It is hard for me to believe that this is the last Journal I will be writing for you all. It is even harder to believe is that I have only one month left in Panama. When I arrived in September of last year, I had no idea what to expect. I only knew that I would be moving to a new city and doing research on how a virus called hantavirus affects peoples lives in the countryside of Panama. I never expected how fun and life-changing this year would be. At the end of June, I will have to say goodbye to this incredible place. To be honest, I am not sure that I am ready to leave the new life I have made here. But I know Panama will always be a home for me.
Over the nine months that I have lived here, I have traveled to the jungles, the mountains, the beaches and the farmlands of Panama. I have seen sloths, monkeys, snakes, mice, dolphins, stingrays, sharks, starfish and turtles. I ate fried plantains, fresh fish, corn tortillas, ceviche, yuca and lots of mangos. I have learned so much about hantavirus and how it affects people in Tonosi and what we can do to help. I learned how to salsa dance, hiked through caves in water up to my neck, rode water taxi boats between islands, improved my Spanish and learned how to trap mice and take their blood.
