Saturday, July 6, 2013

Living and Learning

Culture, experiences, and friends.  These are just a few of the gifts Belem has given me for the short time I´ve been here.  Crazy how in the past I spent time wondering about the Brazilian life but now I live it.  When it´s time to leave I will not want to let it go.

Some how the heat, the rain and the relaxed feelings about time all merge together to make everyday an adventure.  I let the pace of the city take me away and before I know it I´m sitting by the Amazon River drinking a juice made from a fruit only native to one region.  I still can´t recall how I found my way to the penthouse of a condominium overlooking the park at Praca da Republica, yet none the less, I´ll never forget the conversation I had there.  The reason why is because how often do you find a Brazilian Marketing Professor, a Jewish Liberal from Colorado, and an African American intern all sitting on the same balcony having a cerebral conversation about Butterfingers and human evolution?

That´s a little about living but the learning part is just as interesting.  We´ve began our research on the retina and we test patients daily using a technique that records the electrophysiological activity of the retina as it is stimulated by flashes of light. Our coworkers are all great and they make the long hours in the lab fun. Sometimes I get a laugh hearing them speak their version of English and after hearing my roommate grind out a response in Portuguese.  Professor Givago and his wife Eliza are great leaders.  They´ve taught us a lot about research and methods to collect and use data.  I know in the future all this well help me to do well as a professional.




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