Panama booklet the
Everything you need to know about Panama to have a successful Internship
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The
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INDEX
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Our
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beginnings Panama’s History in 70 words
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OUR BEGINNINGS
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FACTS ABOUT LIVING IN PANAMA
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GET READY FOR EXPENSES
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I WANT TO SEE THE VISA TIMELINE
At the beginning, we were underwater. After that, in order: indigenous habitation > Hispanic colonisation > Part of Great Colombia > and then we separated and became an independent country in 1903. After that, we built The Panama Canal. Of note: the U.S. Invasion and the ground-breaking economic growth. There is a lot more to our history, but all of it only contributes to being full of culture and diversity. Welcome to Panama. :)
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IMPORTANT CONTACTS
about AIESEC in PANAMA
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HOW TO HANDLE EMERGENCIES
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TO DO IN PANAMA CHECKLIST
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I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS!
We started operations in 1981 with a failed experiment with LC in Chiriquí. Then in 1990, we started again as AIESEC Central America South, representing Panama and Costa Rica, until 2012 In 2012, AIESEC in PANAMA was born. Three Local Committees, two Official Extensions and more than 150 members have enabled more than 500 people to have a life-changing experience, just like you’re about to.
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Facts about
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We’re pretty hot
LIVING IN PANAMA BEFORE COMING (Aka Delivery) Everything about Delivery is deeply explained in The Delivery Manual, The Checklist and The Timeline. You got it from your Delivery Manager; but here it is ☛
• We have two seasons: Rainy and not rainy. It either rains everyday or doesn’t for a while. • The temperature and humidity don’t vary much through the year. It tops at 34º and down at 27º.
THE DELIVERY PACKAGE
• You don’t need winter clothes.
do you NEED more info? ECONOMICALLY speaking
about…
• The national currency is the balboa, but it is financially tied to the USD, so we use dollar bills everywhere.
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How much money will I spend monthly in Panama?
• The “ITBMS” is the tax for buying non-essential goods or services. Most prices displayed in Panama don’t include the ITBMS, which is of 10% for alcoholic beverages and 7% for everything else.
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Do I need a VISA? How long does it take to get one?
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I want a list of the most important contacts I need, like the police
• Most stores accept Visa & MasterCard Credit cards.
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Who should I call if I have a problem?
• Although not mandatory, it is expected that you pay at least 10% tip when eating in a restaurant.
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What should I do in Panama?
… Well. Keep on reading :)
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Get ready for
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EXPENSES Ideally, your scholarship will cover both your needs and your wants. In most cases, it will. But we want to make clear that the scholarship is only designed to cover food, rent, services and transportation. Any leftovers are a result of good money management.
FOOD Everyone is used to different cuisines, so these amounts will vary a lot depending on the food you buy, and where you buy it. The cheapest groceries are those that a panamanian would buy. For cheaper food, we recommend Super 99 and Super Extra. For quality, Riba Smith and Super El Rey.
PER MONTH EXPENSES (in usd) items 1 2 3 4
min
FOOD RENT SERVICES TRANSPORT
$150.00 $250.00 $40.00 $35.00
from
max to to to to
$300.00 $400.00 $60.00 $90.00
$475.00 to $850.00
This is just an approximate and will vary in your case.
RENT AIESEC in PANAMA tries really hard to find the most affordable solution that will satisfy most interns’ needs. However, because of factors we can’t control, rent will vary a lot depending on sector, room size, and the apartment’s owner. This rent doesn’t include service bills.
TRANSPORTATION Walking and riding the Metro (.35¢) and Metrobus (.25¢) are the cheapest options to move around the city (Routes here). Taxis are also a relatively safe option.
SERVICES This includes water, electricity, trash, cable and internet bills.
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I want to see the
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VISA TIMELINE There are two visas you need to think about: 1. To enter Panama - Tourist Visa 2. To do your internship - Internship Visa the internship visa • It is mandatory that you issue it, regardless of your nationality or the duration of your stay. • It will take from 2 to 4 months to issue this visa. • At some point we will ask you for your passport, so you need to have a copy authenticated; ask us how • Even if you only do a fraction of the process, it is still your responsibility to track how everything is going at least monthly.
Well, you may need a Tourist VISA The citizens from some countries can enter Panama without a Visa. Enter your info here to check if you’re one of them. If you need a visa, contact the panamanian embassy in your country and ask them to guide you. However, regardless of your citizenship, you do need a Visa to legally do your internship.
the stages of getting the internship visa STAGE ONE THE INTERN STAGE TWO LEGAL PARTNER
In this stage you prepare all the documents and prerequisites for the Visa, as detailed in the manual. It depends on you how long it takes. Morgan & Morgan receives your documents, review them, and start the Visa Process in the Migration Office. This part takes 1 week.
STAGE THREE MIGRATION OFFICE
When the migration office receives your application, you receive a document that you can use as a legal document while you get your VISA. This part will take from 1 to 3 months.
IMPORTANT CONTACTS Office
1 AIESEC office
303 6100
2 National Police
511 7000
3 Firefighters
512 6148
Use extension: 3130
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Important
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CONTACTS This is not a complete list. It is only designed to give you a good starting point for your own list of important contacts while in Panama.
Number
For security issues
To fight fires.
4 Medical EMERGENCY
911
5 IDAAN (Water)
523 8570
6 ENSA (Electricity)
800 9111
7 Union FENOSA
800 8346
8 Cable & Wireless
224 2123
9 Cable Onda
390 7555
Water supply in your appartment.
Electricity supply in your apartment.
Same. Check your electric bill.
Cable and Internet Supplier.
Same. Check your cable bill.
ACCOUNT MANAGERS
How to handle
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EMERGENCIES including complaints, feedback and suggestions.
DELL, BOSCH, DHL, BELCORP, GLAXO & PMA. CASA SERV.
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ACCOUNT MANAGER of your specific company
if they didn’t answer satisfactorily…
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contact the
LOCAL DIRECTOR of iGIP Aka. LCVP iGIP in your specific LC
if they didn’t answer satisfactorily…
navarro.ana@aiesec.net LC UTP - 66191967
J OSÉ L UIS G ARAY
joseluis.garay@aiesec.net LC UTP - 62001594
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CERVECERÍA NAC. LOS MANDARINOS & HILTI
Aka. MCVP iGIP in Panama
M ARIAN A R UZZI
mariana.ruzzi@aiesec.net LC USMA - 6202667
A N G É L I C A L IU
mariana.ruzzi@aiesec.net LC USMA - 6202667
BIMBO
LOCAL DIRECTORS of iGIP SENAVEN, FD CENTER Y PFIZER
GRÜNENTHAL MSD (MERCK)
contact the
NATIONAL DIRECTOR of iGIP
antony.aguilar@aiesec.net MC Panamá - 62026673
A N A G. N AVARRO
ADIDAS Y NOVARTIS
PHILIPS
contact the
A N TON Y A G UI L AR
SANOFI & KHUNE NAGEL
P AUL IN A A RGÜ EL LO
paulina.arguello@aiesec.net LCVP in Latina - 66713370
A L E XIS G ARCÍA
alexis.garcia31@aiesec.net LCVP in UTP - 69483891
M ARÍA G. B AL L E S T E ROS
maria.ballesteros@aiesec.net LCVP in USMA - 60730069
NATIONAL DIRECTOR of iGIP
Unless it is an urgency, please give each level at least 48 hours to answer you.
L ARISSA D E M E L
larissa.demel@aiesec.net MCVP iGIP in Panama
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To Do in Panama ★
CHECKLIST Organise a trip to a place you’ve never been before and take a selfie. Find yourself doing things you never thought you would, like getting lost in a new city. Make a lot of international friends. & learn to Trust them. Develop your communication skills; communicate effectively through different cultures and stereotypes. Realise how similar people are, and how different people are. Realise how much you’re growing.
In a nutshell…
It is not about the country. It’s about the
Experience.
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But, I have more
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QUESTIONS! We know. You’re about to travel to a completely different country and everything is uncertain. This is our recommendation:
Embrace
Uncertainty And live the experience. It will be over too soon.
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We are eager to meet you. – AIESEC in PANAMA
Leading Change, Inspiring Action