Best Two Weeks Of My Life

this trip was the best decision I've ever made! i had an awesome support network in Panama of supervisors and staff. we had check ins with our supervisor all the time where they would ask us about how everything had been going and they always made it easy to talk/go to them. the first week was filled with briefing, which i had not expected but was very grateful for because of how safe it made me feel. going into our homestay i was nervous because i pretty much had no language experience. i immediately knew that i was going to love my host mom! she was cute and little always filling me to the brim with food. i also loved my host dad who had the sweetest laugh and was always curious about life in america. i adored my host sister who played endless games of cards with me. i will never forget walking to the local tienda with her and getting dulces for the entire family every night. i also adored the local schoolchildren who always tried to give me little toys and who always wanted to play with the "Gringas". getting on that plane was the hardest thing in the world for me because i had felt that i had made a second family and really belonged in that town of two hundred people.