I wish I could pinpoint the exact moment that I knew I would study abroad, but, truthfully, I’ve always known this was my path.
When I told people I’d spend my first semester of college in Panama City, Panama, they mostly met me with disbelief. To some, moving 2,000 miles away just as I was supposed to be settling into college seemed unfathomable. And I can understand where they were coming from. While my friends were preparing to navigate campus, make friends, and find their footing in college, I was preparing to adjust to an entirely different country.
But the more people questioned the decision, the more certain I became that it was the right one for me. I didn’t want to wait until I felt ready or until the timing seemed more conventional. I wanted to take the opportunity while I had it, even if that meant doing things a little differently.
When I arrived in Panama, I was in awe. When I stepped out of the airport, an intense wave of heat and humidity hit me, but all I could notice was how green the world around me was. Everything felt vibrant and unfamiliar, but even in the middle of a bustling city, I felt a closeness to nature I had never experienced before. I knew I was somewhere special, but I don’t think I could have anticipated just how much this place would come to mean to me.
A Taste of Panama
One of my favorite ways to experience a new place is through its food. I find something special in getting to know a culture through what people cook and the traditions around meals. In Panama, food has been an integral way I’ve stepped outside what I know.
I’ve eaten endless arroz con pollo (chicken and rice), braved ceviche (a seafood dish made with fresh fish, shrimp, or octopus), cooked Panamanian tamales, and even tasted a raw coconut I found on the beach. Each experience has given me something new to try, whether that meant discovering a dish I loved or being willing to try something I wasn’t so sure about.
Of course, exploring a new country’s food doesn’t mean we can’t bring a little taste of home with us. One of my cohort’s most frequented restaurants is Austin Mama’s. Conveniently, the most authentic Texas barbecue restaurant is located just ten minutes away from our dorms. It’s a little ironic to travel thousands of miles from Texas only to end up at a barbecue joint, but it feels fitting.
Between exploring unfamiliar dishes and finding comfort in familiar ones, food has become a funny little balance between embracing where we are and remembering where we came from. And while I certainly didn’t expect to find myself eating Texas barbecue in Panama, I think that is part of what makes this experience so memorable. Studying abroad has pushed me to try new things, but it has also reminded me that experiencing another culture doesn’t mean leaving every piece of your own behind.
More Than a Postcard
It’s easy to look at pictures of a place and think you understand what makes it special. Panama certainly has no shortage of postcard-worthy views, from its lush greenery to its beaches and colorful coastal towns. But one of the most rewarding parts of studying abroad has been experiencing these places for myself and realizing how much there is to discover beyond what photos can capture.
During my time here, I’ve visited places like Guna Yala, Bocas del Toro, and Boquete. Each place has offered a different perspective on Panama, and I’ve loved seeing how much variety exists within one country. Traveling across Panama, I’ve seen mountains, beaches, small towns, and big cities.
I’ve learned how honey and coffee are produced, explored different forms of energy production, and seen far more of the environment than I could have imagined. Seeing the contrast between these places firsthand and learning about them has given me a much greater appreciation for the world around me than I ever had.
What has stood out most so far has been our homestays. Putting myself in someone else’s shoes to explore a place means more than simply seeing it. It means learning about its history, paying attention to the communities that call it home, and recognizing that there is always more to understand than what you can see on the surface.
The family I stayed with spoke only Spanish, so I got to practice speaking more Spanish than I ever have. Not only did I improve my language skills, but I also experienced something I could never do at home. Having only stayed there for two days, I know my experience is only a small glimpse into a much larger story, but the chance to learn beyond my own perspective is part of what makes studying abroad so meaningful.
Of course, not every adventure has to be a profound cultural experience to be memorable. Some of my favorite moments have simply come from being somewhere new, taking in the scenery, and realizing how lucky I am to be there.
Learning Outside of Classrooms
The most surprising part of this experience for me has been how much hands-on learning has taught me. I’ve always experienced schoolwork in a classroom, but being in Panama has shown me how much you can learn simply by being somewhere new and experiencing it for yourself.
One of my favorite parts of Take the World by the Horns has been connecting what we learn in class to the world around us. Instead of just reading and talking about Panama’s environment, culture, and history, I’ve been able to see everything firsthand.
Visiting different parts of the country and learning from the people and communities so different from my own has made what we study feel much more real. There is a difference between learning about something and actually seeing it, asking questions, and experiencing it yourself.
A big part of that has been doing actual fieldwork. Instead of learning about Panama’s ecosystems through textbooks or lectures, I’ve been able to collect data and study them firsthand. Getting out into the field, making observations, taking measurements, and working with my classmates has made our in-class work feel much more tangible.
It’s one thing to learn about an ecosystem, but it’s another to be climbing through mangroves trying to understand what is happening in the world around you. That experience has made me appreciate how much work goes into collecting and interpreting the information we often take for granted in a textbook or research paper.
Even the little moments have taught me to be more independent and confident in my abilities. I came to Panama expecting to learn about a new country and culture, but I didn’t expect to learn so much about myself in the process, and that’s what makes studying abroad so unique.
I’m not just visiting Panama and checking places off a bucket list; I’m letting myself be challenged by experiences far outside what I knew when I came here. Some of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned this semester have happened far from a desk, and I know I’ll carry them with me long after I leave.
Finding Community Abroad
The biggest thing I didn’t fully appreciate before coming to Panama was how important the people around me would become to this experience. Moving to a new country during my first semester of college meant starting over in more ways than one. I was not only adjusting to a new place but also meeting new people and figuring out what my life would look like in an entirely different environment.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to do any of it alone. Spending so much time with my cohort has made it easy to form friendships in ways I haven’t before. Exploring new places, sharing meals, and going on a few too many trips to the mall, we’ve made plenty of memories together. I’ve also realized that community doesn’t have to come from having things in common.
Sometimes, it comes from figuring things out together when everyone is unsure of what is happening. Being away from home has made me appreciate how much the people around you can shape an experience, and how quickly strangers can start to feel like a community.
When I think back on my time in Panama, I’ll remember the places I visited and the things I learned, but most importantly, I’ll remember the people who were there with me. I came here excited to explore a new country, and I’m leaving with friendships and memories that made the experience far more meaningful than I could have anticipated.
Looking Forward
Throughout this short month and a half, I’ve gone on my longest hike (nine miles), visited remote villages, cooked Panamanian food, ate a raw coconut I found on the beach, played an unexpected amount of volleyball, experienced my first earthquake, pet a lot of animals I shouldn’t have, and hopefully made some lifelong friends.
Take the World by the Horns has given me so many opportunities to embrace the unexpected and appreciate how much the world offers when you’re willing to step outside your comfort zone. As excited as I am to see what the rest of my time in Panama holds, I know leaving will be bittersweet. It’s hard to believe a place that once felt so foreign has become such a meaningful part of my life in so little time.
When I decided to spend my first semester abroad, I knew I was taking a chance on an experience that would be different from what most people expected. What I didn’t know was just how much I would learn, how many memories I would make, or how many people would become a permanent part of my story.
I hope to leave Panama with a greater appreciation for the world beyond what I know and a reminder that sometimes the best decisions are the scariest ones.
Maybe the grass really is greener on the other side. Or maybe, you just have to be willing to go somewhere new to see it for yourself!
This blog was contributed by Sophie Singer, Global Ambassador for Fall 2026. Sophie is a College of Liberal Arts first-year participating in the Take the World by the Horns program in Panama City, Panama.
