Additionally, throughout the year, students have additional breaks due to government or cultural holidays. Some people like to say that the third trimester ends in October because in November the students receive extra vacation time due to independence celebrations. These holidays include La separación de Panamá de Colombia, Día de los Símbolos Patrios, Grito de la Independencia, y La Independencia de Panamá de España (Separation Day from Colombia, Flag Day, Los Santos Uprising Day, and Independence Day from Spain).
Many Panamanians love to take advantage of vacations and holidays to relax or do something fun. Typically, during summer vacation in Panama, people enjoy going to the river to bañarse (swim/wade). There are many rivers in Panama, and, where I live, the closest one is only a ten-minute walk outside of town. At the river, people often barbecue play music for the whole day. People also like to visit the beach, Panama City, stay with family or even go on vacations to neighboring countries, such as Colombia or Costa Rica. However, some students attend summer classes, for either high school or university. Most kids don’t work until they’re eighteen years old, but some take advantage of the time and work for a family business or local fonda (restaurant).
Although the school year in Panama is quite a bit different from the school year in the United States, people here love to enjoy their breaks in pretty similar ways. I’m already missing the summer break, and looking forward to the next one. I hope you all had a great spring break and enjoyed your vacation time!
