Most of the lessons concerning the discovery of your own surroundings come from those who visit for the first time; from people who, unlike you, come with the interest of touring a small, unexplored world. This is the world you live in. During this year I have acquired invaluable life lessons, most of which have taken place outside an academic setting. A lesson I consider worth mentioning, and I am the most thankful for, is how you should appreciate your surroundings. This, precisely, is the lesson I believe I could share with the UNC community. When I applied for a position as a Research Assistant, I thought of it as a great opportunity to bond with fellow Panamanians. However, when I realized most of the station was occupied by North American and European researchers, I was both surprised and fascinated. Here, regardless of your nationality, new relationships and great friendships arose. We enjoyed every moment spent together. Living on an island was inconvenient when wanting to visit the city, transport reasons but we made it possible. Everyone looked forward for Tuesdays, which we …show more content…
I could see the joy in their faces when strolling down the Avenida Central towards the historical center, buying 5 pounds of “strange fruits” because of their low prices. With them I tried basil ice-cream and fish escabeche in the fish market for the first time, while leaning over the seawall by the coastline, gazing at the calm waters of the Pacific Ocean. At times, locals would speak to me in English and tried to sell me souvenirs; I slowly became a tourist in my own country. At this point, I believed it was opportune to show them the rest of the city. To their surprise, there had been an overseen “concrete jungle” behind them; I was then the guide. This routine was one I was enjoying, as every day felt as a first time. “I used to jog here every day, and I never thought of looking around,” I