Día Libre!

We had one more free day today before the conference starts tomorrow morning so we decided to spend the day soaking up all Panama City has to offer. We spent the morning doing an interview on Radio Hugar with Xenia, Carlos, and the three Panamerican students informing the listeners in Panama on where the mission screening will be located this Sunday, how they can be helped by Operation Smile, our U-Lead conference, and how the organization has changed all of our lives for the better. Despite the fact that there were nine people in a tiny sound proof room with only three microphones, the interview went surprisingly well. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room, we all shared our heart-filled stories and tried our best to encourage all the listeners in need to come to the screening on Sunday and seek help. After we wrapped up our interview we headed to lunch at a beautiful country club right on the ocean. We were lucky enough to spend lunch with Arlene Arias, the regional advisor for Central America and the Caribbean regions, as well as one of our guest speakers for the U-Lead conference. After lunch we all crammed back into two cars and headed to the Panama Canal! We took a scenic route there and drove by the United States Embassy as well as many other landmarks that exemplified the history between the U.S. and Panama. The Canal was everything we could have expected, even James and Dani were impressed! We watched at least five huge ships slowly ease through the Miraflores Lock. We were all fascinated watching the water change levels and the ships lower down into the next lock. It was truly an amazing experience to watch how the Canal operates and so interesting to learn the history of the Canal. We wrapped up the day with a visit to Panama City old town. The vibe of the city immediately changed from fast pace city traffic to a serene and calm oasis of old brick roads and crumbling buildings, similar to something you might see in the French Quarter in New Orleans. We ate diner at a little restaurant in the square called Casablanca and then headed back to the hotel to go over any last minute details for the start of the conference tomorrow. After weeks of planning, we can’t believe that the beginning of the U-Lead conference in Panama has finally come! We are looking forward to what tomorrow has in store for us and as always we will tell you all about it mañana!