Expanding Horizons

alt motives

2012-01-22T02:16:00.001-08:00

And a new one!

2011-11-02T04:48:00.001-07:00

I have not been invited to this one before... but also seems fairly off topic for mathematical models of infection dynamics?

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

DEADLINE SUBMISSION: 24th November 2011

Dear colleague,

We invite you to submit your abstracts and participate in the 6th International Technology, Education and Development Conference, INTED2012 that will be held in Valencia (SPAIN), on the 5th , 6th and 7th of March 2012.

It will be an international forum to present and share your experiences in the fields of Education, Technology and Development.

The attendance of more than 600 delegates from more than 60 countries is expected, being an annual meeting point for lecturers, researchers, academics, educational scientists and technologists from all disciplines and cultures.

You can present your contributions in two modalities:

In person: oral and poster presentations.
Virtually: if you can not attend in person.

INTED2012 Abstracts CD and Proceedings CD, both with ISBN, will be produced with all accepted abstracts and papers submitted.

We look forward to seeing you in Valencia!

Yours sincerely,
INTED2012 Organising Committee
inted2012@inted2012.org

Copyright (C) 2012 INTED
All rights reserved

What topic is my specialty today?

2011-11-02T04:45:00.000-07:00

Dear Dr. R.M. Mitchell,

On behalf of the organizing committee, I cordially invite you to attend the International Conference on Environmental Security for Food and Health and give an oral presentation to introduce your most recent research achievements and ideas at this meeting. This event will take place in Vivchananda Kendra, Cape Comarin, Tamil Nadu, India, on February 16-18, 2012. Please visit our website at www.epsglobal.ca and www.epsworldlink.com for program details.

We are very interested in your article Simulation modeling to evaluate the persistence of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) on commercial dairy farms in the United States that is published on Preventive Veterinary Medicine. This article includes some novel conceptions, which may impress the worldwide experts in your field. The International Conference on Environmental Security for Food and Health will present an excellent opportunity for you to introduce this article to the worldwide experts, highlighting the great significance of your research achievement. I believe you will enjoy the casual and interactive settings of this meeting.

EPS Global Medical Development Inc. is a Canada-based consulting agency, and is authorized by the Scientific Committee to co-organize this important and exciting educational event. I believe that the charm of Vivchananda Kendra and the challenge of a dynamic scientific program will create a memorable experience for delegates.

Your participation in the conference would greatly contribute to the success of this unique event, and we look forward to welcoming you in Vivchananda Kendra.

Sincerely,

Yao Lu, MD, PhD

President of EPS Global Medical Development Inc.

1625 Maisonneuve Ouest

Suite 305, Montreal

Canada, H3H 2N4

Tel: +1-514-933-4119

Hilarious new EPS Spam

2011-09-15T06:28:00.000-07:00

Note that MAP simulation modeling on dairy farms cannot be related to human obstetrics unless tragedy has ensued?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Dr. R M Mitchell,

It is my great pleasure and honor to invite you to attend the EPS Guangzhou International Obstetrics & Gynecology Forum 2011 and give an oral presentation at this meeting. This event will take place during December 02^th-04^th, 2011 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. Please visit our website at www.epsglobal.ca and www.epsworldlink.com for program details.

The EPS Guangzhou International Obstetrics & Gynecology Forum 2011 is a high-profile international academic event in China, which attracts world-renowned experts to share their thoughts and opinions in topics spanning from basic science, clinical research to clinical practice. The scientific program will include a wide range of topics covering recent advances in obstetrics & gynecology research, new techniques in screening and preventing of female genital malignancy, as well as prevention, diagnosis and treatment of common obstetrical & gynecological diseases, and other related topics of basic and clinical research advances.

We are very interested in your article Simulation modeling to evaluate the persistence of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) on commercial dairy farms in the United States. that is published on Prev Vet Med .This article includes some novel conceptions, which may impress the global experts in your field. The EPS Guangzhou International Obstetrics & Gynecology Forum 2011 will present an excellent opportunity to introduce your article to the global scientists and physicians, highlighting the great significance of your research achievements. You will enjoy the casual and interactive settings of this meeting.

The conference is organized and hosted by EPS Global Development Inc (EPS). We are proud to have been given the opportunity to serve the conference with a high-quality of organizing, and with warm sincere reception and hospitality to attendees.

EPS is a Canada-based biomedical consultant agency, which has been striving for building a broad platform of global communication about the medical science and technology among the international scientists and doctors with the latest medical science and technology development as well as management experience. We desire to introduce the latest international medical science and technology information; pass on the newest medical management concept by holding international conferences. The conferences will provide opportunities to meet and interact with world-renowned specialists for refreshing knowledge base and skills, and serve as ideal platforms for communicating among global professionals, sharing the global medical science and technology resources. We insist the principal of encouraging exchange of different academic viewpoints in the same medical field, and of promoting intersection of different medical fields.

The conference venue is in Guangzhou, the capital city of Guangdong Province in China. The choice of conference venue in China enables attendees to conduct convenient exchanges with Chinese colleagues and to establish cooperation with our partner institutions in China. We trust that you will benefit professionally, enjoy Guangzhou’s hospitality, and appreciate the networking opportunities between participants and our numerous partners.

In addition to the outstanding scientific experience of this event, you will be able to enjoy the culture and scenery of Guangzhou. You will be allured by the special local flavours, natural appearance, and abundant historic and cultural sites.

We look forward to welcoming you in Guangzhou for an enjoyable forum.

Sincerely,

Yao Lu, MD, PhD

Executive Chair of EPS Guangzhou International Obstetrics & Gynecology Forum 2011

President of EPS Global Medical Development Inc.

More Spamferences in China.

2011-05-11T20:24:00.000-07:00

I have now received two more invites. Apparently I'm a hit across multiple disciplines!

From EPS epsworldlink16@vip.sina.com
to
date Thu, Aug 5, 2010 at 5:19 AM
subject EPS Global 1st International Infectious Diseases Conference

Dear Dr. Mitchell RM,

On behalf of the Organizing Committee, we are pleased to invite you to attend the EPS Global 1st International Infectious Diseases Conference, which will be held in Shanghai, China during September 10 and 11, 2010.

We would like you to participate in this meeting as our guest speaker and present your recent work and ideas of Simulation modeling to evaluate the persistence of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) on commercial dairy farms in the United States. that were published in Prev Vet Med. This is one of the high profile and interesting studies we wish to invite to our meeting and we hope it will have benefit to you as well as to our growing scientific community.

Please open or download Shanghai_Infection_Conference_Program_2010.PDF(2,579KB)

The conference will be hosted by EPS Global Medical Development Inc (EPS). Based in Canada, EPS highlights worldwide medical academic exchanges and has gained a high reputation in the world. Collaborating with famous medical organizations, including hospitals, universities and research institutions in Asia, Europe and North America, EPS has successfully co-organized numerous academic conferences encompassing medicine, pharmaceutics and biotechnology. All these conferences have attracted international experts as speakers, and won a high reputation. Firstly in China, we host the EPS Global 1st International Infectious Diseases. The large gathering of world-leading experts and the outstanding scientific program will make this conference the highest-level international event in China.

All researchers and physicians in the field of infectious diseases have a common goal of understanding and fighting the relentless spread of infectious diseases. This conference guarantees attendees the most up-to-date information on epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of infectious diseases. We believe this conference will be an event that promotes international academic exchanges and cooperation in the field of infectious diseases.

The conference venue is in Shanghai, the largest city in China. It boasts the industrial and financial center of China. Shanghai is one of the largest international metropolitan cities in the world, renowned worldwide for the fastest-growing economy, high-speed urban construction, most vibrant and colorful city life and the new reputation as a cosmopolitan culture design center. Shanghai is also the venue for the World Expo 2010, a Grand Gathering of the World Cultures. The World Expo 2010 will offer you a great opportunity for experiencing the variety of cultures in the world, making your participation a memorable event.

We cordially welcome you to Shanghai, China!

Sincerely,

Yao Lu, MD, PhD

Executive Chair of EPS Global 1st International Infectious Diseases Conference
President, EPS Global Medical Development Inc.
Suite 305, 1625 De Maisonneuve
Montreal, Quebec, H3H 2N4 Canada
TEL： 001-514-933-4119

FAX：001-514-933-9519

EMAIL：epsworldlink01@vip.sina.com

Website：www.epsworldlink.com

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
cmm05 cmm05@epsworldlink.com
reply-to cmm05@epsworldlink.com
to R M Mitchell
date Sun, May 8, 2011 at 11:38 PM
subject International veterinary medicine event in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China

hide details May 8 (3 days ago)

Dear Dr.R M Mitchell

On behalf of the organizing committee, I cordially invite you to attend the EPS Hohhot International Forum on Veterinary Medicine, which is to be held in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China on August 3rd ~5th, 2011.

We would like to welcome you to our Conference as our valuable speaker and present your recent work and ideas of that were published in . Please visit our website at www.epsglobal.ca & www.epsworldlink.com/en for program details.

This conference is a high-profile academic event in China, which aims to bring together experts specializing in Veterinary Medicine to discuss the current frontier issues in this area, and to promote awareness of the ongoing research achievements. The coverage of scientific program includes multiple aspects of Veterinary Medicine in the world. This meeting is meant to be held in a casual and interactive setting which will provide the participants with privileged opportunities for networking and collaborations. Additionally, both academic and business opportunities will arise from attendance of the industrialists.

We cordially hope you could come to join us. Your participation and interaction will contribute towards making this conference a truly memorable experience and enhancing our endeavor to improve cooperation and exchange in the area of Veterinary Medicine in the world.

The conference will be hosted by the EPS Global Medical Development Inc. (EPS) of Canada. We are proud to have been given the opportunity to serve the conference with a high-quality organizing and warm sincere reception and hospitality to attendees.
Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in northern China, lies between the Yinshan Mountain and the Yellow River. Hohhot, which is Mongolian for "green city", dates from 306 B.C. and throughout its long history has been an important cultural centre of the region.

Hohhot, the old and the modern, provides a perfect venue for our conference, and we look forward to welcoming you here in August 2011!

Warmest regards,

Yao Lu, MD, PhD
Executive Chair of EPS Hohhot International Forum on Veterinary Medicine 2011
President of EPS Global Medical Development Inc.
EMAIL：cmm05@epsworldlink.com
TEL: 1-514-933-4119 FAX: 1-514-933-9519

Entertainment in Ithaca.

2011-01-09T18:03:00.003-08:00

Entertainment in Ithaca.

2011-01-09T18:03:00.001-08:00

Newborn kittens (6)

2010-09-04T00:52:00.001-07:00

There are two calicos with classic pattern, one dilute and one normal color.
there is a grey spotted one, and a dark grey spotted one.
there is a cream spotted one, and an orange classic pattern.

Sorry, I don't know what the name for "spotted" is. :-)

This page will soon feature kittens.

2010-09-03T14:55:00.000-07:00

My dad.

2010-08-25T21:06:00.001-07:00

Spam-ference in China, anyone?

2010-07-30T06:24:00.001-07:00

Google a bit. The manager hosts the same (1st annual!) conference in multiple fields: Neurosurgery, trauma surgery, Community healthcare, Epilepsy, Infectious Disease.

They have a facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Montreal-QC/EPS-Global-Medical-Development-INC/108480102528282#!/pages/Montreal-QC/EPS-Global-Medical-Development-INC/108480102528282?v=wall&__a=15&ajaxpipe=1

Update: I have since received three new spam conference invites from EPS. This links to the one that's furthest off topic. MAP is a pathogen of dairy cattle that causes diarrhea, weight loss and decreased production. Somehow it seems appropriate for an OBGYN conference?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Dr. Mitchell RM,

On behalf of the Organizing Committee, we are pleased to invite you to attend the EPS Global 1^st International Infectious Diseases Conference, which will be held in Shanghai, China during September 10 and 11, 2010.

We would like you to participate in this meeting as our guest speaker and present your recent work and ideas of Simulation modeling to evaluate the persistence of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) on commercial dairy farms in the United States. that were published in Prev Vet Med. This is one of the high profile and interesting studies we wish to invite to our meeting and we hope it will have benefit to you as well as to our growing scientific community.

Please open or download Shanghai_Infection_Conference_Program_2010.PDF(2,579KB)

The conference will be hosted by EPS Global Medical Development Inc (EPS). Based in Canada, EPS highlights worldwide medical academic exchanges and has gained a high reputation in the world. Collaborating with famous medical organizations, including hospitals, universities and research institutions in Asia, Europe and North America, EPS has successfully co-organized numerous academic conferences encompassing medicine, pharmaceutics and biotechnology. All these conferences have attracted international experts as speakers, and won a high reputation. Firstly in China, we host the EPS Global 1^st International Infectious Diseases. The large gathering of world-leading experts and the outstanding scientific program will make this conference the highest-level international event in China.

All researchers and physicians in the field of infectious diseases have a common goal of understanding and fighting the relentless spread of infectious diseases. This conference guarantees attendees the most up-to-date information on epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of infectious diseases. We believe this conference will be an event that promotes international academic exchanges and cooperation in the field of infectious diseases.

The conference venue is in Shanghai, the largest city in China. It boasts the industrial and financial center of China. Shanghai is one of the largest international metropolitan cities in the world, renowned worldwide for the fastest-growing economy, high-speed urban construction, most vibrant and colorful city life and the new reputation as a cosmopolitan culture design center. Shanghai is also the venue for the World Expo 2010, a Grand Gathering of the World Cultures. The World Expo 2010 will offer you a great opportunity for experiencing the variety of cultures in the world, making your participation a memorable event.

We cordially welcome you to Shanghai, China!

Sincerely,

Yao Lu, MD, PhD

Executive Chair of EPS Global 1^st International Infectious Diseases Conference

President, EPS Global Medical Development Inc.

Suite 305, 1625 De Maisonneuve

Montreal, Quebec, H3H 2N4 Canada

TEL：001-514-933-4119

FAX：001-514-933-9519

EMAIL：epsworldlink01@vip.sina.com

Website：www.epsworldlink.com

Guatemala pictures at reasonable resolution...

2010-07-26T15:47:00.000-07:00

What I will love about the United States

2010-06-04T17:10:00.001-07:00

First and foremost, being able to use the internet at normal speed!! There is internet here, but the pace is more 1999 than 2010. For instance, to upload a picture to the website I have to first shrink it to 100 kb, and then there is still not guarantee that it will load. There will be a lot of retrospective posting from Guatemala because I have some breathtaking photos and I just can't bear to make them the size of peas.

I will not love the increased cost of all fruits and vegetables and the very limited selection. Or the idea that queso fresco is a luxury item. It's not... and it's delicious! (I may have had peas and queso fresco for dinner today... Mmmm).

This next year is going to be a whirlwind for me. I have a list of papers to write (5!) already, and anticipate adding a 6th. If I submit 5 papers this year, I better be getting a cake at the end of it! House selling, job-finding (applying! there's something I haven't done in a long time. I was 21 last time I was applying for a long term position. I'm going to be 30 in the spring.)

So what have I not blogged about that I should? Volcano. Volcano is definitely worth noting. There are many active volcanoes in Guatemala (something ridiculous like 10?). And several of them are very close to tourist towns where it is an afternoon's entertainment to scale one and take pictures next to flowing lava. Weeell... one of them decided it was tired of being a tourist destination and erupted in earnest. 25 miles from where I live. It promptly rained very small rocks. And now the entire place is covered in very small rocks (People call it "dust" but it's really a misnomer. This is big to be dust, it's rocks. Slightly too big to be sand as well.) So now that Guatemala city is covered in miniature black volcanic rocks, what do we do with them? The common solution appears to be put them in bags. Plastic bags, grain bags, paper bags...really doesn't matter. Bags are the answer. We have no option for removal, at least not in the whole city at the same time, so all of the street corners are covered in bags of rocks. When all the bags have been depleted from a region, people just make giant piles of volcanic debris on the sides of the roads or in the middle of the lawn and leave it there. Eventually it will integrate with the soil, but not yet!

And secondary to the volcano, Guatemala had its first tropical storm of the season. Moderate as far as tropical storms go, but we were right in the path and it lost most of its power (read: WATER) here. I happened to be away for the weekend and missed both of these natural disasters, but no worries, they saved the evidence! Since all of the mountains here are made of dirt, the roads cutting through the mountains were covered in mudslides, and several of the bridges were washed away by rains and flooded rivers. The city seems to have made out fairly well with one exception. The SINKHOLE. Please google. I'm sure the first hits will be Guatemala City. And yes for all you doubting Thomases...IT"S REAL.

There will be more updates once I am stateside next week about Guatemala and Belize and Tikal... but for now, just a post to say I'm alive and well in the land of natural disasters!

Pictures say it better...

2010-06-03T15:05:00.000-07:00

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/06/a_rough_week_for_guatemala.html

Does this work?

2010-05-31T15:16:00.001-07:00

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=39354585&l=861456bebe&id=7122

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what am I? (not existentialist)

2010-05-15T10:12:00.000-07:00

How much do you pay for your latte?

2010-05-14T09:04:00.000-07:00

I always assumed the reason we could pay $5 for a coffee was because of the investment in infrastructure and education required for said coffee (yes, education...do *you* know how to operate a fancy coffee machine without scalding yourself? I don't...), as well as the cost of the ingredients. But this does not seem to be the case in Guatemala.

Here, I pay $1.50 for a medium latte. I pay $1.10 for a cafe Americano. I pay $1.30 for a cafe Americano con leche. Oddly, to make a cafe Americano here, one makes an espresso and then adds water and/or sugar.

On the face of it, this seems to support my original theory- we are using the same machines to make both coffees so both the training and infrastructure costs apply. But... how much is a cafe mochacino (sp?) $1.50. How much is a blanco cafe mochacino $1.50.

The range is quite narrow. You will always pay between one and 1.50 for each coffee, regardless of what you add to it. Ice? Whipped cream? Sugar? Non-dairy milk? No problem.

Were I not desperately trying to avoid becoming a gordita, I would have the fanciest coffee I could find every day.

Come to Guatemala. Drinks are on me!

What not to do if you are from a cold country.

2010-05-04T18:54:00.000-07:00

This past week Willi was subjected to my desire to try every new form of produce that crosses my path. There are tons of fruits and vegetables here that look like nothing I have ever seen before. Some are delicious. Some are...well...less delicious?

Willi and I went hiking in the jungle to see some of the Mayan temples. We took an 8 hour sleeper bus (complete with reclining chairs and footrests that made it into a bed, I have never seen one before in the US but now I am convinced they are the only way to travel). The bus went from the center of the city here to the jungle overnight, so we ate some suspicious looking sandwiches along the way and sleep all the way through. We had picked up a bag of mystery fruits (one slightly smaller than a plum and reddish, one the size of a cranberry and yellow, and one cashew apple) to munch while hiking. The plum-type fruits were great and we finished a whole bag of them. The yellow cranberry-fruits were... not to my liking as they tasted quite foul. The cashew apple made us both wheeze and gasp for air as it burned our esophagus and throat. Both of us managed to inhale quite a bit down the wrong pipe (me worse than willi) and were choking in the middle of the forest.

Note to self: there may be a reason some fruits were never popular enough to export. Apparently cashews have some caustic substance in the coating of the shell. Also apparently if they are ripe a portion of that substance seems to migrate into the fruit below the nut.

Over the course of the day we managed to consume approximately a gallon of water each and still turned plum colored and wobbly. Much to my annoyance, no one else looked the least bit uncomfortable and half of them were not even sweating (as I poured gallons of sweat through my multiple layers of tank tops...) Gringos are not meant to hike in rain forests and climb monuments. Following six hours of hiking we collapsed for a one hour bus ride to the nearest town, where we caught the next tuk-tuk (think riding lawnmower with passengers and you're pretty much there) to the only place in town with air conditioning. We spent two hours waiting for our body temperatures to return to normal values before venturing back to the (also unairconditioned) bus station. I was quite red in the face until almost the next morning, and yet had no sunburn. We have found where the expression "hot as hell" originated.

You may, or may not, be able to see pictures here: http://williingguatemala.shutterfly.com/

A little background

2010-04-26T19:17:00.000-07:00

The first thing one will notice about Atitlan is the road. Well, really anywhere in Guatemala the first thing one will notice is the road. There is a reason the regions made entirely of mountains (Peru, Guatemala) were only great kingdoms in the epoch of the horse. Driving here is a recipe for seasickness. Passes are ut into mountains, but more passes that would be sufficient for a logging truck (like the mountain passes into Swaziland...) than for a passenger car or a bus. So much queasiness that my co-workers have taken meds when going place to place. This would be horse country, could people afford horses. An average horse here costs $400 US. An average yearly salary here might rival the price of a horse.

But in general, one's farm needs some level of prosperity to climb above subsistence and purchase said horse. Not so much when one is hand hewing terraces out of mountains. The upside? The mountains are made of dirt (vs rock)and thus a hard-earned terrace will actually produce food (in this season, watermelons and calla lilies). The downside is that when it rains (which it does for months on end), your terraces allow water to seep into large chunks of mountain and may careen to the very bottom in a mudslide. Mudslides are pretty comon and can occlude major roads to whole regions of the country. These are only two seasons here--> summer and winter. We are essentially equatorial , so the difference is not one of temperature. When iti s winter, there is rain. When is it summer, there is not. They aer both warm, but in the region of hte city, they are not hot. Certainly not Botswana-hot.

But back to Atitlan (where I am currently seated in the shade next to the lake enjoying the breeze). The first thing you notice after the curving is the descent. Now instead of twisting up and down mountains, you are simply twisting down for 40 kilometers. Engine braking...air brakes are totally useless but sounding hopelessly as the engine braking often proves insufficient for safe descent. Buses and shuttles to Atitlan leave every morning from Guate and Antigua muy temprano (6 am) and one can arrive in Atitlan by 10 AM. They drop off at various points in the lowest strip near the lake and you can wander at will from fabric shop to fabric shop. Should one every need BRILLIANT blue wall hangings, this is the place.

I came here for a day away from the city and it was a brilliant one-day-vacation idea. There is not a lot to do. Essentially- shop, eat, swim (kayak, bike, hike volcanoes... but these are nixed as they are not leisure activities and are not consistent with illness. or relaxation, really). I also needed to pick up a few things (Kim, your poncho awaits).

The Guatemalan bathing costume is proving less than modest at best. There is little left to the imagination. Sitting by the lake may not be an activity for those under the age of eighteen. Quite surprising! I'm guessing most of the bathing suits are more ropa interior (underwear). This appears only to apply to men, as there are few women in the water and they are wearing tank tops or bathing suits in the conventional sense.

How to have friends everywhere you go

2010-04-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

I find food is the key to friendship. It encourages camaraderie, it makes people slightly happier. No one can be an enemy and have a tray of cookies. It’s impossible.

And if you’re really lucky, it brings you friends that want to be with you all the time. This surprisingly does not require having food all the time. As a matter of fact, these friends prefer that the food comes at hours of their choosing… and be of certain types. If not provided at exactly the right time/protein concentration, they will let you know they are unhappy. And you will be sad because they are sad.

Ah my new worm-y friends. How glad I am that you’re keeping me company. But please. Donuts are my favorite food. Reconsider your response to donuts.

Innate behavior

2010-04-14T17:46:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday morning (like every morning) there was a conflict between our many house animals. In general, the dog is jealous of the kittens and tries to eat them, while the cats despise each other.

When I woke up to the cat growling under the bed, I assumed she had been chased there by the dog. And indeed the dog was guarding the door to the room. But then the cat started growling louder, and banging against the wall. I was worried maybe the dog had gotten under the bed and was attacking her so I looked underneath. I had not one cat, but two, and a small feisty companion who was responsible for the banging. Yep. The kitties had brought my a present. Very very much alive. I had no idea what type of animal it was, but the strength of the kicking indicated that maybe I did not want to be in the same bed with it so I fled downstairs. Finally the cats subdued (what turned out to be an extremely giant) mouse, and one paraded it around downstairs, trying to get the kittens to come eat with her. She eventually put it in the kitten casa... and I had to pry it away from their growling biting selves. They held on so tightly I had to lift rat with two kittens and shake to get them to drop off the carcass. Nice. Very nice.

Then, today... the kittens were all curled up in their casa when I got home. So cute. Five kittens all snuggly. And strangely not curious to come out and play. Only twenty minutes later when they brought out their brand-new, 100% kitten sized, new toy rat did I understand why. WHY DO THEY NEED RATS? They can't even eat them for god's sake!

This is the itinerary: 29 april-3 may.

2010-04-11T07:56:00.000-07:00

This is the trip I will take with Willi. Here is the itinerary with prices. Right now about $280 for 5 day trip, but it will be by bus, and there will be 3 nights actually ON a bus.

Anyone interested? Costs $314 to get here from NYC, about $400 from Boston.

29 April:
Arrive during the day- go to museums/zoo in the city ($10)
Evening bus to Flores ($40 RT)

30 April
Flores-Tikal transportation ($25 RT?)
Tikal entry fee ($16)
www.tikalpark.com
www.mayaruins.com

-this guy won't be here, but he did all the legwork for us.

-this one lives in Tikal though, so we might see him again.

-he has a few little friends.

Tikal-Flores transportation (Included above)
Flores-Guatemala bus (Included above)

1 May:
Shuttle to Antigua ($10 pp)
Pacaya group tour ($10 pp)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacaya
http://www.rutahsa.com/pacaya.html
Hostel/hotel overnight ($20 each?)

2 May:
4 AM bus Antigua-Copan ($15-45 one way)
Copan/Copan museum entry fees ($30)
http://www.copanhonduras.org/ruins.htm
www.mayaruins.com

7 PM bus Copan-Guatemala City ($15-45?)
Hotel Barcelo ($45 pp )

3 May:
Relaxed breakfast at hotel, free shuttle to airport.

Not legos, despite outward appearances to the contrary. Actually stucco??

2010-04-08T20:23:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Moooooommy, Happy birthday to you! (Despite the fact that you never answer your phone...even when I call you six times... and leave lots of messages)

And there was vacation.

2010-04-07T18:00:00.000-07:00

To the High Forest!

2010-03-22T16:47:00.000-07:00

Yep. That's what I say every day I get into the cab. Sometimes I have to add "In the 16th zone" but most of the time not. In a city of around 3 million people, my address is the name of the housing complex. Period.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let me addendum this sucker after waiting an hour and a half this morning for my taxi because "in the high forest" proved insufficient directions for the inexperienced driver. There is a reason we have road names and zip codes in the US. Even with GPS in every cab, the company has not figured out how to tell drivers to get to your house if the driver doesn't already know where it is. They will simply call back (4---5 times!) to ask you again if you live near something else.

Sigh.

paso a paso, estoy aprendiendo

2010-03-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

Pero hay muchas cosas que no entiendo nada. Like...why there was a child with all appendages covered with red felt screwdriver-shaped extensions at the school play I saw last night. Or why the houses on the street have 4 different sets of digits (Zone, street, number, second number).

Fuimos a mercado y tambien supermercado el sabado. For about $20 we got enough fruit and vegetables for many more people than our little army of three for the week. This was like the farmer's market in Minnesota where you can get 14 kilos of potatoes for three dollars from someone who definitely does not speak your language. And I was the giant gringa tag-along adding some international flair (and possible wallet-thieving incentive). Spent the rest of the weekend enjoying home and kittens and sunshine (and laundry!)

Bigger, louder, and with eyes!

2010-03-19T17:04:00.000-07:00

I can say it with a straight face, can you?

2010-03-17T17:24:00.000-07:00

"I am at the second kitten." = " Estoy a la gatita dos." Slightly different than garita dos, the second gate, at which I would like to be picked up.

"I need to pay you for the swear words."= "Necesito pagar por las grocerias. " Yeah, not a cognate.

And my most consistent error is "Esta bien." When asked if you want something does not mean "I'm okay." It means yes. Sigh.

Aprendo!

Cuando tu no conoces donde vives

2010-03-15T17:03:00.000-07:00

Hay una problema. Hay una GRANDE problema. Si to quieres ir a la casa, y no conoces donde casa esta, el taxista no puede ir aqui. Pero, hay muchas taxistas, y si una no conoces, hay otros. Si tambien tu no hablas mucho de espanol en la cuidad de Guate, ai ai ai. Pero tuve una colega en la officina y yo accosted ella y pregunte si ella podia ayudarme llamar por telefono. Si. Ella me salvo.

2010-03-14T15:36:00.000-07:00

Skirting the necessary

2010-03-13T05:08:00.000-08:00

"Well, do you want to be sick now, or do you want to be sick later?" was the response to my question "Should I be eating unpeelable vegetables for lunch?" I chose later. Not a hard one in my head...

If you've lived here your whole life, your system knows what to expect. You have some sense of what is smart to eat, and what is not. You have exposure to the normal flora and fauna invading your sandwich. Not so for the gringos. The real staff here accept that they are going to have a change in microbial companions and just eat what they want. But they have all been here for a year or more, so no hay problemas. For me, since I'm only staying three months, it's a debate. I could live without fresh (unpeeled) vegetables for three months. We did it in Peru, I am sure I could do it here. Kind of golden rules are: peel everything, cook everything not peeled, don't drink anything that looks like it might have come from the systemic water supply. I've been staunchly ignoring the fact that my stomach gurgles all the time and I can palpate my own prominent intestines (which again gurgle on palpation). Ignorance is bliss.

Why you all should visit me. (soon)

2010-03-12T15:35:00.000-08:00

LOOK WHAT I HAVE!!

Ah, the shopping list

2010-03-11T16:19:00.000-08:00

What do I want to eat? In Spanish? In a country I have never been to before? No tengo ningun idea! Frutas? Frutas que puedo pelar? So we shall see...but I am told they do have granadillas here (my favorite fruit in the whole world!). So excited to eat them again. And the coffee is good. After much searching in many countries- Guatemala does actually both grow and brew good coffee (que extrano!)

Exhausted after my day of reading papers. The project I am on is actually super exciting and ambitious at the same time. I am going to learn, and what I learn is going to be directly applied. Quite cool really. But intimidating. I need to set up a work schedule for myself to make sure I pass my courses from home and finish my work and continue to learn spanish (who really needs that pesky preterit with all the arbitrary endings anyways?).

Travel

2010-03-10T16:09:00.000-08:00

When I left Ithaca in a flurry of stupidity (who really needs their vaccination card anyways?) I immediately submerged into unconsciousness that was only broken by loss of circulation in a limb causing me to shift briefly and then relapse into sleep for the entire bus ride. Opening my eyes again to get onto the subway, I was accosted by the abrupt personalities of NYC. The girls dressed to impress going out, the edgy (any edge, really there are so many) angsty early 20s crowd, the people travelling on the Rockaway park who, when asked what they were up to replied “hanging and gangbanging” loudly and repeatedly. Seriously? “Hanging and gangbanging” is somehow socially acceptable now? I was this close to asking the kid of he knew what he was saying and how disrespectful it was until he switched the subject into going out with his ‘girl’ and his friend getting knifed. Figured that common sense said to be quiet. Unbelievable though.

Seven hours of waiting in JFK desperately trying to back up my corrupted hard drive (Don’t ask, why my computer would die the day I am traveling to another country, I really have no idea) led to another 4 hours of comatose on the way to Miami. Now I knew I was going to another country on this trip, I just didn’t know Miami counted. Literally the first two girls I saw when I got off the plane- one was wearing just a lacey corset on the top, and the other just boyshorts on the bottom. They were both American, and they were not traveling together. I didn’t realize underwear were acceptable travelling fare these days? Wasted all that laundry on pants and a shirt (and a big furry jacket because it’s actually cold in NY!) Shame. Next time I’ll pick my skivvy of choice as well.

And then to Guatemala. First off, I am living in a beautiful palatial house in a gated complex that has nicer landscaping than most of the places at home (maybe all the places on my street). It’s summer. It’s warm. I don’t know why I brought sweaters because I will not need them. Somehow it’s very hard to convince yourself that you’re going someplace with weather different from where you are currently. Every time I pack for somewhere warm from somewhere cold I have too many sweaters, and every time I go from warm to cold I am freezing. I’d rather be overprepared? There is a household staff member here. Weird. We are on a hill and it looks like we’re on the outskirts of Guatemala city, but I’d really have no idea if we just happened to have a surrounding park and we’re smack in the center. Flying in it looked like Guatemala does not necessarily believe in yards. Like the area around the Mumbai airport that is all tin small buildings that overlap so no ground is visible- lots of blocks like that here, but seems to be real houses and buildings rather than shantytowns.

Oh! Oh! I successfully navigated two conversations in Spanish! We had a chat about the weather, the area we were in, how to find an ATM and the family of the nice man who drove me here- learned some very intimate details that were unexpected. Then I talked to someone at the university about the ATM and how I am not here to work on bats. Success. Definitely childlike in my conversation skills but as long as I keep trying, I get at least partially the way there.

Let’s go Guatemala, I’m ready.

Empiezo a tomar photos del accion. Mas o menos acceptable.

2010-01-29T20:03:00.000-08:00

It LIVES!!

2010-01-22T08:42:00.000-08:00

Chile dice no.

2010-01-18T14:01:00.000-08:00

No le gusta photos de los aves y los flores. No le gusta los lobos marinos. No le gusta la playa.

No Me Gusta El Internet!

En Chile.

2010-01-15T17:05:00.000-08:00

Why you should visit Egypt.

2010-01-09T01:09:00.000-08:00

Seriously. More than Machu Piccu. Go to Egypt.

The test of civilization

2009-12-30T10:46:00.001-08:00

Is naturally, the grocery store. As with any developing country or country that is predominately ESL, Israel has its share of curiosities. What does Herbal Propolis taste like exactly? All I can think is that it has pumice in it like the "acropolis"? A little bit of mineral goes a long way? Honey flavored toothpaste frankly sounds disgusting, but honey is the major sweetener here, maybe that would be considered normal.

The next find was the inspiration for a grocery store examination in the first place. How can one be sure that the influenza outbreak reaches one's enemies? Build it into the food, naturally! And have they ever. We found multiple varieties of this particular delight just in case one did not suit the fancy. They sound like an outbreak investigation waiting to happen. "Why did you eat the Raspberry flu spread? Doesn't it say right there.... FLU SPREAD??"

I think these are meant to be the insides of pastries. What flu could translate into, I have not the faintest idea.

Israel has beat Botswana on one account though. Here one can buy chocolate chips. There were three kinds!!

There were two definite fails though. One is that they again suffer the insatiable urge to flavor all marshmellows. Many varieties, none without additional flavors. Strawberry S'more anyone? No takers, huh?

And then there was this delight. No additional descriptors needed to underline the difference between commercial flour production in the developed and developing world. We win. Hands down.

Wow. Yeah, well after the "free from worms"... we moved to tamer non-sequitors. If you, as I do, see an exclamation point at the end of this title, then the command is priceless. We also have "Knead bread!" and "Drink milk!" products available.

Not quite sure how the Mayans met the Sri Lankans, but apparently they then made tea.

And then, we shall end with the most inappropriate supermarket product.

Wait for it. The video is worthwhile.

Drinking with snails

2009-12-26T11:29:00.000-08:00

I have finally figured out the panorama stitching on my camera. Of course I do not have the original photostitch software, but handy freeware does a remarkably good job. These are two views of Haifa. The above is from a tower near where Ymir works, and the below is from the Bahai gardens. Note when going to the Bahai gardens- TAKE A BUS.

Well, perhaps the video is a bit amusing. Snails do move slowly and I have evidence. But they are entertaining on a cool Christmas afternoon in Haifa. Fusi picked a whole bunch of snails off the various wooden portions of the lawn and piled them all up on a plate to watch them move around. They like beer! They will climb towards it and then drink, pulling in their little antennae and smoothing out on the ground to maximize surface area.

We have had quite an interesting couple of days. I am cooking! It seems a minor miracle after two years of not cooking at all. A diet of cereal is not only quite filling but full of calories. My chubby self is now at the maximum expanse of my clothes, but decided I need to start returning to the land of humans and cooking real food. Escaping from the vet curriculum gives me time. Yesterday morning we had omelettes, this evening we had lemon meringue pie from Ymir's lemon tree (strangely very well received... I had not expected that Icelanders would like something so tart.) Two days ago we had vegetarian lasagne. I am human again. Of course I'm still chubby, but time will come for that. We start with eating.

And eat you can in Israel! There is hummus with meat in it! What sacrilege to the vegan nation's holiest of foods. Delicious. A little bit of lamb, a lot of olive oil and a chef telling us we are beautiful and that he loves us (arbitrarily in Spanish which most people do not speak?) and a very filling lunch. Then dessert! To quote my 17-year-old traveling companion... OMG. Deliciousness. I have seen things that are supposed to taste like Middle Eastern dessert before, but I have never seen warm-from-the-oven baklava before. Also to quote the Icelanders... "Namm!"

Oh, let me not forget the Christmas parade. We went to Nazareth (the birthplace of Christ? the Muppets? pegasus? the people were a little confused as to what they were celebrating, only that it required bagpipes. Many bagpipes. Fours troupes to be precise. And one drum and bugle corps. The only requirement for the birth of Christ appeared to be that no one could smile. All parade participants must look unhappy at all times. And it is preferred that they are wearing some extraneous non-Christmas-related items.

On the right is a view from above of the IBM Haifa buildings. Looks a little bit industrial, but really just full of computer scientists and free hot chocolate. ID badge required, and you may not take pictures of any of the trees in the courtyard. IBM is of course on top of Carmel mountain, suitable for Vikings. Walking down the mountain to Ymir's house takes about 40 minutes for mere mortals. Ouch your calves will hurt the next day.

Welcome to Crazyland. Please enjoy your experience with snipers.

2009-12-22T14:47:00.000-08:00

Things you never thought you would need to travel with:

Your hospital ID. Yep. I always *always* make sure this is somewhere standard that I can find when I get back to avoid the (nearly inevitable) desperate search the day before rotation starts when I return for this stupid piece of plastic without which I will surely be inappropriately dressed. Ah for the days of names directly on lab coats that would make life so much easier. Anyhow…back to the story- apparently when traveling to Israel, good idea to bring it. Do I carry my school ID? No. I do not. Do I carry my hospital ID? No, I do not. What do I do? Vet school and research (the phrase PhD did not seem to ring a bell of recognition). Do I work? Well, now, that one is just insulting. No ,I spend my days lolling about the CUHA petting puppies (okay, so maybe I did that two days of the last two weeks, but I consider those days a small Christmas present to myself.) Anyhow, yes, I do not have any other jobs (other than the DVM and simultaneous PhD).

Also good idea to have some emails from someone you know in Israel hanging around on your computer. “how often do you talk to your boyfriend?” Me: every day. “Can you show me an email?” Me: we speak on skype but yes I am sure I have an email from the past few days. “But there is no internet here.” Me: I don’t download them. Sigh. Communication fail.

“What are you doing in Israel?” me: I am not sure, just hanging around. “But do you know where you are going?” Me: Well, we are in Haifa and will probably tour around a bit. (all the time thinking in my head that I have no idea the political structure of Israel and not wanting to accidentally say the same of a place and get it confused with somewhere else and then end up in huge trouble. Jerusalem? Bethlehem? I don ‘t know…all those places in the Bible? None of these answers seemed like a good plan.

Don’t even get me started on the topic of traveling to Egypt afterward. “Have you ever been to Israel before?” me: no (you are holding my passport in your hand….) “Have you been to any of the countries surrounding Israel?” me: no (you are still holding my passport in your hand). “Do you know anyone from any countries surrounding Israel?” me: probably, but not close friends. (Now really, I am a GRADUATE STUDENT, how could I *not* know people from the “countries surrounding Israel”?) Good thing I never lived with Krystal or my ass would be still in Milan.

Do I know anyone from Israel? Well…not really. Doran Bar? How would you feel about a cold call from El Al?

So Ymir happened to give me a cell phone of his boss in case I got lost at the airport or something. Poor Grisha… if he answers his phone, I am certainly going to owe him one. I can just imagine the awkward combination of airport security and computer scientist being a recipe for hilarity.

Oh, by the way. It’s snowing here. Not a light winter breeze, but 12 inches of snow, coating everything. We were the first plane to land in Milan all night (at 9:30 AM) and all of the morning flights were cancelled. With luck, they were not yet cancelling the afternoon flights. I was like *great* now the airlines will be delayed and if security takes a while, then no problem. My flight wasn’t even delayed yet so I went directly over to the El Al counter (identified by the fact that there’s a “King David” line? I have no idea the significance of that or why King David might be a business class, but it is. So I was clearly not King David, but did get greeted with Shalom (in Italy) to which I responded “hello” and then proceeded to a three hour security screening. You think I exaggerate, but I got here at 930 and I am still here (noon).

No one said this trip would not be adventure…and I have yet to face the daunting Israeli customs. After El Al though, that should be nothing. I wish I had internet to DL some emails from Ymir.

Every two years it can snow.

2009-12-21T08:31:00.000-08:00

But only once, and only a little. This year, winter went overboard.

South African Pictorial

2009-10-29T16:48:00.000-07:00

Updated with better picture selection.

So what exactly do I know?

2009-09-03T15:15:00.000-07:00

Not really enough to practice veterinary medicine, that's for sure. I wonder if it's enough to get a license? Very expensive to re-test though. Sigh. There are only so many hours available each day, and so few of them are stress free. The problem with teaching all the time is that you do indeed have to be in teaching mode all the time. The problem with learning all the time is that you have to be in student mode all of the time. Not sure which one I prefer- certainly more empowering in the teaching role; however, have to get between A and B somehow. This is not actually a bad system (yet). I am amazed at in general the pleasant attitude of people in the veterinary hospital. I'm pretty bull-in-china-shop in my approach, but so far haven't received any new scars for all my errors. Who knew? It had been such an unpleasant experience previously, I'm surprised that the actual clinics are so much more enjoyable than the taught curriculum. Maybe there's hope yet. Maybe I changed? I think I gained a lot of confidence. I was so extremely nervous last year being on clinics for things about which I knew approximately nothing. Now I know even less, and yet it's not half as intimidating. "I don't know" is my catch phrase.

I don't fit in here. And I would almost qualify that with an "anymore", even though I never really did in the first place. But for completely different reasons- that was more active effort, this is passive acceptance and perhaps straight avoidance. This is not my community. I don't make a difference here. And not that I'm unimportant- I'm fine with being unimportant. More that I'm not advancing knowledge or educating students or creating opportunities for people. I am not moving anything ahead towards a goal. I am cramming enough things into my head to repeat them. I am recycling the penguins as fast as I can. And I accomplish nothing. I think partially I am trudging along and not making enough effort to engage in my community. But it's a tight community that I don't want to break into. I'm done. 16 more weeks to freedom.

Maybe...just maybe... I miss Botswana. :-)

Swaziland pineapples

2009-08-17T18:16:00.001-07:00

Swaziland is not rife with industry. Or really with anything at all. We flew to the airport nearest Kruger today and then drove down to Swaziland since it was only two hours away (purportedly). However, we took the geographically direct route- which did have a border crossing on the map, and indeed had a border crossing in real life. But may have been the smallest outpost in civilization. There were 40 kilometers of paved road to nowhere before we reached the border. It was nearly all completely filled with commercial pine forest. Beautiful but somewhat strange to see a monocrop of trees for miles and miles. We took more than an hour to commute the 40 kilometers up mountains winding back and forth. Swaziland must be very high up relative to South Africa- our ears even popped with the pressure changes. We finally made it to the border post to find that we were the first people through in 5 days.

Winding down the mountains a bit into Swaziland, we met a long stretch of unpaved road in commercial Eucalyptus forest. Guess they don't compete with South Africa. There's almost nothing here. It's empty almost everywhere. People are standing by the road just waiting for rides to somewhere (anywhere?). We had to sign out of the town we drove through (but oddly did not sign in?). It definitely had a big timber facility, but I can't imagine them worrying that we might steal large boards in our tiny little car. There looked to be mining nearby (maybe copper?), which seemed more plausible reason for signing in and out.

Driving into Mbabane, which I think is the biggest city in Swaziland, we still did not pass a whole lot of people or agriculture. I expected to see a large population of cows, but really we did not. Swaziland seems to have banned/restricted the import of milk and milk products, so they must have at least some dairy cows somewhere. People are advertising milk along the side of the road. Unpasteurized naturally, and often un-refrigerated. So I can get my Brucella...warm? great!

We toured essentially the central region of Swaziland. Although coming in from the border there were a lot of one-or-two-room cookie cutter small houses, in Ezulwini there were many more poorly constructed tin/rock/mudbrick houses... lots with big holes in the sides. I do not think the Swazi people live in the lap of luxury. We passed a large canning facility surrounded by a small ocean of pineapple farms (plantations?). Pineapple bushes (there is not a better descriptor) are about 2-3 feet tall with little baby pineapples at the top. The bushes themselves look like larger versions of what's at the top of hte pineapple, and all of them are a kind of dingy dead yellow color. We also passed a lot of cane fields, another major Swazi export.

Other than the pineapples and sugar cane, it looks pretty temperate. The trees are round, not flat Savannah type that Africa seems to use to proclaim "it is very hot here." And it's also cold, which definitely helps with the temperate image. The major industry must be tourism given all the guest houses and backpacker lodges. What insane person comes to Swaziland to tromp up steep mountains, I do not know. Even our poor car thought it was a bit much, I cannot imagine doing the same trip walking. But once you arrive, you are rewarded with one (singular) shopping center, all the pineapples you can eat, and that's about it. Thriving economy, this is not. I just keep wondering how this population got here, and why they chose to stay. I guess no one invades them because they are a low reward, high effort location. There's something to that. But given that in general we are past that stage of country building, there really isn't much to hold a population in poverty other than lack of opportunities to go somewhere else. Interesting to see, but don't know that I'd choose to stay.

Phew

2009-08-14T10:33:00.000-07:00

Conference complete. I think a success?

Welcome to Africa

2009-08-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

There is no wireless in your room, despite the advertisement to the opposite.

You asked for a two-person room and received a king bed (okay...sort of two person, I see the point...but not when it's people sharing AT A CONFERENCE). Hopefully I don't cuddle in my sleep.

The front desk informs you with a huge smile that... there is no wireless (duh), there is a business center but they are out of wireless vouchers so they will not allow you to use the internet there until Tuesday. There is no wireless cafe nearby. "Even at the nearby hotels?" you ask. "No." "But can you check?" Surprisingly the next hotel over does indeed have internet at 1/3 of the price they would charge me at my hotel. Hmm...suspicious much?

So, I trundled Ymir's boss's old laptop that I am donating to a student into my bag, 400 rand ($40) and headed out onto the street in the dark. No ID, no passport, no credit cards. If I lose this laptop- so be it. If I lose my Visa I would be a bit more concerned.

One nice surprise is that Durban does coffee...well! Not only did I *not* have to specify that I wanted coffee that did not originate from powder, but it also came from a selection of beans (feeling very posh). I also passed the "G-Unit" bar on the way in. Guess if I get bored I can always go out?

We're on a beautiful beach. I didn't make it today mainly because I smelled bad in that three-days-without-a-shower way and then promptly fell asleep on my half of the king bed. Tomorrow...we shall see.

In which I learn a few things

2009-07-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

Luster dust in almond extract does not dry in a fridge. Two pieces of dusted fondant when touching become magically melded together. Hotels will not let you in the kitchen, but you can destroy tablecloths with frosting without them batting an eye.

It's never a good sign when putting on a dress when the person helping you goes "did you gain weight?"

Sigh. Win some, lose some.

Two weeks to South Africa.

I'm off

2009-07-22T03:55:00.001-07:00

So the next entry will be pictures from South Africa at the ISVEE conference, but my Fogarty trip and data analysis is rapidly coming to a close.

In the end, I've helped with three or four projects (one of them my own), taught more than one handful of students, and done more PCRs than I had intended to do in my entire lifespan. Let me sum up a year's worth of 12+ hour days with one sentence "There is no evidence of transmitted drug resistance in recently acquired HIV infections in Botswana." Yep. (And yes, I hear Vlad grumbling in the background that I should instead conclude that we should use even more sensitive methods... but frankly at this point I need validation and am going with the initial interpretation when in blog format. )

So what did I learn this year? A whole lot about a very small portion of HIV, a tiny bit of virology (did you know virus genomes are small? ridiculously small? If I were a person into elegant design I would be mesmorized. InsteadI just think of all the stats that become reasonable on a 9000 bp genome. Because I can control stats.

I learned about breastfeeding and drug treatment regimens and availability of drugs. Adherence and testing and stigma. I learned I need people around me to be excited about what they're doing to feel fulfilled. I need to be excited about what I'm doing... and that I can only partially create that environment of my own volition. I learned that feeding people is just as effective a way to get people to open up in other countries as it is in the USA. And that not everyone likes filter coffee, but it is also a good bonding tool.

I learned that he who persists longest...wins. And that people don't in general trust my plumbing skills (I have no idea why...) I learned that enthusiastic people will miraculously appear if you let it be known there's something they can learn or do. I learned that anyone can be your auntie.

I learned that people who use the most words to express a sentiment can still have the most worthwhile thought behind it. I think I learned a little bit about respect.

I was surprised how much more happy and content I was in Botswana (and not vet school), despite all the unusual (inappropriate) challenges to lab mechanics there can happen there.

And I never thought I'd be so happy to go back to lab at Cornell. You never know what a great learning environment you have until you're away from it.

2009-07-12T18:58:00.000-07:00

more to come...

2009-06-13T03:47:00.000-07:00

Cat acrobatics.

2009-06-06T14:04:00.000-07:00

Botswana with willi: Part two

2009-06-05T13:11:00.000-07:00

I did not inform Willi before he left that he was coming to Botswana to sit in a car...But God blessed his journey, and we captured the moment. Who knew, of all of us, that Willi would have the halo?

When someone in Botswana says "go through the man-made gate" now we know what to think!

Meet Mopane worms. These are dried caterpillars that are then steamed. Tastes like eating a teabag that has been heavily salted. Only warning- Mopane caterpillars have giant spikes! Chew carefully.

This is Thato preparing our feast. Mmmm caterpillars.

Proof that we actually ate them:

Willi's visit- en partes tres. Quorum unum incolunt viae. (Aka: why you do not drive fast at night in Africa)

2009-06-01T01:29:00.000-07:00

Why do men not like shawls?

2009-05-31T07:48:00.000-07:00

I have been away for a year, and I fully realize the obligation to bring something back. For everyone. More than the obligation, it's a part of sharing the experience. But why is it so easy to find things for women and virtually impossible for men?

Does my dad or brother want a fertility god statue? How about a carved ostrich egg? Perhaps some beaded necklaces? See...all a no. There's nothing appropriate. Whatever, I will laugh as they unwrap their beaded necklaces and happily hope that men also practice the art known to women as "re-gifting."

What's different?

2009-05-22T23:58:00.000-07:00

I chastised someone in a position of authority this year- that's the first time I have done that to someone other than my mother (who, yes, will always be in a position of power. That's just how it works).

I have learned so much about motivating a student. Or maybe I learned that you can't motivate them, they have to come with some type of natural curiosity. If they have some ambition that's a big help too.

I've been witness to the kind of xenophobia I thought was uniquely combined with racism. It isn't.

I have seen a 4-donkey hitch. I have even seen an 8-donkey hitch. I have seen that some people in Botswana really *do* live in mud houses with thatched roofs. Who knew the ignorant stereotype would be centered on fact?

I know that bananas don't grow here, and that South Africa is the mecca of all agriculture.

I don't think I would say I loved it here. It wasn't that natural feeling of belonging that I get in Boston or San Francisco. But I did thrive here.

Nearly there

2009-05-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

Over the course of the year, we have switched from not all the freezers being on the generator power to all of them being on the generator. Then we decided that our equipment which cannot handle interruption should be put on small UPS (uninterrupted power sources) so that when the power went out, it did not stop the programs running on the equipment. Then the floor got the large UPS for the whole building fixed so that most things have a smooth transition from real power to generator power. SO...

Today when the power went off, only a few things that were not so good happened.

1) The sequencer is on a small UPS and apparently not also on generator power, so it is beeping continuously

2) The freezer where we keep all our working reagents went off ( we plan for this, so I just had to move all the reagents from today)

3) All the lights went out. Not all but the safety lights...but ALL the lights.

#1 should not be a big problem because it looks like the program was completed on the sequencer already. Hopefully it automatically saves the data?

#2 is not so bad as previously explained

#3 makes my day difficult. I was in lab planning two things- a second round PCR and a reverse transcription. It was just before 6 pm when this happened, and it was bordering on dusk. Since my reagents were already thawed, I continued with my PCR set up. Only there is no light, and PCR set up happens in a windowless room. I turned the computer screen toward the set up and powered my PCR by computer light. Not quite as romantic as candles.

Chapter three: The Bank!

2009-05-02T11:35:00.000-07:00

Bank closes at 3:30, but will serve all customers who enter the bank before 3:30. We went directly there and arrived at 3:20.

Once inside, we waited in line, but my friend who is allowing me to use her account for money transfer had to answer a call and therefore stepped out of the bank. Uh oh. 3:33 and she cannot get back into the bank. No admission.

But sir... my friend is inside and we have been waiting but I had to take a call.

No.

But she is depositing money in my account.

No.

Can we talk to a manager?

No.

But you can't really leave me standing ehre with all this money?

I will ask the manager.

Manager: We cannot let her in. It is 3:30.

But she already was in.

But it is 3:30.

I understand that, but please, I need you to help me. I do not know what to do.

Why do you need her?

I am putting money in her account.

You don't need her for that.

I don't go to this bank, I don't know what to do.

We will not let her in. Go stand in line.

Which line?

You can deposit yourself.

Really? You're really not going to let her in?? (Said with dispair)

No. If they need her, you can point and tell them that she is right outside. She can wait on the other side of the glass.

Me: You are useless.

Hour later: I deposit 278 of the 100 pula notes. Get hit on by bank teller. Get collected by my friend who is waiting outside, fighting with the idiot security guards who are letting people out, but physically blocking her entrance.

I love Botswana.

Part Two.

2009-05-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

ONly this wednesday morning there was no cash. And there was no buyer. So I assumed they had found a better deal (cause they actually paid a fair price for my car) and weren't showing up. I called them and no no, apparently they were at the bank right then and would be here at noon. Noon- no money. Two PM, no money. Three PM, no money. I called. And they told me they would meet me in 10 minutes. Great!

But no. Still no money. They did indeed meet me in 10 minutes. They had a certified check made out to another bank for 50,000 pula (I was asking 28,000 pula for the car). And they had picked up a third person along the way. So now there were two women and one man standing there showing me a check not made out to me. Well... being in Botswana I felt this was enough progress for the day and they assured me that they would have the money for me first thing Thursday morning.

11 AM Thursday morning the man finally showed up with both women in tow. Still no money. I suggested we go to the bank together so that I was assured something was going to happen. Instead of us all 4 going, he had to return to work. So I was walking back to the car with the random extra woman (who I think was getting a 22,000 pula loan from the first one?) when he calls the "sister" back. And the second woman goes: Just had to touch the girlfriend before he leaves.

EXCUSE YOU? Girlfriend and sister are not to be used to refer to the same woman! So I said nothing and continued walking toward my car...realizing that this is why the cash was so hard to get. The wife would notice a 30,000 pula withdrawl, the girlfriend can't get a loan based on the married man supporting her... so there had to be some finagling.

We went to the bank together which of course told the ladies that they had to go back to their *original* bank because they would not accept the certified cheque without proper signatures. Sigh.

So I left them at the original bank with the warning that I would be relisting the car that afternoon if it did not rain pula upon me.

So that afternoon I sat in the back of a car with three people eating chicken out of plastic containers and counted 280 of Botswana's largest money denomination- the 100 pula note.

That was 3:10.

I love my sister too.

2009-04-30T10:11:00.000-07:00

A story in several chapters.

Chapter 1: Car advertising.

When we bought vehicles, we specifically chose Corollas because their resale is fairly good. There are roughly 40% Corollas on the road. Everyone drives one. So when we got a reasonable price from a dealer through the kind help of my labmate, I jumped at the option. Buying the car was a simple thing. We turned it on, we tested the AC, I paid by credit card. No problems.

Selling a Corolla turns out to be slightly trickier than buying one. The dealers buy directly from importers and they make a killing. Importing a Corolla can cost around 20,000-24,000 pula. There's a chance that the car gets stolen coming from South Africa and also a chance that you get what you paid for (=crap car that is more than half your age, even if you're 30). Selling a car in Botswana is truly bizarre. I asked for 30,000 pula (average dealer price, slightly under the amount that I paid for it given current exchange rates because I still live in dollars). I advertised by putting large signs with the phrase "BUY ME" and my phone number on the sides of the car, and putting an advertisement in the Botswana Advertiser (that would be the national Penny Saver).

Two days into the advertising, I was getting a fair number of calls, maybe 10 or 15 total. Some people just wanted to see the car, no questions asked. Since Botswana is very very small, they all knew the hospital where I work and I just had them come check it out in the heavily guarded parking lot. I don't think a single person looked for more than 2 minutes. Most it was just 30 seconds. Most people drove for 30+ minutes to see the car. The most common reason for not being interested? "I wanted a manual."

Now, don't know about you...but if I'm driving half an hour, I'm going to make darn sure that the sine qua nons are covered BEFORE I start the drive. We thought this might be a polite way to say no thanks, so I tested the theory. I told people that it was an automatic on the phone...and it was not polite, people really did want the manual! Amazing.

So I finally had a couple people who seemed like they were willing to negotiate. One offered me a ridiculously low amount but then volunteered he could actually get me 30,000 if I paid him commission. One brought his sister to look at the car. This man had a very important government job. I write in bold because he addressed himself by that title. That's right. Very important government official. Hilarious.

Anyhow, he said he was buying the car for his sister, and he introduced her as such. They both looked at the car (for the obligatory 30 seconds) and noted that the inside was nice and clean (he actually called ahead and suggested that I clean it before they arrived). They liked that the spare wheel was intact. They did not care to turn the car on. I was like...really?? Nope. Did look at the outside of the engine (which tells me exactly nothing...but I have a sneaking suspicion it also told him exactly nothing). We did the obligatory haggling. 30,000.... no 25,000... no 28,000. Okay. Okay. Done.

Okay.... so what now? How do you want to do this?

We will pay on Wednesday morning.

Okay, but it has to be cash (for lots of reasons, including likelihood of checks not clearing...).

No problem. Wednesday morning.

to be continued...

DHL and Chutneys

2009-04-27T04:32:00.000-07:00

How did you spend your weekend? I had yet another necessary but unproductive conversation with a shipping company. This time DHL, but I honestly can say that they are no better or worse than any of the other suppliers from whom we receive goods. The utter lack of investment in work is a problem in any supply chain.

I ordered something I needed urgently on March 23rd. It finally wove its way through the supply chain to the point where the supplier was willing to acknowledge the order and ship it (not that this product was not in stock already...it was) on April 20th. Only April 22 was a holiday in South Africa, so the company would not ship on April 20th. But they would ship the 23rd. (note that if shipped the 20th, then even if there was a whole day lost, the product would have arrived safe and sound on the 23rd at the latest). Anyhow. no arguing with god.

Product left supplier on the evening of the 23rd for a flight bound to GBE. Product was rejected as dangerous goods because of dry ice. Supplier was not informed. Product was scheduled to be shipped by ground on the 24th but DHL made the executive decision not to ship the goods. They did helpfully leave the tracking to indicate that the goods had been dispatched. Claimed to arrive the 25th.

I showed up at DHL on the 25th after they informed me that the computer system was down and they could not possibly do anything. But they could. And I knew they could. I stood there and informed them that I would not be leaving until they 1) identified wtf they had done with my package 2) justified it 3) attempted to preserve contents of said package.

3 hours later... they found a way around the system being down. They *think* my -80C package is in a 4 degree freezer in JNB. They *think* it might have been placed in a -20C freezer after my absolute fit. They also reluctantly had to give me a copy of the correspondence between DHL people that proves that they did not inform supplier or receiver of the unilateral decision by shipper to delay the package.

I love my life.

L'odeur de l'engrais

2009-04-21T12:38:00.000-07:00

Botswana does not believe in any of this trendy composting. Nope. If degraded manure is good, surely fresh manure is better.

Aitch, but what kind? There are so many kinds of l'engrais. And the handy thing is...we specify it on handwritten announcements!! Chicken, pig, probably even cow (although I don't recall seeing the last, and have yet to smell that particular designation.)

I woke up this morning at ridiculous o'clock and finally gave up the battle and went to work, only to be accosted by a selection of scents. First off was that of the chickens. Nothing says "welcome to your day" in the dark, at three AM, like the smell of fresh chicken excrement. You can just feel the nitrogen.

No allegory here...

One trick

2009-04-18T14:15:00.000-07:00

"Girl, put your records on, tell me your favourite song

You go ahead, let your hair down

Sapphire* and faded jeans, I hope you get your dreams,

Just go ahead, let your hair down."
**NB I substitute Sci fi for sapphire, it's more appropriate

Honestly, that's the sum of the lyrics that I remember, but I have been singing this song in my head for maybe two weeks now? Every day after everyone leaves and I'm left to be both disorganized and slightly more odd...I start singing in a vain attempt to convince my brain that it has some role to play in the day's 400 PCRs. But before these two weeks there was at least variety in the tunes. Now, like the PCR, the song is standard.

I've realized that the lyric I probably grab onto is "Go ahead let your hair down" (Usually when I'm stuck in repeat there is a reason). Everyone else leaves at 4 or 5 and I really can figuratively let my hair down. Yes, yes, I know I can't literally because I have no hair (Although I haven't been out of work in the daytime since January long enough to go get a haircut, so there is some now, but not intentionally.)

But it's the little things that make a day of only PCRs bearable. The chinese DVDs that I have collected from down the street that mean I can plug myself into a whole season of marginal tv while I work. The fact that the donut shop is only 3 minutes away in a car, and I can always go get them (except they days when aitsh... we can't make donuts today, we're missing an ingredient).

I am exhausted though. I took a day off on the 7th because I had been working all night (and thus had already worked my 8 hours by 9 am). And that was the last time I managed a break. For some idiotic reason I calculated how many PCRs I could do with my remaining reagents... and now every day I subtract the number done from the number left. 6350. Last week it was 8600. Next Sunday... hopefully 3000. At 3000 I think I should be done with all the samples I have right now. And then I have only 2 more samples coming the entire time I am here. I might just be approaching the end.

Of course, if I don't do 400 PCRs per day, I don't make it. No pressure.

And don't we all need a jumping castle?

2009-04-16T05:29:00.000-07:00

There are just as many jumping castles for rent in the paper as there are advertisements for household help, more than language lessons.

Happy Easter weekend.

2009-04-12T04:00:00.000-07:00

Complete?

2009-04-10T08:23:00.000-07:00

I received a certificate of completion for my Fogarty year this week. A bit strange since it ends May 31st, but I have placed it upon the wall with my singular christmas card and giant map/poster of a baby cheetah.

Of course the fact that there is so much more work to do is really neither here nor there. :-)

It does feel like things are winding down, despite the fact that nothing has actually changed. I'm helping a zillion undergrads (approximate number) writing proposals and analyzing sequence data. I sent 3 months worth of work to Boston on Tuesday and should be starting to see results next week. Rewarding ones I hope?

Polony

2009-04-06T12:26:00.000-07:00

You can almost guess what it is. And you'd almost be right. Polony almost sounds like "bologna"...and it almost looks like bologna. And it even almost tastes like bologna. But definitely not quite right.

Botswana likes viscera. At the Monday lunch they serve boiled tripe (there's a smell one never forgets). Invitations to lunch include tripe as well (Although much much better prepared). People can and do eat lung, liver, gizzard, chicken intestine, spleen, whole pork head, fish heads, trotters, kidneys. There is no fear of the gastrointestinal tract as a fulfilling meal. And I think it all goes into polony. There's French polony too, but I'm not convinced this means anything other than that it *could* have horse meat in it as well? There's a certain gritty texture that is either cartilage or beak. And the flavor is just...slightly off.

I have to admit that in this arena (and many others I am sure) am so American. I don't know that one could sell me on lung. I'm willing to try, but I may be too preconditioned to like it.

Annual Scheduling

2009-04-01T18:25:00.000-07:00

August 1 2008-June 1 2009: Gaborone, Botswana
December 4-8 Uganda
December 9-12 Kenya
January 1-10 Coventry, England

June 2- July 27, 2009: Boston, MA
July 28- December 5, 2009: Ithaca NY
August: Conference in Durban, SA

The rest are guesses because I did not look up the exact dates.

December 5, 2009- January 5 2010: (Research) Ithaca NY
January 5- February 6, 2010: Chile, public health rotation
February 6- March 2010: Ithaca NY
March 2010- May 2010: TBD
May 2010- May 2011: Ithaca NY
June 2011??

Not so bad.

Apples! Oranges! Green Beans! Grapes!

2009-03-31T10:46:00.000-07:00

I got paid today. (Thank you NIH!) And as a result I went on a fresh vegetable binge. Well, okay, fresh vegetable/fruit, coffee and milk binge (technically also kitty litter, but that's for other reasons). I do not have a lot of hours while the store is open and I am not in lab, so when I shop, it's in bulk. Nothing says grace like 50 lbs of kitty litter and a 24 pack of toilet paper.

But oh to have fresh fruit again! So lovely. I don't know why my diet here is mainly coffee and fruit when I'm not eating the museum lunches, but it really is.

Since I never leave work, I have started using the webcam in the lab. I bring the computer everywhere I go. A bit tedious when you have gloves on, but as long as I'm not in the clean room I can put it on a lab chair and then pull the chair around with me as a reluctant companion. There's an image capture so now there's a whole selection of grainy "becky-in-lab" photos for your enjoyment.

This is one of three places where I spend nearly all my time. Option #2 is the gel loading station. There's not a lot more painful on the hands (or the mind perhaps) than loading weenie bits of clear liquid into equivalently weenie translucent holes in jello. My verbal mantra in lab is "I love my life." (Okay, perhaps that's second to "I'm tired.")

Whom do you remember?

2009-03-27T10:06:00.000-07:00

I remember the teaching fellow in the Biology 50 (or 51?) class who made us get up in front of the class and draw proteins, ribosomes, polymerase binding pockets. I don't know her name, but I remember someone telling me that she had a small child and being completely stunned. She was terrifying. But we really knew our stuff.

I remember Ruth Zadoks asking me the principles behind agarose gel electrophoresis (perhaps because I was so relieved when she told me I was the first person to ever get one of the questions right). I remember the analysis of my lab notes. I remember instructions on how to properly label bottles in the lab and the dire warning that all things left out would be thrown away.

I have never been so intimidated by anyone else. But no one has taught me so much. Today one of the undergraduates told me that I my style of questioning was terrifying. Is it wrong that I took this as a compliment?

American assumptions

2009-03-26T10:47:00.000-07:00

It just can't be winter in June. I don't care that it's getting cooler and some of the leaves on the trees are beginning to look a bit weathered. It just does not compute that March is the beginning of fall. I've lost all seasons, and still steadfastly refer to March as spring and mention that I'm going back to the states in the fall. Every time. You would think I would start realizing (as with driving) that no one else understands the need to be on the opposite side of the earth (or road).

Not the culprit! :-)

2009-03-26T03:12:00.000-07:00

Hi Mommy,

I should be okay until the right Harvard check comes, just throw the old one away I guess? I get paid on Monday, and I have like $13. That's enough to make it. You can put the rent check in the normal account. I'd rather be safe than sorry on that one.

When the second Harvard check comes, just let me know.

Knowing that my bank account is at its all time low, and that your birthday is only a few weeks away, I have to admit I did not send you the flowers. But I wish I did? I definitely owe you some. I do love callas though, so good thought Hilda? She stole my birthday gift plans though! Darn.

Well, I hear one can mail wine these days anyways....

:-)
Love,
Becky

For mommy

2009-03-24T07:46:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I know this is probably the fastest form of media to reach you. I talked to the woman at Harvard and they canceled the old check. She said this below:

"Please let your mother know that if a check with the number 2083142 comes through, not to cash it. Once the cancellation process takes place it cannot be stopped. If she tries to cash a canceled check she may incur a fee. When the new check is issued I hope to be able to view that. However, have her make sure that it is not the number above."

Sorry again and thank you!!

Love,
Becky

What I'm looking at

2009-03-19T11:24:00.000-07:00

An empty wine bottle from dinner on Tuesday night where we watched America's Next Top Model and drank a little too much wine while eating pasta. There is one lonely wine glass under the table as well.

Two books from other people's houses or rooms that I have stolen for when I need a little bit of mental space.

An empty granola bar wrapper in an empty glass of water.

About 10 of my roommate's Clinton Foundation business cards.

Two sets of lights with one broken lightbulb each.

A fan that will turn itself on sporadically (but somehow never turns itself off).

A mop and a broom.

One towel from laundry long ago when it was raining and all the laundry made it inside on the green camping chair which also doubles as a chair at the table due to two chair executions earlier in the year.

A poster of penguins that says "Surf's up". My roommate once explained to me why this is in our common room. I don't remember the explanation.

Empty cardboard boxes that have been left in the middle of the living room floor for the kitten. Several coins that the kitten has stolen because they make great sounds when they clunk across the floor.

Empty soup bowl from dinner.

Computer screen: Movie, skype, gmail, blog, facebook, wikipedia (for the abbreviations for base combinations, lasergene, HIV bulk sequence documents, desktop.

Just like TV

2009-03-18T13:40:00.000-07:00

But you have to feed it.

Woohoo!

2009-03-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

I am posting this because it is monumental:

	from	Vladimir Novitsky
to		Rebecca Mitchell
date		Sun, Mar 15, 2009 at 4:47 PM
subject		Re: 100%
mailed-by		hsph.harvard.edu

Hi Becky,

This is great. Congratulations!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Beyond that, I received my first unsolicited positive comment about my appearance here today. I have been through how many months now, 8? And the usual comments are "do you wash your hair every day?" (because it's wet in the mornings). Do you have an iron? (because I cannot be bothered to iron anything) Well, you don't have that many clothes (true).

Today I was leaving the parking lot and the security guard inspecting the trunk (unclear on what they're inspecting for.... lab supplies?) told me I that my nose has a very nice shape. Strange compliment, but it still made me smile. It's nice every once in a while.

I have another parking lot story that doesn't really fit into anywhere, so I will add it here. We have 4 working PCR machines and 10 people who use them, so on the average day I commandeer one and accept the fact that I cannot multitask. However, if I come in on the weekends I can have all four. So I have switched to using the weekdays mainly to mentor students, and the weekends as workdays. I try to keep to my 8-12 hour days, but start late on the weekends. Yesterday I arrived at around 1 pm, so I left at 11:30. Only one problem. They lock the parking lot at 11 pm (now I know). So I stared at the locked gate for a while and the building guard (distinct from the parking lot guard who likes my nose) came over and told me the gate was locked. Yes. He was right. But then he showed me how to get out of a locked gate. Jump the curb between two trailer houses/study sites and drive in the rain gutter across the hospital campus until you hit the second parking lot. Slowly navigate across a sidewalk down a 4 inch curb and drive out... pretending as hard as you can that this is indeed normal. Good thing it was middle of the night or I may have looked a bit crazy.

Why you do not store garbage in your vehicle

2009-03-14T12:43:00.000-07:00

Now my household is not that clean. This does not come as a shock to anyone, I am sure. However, we have certain things that we try to do whenever they are needed. We clean the bathtub when the brown ring forms around the bottom. We buy paper products before we run out, and pretty much we take out the garbage every couple days.

So the garbage taking out is a multi stage process. Usually the garbage ends up in the bag on the floor next to the door. Then the next time someone is going out, we walk it to the garbage cans standing at the entrance to the complex. Because the garbage is often full and has fruit bits of more than 24 hour fermentation, I avoid carrying it the entire way so that if it breaks I am not covered in rotten fruit and assorted other trash. Usually this means it goes on the hood of the car and gets a free trip to the cans that way. So if it's raining really badly I put it in the trunk for transport. Forgetting it there however has dire consequences. Garbage grows with incredible speed here. It is alive and kicking by the next day. The inhabitants spill out into the trunk and despite my best efforts I could not bring myself to pick them out.

All of this week they have been transforming. Every time I give someone a ride they comment how many giant black flies I have in my car. I keep quiet. I have no idea how they got in here. I say innocently. Only. well... I do know. Lesson learned.

Replaceable

2009-03-14T09:02:00.000-07:00

There's a new me. (new dawn, new day....) well. Okay, just the new me perhaps.

I have hit the bottom of the economic barrel. Through some snafu, the cheque that was going to pay my credit card bill is lost somewhere in the mail system in the US. Incidentally, this cheque would have made feeding myself a bit more colorful for the next two weeks.

I am so tired.

My life in a nutshell

2009-03-10T10:05:00.000-07:00

This is an automated email sent from Dell Chat. The following
information is a log of your session. Please save the log for your
records.
Your session ID for this incident is 26087184.
Time Details
03/10/2009 07:19:31AMSession Started with Agent (LIBx Diana 191558)
03/10/2009 07:19:40AMrebecca Mitchell: "my incident ID is 8"
03/10/2009 07:19:41AMAgent (LIBx Diana 191558): "Thank you for

contacting Dell XPS Chat Support! My name is YANA. How may I help
you?"

03/10/2009 07:20:03AMrebecca Mitchell: "my service tag is 1"
03/10/2009 07:20:15AMrebecca Mitchell: "i am in botswana"
03/10/2009 07:20:18AMrebecca Mitchell: "you sent me a charger"
03/10/2009 07:20:23AMrebecca Mitchell: "which finally arrived today"
03/10/2009 07:20:29AMrebecca Mitchell: "but this is not the charger for my dell"
03/10/2009 07:20:37AMrebecca Mitchell: "I am extremely unhappy as I

have been waiting for a month"

03/10/2009 07:20:49AMrebecca Mitchell: "and I would like Dell to mail

me the correct charger via Fedex. In Botswana"

03/10/2009 07:20:59AMrebecca Mitchell: "I know this is not procedure,

but please put me on with a manager"

03/10/2009 07:21:08AMAgent (LIBx Diana 191558): "I’ll be happy to

assist you with that. Can I start with your full name, email address,
and current contact phone number."

03/10/2009 07:21:25AMrebecca Mitchell: "Rebecca Mitchell, rmm37@cornell.edu"
03/10/2009 07:21:31AMrebecca Mitchell: "+267 724 36069"
03/10/2009 07:21:53AMAgent (LIBx Diana 191558): "Thank you for the information"
03/10/2009 07:21:58AMAgent (LIBx Diana 191558): "I'm pulling up your
record now."
03/10/2009 07:22:05AMAgent (LIBx Diana 191558): "I'm seeing the system

as XPSM1330 and the warranty is good until 2012-06-11. Does this
appear to be correct?"

03/10/2009 07:22:13AMrebecca Mitchell: "Yes"
03/10/2009 07:22:20AMrebecca Mitchell: "but you did not send me an XPS
M1330 charger"
03/10/2009 07:22:25AMrebecca Mitchell: "which has an octagon attachment"
03/10/2009 07:22:32AMrebecca Mitchell: "you sent me one with a round attachment"
03/10/2009 07:22:36AMrebecca Mitchell: "which does not fit my machine"
03/10/2009 07:23:15AMAgent (LIBx Diana 191558): "Please give me 3-5

mins to review your previous case."

03/10/2009 07:23:17AMAgent (LIBx Diana 191558): "Thanks"
03/10/2009 07:27:35AMAgent (LIBx Diana 191558): "this is taking longer

that usual, please stay on line."

03/10/2009 07:28:32AMrebecca Mitchell: "oh don't worry, not going anywhere"
03/10/2009 07:29:42AMAgent (LIBx Diana 191558): "Hi, thank you for
patiently waiting."
03/10/2009 07:31:08AMAgent (LIBx Diana 191558): "I'm seeing here that

the previous technician sent the right ac adapter for your system for
us to verify if our dispatch department sent you the right one, please
give me the part number of the ac adapter that you received, it is
located on the ac adapter"
&nbspitself.

03/10/2009 07:31:38AMrebecca Mitchell: "where is it?"
03/10/2009 07:31:39AMAgent (LIBx Diana 191558): "It is a 20 Alpha
numeric number,"
03/10/2009 07:32:09AMrebecca Mitchell: "CN-OMN444-47890-873-D3QN"
03/10/2009 07:32:17AMAgent (LIBx Diana 191558): "Thanks"
03/10/2009 07:32:28AMrebecca Mitchell: "but this is 100% not the right

adapter.... the part to enter the computer is round"

03/10/2009 07:32:37AMrebecca Mitchell: "my hole to plug it in is octagonal"
03/10/2009 07:32:45AMrebecca Mitchell: "so even if the part number

matches... this is the wrong adapter"

03/10/2009 07:33:01AMAgent (LIBx Diana 191558): "Let me checked on the
part number."
03/10/2009 07:33:37AMrebecca Mitchell: "Okay, but you see the problem

right, regardless of part number... it's not right"

03/10/2009 07:34:01AMrebecca Mitchell: "I can't plug this into my computer"
03/10/2009 07:34:52AMAgent (LIBx Diana 191558): "Yes, I do get the
point. Please stay connected."
03/10/2009 07:40:07AMAgent (LIBx Diana 191558): "Thank you for waiting."
03/10/2009 07:40:49AMAgent (LIBx Diana 191558): "Actually the previous

technician ordered the right part number for your ac adapter but our
dispatch queue failed to sent you the right one."

03/10/2009 07:41:22AMrebecca Mitchell: "I need your dispatch queue to
correct their error"
03/10/2009 07:41:33AMrebecca Mitchell: "keeping in mind that initially

I was in Botswana, and I am still in Botswana"

03/10/2009 07:41:39AMrebecca Mitchell: "and that you were informed of
this initiall"
03/10/2009 07:41:40AMrebecca Mitchell: "y"
03/10/2009 07:41:47AMrebecca Mitchell: "so I need the correct one to"
03/10/2009 07:41:49AMrebecca Mitchell: "come to Botswana"
03/10/2009 07:41:59AMAgent (LIBx Diana 191558): "Yes we will, that's

why we're going to send you the right ac adapter."

03/10/2009 07:43:50AMAgent (LIBx Diana 191558): "With regards to this

issue, we can send you the ac adapter in two ways, first we can send
the ac adapter in your US address that will take 1-2 next business
days or we will process an international dispatch in Botswana but the
process would take 6-8 weeks"
&nbsp.

03/10/2009 07:44:32AMrebecca Mitchell: "I find this unacceptable"
03/10/2009 07:44:49AMrebecca Mitchell: "I need this corrected faster

than that, and it should be not at my expense"

03/10/2009 07:44:54AMrebecca Mitchell: "I have a warranty"
03/10/2009 07:45:30AMrebecca Mitchell: "why am I paying, I could buy

it myself off the website and ship it to myself"

03/10/2009 07:46:02AMAgent (LIBx Diana 191558): "You will not pay for

it when we're going to process it as an international dispatch."

03/10/2009 07:46:11AMrebecca Mitchell: "Right, but I already waited 3 weeks"
03/10/2009 07:46:16AMrebecca Mitchell: "because you woudl nto ship to

me in the first place"

03/10/2009 07:46:28AMrebecca Mitchell: "So I am asking for someone to
speed it up"
03/10/2009 07:46:32AMAgent (LIBx Diana 191558): "I regret to inform

but we can't expedite the request since you're in Botswana."

If I had $100 dollars..... I'd be rich

2009-03-03T12:26:00.000-08:00

Sadly, I do not. Did you know that if you occupy a home for more than 14 days, it is considered equivalent to a vacation home, and you are unable to take a loss on it, even if you rent 90% of it?

I love the government, really I do....but I did want to eat this month.

Couldn't have said it better myself

2009-03-03T07:55:00.000-08:00

This from my friend here in Botswana:

our office window is open and I am calmly eating an apple.

in flies a wasp. one of those huge unfriendly wasps with long scary black and yellow legs.

i keep a wary eye on him as he circles the ceiling and flies to places that hold his interest

then, when i see him dive bombing towards me (he probably wasn't but you can't be too careful with wasps) I hurl my apple in the direction of the trashcan and fling myself on the floor and start rolling. because clearly, wasp = fire in my mind, so i must stopdropnroll. right into the trashcan. so not only am i flailing on the floor, now i am flailing on a trash covered floor, unmasking a half eaten apple, orange peels, and many other sweet smelling pieces of trash that could attract a wasp.

did i mention i am alone in the office and our door is wide open? also, there may have been some vocalizations on my part during all of this. hence, there may have been a small audience. namely of people missing one or more appendages waiting to talk to social work. just maybe. since they sit outside our office all day. also, i am wearing a skirt.

so, no, i did not break any tiles, and I was not naked, nor being broadcast to Iceland**, and I do believe the wasp exited the office through the open door (during this melee, I was unable to keep an eye on him), but even still. i thought you might appreciate this tale.

ah, who needs dignity anyway?

**Note that I had a similar event happen while I was in the bathroom and my boyfriend was on Skype to his parents. I of course exited the bathroom post haste, without half the clothing I needed, and directly in view of the Skype camera. On my way out the door I banged into the wall and shattered a bunch of tiles. Not subtle. Distinctly. not. subtle.**

What are you, and why are you in my rice?

2009-03-01T02:21:00.000-08:00

At the very beginning of this year, I thought I would cook. People who know me from home know that this is a fairly reasonable assumption. I love good food, and I love having people over to serve something that I made (that they are, of course, obligated to eat and like). However, multiple obstacles, mainly revolving around my own lethargy (strongly supported by lack of oven) have resulted in me not cooking once I moved to the new place.

Yesterday I made myself crepes. Well, not exactly crepes- the recipe my dad makes that we call "european pancakes" because they are very flat, crepe-like, egg-based pancakes. I ran through the list of ingredients:

eggs- we have them, they are old, crack into a separate bowl first
milk- we have it but I am not sure when it was opened, cook thoroughly
oil
flour- crawling with hundreds of little black bugs everywhere. EVERYWHERE. The strange thing is that the flour was in a sealed container. Solution was: take a spoon, scrape up a thin layer of flour, inspect for bugs, then deposit into batter
maple syrup- watered, but real
butter- 1/4 inch thick rancid layer on outside- pare off 1/2 inch for good measure and eat the inside cube

I thought cooking served a very necessary dual role of pasteurizing all ingredients before I ate them. Still tasted good. Except the butter, that was still rancid.

I inspected the rice this morning and the same bugs had made a home. I threw out all flour and rice and noted the entire bottom of the containers is covered in brown insect eggs.

Prepared food for me!

Sometimes it's BYO

2009-02-25T00:39:00.000-08:00

We here at BHP do not specialize in ordering things before they run out. Generally people wait until things have run out, then note for a week or two that there are no more, and then start the process of ordering things. I am getting used to this for laboratory supplies, but I took no notice last week when the paper towels in the bathroom switched from normal paper towels to an industrial absorbent paper roll. I just thought they were saving money.

Nope. Ran out, not re-ordered yet. Quotes for new paper products (I am told) arrived today.

Again, thought nothing of it only that it was strange to not be ordering reasonable amounts of paper products in advance.

Let me mention here, quietly, that I was out of work yesterday with something resembling food poisoning, but did not want to miss two days in a row. Let me also mention that we are out of all paper products. I did not know this until today.

There's no graceful solution. Really there is not. And it's only funny if it's NOT YOU.

Addendum: My boss and coworkers from lab at home sent me this picture. You know you work in the right place sometimes... :-)

Pictures Pictures

2009-02-24T10:20:00.000-08:00

Abuse and absence

2009-02-22T21:56:00.000-08:00

Now it will come as no surprise to most people that I broke my computer. I'm generally very hard on things (probably people too?) I expect the computer to go back and forth to work with me every day in a backpack without complaint. I know that I tend to break things though, so I have a warrantee. Unfortunately, guess which continent Dell refuses to ship parts to? That's right. Africa. No amount of arguing would convince them that I really am in Africa, and that I really do need computer parts. Sigh.

We finally came to a resolution that 1) indeed it was my power adapter that was broken and 2) I definitely needed a new one after a series of reboots during which I was trying to explain that the problem happened regardless of whether the adapter was plugged into the computer and therefore it was impossible that it was a computer problem. Then we hit the hard part.

I'm in Botswana.
But we don't ship there.
But you use fedex?
Yes
We have a Fedex here.
But we don't ship there.
So can it be shipped to someone in the US instead?
Yes, but it needs to be authorized.
I authorize myself to receive parts.
Okay, you're authorized.
So when we ship this to the US address, you will receive a return weighbill. You need to return the old adapter.
But the new one is coming to Africa. The whole point was that I CANNOT RECEIVE/SHIP IN THE US.
But we need it back.
It is broken.
Can you wait until June?
No, then the weighbill will no longer be good.
But it will be no good anyways, since I am in Africa. It will cost me more than the price of a new part to ship the old (broken) one back.

It continued to devolve from there. Needless to say, Africa does not exist in the eyes of Dell.

Anyhow... probably not many new posts for the next two weeks while I wait for parts to arrive via Bunmi's mom (Thank you!!).

Through the eyes of the DVM

2009-02-18T10:42:00.000-08:00

This is me in the eyes of the NYS DVM. This picture took me approximately 20 minutes of waiting, and then came in the mail several weeks later. Not a whole lot of pain involved.

This is me in the eyes of the Botswana DMV. 4 hours later and lots of pain. Note that the overexposed picture is a representation of the first image that they took. I am a vision in stunning paleness....

Strung along

2009-02-18T08:17:00.000-08:00

We have 3 thermocyclers in our lab, and we now have 10 people who use them. Each person needs about 7 hours of thermocycler time per day. One can assume that the earliest person to arrive starts working at 6 AM. No one will set up a run past 5 PM (this is a good rule, as once you are tired or frustrated you make mistakes...which results in useless data). That means the maximum amount of time we can run the thermocyclers is from 6:30 AM (need 30 min setup time) to around 8 PM (more likely 7:30). 13*3=39. 39 is nowhere near 70.

So today, a fourth thermocycler reappeared. It reappeared because when it was originally delivered in September, it was broken. It was sent back to the supplier, and was returned after much nagging... today. Guess what? IT'S STILL BROKEN. That's right. 4 months later they sent us back the broken thermocycler having fixed the original problem but still leaving it broken. Nice touch, no? I personally am a big fan of the 4 month hold on a broken brand new machine.

For some reason we have 6 students right now. 3 of them are under my direct or indirect guidance. I spend my entire day following people around watching to make sure that they're pipetting 5 ul when they wrote 5 ul. Making sure they're holding the right pipettor. Making sure they have tips, reagents, thermocyclers.... and empowerment- no matter how much time it takes away from my own personal objectives here. At points I actually have 4 people asking me to do something for them simultaneously. This is not the way to get things done! I feel a bit... used.

I STILL live here!

2009-02-16T10:49:00.000-08:00

We are having some miscommunication with the men rebuilding our street. Well, let me back up a little. We have a new stoplight. Not a normal American stoplight where two directions of traffic go at once, and if needed there's a short turning only sign. Oh no. This is a Botswana stoplight (still vertical though... has not been through enough Friday nights to be horizontal). We only allow one lane of traffic to move at once. Right. This would work well if maybe 10 cars moved through every hour. However, 10-20 every minute... not so conducive. So instead of moving through the stoplight, everyone of course found a way around the intersection. Options: drive off the road into a dirt lot, drive through the gas station, or turn before the stoplight onto the road right outside my apartment complex. This makes it a bit treacherous to exit the driveway as people take a corner at 60 km per hour.

The natural solution would be to change the stoplight to let more cars pass per unit time. But not in Botswanaland. Here we expand the crossroad so that more cars can avoid the stoplight. Yep, that's right. They are making my road bigger. So every day 7-to-7 they close off both ends of the street and we see how far the traffic will actually back up (about 15 minutes- we just don't have enough cars to make a bigger traffic jam). Every day I go in and out of the road once or twice during that time period. And every day they try to tell me that I can't come in. It's the same man. And every day my response is the same... "I still live here."

Ants go marching

2009-02-13T14:49:00.000-08:00

Two by two, or 40 by 40...who is really counting? They are very small ants. But there were so many of them today in my house I decided to follow them and see where the thin trail led... and who was the culprit.

In between the two glass panes of the window above the kitchen sink, underneath the sill of the screen, down onto the countertop, around the sink, along the washing machine, onto the mop leaning against the washing machine, down the mop, behind (but not into) the garbage can (these are discriminating young souls), across the tile kitchen floor, out into the hallway, across the livingroom (avoiding a chair), over a grass rug, right next to the cat food (but not eating it), over the sill of the glass doors, up the screen door to the hole that the kitten (who raids our garbage) made, and out into the backyard. There is no culprit... they just wanted the quickest path from A-to-B. And that happened to be through the house. Perfectly logical.

Now if only that explanation worked for the beetles, spiders and cockroaches.

My coffee table

2009-02-10T12:35:00.000-08:00

I am so sexy.

2009-02-09T11:24:00.000-08:00

And I have the pictures to prove it!

This week one of my college friends had a photoshoot for Vogue. There are some places a career in science will never take you. The cover of Nature? Perhaps (one day...) The cover of Seventeen? Unlikely. But never you worry, I know I'm photogenic. Thankfully one of my friends from days under 5 feet tall has recently supplied the world with some evidence of such beauty. Feast your eyes on my youth. Please remember that I did not purchase any of my own clothing until I was 19 years old. And also note that we were encouraged to eat as much as possible. Clearly I was very good at that particular directive for a while... after which I promptly stopped eating for about two years. Sadly, the balance is leaning more towards the former than the latter.

Oh so empowered.

2009-02-08T09:55:00.001-08:00

I have been watching with growing irritation as the US media has not-so-subtlely mocked the intellectual ability and career goals of women. Granted, Sarah Palin is not the media's fault. Exalting Sarah Palin and presenting her as Hillary Clinton's equal/rival- now that's partly the media's fault. Also somewhat bothersome has been the Democratic marketing campaign of Michelle Obama as "mom-in-chief." Let me direct you to wikipedia to evidence what else Michelle Obama has done with her life:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Obama. Why is none of this worthy of our respect? Why is raising a family not only her primary goal, but the only laudable one? She started having kids at 34, folks. This is not a woman who only identifies as mommy.

On the day Hillary Clinton bowed out of the Democratic race, the NYT had a front page article on Michelle Obama's purple power suit. Seriously.

Today the NYT has again sought to empower women in an article about Michelle Obama. I was thrilled to see that she's now speaking about policy issues. The article was a bit of a 'shame on you for not upholding your position as support staff and "mom in chief".' But at the end we came back to the good old family values and social position of women with these paragraphs:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mrs. Obama plans to continue honing her message, her aides say. But she is also eager to get out of the White House and into the city.

Last week, she took her staff to lunch at Five Guys Burgers and Fries, where she had a cheeseburger, French fries and a Coke.

And when a little girl at the charter school visited by the Obamas announced that she dreamed of becoming first lady, Mrs. Obama flashed her self-deprecating wit. “It doesn’t pay much,” she advised.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dreamed about becoming first lady? Isn't that saying "I hope to marry well"? How is that ever a career aspiration? Why are we printing this? Why are we promoting this? How does one train for that? Prep school? Courses on fine dining? The difficult art of party planning?

Come on people, I'm excited about Obama...but can't we get off this women are only wives kick?

No, don't get up... I've had eight months of practice standing in line while pregnant

2009-02-02T08:24:00.000-08:00

Wow. I went to the DMV this morning. Not at 8 or 9 or 10. The whole morning. Turns out six months after entering Botswana, one's international credentials are no longer considered valid. I entered the country August 2, but could not bear to address this issue earlier than last Friday. And in good faith I did arrive at the building at 2:45 on Friday, but they were already refusing to take any more people lest the work day run late. (Beyond 3:30?)

So today I set out again with a bit more determination as my license determines not only the likelihood of getting a ticket, but also whether or not my car insurance is valid (it now is). Arrived slightly before 9 AM. One must queue for the queue. No, I kid you not. You stand in line to get a number to stand in line. At the front of the first "number" line, you tell the woman why you are there and your number is assigned to you. I apparently look like a Botswana new-bie as the woman happily chirped at me that surely I did not have all my forms.

I did.

But surely I did not have a photocopy of my license.

I did.

But did I bring the original?

I did.

Did I bring a passport, copies, residency permit, copies?

yes, yes, yes and yes. I did read the directions before coming you know.

Well I can't give you a number.

What?

You don't have everything. This license is not approved by the embassy. We cannot accept it.

Oh really? I think I do. States in the US give out drivers' licenses, not the Federal Government. The embassy will not know that this is real and they cannot certify it. I am sure they will not certify it. I just had this discussion on my arrival with the man who certifies things!

Fine, but it needs to be certified. (Hmph!) Go to room 126 for an eye test and then room 1-1-4.

But I can't get a number?

No.

----hour long segue waiting for eye test-----

Turns out, I can see fine. Woman was very pleasant. She wanted to know when I was going to take her to the US.

----headed to room 1-1-4------

Room 1-1-4 was empty. Oh, yes it is empty, she is in a meeting all morning.

But someone just sent me here.

But she is not there.

Yes. I agree. Is there not someone else who can do this job?

Check room 1-1-3.

Room 1-1-3 is also empty.

Oh, well he is supposed to take over for her while she is in a meeting. (At this point there are 3 more people piled up... I cut back to my place in front of line after sorting this out)

Can someone find him? Surely someone is meant to do this job, otherwise why are they sending us here?

She will be available in an hour.

I will wait.

---- Sit in empty room with pregnant Libyan woman from the embassy, both of us waiting for "her" to return for at least 30 minutes. Multiple people walk by. Several enquire why we are sitting in the empty room. I tell them all, hopeful that maybe someone will motivate to help us.----

Indeed this theory works. We are helped. Someone glances at the papers, asks again if I have a copy of my license (yes), passport (yes), residency permit (yes). Stamps them. Approved.

Now back to the queue for the queue.

Can I have a number now?
What do you want to do?
Get a foreign license conversion. (Show her the approved paperwork)
She gives me a ticket after stabbing at the "new license" button.

But I do not need a new license, I need a foreign license conversion.

Just take this. (I think this is a bad plan but don't know how to refute it... give in an prepare for next battle.)

The libyan woman is two numbers behind me. Very pregnant. We both go to sit down and wait. There are no chairs available. I sit on the floor, then look up and offer her my space. Only I realize that's inappropriate- who offers a spot on the floor?

Not a single one of the 30 men under the age of 30 in that room offered her a chair. She's a woman, she can stand?? Chivalry, my friends, never came to Botswana.

----------------Two hours later--------

Get to counter where they take pictures for licenses. Wisely I say nothing and simply hand over all my lovely uncertified copies and originals. No words are spoken to me but there is a lively debate in Tswana about the fact that the embassy has not certified my license. Obviously the manager has dealt with this before because they allow me to be listed as "yes" in the "is there a certified copy available" column. Phew. Still have not said a word here hoping not to upset the cosmic balance.

They take a picture for the license.

Now one thing about digital cameras is that all of them are racist. My camera chooses the exposure for the whitest face in a group of people and makes all other colors of face disappear into the hazy background. Not so at the Botswana DMV! It was definitely an affirmative action camera. It took several images to figure out how to end up with some version of my face on the image rather than a haired outline of a white pie plate. As it stands I have black eyes, faint eyebrows and no mouth at all. I can see why people airbrush things lighter, it's quite slimming. The woman was laughing the whole way through the picture taking process as I continued to look ridiculous. Ah well. I got the license, I don't care if I look like a Leanne Rhymes album cover...

I will scan it tomorrow so everyone else can laugh at my pasty whiteness in the original.

Flowers, Trees, things with exoskeletons

2009-02-01T10:04:00.000-08:00

Simple mind and other things

2009-01-30T10:06:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you need some entertainment with no complications. May I present: http://www.engrish.com/2008/04/i-wash-it-in-what/

I laughed so hard that I was crying.

Well, this week was distinctly better than last. I managed to make some progress on my project in lab, and I think we're approaching progress for my Fogarty twin as well. I finally met his other half today! People here are oddly secretive about their other halves. I think I met my boss's wife at home shortly after starting to work in the lab. I also met his lively young children. I have been invited to meals at people's homes, and it's fairly normal to attend dinners with everyone's SOs too. But not here. Since no one invites people to their homes to eat, and no one wants to spend money on going out to dinner with people they don't know that well, we keep our relationships secret. I know the lab manager has two children. I know my grad student friend is married. But I only know through what they have said- there aren't even pictures. The only people you do get introduced to are siblings. The post-doc here lives with her little sister (who is adoreable, and looks just like her), and my grad student friend once brought her teenage sister in as well (who is also adoreable...and makes me realize that the grad student really isn't a 17 year old in disguise as an adult) But my Fogarty twin is getting married in two weeks, and his fiancee just came back from Australia... so we really have only seen pictures. They have been together forever, and have been studying apart for several years. Marriage here involves a bit of bartering though. Your uncles talk to her uncles, and the woman's family requests both live animals and goods in return for allowing you to marry. Live animals can be traded for cash. CASH? Should anyone ever try to sell me for 10 cattle and $1500, I will be annoyed. I'm told my education would make me more expensive?

We have a visiting post-doc in lab from Boston, and it has been a bit of a boon for me to spend some time with someone else very familiar with the American system of academic science (and American ambitions!) A critical eye and a sharp mind also don't hurt so much. I do miss things about home. Well, not that I actively miss them, but more they would augment daily life. As of yesterday, I am officially adding "my bed" to that list. I am finally willing to admit that I would sleep better on a real mattress, and not just because it would elevate me above more of the beetles.

I know the life of a hardcore expat is not my life goal. I still like this kind of research though. I just don't know how to justify doing the science part of this work here. It's expensive, it's extremely frustrating, there are not a lot of intellectual resources. Although Botswana trains many graduate students, often in the US and Europe, it is rare that they come back to Botswana. Driven scholars often realize that even if their goal is to improve living conditions here in Botswana, it's easier to work from outside and transfer information and technology inside rather than attempting to progress in the country itself.

Following up is not an occasional action but a never-ended list of minute details which allow you to function in everyday life. I get it, I get it. Research in the developing world is hard. Now that I completely understand this- how about making it just a tad easier? Actually, they did make it a tad easier this week (and hence my general happiness and willingness to sit and stare at Engrish.com for my evening). After 3 months of chasing pipette tips for my daily routine and failing to successfully obtain them, Boston has smiled on me. They are coming by dry shipper (was full of samples headed the other direction).

I had the greatest conversation with the head of the government program today. He's a very motivated, very intelligent man who spends a good deal too much of his time having to make sure that things like pipette tips are indeed in stock for his employees. He has spent now 7 to10 months trying to get one reagent to use the sequencer in the lab to test for HIV resistance. The government and our lab ordered the reagent at the same time (we share machines). Ours took five months to arrive, and was only shipped after a massive follow-up by yours truly. So he decided to be proactive and called the suppliers who informed him that the goods were "being held up at customs" at the Botswana border. He volunteered to go to the border and pick them up himself, only to then learn that they were instead being held in Johannesburg and had indeed never been dispatched to the border. He volunteered to drive down to Johannesburg to pick them up- to be told that in truth the reagent still had not been shipped from the US. So after informing him that the goods were "at the border" for more than a month, it turned out that they were on a shelf in the US. Nice, no? Honesty is not always so forthcoming. I like the approach though, and I think I will try it myself. It does get results.

The world

2009-01-26T12:00:00.000-08:00

Really, when you're in a very small, stable country, the world becomes a progressively smaller place. Mine has shrunken down to 5 websites.

www.gmail.com -lifeline to everyone, anytime.

www.nytimes.com -what's going on outside the ring of dust and engagement ring starter material

www.cdcfoundation.org/fellowships/ochubert - waiting for this year's list to be posted.

www.eonline.com - keeping myself suitably beat down about my physical appearance

www.facebook.com -friends, family, home.

Google answers all other questions promptly- mostly which suppliers have which equipment. When it was election season I also watched www.fivethirtyeight.com to see by just how big a margin Obama would win the general election.

How many hours can I be away from lab?

2009-01-24T08:31:00.000-08:00

It takes approximately 55-60 hours for the ice machine to overflow. Then it continues making ice and pushes the overflow over the side of the container onto the floor--> puddle in room where they store paper products (this combination is questinable, but was here long before my time and will continue long after I depart).

The power goes out +/- twice a week overnight. Any PCR started after 3 PM will need to be removed if it is not run on the machines with uninterrupted power sources.

The new constraint is more of a math problem.

There are 4 leaks through the ceiling.

One produces no more than two liters a day at worst. This leak has a 12 liter container (12 days minimum)

One is new and has not been quantified. Low flow rate. Probably max of 500 mls a day. Container size: 32 L (two months!)

One is slow but steady: 1 liter every 4-8 hours on a bad day. This leak has a 12 liter container (2 days minimum, but more likely 4 days)

The biggest leak produces 2-3 liters an hour on a really bad day (today is one of those). Into a 32 Liter container. That's right. we have to come in every 11 hours to prevent water pouring all over the counter... followed by the floor, then a computer... then the realtime PCR machine.

11 hours.

Every day for the past two weeks the repairmen have stopped by and told me that this is an air conditioner problem. Probably 4 of the 10 days (weekdays only, naturally) they have "fixed" the problem. Every time it gets a bit more severe.

I have requested a more substantial container. 72 Liters would allow at least 24 hours. Do they make garbage buckets that big?

Big Cats

2009-01-24T07:58:00.000-08:00

Plodding towards nowhere

2009-01-22T10:46:00.000-08:00

It does seem that one miracle is always balanced by one disaster. I will say that my PCR is now working is my miracle and leave the rest unaddressed.

I wonder how I would think and act if I had grown up in Botswana. Many of my friends at home bemoan their American-ness and the fact that their children will grow up as American as everyone else. Until I spent a summer in Peru I never gave their comments a thought. Of course other countries did it better. There was so much wrong with America. Why would someone be a flag waving patriot?

It was only on a bus to nowhere in the middle of the Andes that I realized that being an American allowed me to become who I was. That no measure of intellect or drive would have helped me get out of a life of subsistence farming with two llamas and 4 pigs staked to the ground in the middle of a one acre corn field.

In Botswana that is not actually the truth. People who finish at a certain level on their high school exams get free college, and are actually paid to attend. If they pass another cutoff they will be supported to study abroad as an undergrad and up to masters level. You can come from nowhere, and get somewhere. But you have to want to. Just because the path is more straightforward does not mean there are not big boulders in the way. Here- if something is not directly beneficial to the person performing the action, it often won't get done. This is a general principle in psychology I think- you need a carrot some of the time. But extend the idea to customer service. It does not benefit you as an employee of a supplier to help the customers. If you help them, they know you are useful, and they come back. That means more work. You already have a job, why would you want more work in your eight hour day? Apply the same standard to restaurant service. Customs. I won't even touch customs. But they are holding our (very precious, very needed) supplies hostage.

Expanding Horizons

alt motives

And a new one!

What topic is my specialty today?

Hilarious new EPS Spam

*More* Spamferences in China.

Entertainment in Ithaca.

Entertainment in Ithaca.

Newborn kittens (6)

This page will soon feature kittens.

My dad.

Spam-ference in China, anyone?

Guatemala pictures at reasonable resolution...

What I will love about the United States

Pictures say it better...

Does this work?

what am I? (not existentialist)

How much do you pay for your latte?

What not to do if you are from a cold country.

A little background

How to have friends everywhere you go

Innate behavior

This is the itinerary: 29 april-3 may.

Not legos, despite outward appearances to the contrary. Actually stucco??

And there was vacation.

To the High Forest!

paso a paso, estoy aprendiendo

Bigger, louder, and with eyes!

I can say it with a straight face, can you?

Cuando tu no conoces donde vives

Skirting the necessary

Why you all should visit me. (soon)

Ah, the shopping list

Travel

Empiezo a tomar photos del accion. Mas o menos acceptable.

It LIVES!!

Chile dice no.

En Chile.

Why you should visit Egypt.

The test of civilization

Drinking with snails

Welcome to Crazyland. Please enjoy your experience with snipers.

Every two years it can snow.

South African Pictorial

So what exactly *do* I know?

Swaziland pineapples

Phew

Welcome to Africa

In which I learn a few things

I'm off

more to come...

Cat acrobatics.

Botswana with willi: Part two

Willi's visit- en partes tres. Quorum unum incolunt viae. (Aka: why you do not drive fast at night in Africa)

Why do men not like shawls?

What's different?

Nearly there

Chapter three: The Bank!

Part Two.

I love my sister too.

DHL and Chutneys

L'odeur de l'engrais

One trick

And don't we all need a jumping castle?

Happy Easter weekend.

Complete?

Polony

Annual Scheduling

Apples! Oranges! Green Beans! Grapes!

Whom do you remember?

American assumptions

Not the culprit! :-)

For mommy

What I'm looking at

Just like TV

Woohoo!

Why you do not store garbage in your vehicle

Replaceable

My life in a nutshell

If I had $100 dollars..... I'd be rich

More Spamferences in China.

So what exactly do I know?