Programdetaljer
| Program | Start | Slut | Pris | Ålder vid ankomst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ca 6 mån, avresa vår/höst | 35 000 | 18-30 år |
COMMUNITY SERVICE IN PANAMA
Panama’s culture reflects multiple influences, Spanish, African, Chinese, East and West Indian—and American. The U.S., after all, built and ran the 50-mile-long Panama Canal, the country’s best-known economic asset, from 1914 through 1999. But today the U.S. is gone, and Panamanians, having lived many decades with a foreign presence and a canal that brings a nonstop flow of international commerce, are cosmopolitan and comfortable with visitors. Contrasting Panama’s urbanity, however, more than half the country remains tropical rainforest, sheltering more species of birds than the U.S. and Canada combined. In addition, seven native Panamanian tribes still live according to prehistoric customs. At least one tribe still hunts with blowpipes.
Typical day
A participant’s typical day depends on the assignment and the location of the host community. In general, after participants finish with their daily work schedule, they join in various pastimes including sports, handicrafts or sharing activities with their families or other members of the host community or work placement.
LIVING IN PANAMA
Living Arrangements
Most participants in AFS Community Service programs live with local families, sharing their daily lives and their meals. Other participants live where their community service organization conducts its business. Still others live in rooms provided elsewhere by their local service organizations.
Food
Panamanian food reflects the influence of the different cultural groups that have settled the country. Rice is the staple of the diet and is eaten twice a day. Meals include meat, beans and plantanos and vegetables including tomatoes, carrots and cabbage. Spicy foods are very rare. Meals are often accompanied by sweet cold fruit drinks called chichas. Few Panamanian families are vegetarians.
