Upon arrival to Lima, Peru the whole research idea was looking less enticing. Peru is definitely your average third world country with a lot of poor people, poor housing, and poor sanitation. My first thoughts were to jump right back on the plane and head home. What had I gotten myself into? Nevertheless, after two months the whole country really started to grow on me. Perhaps it was the people that grew on me more. The Latino culture is really a beautiful one once you realize how to fit into it all. When you figure the whole culture conversion thing out you start to figure yourself out. I feel like I have grown more in two months than I have in three years of college.

I have especially grown in the lab. Even though the laboratory here is used to working with less and being creative with regard to supplies and equipment it is quite successful. Somehow everyone manages to get results around here. Often, I am astonished with the amount of work that these people do and the amount of money they save by coming up with their own inventive research techniques. This place has really taught me a lot about making the most of your grant and even more so how to be patient.

My patience seems to be paying off here at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. The project on new molecular techniques for diagnosing Taenia solium has been going fantastic. I have now successfully learned everything there is to know about PCR and have had the opportunity to learn a new DNA extraction technique. In addition, I have done fieldwork in the pampas; collected live cysts via dissection of naturally infected pigs, instructed others, and assisted in other various projects. Results for my project here are looking good and I am looking forward to writing a paper about this new technique with a Ph.D. candidate from Johns Hopkins.

Fortunately, the BRAVO! experience here in Lima has been a great one. Lab is wonderful, my flat mates are great, my Spanish is improving, and travel is amazing and affordable. My advice to anyone would be to take advantage of this program. The whole experience is too awesome to pass up.
Best wishes to all those fellow BRAVO! programmers abroad and good luck with your projects. Ciao de Peru.

Emily Prendergast, BRAVO! student, with Dr. Robert Gilman, Lima, Peru, and undergraduate researcher in Dr. Charles Sterling’s lab, Veterinary Science and Microbiology