Just like Monday everywhere it was back to work in the classroom this morning and, I have to say, I am pleased with how things are going - generally.  Today, however, a bit of a problem reared its head - the students say they haven't studied previously what they are supposed to have studied - Original Sin.  At least, they did have some classes about it, but not in any great detail.  I'm not entirely sure what happened - a teacher may have run out of time; perhaps things weren't put across in a way that they students could take on board; perhaps the whole class fell asleep; or perhaps it was the Wicked Witch of the West - whatever the reason, the reality is that the situation will need to be addressed.

While no one wants to make a big deal of the idea of Sin, understanding Original Sin is important in the context of trying to find a theological understanding of human being and human living.  Anyway, without going in to all that, I will just have to adjust my plans to cover that material too - at this rate I certainly am not going to have to worry about running out of things to talk about.

In the afternoon I went out with one of the seminarians to a shopping mall to buy a memory stick.  This was not the fancy mall I was in the last time.  This one is called Los Andes.  It has two parts - the old part which is a bit like Northside Shopping Centre in Dublin (that's not a good thing, just in case!!!) and the new part which is very North American, pretty much like any strip mall anywhere.  Whereas in the last mall there were many foreigners, in this one, if I wasn't the only one, there were very few of us.  Isn't it strange, you never really think of yourself as a foreigner - that's normally a title we reserve for others.

Anyway, the prices in this mall were quite different from those I had found in the first one - they were almost a third of the price.  I suppose if practically all of your customers are locals you have to price your goods accordingly.  Just out of curiosity I priced some items: 8GB memory stick $11; Tommy Hilfiger casual shirt $45; Mens' vests $1; Jeans $9 - $18 - really a lot cheaper than what I had seen before which were practically Irish prices.  I have to say, I was wondering, because I couldn't see how a Panamanian, earning a lot less than the average Irish person, coud afford to pay the same prices (especially given that many Irish people have difficulty affording things).

Tonight I had to give a talk to the community of the seminary - priests and students.  I suppose about 50 or so were there.  It seemed to go down well - especially when, in my last slide, I put up a wanted poster with a picture of the Rector on it - the students thought it was great; no so sure what the Rector thought - but it was all in good fun.

So I had lots of talking today; and tomorrow is the day when I will have 3 hours in a row with the same students - that is a tiring day.

I am including some photos below of the Papaya plant (Pawpaw) in various stages of its development.  Papaya is a tropical fruit that, when fully grown, reaches about the size of a marrow.  It has a soft flesh that is orange or red, depending on the variety.  The skin, which is hard and inedible, remains green while the fruit is ripe but can turn yellow as it goes past its best.  It is a very tasty fruit and is supposed to be very good for the intestines - when you eat it, that is...

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