Friday!!

The last day in Panama began with a ridiculously late bus ride, which ended up being roughly a two minute ride to the USF Health Office, and then right back out to the City of Knowledge building. We listened to an interesting presentation regarding some of the history and ideals about the University. Their efforts are admirable, and the stage is set for an extremely successful venture. We then went over to the US Embassy. Adventuring through a lavishly furnished building, we ended up in a room with the Ambassador and some of the staff. Their perspective was very unique, and it was a very informative lecture regarding past and present politics and economy. And then, quite possible one of the high points of the trip - FREE LUNCH!! Our second trip to Pencas was awesomeness. Following lunch, we journeyed to the Miraflores locks and saw several ships make the journey through them. The engineering was fantastic, along with the little video that we had a chance to see. We learned that each ship had to pay an average of 90,000 dollars for passage through the lock system. It is interesting to try to extrapolate the effects on the economy when the new lock system is established. The construction is extremely expensive, and yet once the locks are in use, the income will be tremendous. Hopefully, Panama will capitalize on these gains, and implement more programs to improve cities and the lives of its citizens.