Relationships between Panama and the U.S. #HogsAbroad #IntlHogs

We deepened our understanding on the relationships between Panama and the United States by visiting American Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Panama and U.S. Embassy in Panama. At the AmCham, not only did we learn its organizational background, we also learned the relationships between Panama and the States. 

 

The speaker said that Free Trade Agreement played a significant role to foster their growth by decreasing tariffs from 10-15% to 0% and by increasing transparency in banks and governments. Nearly 56 percent of U.S. agricultural exports became duty-free upon entry-into-force, with most remaining tariffs phased out over 15 years. In this way, Panama gained easier access for internationally well-known brands, which matches with the needs in the Panamanian economy. 

 

In the U.S. Embassy, the first thing that I noticed was their intense security. There was a heavy and secured door to each room to protect important data and documents from outsiders. In the discussion, they mentioned that education system in Panama is not catching up to the standers, which includes poor English education in schools. As opposed to typical trends seen in other countries that young generations speak English more fluently than elderly, older people speak better English in Panama. It was because they were exposed to the U.S. culture though the canal operation supported by the States.

After the Canal Zone got independence from the States, it was natural for Panamanian society to get their own identity back, which lead to less communication in English. English was removed from the school curriculum for a while in Panama, and it is now back, realizing the importance to be able to facilitate communication in English.
It was so sweet that they got a cake at dinner for our birthdays
Yuki

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Read more from Yuki at  https://yukiinpanama.wordpress.com/

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