Why did I choose the Panama Canal?THis is a picture of me, my brother Chris, my cousin Hayley, My Uncle Pablo and his wife.
This is a picture of my cousin and I on the rocks at the beach which also contained black sound surrounding the rocks.
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I chose to research the Panama canal for my project because of my family roots in Panama. My grandmother lives in Panama as well as my great aunt's and uncles and second cousins. Last spring break was the first time I visited Panama and I not only learned so much about my family but the culture as well. While on our trip, we went to the beach, hiked and even went surfing. However, the highlight of our trip was when our entire family ate dinner at a restaurant along side of the Panama Canal (as shown in the picture above). This was a very exciting experience because at that point in time the construction of the canal was finishing up therefore we could see the progress they were making. This project taught me so much and lead to some amazing conversations with my family as well as my grandmother Paquita.
Notes from my Grandma Paquita" My Grandmother has lived in Panama off and on over the entire course of her life however she has lived there during the entire transformation of the Canal. Her house is only two blocks away from an opening into the Canal. When I asked her what the hardest part of the construction of the Canal was she said "all of the traffic that comes from the construction workers and vehicles in Panama" she also said that "It has taken a lot of people out of Panama due to the vast numbers of tourist and discomfort that has provided people who live there." My grandmother also said in order to distance herself from all of the action she goes to her beach house which is in a much more rural location than her normal home right next to the Canal. Notes from my Uncle Pablo: My Uncle Pablo, who has lived in Panama for his entire life, says that it has definitely changed over the course of his 70+ years there. He remarked "the amount of tourist and travelers has increased immensely" however he does not see this as a bad thing. He says "although the canal has brought many people to Panama, the canal's overall goal of establishing world trade is becoming better." Also my Uncle Pablo remarked "As a child I can remember me and all my siblings playing around areas near the Canal but now most parts are unable to reach and filled with locks, vessels, machines ect." This is a picture of the rainforest outside our bedroom window.
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History of the Panama Canal