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!
No comments:
Post a Comment