While I was sitting on the balcony at the Las Vegas Hotel this morning, I saw a taxi hit a man riding a motorcycle and knock him off his bike. Many individuals who were around the accident at the time came over to help this man as his leg was obviously injured. Once they got the man to the sidewalk, he and the taxi cab driver had a discussion about the accident and seemed to be understanding with each other as there was no screaming or shouting involved.

At almost the same exact time of the accident, another taxi stopped in the middle of the street as it became obvious that his car broke down. The taxi driver was struggling to get the car off of the main road and out of the way of traffic. As he struggled to push the taxi, a man walking on the sidewalk across the street noticed what was happening and went over to help push the cab without hesitation. After pushing the cab to a parking spot, the man talked to the cab driver and walked away.

One thing that the accident taught me about Panamanian culture is that people really do handle disputes amongst themselves. As mentioned in class, individuals will talk out problems amongst each other (like in the example of this car accident) until the problem is solved. Another thing I learned was how willing Panamanians are to lend a helping hand to those around them. Both incidents personified what it means to be a member of Panamanian culture. Out of all the volunteers involved, none of them were responsible for the incidents that occurred. However, they were willing to lend a helping hand to those in need. This is something that you do not see with every culture.

– AJ Bucci