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Panama school children connect the world
As part of CNNi's new weekly segment called "Global Connections" we've been asking people around the world to find interesting connections between two countries that on the surface may have nothing in common.
This week we chose two very different places - Panama and the United Arab Emirates.
The United Arab Emirates is in the middle of the desert, is famous for Dubai's towering skyline and as one of the richest countries on the planet.
Panama on the other hand sits in the middle of lush tropical rainforest and is famous for being one of the world's most important transport hubs.
All week we've been getting some really interesting connections from viewers all over the world - from business, to culture, to food and even pearls.
Well, boy were we surprised when we received a link to a fantastic video on YouTube that was made by school children in Panama.
The kids - Juan Diego Galvez, Esteban Jaramillo, Catalina Uribe, Coral Rivera, Juan Diego Donneys and Marlania Pate - made the video to highlight several connections that they found between their home country and the UAE.
The class which is led by Mari-Ana Narbon made the two-minute video with accompanying photos and music and ended by saying "there's a slogan in Panama that Panama is the heart of the universe and the bridge of the world so there's no question, we are connected!"
Thanks for the great video and be sure to keep your connections coming in.
On Twitter
Nice comparison between Panama City & Dubai. There's not really much in common between the rest of Panama and pretty much anything in the UAE.
I am Panamanian. Please note that 40% of the Panamanians live in extreme poverty, despites our economic growth. 10% of the families in Panama owns 90% of the country's wealth. Kids from native areas die from starvation and diseases eradicated long ago, such as malaria. What about UAE?
I a more than proud to be Panamanian and to live in this country I love with all my heart; however, there is so much to be done. Kids like these can make a difference? I hope so.
VIVA PANAMA!! So proud of my country and its people!!
children are always ahead in connecting the world, give them the chance to make the world a better place esp. in 3rd w
That's cool, i think its fabulose
It is a very good improvement to see young boy connecting two diffrenet country together. Pls do send me one of the video youtube
Hi people, l like the lnformation you gave to me aboute this two country.
The best Panama UAE connection presentation I have seen so far. Good job Balboa Academy kids! There are two other connections I would like to mention, one is the commercial air travel connectivity, both countries enjoy excelent airline service with multiple direct international destinations, and work as important regional hubs, plus both have excellent data transfer (bandwidht) connectivity. In other words, connectivity is one of the connections between both these beautiful countries.
Dats just great.Gud 4them 2b connected...
A video whe should be PROUD OF!! Congratulations.
The children did a great job! I am very proud of or Students Go Dragons!
We're so proud of our friends at Balboa Academy High School.
We look forward to participating in the next one!
Good job!
Panama what a great country!
Congrats to all this kids your video shows some of the reasons why more and more people move to Panama everyday.
Here you can have the best of latin culture with all the american comfort.
It is definitely a great video!
Viva Panama!!
As one of the students indicated in the introduction – THUMBS UP!
The best video connecting to worlds!.
Balboa Kids congratulations... you did a great job!
Wow! Great job guys...
Great job kids keep it up congratulations from a proud Panamanian!
That's a great efforts frm the kidz.just keep it up.
I am soo happy for this video, and guys, you are the best, congratulations, I am soo happy that my little girls Alexandra was in this school, and I hope that when we return to Panamá, she will be there again.
From the U.S., I am the grandmother of one of the Balboa Academy students: Great job of contrasting the two countries.
I would like to response to gisela´s comment.
im a panamanian. and i think gisela must know that in Panama the malaria has been erradicated for over 50 years. and actually it is not 40% of extreme proverty, that number has lowered in the past 10 years to approximately 20%. i think that if any panamanian would like to comment on this should make proud comments about the video and not negative input with innaccurate information.
As a young panamanian, i have travel to other countries and there´s no place like home! very good job on this video!! loved it!!
Guys, you have no idea how surprised I was to see this! It's great knowing I graduated from the school that produced this video and that I know several of the students mentioned! So proud of you all!! 🙂
Very , very proud of these youg kids, as a Panamanian living abroad it shows the world that we are a small country, yet capable of great minds and leaders. Yes we are indeed the heart of the universe and we should strive in finding more similarities and not differences.
At first I thought it will be a connection between a normal grade school in Panama and a peer in Dubai or Abu Dabi. Surprise: it happened to be a rich school where kids go in fancy 4wds and luxury american and european cars of their own. Please next time see if the connection can be between a rural or poor urban school, where they have just have access to Internet for the first time and a peer school in another country, like Singapore. There are teachers in state-run school trying just that. It will be a thousand times more wonderful and meaningful. Sad too that the Panamanian government always tries to compare itself with Dubai or Singapore, while the separation in education, economic trade, and plain wealth is larger and deeper than ten Grand Canyons put together. Next time, please, next time make it better.
I'm very proud of these kids and my coutnry. I lived in USA more than decade and I carried Panama in my heart always. Yes we are the 'The heart of the universe and the bridge of the world". It's a pleasure to share stories like this with my daughter, co- workers, friends and family.
'QUE VIVA PANAMA"
"Keep up the good work KIDS"
wonderful job kids!!!
Nobody represents all parts of a country. The rich do not represent the poor or middle class, and these two don't represent any other segment. But to compare middle class here against middle class there is a very good comparison. And I think Panama compares favorly with any other place, including the "western powers"
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