musings & meanderings: another trip in the books

I'm home. In Nashville. Panama was amazing and I wouldn't trade that experience, but it is good to be home with my husband and my dogs. I'm done with the physical unpacking, but the mental looks like it will be quite a process as I begin to organize and think through my research findings from the summer. Panama has earned a special place in my heart, and while inequality and discrimination are still persistent, as they are everywhere, every day I witnessed this tiny country work to overcome its historically imposed divisions through cultural understanding and mediation. Panama's population is very mixed; the white, or Spain-descendant population still maintains their position in the upper echelons, but there are large and influential populations of indigenous, Afro-Caribbean, Chinese, eastern European, and hispanic populations. Since the 1970s, the country has rooted its national identity in the idea that "todos son panameños - we are all Panamanians", and while this sentiment is definitely not universally accepted or practiced, the general Panamanian populace seems to embrace and enjoy their diversity. I found this inspiring for my own country that is also culturally and ethnically mixed yet these days often so opposed to the outsider and the immigrant. Diversity is rich, sensitivity brings understanding, and appreciation and respect for differences achieves solidarity and strength.

Here's some pictures to summarize, and the Panama chapter is closed.

For now.

Well, besides the thesis I still have to write :)

I got to enjoy the architecture of the city, where I lived, researched, and spent most of my time.

Panama City is very cosmopolitan; the newspapers often referred to it as the Dubai of Latin America.

My research studies the relationship of the Kuna indigenous group and the Panamanian state during the 1970s. Despite the continuous challenges presented by assimilation, modernity, tourism, capitalism..the list goes on and on, the Kuna have managed to preserve many of their cultural traditions.