Panama! Day One

Today, we hit the ground running!  One thing that I love about our trips to Panama is the active and spontaneous atmosphere that feels present everywhere in the country.  Our days are always packed - active with dancing and travelling and discovering - but are never rushed, which can lead to wonderful, unexpected moments.

We began today with a delicious lunch at Magnolia and a fresh itinerary - hiking Cerro Ancon in the early afternoon, then teaching the girls at the Malambo Orphanage until evening.  The humid trek up Ancon was well worth the sweat; the top of the hill boasts a breathtaking view of Casco Viejo (old Panama City) and Panama City (the newer parts), while the hike itself takes you through a quiet, friendly Panamanian neighborhood and brings you in close contact with all kinds of Panamanian flora.

My favorite part of the day, though, came from a rather unplanned moment at Malambo.  At a lull moment, one of the young girls asked to see my camera.  After giving it to her...and then to another girl....and another....I found that the camera had a whole collection of photos of the interactions between MoveEx and Malambo from the girls' perspective.  There are photos of fingers and noses and shoes, but also of smiling faces and happy dancers.  If I had taken these photos, some of the same shots would still be there - but the close-ups and the unabashed affection in some of them were moments that wouldn't have been captured had I not, on a whim, let the little girls have free reign with it.

Here's to a whole week more of Panama's unexpected moments!