Island fun

This weekend something excited happened! Cristina and I took a trip to an island located in the Caribbean Sea the called Tubasenika. First, we drove 3 hours to get to the port and the road was like a roller coaster. I thought that the curves and ups and downs would get me dizzy and sick, but surprisingly I was fine…maybe it was because I was sleepy or because I was excited for the new adventure! We got to the port around 10AM and took off in a small boat for a 45min ride to the island. The view was fantastic, I must admit that I have never seen so many shades of blue in my life! The water was light blue and the sand super clear. You could walk across the island in 3 minutes! After lunch (which was fried fish with white rice), we took a small trip to another island and to a natural pool where there was a couple of starfishes! At the island we got to do snorkeling and explore a sunken ship. It was really cool to see the life under water and the coral reefs. When we got back to our island, we just relaxed at the beach and enjoyed the warm weather. Dinner was at 5PM and they blew a big seashell every time they had to call everyone to eat.

I also enjoyed meeting new people, there is something magical about hearing everyone’s story. I met people from Canada, the Netherlands, Israel, Germany, Argentina, Colombia, Puerto Rico, among others…and all of them were traveling and having an adventure just like me!

As you could imagine, after two days of beach and sun, I got a bad sunburn on my shoulders and back. But in reality, this mini vacation warmed my soul and gave me time to relax, think, and just be present. Another highlight of the trip was the sunrise I got to watch! Waking up early for it was totally worth it.

The pictures I took look nice, but they don’t even represent half of the way it really was. I keep telling myself that I have to take pictures with my eyes and store them forever in me. No one can take away the things I have seen and the adventures I have experienced.  Anyways, I hope you enjoy the pictures and that one day you can visit one of the San Blas islands and experience it yourself!

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Another weekend of adventure

On Saturday we wanted to discover a new place so Delia and I decided to go to Causeway or Calzada de Amador, which is a place that connects four islands that form an archipelago. I really enjoyed walking on that route because you were able to admire the ocean on both sides and feel the breeze. It was relaxing and a great way to finish the week! The weather was very humid and after getting to one of the islands, we found the so-recommended restaurant Mi Ranchito that was calling our name. We sat down to eat and to rest because the walk was pretty long and we were sweaty. I had garlic shrimp with patacones (fried smashed plantain) and it was absolutely amazing! The timing was perfect because the minute we sat down to eat, it started raining and when we finished eating, it stopped.

We saw there was a place where you can rent bicycles and another where you can paddle board but we were too tired for that and didn’t have appropriate clothes.

After our big lunch and walking some more, we discovered that the MetroBus has a route that stops right in front of the restaurant so that worked out perfectly to head home and not spend extra money on Uber.

The pictures below show our Saturday experience better. Hope you enjoy watching them as much as I enjoyed the trip!

So delicious!!

Happy smiles

Peaceful view

The view from the restaurant

Panoramic view (The perspective of this picture is cool!)

Update!

So, here’s a little update on my internship.

Since I got here, Santos (my coworker) assigned me different projects to work on. Some of them are small and some of them are taking more time than expected. Lately, I have been working on the operative board at the warehouse. I organized and planned all the sections that the board will have including a general information and a productivity section. It will also have a table that controls the tracing and timing of different activities.

Another project that I am working on is with the automatization of workflows with the software Kissflow. I just got access to create the forms and assign people to the workflows. I have to sit down with Charles to ask him the process he goes through every time he requests approval for reimbursements and for petty cash or when he requests outsourcing of workforce.

Every other day or so I go to the warehouse to continue with the time study I started weeks ago. With a chronometer, I record the time it takes the employees to complete a certain task. I have to record all the main tasks of the warehouse like picking, relocating, loading, and unloading pallets and cases. I also record the process that the company offers of Value Added Service which is mostly repacking consumer goods and adding new labels. With these numbers, I have been working with Excel to create tools for decision making regarding productivity.

I will update my progress soon! I can’t believe time goes by so fast! This is the fifth week of the internship and only 3 more to go! After the internship, I will head home for several weeks of vacation with friends and family before I get back to school. I am excited! I will post soon… Have a wonderful day 🙂

The Route of the World

On Saturday we went to the Miraflores Visitor Center. It was really cool to see how the ships go through the Panama Canal locks! There is a museum and they also screen a small movie. In one of the exhibition rooms they have a cool simulator where you can become the Capitan of the ship.

I learned about the history and the importance of the Canal. The so called: “Route of the World” has benefits of time minimization when going through Panama. The average time of crossing the Panama Canal is 8 to 10 hours, which is great when comparing to what it used to take with other routes (2 weeks or so).

What really impressed me was how they use the locks to level the ship and how they control the water level. I got to see a ship that was passing through the Canal, going to the Pacific. The water was lowered until it matched the level of the next chamber and then they opened the gate so that the ship can go forward. The process was repeated until the ship gets to the other side. It is really an engineering marvel!

Butterflies everywhere!

Cool simulator

Panoramic pic

Entering the Canal

The ship’s lowered!

Birthday Girl!

Last week was my birthday! On Wednesday (June 7th) I turned 22! My parents called me early in the morning to sing me happy birthday and congratulate me. My sister did the same thing all the way from China! After all the calls, I went to work as usual and some coworkers wished me a nice day as well.

After work I decided to have dinner at a nice restaurant and we found a cool sushi place inside of a mall. My roommates are not big fans of sushi, but they ate there anyway. My food was delicious and we also ordered a mango sangria to celebrate! Throughout the day I received beautiful messages from friends and family and that is what made my day so special. This is my second birthday away from home but the distance meant nothing because I felt so loved!!

My cake!

Delicious food

Delia, Cristina, and I

My parents managed to send me a gift!

Weekend adventure

The weekend was fun! My body is getting used to waking up early to go to work, and the weekend is no exception. I keep telling myself that I am allowed to sleep in on Saturday and Sunday but my body is up and ready to do things. So on Saturday we decided to go to Casco Viejo, which is the historic part of the city. It was so nice and picturesque! We walked around the cool streets, bought some souvenirs, and ate at a nice restaurant…just like tourists! It was so warm and humid that we had to take a break and sat down on a bench to enjoy our raspado (shaved ice with syrup). Then we kept walking on the Cinta costera (coastal belt), which was refreshing because of the wind blowing in your face.

The next day we had to move out from our room to one that has only 2 beds because our third roommate changed her housing arrangements and left. While packing, I realized that I brought TOO. MUCH. STUFF. So, if you need advice when traveling: take only what you need and what you’re really going to wear.

After all the moving, I decided to go to the pool because it was such a nice day! The tiny detail is that I forgot to put on some sunscreen and now I’m pink and it hurts.

Overall, it was a great weekend! I look forward to more weekends filled with adventure!

 

That view..

Cute street

Old church

Peaceful moment

Super smiley

How to get to work on time

I am trying to master the timing to get to work. The bus that takes me to work leaves the bus station Albrook at 6:50am. So, to get to the bus station I need to take the MetroBus which is part of the public transportation in Panama. To use it, first you have to purchase a card and then you can add money to it to have a balance and you scan it every time you get on a bus. The card also works for the metro and gives you access the public restrooms on the bus station.

The route that I have to take reads: “C. del Saber” on the front of the bus and it has established stops. The problem is that the buses don’t have an established schedule of departures or arrivals.

I don’t want to risk losing the second bus because there is no other good way of getting to work (the last option would be to pay a private taxi which costs around $20-$30 one way). So basically, I try to leave my dormitory around 5:45am so that I have enough time to: walk to the bus stop (which is around 3 blocks away), wait for the bus (taking into account a 30 minute wait), ride the bus, and get to the bus station on time to catch the second one.

As you can imagine, it is really hard for me to wake up that early…but sometimes I am able to take a nap on the second bus!

Second Day of Orientation

On Tuesday, Charles came to pick me up as arranged the previous day. On our way to the company he explained me about their main clients and gave me background information. Then, Charles introduced me to some of the employees and gave me a tour of the warehouse and explained the operations. They do really cool things over there! It’s amazing how they manage space and how they work with logistics to help the customer.

Next Charles introduced me to Santos. I will work directly with him. He gave me more information and details of the company so that I can understand how everything works here and also introduced me to the projects I will be working on. He assigned me 3 projects (to start with).

At the end of the day, Charles gave me my bus ID and I got explanations on how to get home. It seemed a little complicated and I was scared of the unknown and of getting lost but everything went fine and I got home safe and sound.

First Day of Work!

Hi! It’s been a while since the first blog, sorry I have been very busy! So, let me catch up!

My first day of work with Logistics Services Panama was great. I was a little bit nervous but felt ready for the challenge.Miguel came to pick us up from the dorms at City of Knowledge and drove us to Colon. The drive was around an hour long and the view was beautiful (lots of nature and green). When we got to the office, Miguel gave us a tour of the company and introduced us to the team that works there. Then, we got to see how the operations work in the warehouse. It was very interesting to see how everything works there and how they work to deliver results by working with their clients.

After filling out all the paperwork for Human Resources, we got our official ID’s and were ready to go. Miguel explained their operations in more detail with a presentation and assigned us where we were going to work. My two roommates got assigned to work in Colon (but in different buildings) and I got assigned to Panama Pacifico. We got all the details taken care of and Miguel drove us back to City of Knowledge.

It was a long, but great first day of work!

My Official ID

Selfie with my roommates!

Me on my first day of work

Panama.. Here I go!

Hi! I am Manuela Prudencio and I am from Bolivia! I am a Business Management student here at the University of Arkansas. This summer I am going to Panama for an internship with Logistics Panama Services (LSP). I am super excited about this new experience and ready to learn as much as I can.

I decided to apply for this internship because I think it will be a fruitful learning experience that can help me better understand how Supply Chain Management works in international companies like LSP. I would like to apply the concepts I learned in the classroom in a real work environment.

As a business management major this opportunity will allow me to practice what I’ve learned at the university the past two years as well as continue to build my professional network. Interning in Panama will enhance and build up my Supply Chain Management knowledge, my communication, and leadership skills. It will certainly prepare me for my future!

I applied for funding to make this trip possible. I got a study abroad funding scholarship supported by the Global Engagement Office of the Walton College of Business. I am very thankful for this scholarship and happy to have the opportunity to start my career with an international internship.