Finally, Tumbes...

Hello, Everyone! Sorry it's been awhile since I last posted, life has been busy here. It has occurred to me that my entries are all full of the trips that I've taken. Just to make sure you know, I am actually [working/i] here in Peru (not just playing), but I post the things that I think are interesting. To give you an update on my project, over the last two months I have spent all of my time writing (and re-writing) and planning (and re-planning) and meeting with numerous people about my project, as well as setting everything up to actually start my project. Although this process is taking so much longer than I anticipated, I am learning a lot, and beginning to realize that this is how it always is when starting a new project. There have been a lot of obstacles, challenges, and frustrations thus far, and I know there will continue to be more, but this is part of working in public health. Although I get upset about things when they are not going smoothly (actually, I often feel that [nothing/i] is going smoothly), I'm glad I'm going through this experience. I found out just yesterday (unofficially) that my project has been approved by one of the two Human Ethics boards that I have to get approval from. This is great news, because I am now one step closer to actually beginning field work. I submit to the 2nd Human Ethics board this week so cross your fingers that everything goes smoothly.

I am definitely blessed to have been surrounded by such great people since I've been in Peru. Everyone has been so helpful, not only in work, but also with helping me adjust to living in a different country (that is vastly different from my own). I have come to appreciate my international friends in the States that are living away from everything that their used to (not only family and friends, but culture, language, how to get around, how to get things that you need, safety, etc.). I think one of the biggest challenges for me since I've been in Peru is, I can't do things on my own (for myself). In the States I can go to the store on my own, I can drive on my own, I cook my own food, I can go to the beach on my own, I can stay late at work if I need to - on my own, etc. Here, in Tumbes, I can't do any of these things by myself--all for many different reasons. I'm not complaining, but I thought I'd give you a sense of what it's like for me living here. It's definitely challenging, but I am having a really great time here.

The pictures below are both of a trip that I took with my friend, Howard, before I left Lima (from about a month ago...sorry so late), and also of Tumbes. Howard and I went to a town called Huacachina (about 5 hours south of Lima) in the department of Ica. If you look on the map from the last entry you can see where it is. Ica is all [desert/i]!! It is so dry! Huacachina is called the Oasis of the Desert because randomly in the middle of complete desert there is a lagoon which the town is built around. While we were there we went dune buggying (which was so fun!), sand boarding (which is kinda like snow boarding), and hung out by the pool to just enjoy the sunshine (since we had been Vitamin D deficient after being in cloudy Lima for so long).

About 3 weeks ago, I moved to Tumbes, which will be my home for the 8 or 9 months and where my project will be taking place. Right now I'm renting a room attached to a house (not in the house) with a bathroom, although I'm looking for an apartment in the same area...there are none available right now :(. I chose to live in this part of town for two reasons: 1) it's safe 2) it has 24 hours of water (vs. only having water 2 hours at a time twice a day). So far I like it, and my place is only a 5 min. cambi ride to the lab facility where I work. The lab is part of the Proyecto Eliminacion de Cysticercosis. The project is super big and they have a big 'compound-like' facility from which the project runs. Neurocysticercosis is a common disease here in Tumbes (and in many developing countries). It's a neurological disorder that is obtained through a parasitic infection. People generally become infected with the parasite by eating infected pork that hasn't been thoroughly cooked. Many people who become infected develop epilepsy because often when someone because infected the larvae from the parasite travel across the intestinal wall and into your lymph system which carries the larvae to the brain. In the brain the larvae form cysts causing damage to those parts of the brain. (This disease is a bit more complicated than this--but this is the extent of my understanding of it) The Proyecto here has censused most of the rural communities here in Tumbes looking for people who have neurocysticercosis, and treating them. In October, they are beginning a mass treatment campaign for cysticercosis of all people in [all/i] rural communities in Tumbes (woah!). Because of the strong relationship this project has built with communities here in Tumbes, they are helping me as I plan to measure nutritional indicators in children from the same communities.

Preview for next time: Brian is coming will be arriving in Tumbes this upcoming Thursday, and will be staying for a while month! The next entry will be 'Brian and Heather's Adventures in Peru!'

I hope you all are well, and hope to hear how things are going in your lives! :)

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