Run Me That Dual-Citizenship

As the fourth week approaches, I have grown to really enjoy my time in the lab. Initially, Prof. Padua’s lab seemed to be very intimidating given the neuropsychological focus, but so far it is very informative and has my nerd mind ticking. The elaborate experiment involves detecting aversive memory via serotonin receptors. There are many stages and applications that must be executed before arriving at a conclusion of any sort. So this week was spent analyzing videos of rats (a bit squirmy, yes) and their responses to stimuli given certain treatments. But after spending hour analyzing these rats, they grow on you. They’ve gone from being “rats” to being “cute little lab rats” that make you say “awwwww”.

At times, conducting analysis can be boring and tedious and feels as though it will never end, but the students who work in the lab make everything better. Leticia and Tarcila are pharmacology students in Padua’s lab; and they are lively characters who have gotten me adept to some of Floripa’s cultural norms. The parallels between the United States and Brazil amazes me more and more everyday. It is jaw dropping at times. From socioeconomic disparities to racial inequalities to the complexities of dating. Our societies are different, but people are people wherever you go it seems. In addition, my Portuguese has improved greatly. I’m not an expert, but I am able to order my own food and make new friends with students on campus, which is fitting because I am a social butterfly. At this point, Brazil may have to run me my dual-citizenship (just kidding). I’m excited to see what next week has in store!

Living it up!

One of our first days together at Joaquina Beach. The weather, waves, and vibes were all perfect.

Sunset on our beach trip for Morenike's Birthday. We went out later that night and had a ball! Never gets old.

The setup at a local restaurant where we were invited to see our research mentor perform. She was phenomenal.

My meal from the evening of the restaurant performance. We also had a red velvet cake that was devoured long before we thought a picture.

São Paulo Adventures

Pico do Jaraguá

Working off all of those coxinhas and pastels. When your legs are burning that means you’re almost to the top! 

Parque Ibirapuera 

A beautifully massive park with countless things to do. There are smaller museums, ducks, food stands, skate parks, and trails. 

Happy birthday to Amalia! After a long day at the lab/hospital, we celebrated Amalia’s birthday at the Arturito restaurant. Every bite of food was heaven in your mouth. Highly recommend

GHP Goodbyes, Hello Youth Empowerment

This week it was Hannah's birthday so we all went to a local pizza place. It has great pizza and an even better view.

 It's the last week with all the GHP(Global Health Practicum) people so we did superlatives and ice cream for our final night together. I can sum up the experience as funny, shady, and clever all at the same time. Mine was "Most Likely to Star in The Next Step Up Movie".

AMOS has a great trail that you can walk or run around in your free time. I recommend after an intense lit review on youth empowerment. You might have an occasional run-in with a chicken, dog, or pretty view!

Maternal and Child Health in Nicaragua

Week three in Nicaragua has begun! After a crazy week in the rural community of San Onofre
and then a weekend at the beach, it’s back to the class room to reflect on what we have learned so far.
We reflected on what we learned about ourselves in our week in the community.
A theme that arose was openness and continuing to learn. Even though we had been trained in
community based participatory research and had been prepared for the community by the staff
here at AMOS, it was another thing to experience it. As we start our internship projects
next week, that will be important to keep in mind. This week we are thinking about CBPR
models in context of our specific projects. My project is about collecting baseline data for
childhood development markers (height, weight, linguistics etc.), examining child feeding practices, and
exploring maternal anxiety and depression in relation to those topics. Our data collection
team will be going to over 130 homes in Nejapa to collect our baseline data. Then we will
be planning education material on nutrition for mothers in Nicaragua. I’m excited that we have
learned so much in these past 3 week and we are ready to apply it in our internship projects! 

Some fun activities for the week have been a birthday dinner for our friend Hannah, movie
night (we watched Us, very scary), and this weekend we are headed to Grenada! Chocolate
museum here we come!

Beauty in Floripa

This is part of a mural that I pass every day from our house in Corrego Grande to my lab at UFSC. It is completely made of graffiti and is a really nice piece of Azorean culture that reminds me that although I'm in a different country, there are some parts of the human experience that are the same across cultures.

This was taken the second time we went to the beautiful Joaquina beach on the east side of the island. We climbed on some large rocks on the side of the beach to get this great view of the sunset. The beach is always a beautiful way to pass the time here.

Here is another photo of Joaquina Beach but from the shore. The water is extremely clear and even though it is technically winter here, you'll find surfers riding waves on any given day. If I were more adventurous (and could tolerate cold water) I might have tried to learn how to surf! Maybe in the next life :)

Semana Incrível

I cannot believe that we are nearing the end of our third week. Time just seems to be flying at this point. This third week happened to be very eventful though, and I hope these days continue. This past week was my first time truly working in the lab. It was very interesting because I was "in training", which meant that I primarily helped with another student's research. It was considered training, because Guilia's research measures enzymatic activity, which is what the first half of my project consists of. I learned a lot from Guilia and Jaco, her mentor. I definitely got to practice my pipetting skills. This past week was also interesting because I gave a presentation to all of the students and mentors in the lab at their weekly meeting. I presented on information about myself and CBU. I was pretty nervous  beforehand, because I did not know how the presentation would go in English. I talked slow enough where they understood me, so I considered it a success. This week was also my first time walking to the campus by myself, which I consider an accomplishment because my campus is different from the other MHIRT students. The walk is also only 1.5 miles, so it is a good way to start my day. As you can see, there are some nice views on the way as well! 
Additionally, Thursday and Friday were a religious holiday here, so we got the days off. We spent Friday night at Capella Cafe Emporium, and my mentor, Risoleta Marques, was performing. She sounded amazing, and we could see the passion she had for what she was doing. It was a great way to spend the night! With the end of this third week, I hope these last six weeks become even more amazing.

When in Nicaragua

Buenaaas dias amigas and amigos! It has only been two short weeks in Managua and I already have so much to tell you.

Here is Betsy in one of the relaxing hammocks outside of our guesthouse. All of us have already taken advantage of these to take a quick nap, read some books, and get to know one another! However, beware of the mosquitoes my friends!! They are relentless. 

Our first weekend and we are already on fire!! The view of the Masaya Volcano had most of us speechless as smoke and fumes from the crater rose to the sky. This is a bunch of us looking out on an edge of the massive volcano. Not going to lie to you, but my arms were trembling from trying to take this selfie!

Right before heading to San Onofre, a rural community nearby, we started to color posters about proper hand-washing techniques and the importance of clean water for the community members. We all played some Spanish tunes and attempted to combine our artistic skills to create these. If you look very closely, you can see one of our friends drawing a detailed sketch of a chicken! 

This is Casa Base also known as the local clinic in San Onofre. We've learned so much about maternal and child health and empowerment, it was surreal to be able to physically see these processes taking place before our eyes. Our community health leader educated us on her conversations with pregnant women about prenatal nutrition and even let us eat food in her home! If you see the road right outside Casa Base, that is where many of the children from San Onofre showed us how to play an exciting and sneaky game where everyone holds hands in a circle and sings a song until someone is out! Watch out, they somehow always win!

This joyful moment was right after a few children from the community led us on a strenuous hike up this mountain. After minutes of sweating from the steep incline and attempting to converse seamlessly in Spanish, we made it!! The view was absolutely breathtaking with so many blue and green colored hills and natural wonders. It was so massive yet so silent at the top. After taking it all in, I asked one of the children : "¿que debemos gritar?" or "what should we yell?" They responded and we all yelled at the top of our lungs in unison: "Dios Vive!!" 

When in Nicaragua, my friends!! Until next time. 

CBPR in San Onofre

 ***Hey, this is Ashley Cavaliere! I am posting through Betsy's page since I am having technical issues.*** 

      For this to only be week two in Nicaragua, we have already done so much! Our first week in AMOS’s Global Health Practicum consisted of modules, circle discussion, and a ton of group activities in the classroom learning about Nicaragua, community empowerment, single stories, and community based participatory research.

            During these past five days, we stayed in the community of San Onofre, so we could experience the community based model first hand with AMOS! We worked health stations, put together water filters, visited homes for surveys, and so much more! What is so great about AMOS is that they work with the community teaching community health promoters, who are actual members in the community, to do home visits and educate the other members in their community! This way, the community can be self-sustaining instead of reliant on organizations like AMOS to come back. Another awesome thing that AMOS does, is present the data that was collected back to the community!

            Aside from all the experiences and learning in the community and in the classroom, we have also explored some beautiful places on the weekends! La Laguna de Apoyo was my favorite. We also checked out the Masaya volcano, Catedral Viejo, Palacio Nacional, and the Huembes local marketplace. For some Friday night fun, we went to El Botanico and Fandango for drinks and salsa dancing! I would have never thought I would learn and do so much in so little time in Nicaragua. I am so excited to see what is in store next! Now, we are about to leave for Montelimar for a weekend beach retreat! 

Snake Eyes and Art

This is my third week in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and I have been having a great time! It is hard to believe how fast time is flying, but we have done many things in this short time.

All of our lab mentors have been really friendly and helpful, as well. This is me counting the ganglion cells of snake eyes in the lab. Since then, I have also learned how to perform a Nissl stain, count photoreceptors, and make a map detailing the spatial arrangement of cells within the snakes’ retinas. With another project, I have been working with the opsin gene in frog eyes using PCR and gel electrophoresis. It is crazy to think of how much I have learned since my first day in lab.

On one of our weekends, we went to see a modern ballet called A Biblioteca de Babel. It was a very unique experience, and the theater we saw it in (Municipal Theater) was beautiful. A picture of it is seen above, and the inside is just as stunning as the outside. Sao Paulo is filled with many gorgeous buildings and landscapes like this one.

Our adventure has just begun, and I am loving every moment of being in this fascinating city. There is so much to appreciate from the infrastructure to the culture and people. Every day, we have an endless list of things to do and see, so I am very thankful to be given this opportunity to expand my horizons and be a part of this interesting piece of the world.

Bienvenidos a Nicaragua

      I can’t believe it’s been my third full day here in Nicaragua. Everything is so GREEN! I arrived a few days late, but I was ready to hit the ground running. John, one of the volunteer coordinators, and Guillermo, our awesome driver, was ready at the airport to welcome and pick me up. We wove our way through the streets of Managua until we eventually ended up on the AMOS compound. 

     I was nervous and excited to put faces to all the emails I had been receiving for the last few months plus meet the great group of team members I would be working with for the summer. We spent these past few days talking about Community-Based Participatory Research during the day and preparing ourselves for the upcoming week in the rural community. Then, the weekend officially began with a Friday night outing. We hit the city and found the salsa community of Managua. It was quickly found out that Dr. Renee has the best dance moves. Currently, we’re in the process of convincing her to host a class after our modules one day. 

    Saturday, we had the first excursion and the majority everyone decided to come. In the morning our first stop was the Masaya Volcano, unfortunately, it was so smoky we couldn’t see any of the lava below. The second and final stop of our “safari” adventure was Apoyo Lake. When we arrived, it felt like we walked into a hidden paradise. As I walked down the steps I could smell wood fire pizzas, hear the water crashing up against the shore, and see the sun shining in the clear blue skies. It was a great way to end the first week and a great start to an amazing summer

So hot in Nicaragua.. it's smoking!

The first weekend off! We went to the most active volcano in Nicaragua. We could see smoke coming out of the top, and on a good day with more wind you can see lava!

 Smoke from the crater!

After the volcano our next stop was Laguna de Apoyo. We got some good food to eat and all hung out and relaxed after a long but exciting week of learning about global health.

 At the lake, you could kayak and swim out to the dock to tan!

Semanas Um e Dois

Semanas Um e Dois

From just these first two weeks in São Paulo, Brazil, I have been learning and gaining so much. Whether it be learning basic Portuguese, traveling via public transportation, receiving the hospitality of mentors, neighbors, and strangers, or getting lost in the middle of who knows where with three wonderful friends, I have found São Paulo to be an incredible place to grow and discover myself while participating in research I love. Below, are some glimpses at memories I will never forget.

São Paulo, Brazil is extremely flamboyant and colorful. Everywhere we go, we are flabbergasted by beautiful street art and colors like these. Don't be fooled though. This picture was taken before we climbed up the flights of stairs. At the top, we took a heavy breather.

This has been one of my favorite views of our neighborhood so far. I get to see it when we go to the market located only a couple blocks away, and I am memorized every time I glance over at it. Altered by the vibrancy and life to this image, I realize I am somewhere truly incredible.

One morning, we decided to walk to a market off-the-beaten-path for an early morning snack. We realized we had been walking down a hill on a slant to get there, but never realized the climb back to our apartment would be so marathon-like. Needless to say, we made it and had to document it (ignore any sweat marks).

This is an image of the Municipal Theatro, we decided to go to one day after work in the lab. It was breathtaking to say the least, but the views from the inside were indescribable. 

Inside the Municipal Theatro, we were consumed by a grand staircase, alluring views of the city, and paintings on the tall ceilings; dare I say, an exquisite contender against the Sistine Chapel. Pictures wouldn't do it justice. 

To make these pictures better, I am sharing lifetime memories with the most spirited friends. Whether it be G's contagious humor and smile, Christina's quiet demeanor and love for chocolate and coffee, or Sophiana's crazy dance moves and late night cravings (Afrodite), I know these next weeks with my friends are only getting better. 

Touchdown!

From having a slightly different itinerary as my housemates, my MHIRT experience has been unique. Bawan, Morenike, and Donovan all arrived to Brazil a week before me as I represented my school at a research conference. I was forced to watch in wander as they posted about the new restaurants, beaches, and malls they had visited, only building anticipation for when I would finally touch down in Floripa. That time finally came Tuesday. I exited the plane with mixed feelings of anxiety and excitement, ready to embark on this summer's adventure. I was greeted by my entire lab team at baggage claim and knew immediately from the gesture that it would be a great summer.

As I reunited with my housemates, I became even more grateful for the orientation time we spent on Heifer Ranch. I had already gotten to know everyone in my house, which put me at ease and made the transition seamless. I love our overall vibe and how easy-going each of us is.

My lab time this week has mostly consisted of getting acquainted with the students and mentors (who are all friendly and extremely supportive), trying new foods on campus, and narrowing down my research goals. I was both surprised and grateful by how much liberty I was given by Cilene, my personal research mentor, in crafting my research experience. She is allowing me to research each project in her lab and choose whether to join one or craft my own experiment around the types of questions I see them handle.

It is an interesting exchange that takes place within each of our labs. As we get the chance to take on new, interesting research experiences, they get the chance to have native English speakers at their immediate disposale to improve their academic writing, speaking, and understanding. I am excited to see what the rest of this summer has in store as both our projects and personal relationships continue to blossom. 

A Whole New World

It’s hard to believe it is already my second week in Brazil! Time has been flying by in between visiting Beco de Batman and running PCRs. For someone who loves art, Sao Paulo is a dream. SP consists of multiple museums, symbolic graffiti art, and varying styles of architecture. I absolutely love the level of self-expression this city allows for. Not only is the city beautiful, but so are the people. Even with my broken Portoñol (mix of Portuguese and Spanish) Paulistanos have been extremely patient and helpful. Even when I’m not fully grasping the meaning of their words they’re warmth is still conveyed. I also already adore everyone in the lab and feel as if we have been long-time friends, not newly acquainted coworkers. They are patient and kind with me and I thoroughly enjoy the hands-on projects that I am working on. 

Surround by international students back home I’d always heard of culture shock, but I’d never experienced it first-hand. Now I feel as if I were a kid pointing and inquiring about all kinds of new things. What is that building? Can I eat this? What do you call this? A new sort of genuine childish curiosity about life and this city. Customs or mannerisms that I might have previously ignored in the U.S spur excitement, and there is something incredibly sweet and humbling about this newfound appreciation for the simpler things. They have gapless bathroom stalls, they like leaving their windows open, they avoid food waste, and are appreciative of rice and beans consistently. I am excited to continue my research and the exploration of Sao Paulo, as well as growing closer and sharing new experiences with my friends

Five Days of Friendship and Fun!

Our first meal after landing in Managua, Nicaragua, and traveling to Nejapa, the town where AMOS is! It was so delicious and every meal and snack since we got here has been so yummy. Everyone on the AMOS staff is so helpful and kind!

We went to the grocery store our first afternoon to get some Nicaraguan snacks and supplies for our ice cream party!

We walked one of the many trails that are on the AMOS campus and saw the volcano that is just beyond the gate! It was so beautiful and a new experience for a lot of us.

Memphis has extremely beautiful sunsets but I think it may have some competition? This is the sunset I saw while walking to the dining building for dinner, which is pictured.

All of the students at the Global Health Practicum! We learned about photovoice, a practice that AMOS uses in the rural communities, and did an activity that AMOS performs where we printed out pictures of our dreams and put them on a poster to show everyone our collective hopes for the future.

The First Four Days

Donovan, Bawan and I have been on the ground in Floripa for five days now, and from what I've seen so far, this is going to be a very memorable summer. The trip from Dallas to São Paulo was a lot more pleasant than I imagined it was going to be, as it was my first time on an international flight. By the time we got to Floripa, I still had energy to explore the island a bit with two of our mentors, Riso and Padua. They treated us to a typical Brazilian barbecue lunch at the restaurant next to our house called Grelhado’s, which had foods that were very similar to traditional American foods. Over the next few days, we ate a mixture of familiar foods, like grilled steak, rice and black beans, and cereal, and new foods like farofa (toasted cassava flour), pinhão (a sort of pine nut), and caipirinha, Brazil’s national drink made from sugar, crushed lime, and white rum.

Florianopolis is regarded as a tourist destination, popular for its beautiful beaches and waves that are perfect for surfing. On Friday, we went to a beach on the east side of the island called Joaquina Beach – I had never been to a beach so pristine! The water was clear and the sand was finer than sugar. There were some people surfing the waves as they were breaking, but the water was somehow still calm. Donovan, Bawan and I sat under an umbrella on the beach for a few hours, just enjoying the view and watching people surf. After leaving the beach, we found ourselves at a very nice café that encouraged customers to put away their devices and engage in real life. We ate a light dinner there, then headed to a party thrown by the Pharmacology department students, some of whom will be working with Donovan and I in our labs.

Today is Saturday and we have the rest of the weekend to explore the city and get settled before we start our individual labs on Tuesday. I can’t wait to see more of the culture here!

Graffiti Art, Coxinha and Pastel!

      Since landing in São Paulo, Brazil, I’ve been astonished at the kindness and patience of the local people. From the coffee stands to the bus and metro stations, I’ve found many people eager to help despite the language barrier. Though I have not started my research project, I have learned so much in the past few days. My Portuguese is progressively improving and so are my directional skills. Due to the help of one of my mentors, I am now comfortable with public transportation in São Paulo. 

     Brazil’s personality holds a variety of unique traits. The art of São Paulo is particularly remarkable in its expression and creativity. It illustrates the colorful imagination of the local community but it also expresses the hardships the local community faces. It’s a beautiful combination that creates a real story for the people living in the city. Whether I’m traveling by car, bus, or foot, there is always a gem to be found on the walls of the city. In addition to the art, I’ve fallen in love with Brazilian food. My favorites so far are Coxinha and Pastel. Both are fried dough with some type of meat or vegetarian filling.

     To sum this up, I feel welcomed to Brazil and am excited for these next two months. From trying new foods to waiting to catch another view of a capybara herd, São Paulo is almost a different world. I am very thankful to be traveling with 3 amazing roommates for the next two months, and I am also very thankful to MHIRT for this life changing opportunity. 

Successful First Week in Floripa

We spent the second day in Floripa with the lovely mentor Cilene. We spent the day walking through a local park before heading over the local shopping mall. This picture was taken while exploring the park.

We spent the day relaxing on the beach with some beautiful weather. Sadly, we were not able to go surfing ourselves, but we saw plenty of wipeouts from the side!

This is the view of Lagoa we were able to capture while exploring the city alongside another mentor, Beth! Very beautiful!

Afrodite

A small view of the very large University of Sao Paulo campus. We have been going to lab everyday and are always amazed by the great scenery. 

This is us eating our first meal in the student's cafeteria. Juu (a master's student in our lab) helped us get our student ID cards and get food from the buffet line. All the food in Sao Paulo is muito delicioso!

While on the subject of food... there are some more unique options we have yet to try. 

Sao Paulo has a lot of graffiti art everywhere. Particularly, this street on the way to our apartment has many beautiful designs like this one. 

Touch Down

Our first meal in Florianópolis helped us get accustomed to Brazilian style food and beverages. The Portuguese will take some time to develop though.  

When you have an awesome mentor, where else would you want her to take you other than the beautiful Lagoa beach. The water is blue and warm. The air is light and fresh. I’m not sure if I remember where the United States is anymore. (Just joking).

At last. We made it to the historical Floripa landmark. The sign reads “I’m good Floripa”.