Coya, Cusco, Peru

I arrived in Calca, Peru safely last Thursday! Located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, it´s truly an amazing place! The clinic I´m volunteering at is in Coya. It´s a small town about 15 min from Calca where people know each other by name and many of the buildings are made from adobe bricks. This picture was taken on the streets of Coya just outside the clinic. There is a fascinating mix of Spanish and indigenous cultures here. Many people still speak Quechua, in addition to Spanish, and festivals such as Carnaval (Feb 3) and Semana Santa demonstrate how traditional folklore has been incorporated with the Catholic celebrations.

As the picture shows, blue scrubs and tall white guys don´t necessarily blend in with the landscape. People have realized that I´m working at the clinic and their very receptive and friendly. Some think I´m a doctor and have asked for advice about headaches and chest pains. I regret to tell them I have no real medical knowledge and recommend they make an appointment at the clinic. Most seem satisfied with this response and offer a cordial, "Gracias, Papa".

The living accomadations are really nice. The house has five extra rooms for guests and the food is made my the owner's mother, "Mama Gloria", and is amazing. Three little kids also live in the house and are starting to open up to my presence. We watched "Click" the other night and have been getting into water balloon fights with the neighbor kids.

I think my internet tab is up to 1 Nuevo Sol ($0.30). That´s all for now.

Last Day in the Lab

Since graduating from Carleton in 2006, I've been working in a molecular biology research lab at the University of Minnesota. I am most involved in a study examining HIV-2 infection at the cellular level. We use in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry to locate and identify HIV-2 infected cells in cervical biopsies from Senegal. These pictures were taken on my last day and show exactly why it's exciting to work in a lab: lab coats, bunsen burners, and E. coli plates!