Programme details
| Programme length | Start | End | Price | Age on departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFS year programme (academic year) | March 2010 | January 2011 | $11,500 + visa | 15.8 - 17.6 |
Panama’s warm and hospitable people will welcome you with open arms. The country’s name comes from a Native American word meaning ‘place of many fish,’ and here you’ll find beaches of unparalleled beauty with coral gardens lining their shores – the Caribbean Sea to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west – and rainforests with exotic animals and rare birds everywhere.
The people of this country are eager to share festivals and events celebrating their heritage. Mestizos, people of mixed Native American and European descent, make up 70 percent of the population, but the country is also home to seven different indigenous groups and boasts sizable West Indian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and American populations.
Panama borders both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean and lies between Colombia to the south and Costa Rica to the north.
Family life
Panamanian families are usually very close and quite large, including aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. Children remain close to their families even when they are grown, often living at home until they marry. The father is the head of the household, parental authority is recognised and children are expected to follow their parents’ wishes. Because both parents often work outside the home, children (especially daughters) are expected to help with running the house, which is kept very neat.
Host school
The school year runs from early-March to mid-December and is divided into four terms or quarters. The school day starts at 7am with a break for lunch. Panamanian schools are academically oriented. All high schools have an average of 10 compulsory subjects, and each day of the week has a different schedule of subjects. Panama has one of the highest literacy rates in the region, 97%.
High academic levels are required to be an AFS student in Panama and smokers are not accepted.
