with our lessons. However, they were incredible listeners and
picked up on things very quickly. I was so impressed how well they grasped the topics
we were presenting to them, and how willing they were to take our ideas into
consideration to form a plan. The initiative the women demonstrated by creating a caja
rural (community bank) was remarkable and inspiring, and the growth theyve
demonstrated over the past year is admirable. The weekly meetings and the rotations

they have between board directors allow everyone to participate, and the organization of
the caja rural is set up in such a way that I have confidence in its success for years to
come.
Overall, this trip was one of the best experiences of my life. Im so thankful that I
was given this opportunity during my freshman year of college, and I look forward to
traveling abroad again in the future. Being in a foreign country and speaking another
language was a valuable experience, especially because I plan on continuing my studies
in Spanish. Collaborating in diverse groups with people from all different backgrounds
and experiences, as well as learning to appreciate the little things in life taken for granted
on a daily basis was a humbling experience and one that I wont soon forget. The women
in the indigenous Arimae community will always hold a place in my heart, and my global
business brigade in Panama only further intensified my love for travel.