Recently, 12 Saints embarked on the Geoversity service trip to Panama over President’s Day weekend, learning about ethical service as well as wildlife conservation. Our trip was very exciting and gave us an opportunity to see and learn about a very unique part of the world.
The trip began bright and early on Friday, February 13 at 5:30 AM, when the long day of travel commenced. To get to Geoversity’s campus, you must first fly to Panama through Copa Airlines on a direct, five-hour flight. Then, you must take a several hour SUV ride through the jungle before reaching the rustic campus, which includes several bamboo buildings that all operate completely off the grid. At around 4:00 PM, we finally arrived at the Mamoni Valley, in the heart of Panama’s jungle.
During our whole trip, we ate delicious food that was grown on campus, such as an assortment of fruit and fresh tamales prepared by the Geoversity staff. Alix Ares ‘29 said, “I definitely expected that the food would be good! However, I was surprised by the intense humidity and the extraneous hiking.” During the first full day in Panama, we started with a 2.2km hike along the Continental Divide, and saw a lot of wildlife on the way, such as monkeys, lizards, frogs, birds, and any type of bug you could imagine. During one of our hikes, our guide pointed out a hive of bees that was nearby. As he was explaining what the species did and how they made their hives, the whole hive flew over to us and we had to run away, this was definitely the most exciting wildlife encounter of the trip.
Following that eventful hike, we built rafts in teams and floated them across the pool on campus, with awesome team names such as Sparkly Barracudas, Hydrophobes, and the one successful team, Team Panama. The next day we embarked on a much longer hike to the village of La Zahina, in which we met locals during the annual festival Carnaval. That evening, we went on a night hike and enjoyed our last evening in Panama, roasting marshmallows and reflecting on ethical leadership, and the importance of learning how to help someone before trying yourself.
This trip was awesome, which is why it is so important to highlight who made it possible, such as the organization that owned the campus, Geoversity. Geoversity is a non-profit organization that specializes in teaching the public about conservation of wildlife by showing its importance to our world first hand, hence why it refers to itself as “Nature’s University.” This trip was also organized through Students Shoulder-To-Shoulder, an organization that specializes in bringing the youth around the world to learn more about other areas and do service.
This new type of service was definitely different than most of the students expected. Madi Friedberg ‘29 said, “My expectations for the service were that we were going to have to build something or paint something, but instead we learned about what meaningful service meant.” Furthermore, this trip could not have been possible without Profe Meyer, Ms. Bailey, and Mr. Yee, as well as the amazing Geoversity staff. You can learn more about opportunities with Geoversity and Students Shoulder-To-Shoulder on their websites.
Many of the students on the Panama trip each chose to go for different reasons, whether that be with the intention of visiting somewhere new or to practice Spanish. For example, Alix Ares said ‘29, said, “I chose Panamá because it was a place that I hadn’t really heard of people traveling often before. Additionally, I take Spanish and figured it would be an amazing opportunity to learn more about new cultures! However, looking towards the future, I really love to travel so I don’t really mind where the next trip might take me! Maybe Taiwan or Spain if I was forced to decide though!”
Madi Friedberg ‘29 said, “I chose this trip because I was really interested in international travel and I had done something similar before. I think the Bahamas trip sounds most fun now that I’ve been on this trip.” Additionally, now that these students have been on this trip, many hope to go on another Saints Travel Program adventure in the near future.
Two participants on the Panama service trip were willing to be interviewed about their experience, so a huge thank you to Alix Ares ‘29, and Madi Friedberg ‘29.
What was the most exciting part of the trip?
Madi ‘29 said, “I really liked going to the village because it was fun and I liked hearing the people’s stories.”
Alix ‘29 said, “Bugs. Some of them were easily the size of my fist and they could fly. I didn’t feel so safe from them when sleeping…”
What expectations did you have for visiting Panama, and how do they compare to it in real life?
Madi ‘29 said, “My expectations for the service were that we were going to have to build something or paint something, but instead we learned about what meaningful service meant.”
Alix ‘29 said, “I definitely expected that the food would be good! However, I was surprised by the intense humidity and the extraneous hiking.”
Overall, the Panama Service Trip was an incredible experience that is sure to have left memories that will last a lifetime, and as someone who went on the trip itself, I highly recommend it for anyone available for it in the future. Thank you so much to Mr. Yee, Profe Meyer, and Ms. Bailey for making this trip happen and a huge thank you to Madi Friedberg ‘29 and
Alix Ares ‘29 for their willingness to be interviewed about their experience and their thoughtful answers.
