A summer of growth

Without a doubt one of the most powerful experiences of my life. I was nervous joining the program at first, but because of all of its praise I decided to commit and I’m so grateful I did. Global Glimpse does an incredible job at pushing glimpses out of their comfort zones so they may grow but also creates a really fun experience overall - all of this while getting to see the world and meet new people.

Something very notable is that the program is very authentic. They create a perfect balance of work and fun to make a worthwhile experience something you can actually enjoy. They speak a lot about being outside of your comfort zone and because of all of their encouragement (from home staff members, staff in Panama, zoom meetings, etc…) I was willing to take that extra step. I found that coming back from the program I am now more willing to work with others and come up with genuine solutions to problems. It has greatly lessened my fear of making my voice heard and now I want to do what I can to lead and make a positive difference around me. I seek out opportunity to be a leader rather than avoid it.

All of that happened practically under my nose though because I was having a blast the whole time. I got to see a place I’ve never been to before, eat new foods, see great views of the land and meet amazing new people. Your peers are cooperative and genuinely want to connect with you, and the staff members are some of the most supportive people I’ve ever met in my life. I was having so much fun that I was almost SAD to not wake up at 6 AM cuz that would mean my day wouldn’t feel as long.

Personally the most impactful part of the whole trip for me was community day (even though going to the beach with all my new friends was awesome). We got to go into a community I likely would have never otherwise known and speak to their members and see what their life is like. I love practicing languages so this opportunity definitely has a space in my heart specifically but other than that I learned how inviting and constructive everyone in their community is. Everyone knows each other and they work together to complete projects for the benefit of the town (i.e. a bridge crossing a stream). It increased my scope of the world and now encourages me to speak to others around me and see how other communities may be different from my own.

Of course I need to talk about the Community Action Project as well. We all met up with the leaders of a community (a primary school) and worked together to discover a way to improve their community as a whole. We ended up deciding upon constructing a recycling center nearby the basketball court of the school. Despite the fear I had for it, I ended loving doing my part in working for the improvement of this community and am proud of the piece of myself that I added to the project. It built my sense of empathy and it made me think what I could do at home to make MY community a better place. I’m so grateful for the work that we all did and I really believe it’s helped the lives of the kids at the school.

Some tips that I’d leave:
Definitely bring an alarm clock - You don’t have your phones (scary at first but I ended up loving it) and you’ll want to control when you wake up.

Bring a journal - you have so many experiences you don’t wanna miss the little ones

Lots and lots of water. - Panama is a hot place it’s practically on the equator. Your body will be adjusting and if you don’t want to be in bed sick while all your friends are trying plantains and pineapple juice while building a recycling center for a primary school.

Overall global glimpse has permanently impacted my life in the best way possible and it is something I will never forget. It expanded who I am as a person in ways I didn’t even know were possible and it was probably the most fun experience of my life. I CANNOT stress enough how much I recommend this trip. If you’ve been on the fence about it, I sincerely hope this has possibly pushed you over the edge.