THE GAZETTE
Who Is The "Chica De Los Pescados?"Just two days after finals, we (Kirstin Grahn and Rose Do) set off on our summer journey to Lima, Peru, very excited, a bit nervous, and extremely relieved to have survived another hectic semester at the UA. Although we felt well informed about the culture and living conditions, it was difficult to imagine what the next three months would be like. Whatever, we were sure it would be quite an adventure! The flight took all day, and we were both extremely exhausted from last minute arrangements at home, at the lab and at school. While Rose enjoyed the view and the in flight meals, I relaxed in my seat and fell fast asleep.We arrived in Lima at approximately 10:00 pm and were astonished to be landing in a sea of lights. Neither of us had expected Lima to be a city of approximately seven million people. Upon stepping out of the airport, we were quickly surrounded by a horde of taxi drivers and what the Limenos call "airport sharks," who can spot tourists a mile away. However, one of our housemates greeted us at the gate by waving a sign with our names written in marker. Greg Sturbaum was a graduate student from Colorado State University, who was also doing research in Lima. We immediately felt at ease. Greg was just one our of many wonderful housemates in Lima. After leaving the airport, we experienced a thrilling cab ride through the city. Actually the words, thrilling, freaky or fearful would all suffice. Traffic in Lima is chaotic--following lane lines, cement medians, one-way signs, and stop-lights are often just optional practices. After living in Lima this summer, I think Rose and I can tackle any city in the world, along with its transportation system. We became bus-riding and cab-hailing pros! Would you believe that by the end of the summer, we were even able to give directions to lost folks! Rose and I had the opportunity to be involved in a variety of interesting research projects throughout the summer. Our main foci though, were researching two parasites that we study in Dr. Sterling's lab in Veterinary Science at the UA. My main objective was to determine the prevalence of infection of microsporida, an opportunistic intestinal parasite, in AIDS patients and children with diarrhea. The project gave me the opportunity to spend time in the infectious disease ward at a public hospital in Lima and interact with the desperately ill people who were the source of the samples I analyzed. I also spent countless hours in a pathology lab processing samples, bonding deeply with the microscope and having a great time getting to know the lab workers. As of this date, my results are inconclusive. I am in the process of performing PCR and electron microscopy on some suspicious samples I brought back to Tucson. Rose's project centered largely on searching for possible zoological transmission routes of an intestinal pathogen, cyclospora, known to be prevalent in Peru. She also participated in developing PCR as a diagnostic tool for cyclospora infection. The parasite targets travelers, immuno-compromised people and children in developing countries. Rose put a lot of time and effort into collecting and processing pig, poultry, fish and mussel samples from shantytown markets and ocean front vendors. In addition to science, negotiating and chatting with vendors was a great deal of fun and a wonderful cultural experience for Rose. At the lab, she likewise became very close with the microscope. Additionally, during a small incident involving a permeating fish odor in the neighborhood, Rose acquired the nickname of "Chica de los Pescados" (fish girl). Living with mostly medical students and working with our BRAVO! faculty sponsor, Dr. Robert Gilman, who was eager to expose us to many things, Rose and I were never at a loss for something to do. In between experiments, Rose and I were able to attend rounds at city hospitals (imagine wading through medical jargon in Spanish!), visit patients, and work with fieldworkers in the shantytowns, weighing and measuring children involved in a nutritional study. Working in a foreign lab was a challenge for both of us in terms of language difficulties and scarcity of resources. At times frustrating, we both slowly adjusted by trying to be as resourceful as possible. The people in the laboratory were so eager to assist us and become friends. They became like a second family. It was interesting to learn the various cultural perspectives the Peruvian people possessed. Yet, what I found to be most fascinating was how similar we all are in terms of our concerns and aspirations. Overall, Rose and I had an amazing summer. We learned a great deal about research, medicine, public health, Peruvian culture and ourselves. We hope to see all of you at our upcoming datablitz on November 24, LSS 440, 5:00 pm. Kirstin Grahn and Rose Do, UBRPers in Dr. Sterling's Lab, Veterinary Science Note: The work that Kirstin and Rose completed in Peru was supportive of a NIH International Collaborative Infectious Disease Research project called, "New and Emerging Gastrointestinal Pathogens" awarded to Dr. Robert Gilman, John Hopkins University, and Dr. Charles Sterling, UA. Support for Kirstin and Rose's travel came from a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute The University of Arizona 22 September 1997 bender@u.arizona.edu
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