Monday morning, it was finally time to see where the new orphanage is going to be! Graciella picked us up and we headed to Colon to meet up with Matt. We had driven through Colon on our last trip, and were a little uneasy returning; Colon is an extremely poor area of Panama and is known for its gangs and criminal activity. What we got, however, was a nice little neighborhood even with some new houses just outside of Colon where Americans used to live. The building for the orphanage is an old American hospital, and although there are numerous renovations needed, we were extremely impressed by it! It is a three-story building with a great sized yard and plenty of space for all of their needs. Matt led us through the site and shared his vision with us, which will require a lot of work, but we could see the amazing potential it has. It was very cool to think that the next time we return, the building will look completely different and new, and we took a moment to let that inspiration sink in.

We arrived back at the hotel early in the afternoon, and we had lots to discuss! We were very excited with the ever-increasing motivation and inspiration that came from seeing the orphanage itself. We put our heads together and came up with lots of ideas for both the actual orphanage and for spreading the word to the SU community.

At night, a large group of us went to TGI Friday’s for dinner, including our beach group and Blanca’s parents, along with some of their other friends. It was a blast, and we stuffed ourselves to the brim with burgers, fries, and desserts. Then, we rode to Casco Viejo, the colonial-style part of Panama that we all fell in love with the first time around. We went to the Tantalo hotel/restaurant/rooftop bar, which has an absolutely amazing view. To the left, you see the Panama City skyline all lit up and colorful, and to the right are the old city buildings. It was a beautiful place to sit with friends and chat and just have a relaxing night.

-Brittany :)