End of the trip / back to OSU

By late March our group had reached the end of the program and it was time for us to pack up and head home. I sensed that most of the students had a good time and were glad that they gone on the trip. Even though they had had fun, some were ready to get back to their lives at OSU, while others (myself included) wished that we could stay for longer. Even if we wanted to stick around we didn’t have much time though, since the week after classes ended in Ecuador spring quarter started back up in Columbus.

I was scheduled to fly from Quito to Panama City, then to Washington DC. After meeting my mom and aunt in DC I would drive back to Columbus in time for the start of the new quarter. My flight left at some ungodly hour in the morning, so I was all packed up and ready to go before daybreak. I said my goodbyes to my host mom and two brothers, and then was off to the airport by cab. As far as I remember everything went as planned on the flight – since nothing comes to mind it must have been pretty standard! I arrived in Panama City mid-morning, but my flight out wasn’t scheduled to leave until early evening. I decided to temporarily store my luggage and explore the city for a few hours instead of sitting mindlessly in the airport.

before getting back to the US I made a stop in Panama

high-rise condos in modern Panama City

I walked for a while around the old city, which had a number of attractive churches, monuments, and old residences in a variety of architectural styles. The image I had of Panama City was of modern high-rise condos and financial buildings, but I was pleasantly surprised by the old city’s charms. On the downside parts of the area were dilapidated and poverty was definitely noticeable. I did see signs of renewal, however. I later found out the Panamanian government, along with the private sector, had launched a redevelopment scheme to improve the area’s image. Hopefully it will also benefit the local residents and not simply push them away.

old town in Panama City

After a tasty lunch near the local fish market I headed to the newer section of town. That was the part of Panama that I had expected to see when I left the airport – the expensive condos, malls, and the cars that made you look twice (well there were some ladies that had that effect too!). What I didn’t expect to see were so many construction cranes. In one part of the city it seemed like over half of the buildings were under construction. That was in late winter 2009 though, when the shit was continuing to hit the fan on Wall Street and real estate prices were plunging. I wonder how the place looks now…my guess is that some of those condos are still unfinished. Unlike ours however, Panama’s economy is revving again, so there are probably lots of cranes up and running.

The fish market sure engaged my senses

I made the trip back to the airport extra early in case there were any unexpected delays. It was pretty empty and I got back to my gate with a few hours to spare. The flight to DC didn’t arrive until after midnight, but thankfully my mom and aunt were willing to make the trip to pick me up (thanks if you are reading!).

I didn't land in DC (Dulles Airport) until the middle of the night

After I arrived in Columbus it was only a few days until classes started, so I didn’t have much time to reminisce. Looking back on it now, I can remember a lot of great memories from my time in Ecuador. There were a few other students on the trip (Ryan, Chase, Adam, and Rachel) who I spent a lot of my free-time with and who became great friends of mine. Unfortunately we have gone our separate ways since and don’t see each other much, but that was to be expected.

I can still recall the feeling I had when I took the trip to Cuenca by myself and I felt like just staying out there, turning it into a big bus tour of South America. I am still determined to do that one day!