A day in the life
Have you ever wondered what a day in the life of a Potato Farmer is like? Truthfully I am unable to answer that questions because I do not possess the title of Potato Farmer. I do, however, have the title of Borlaug-Ruan Intern (or pasante americana)! Keep forging on, dear reader, to gain a little insight into what exactly a pasasnte americana does to pass the time + learn a little on the micronutrient content of native Peruvian potatoes and how they influence human nutrition in the communities where they are cultivated.
05:30- First alarm: “Wow I really wish it was Friday. How late can I sleep and still make it around the block to catch my taxi on time?”
06:40- Hop in the taxi: My first few weeks in Lima I rode CIP’s provided bus service to and from the office each day. Martha, my host, would drop me off and pick me up each day at the bus stop, which was about 13 blocks away from her apartment building. After about three weeks, Martha introduced me to a neighbor who lives around the corner from her house who just so happens to work at CIP as well. Thankfully, she was gracious enough to agree to split her taxi with me on the days she goes into the office. This cuts my commute down from an hour+ each way to 25–35 minutes, depending on the traffic.
07:05/07:15- Arrive at CIP: “A la izquierda por favor” “To the left please” There is a considerable amount of road construction happening just in front of the main entrance to CIP’s campus which makes for some interesting mornings trying to navigate the taxi to the entrance. But hey — another opportunity to practice my Spanish!
07:30- Breakfast time: Because I leave so early in the morning and Martha is an angel who feels sorry for me, she always makes me breakfast to bring to the office each morning. The standard is palta con pan (avocado with bread) and orange juice. I will definitely miss the avocado and the bread from Peru! On Fridays I usually make my way over near the cafeteria where there is a coffee machine for a end of week treat. Who knew a machine could make such a great cappuccino!
08:00- In the office: After breakfast, I usually fire up my laptop to see if I have any emails from the previous day. Then I’ll peruse the news online or read a book while I wait for the day to begin in the lab.
08:30–11:30- In the Lab: From glycoalkaloid extraction to salsa dancing, this is where the real magic happens! Most of my days are spent in the lab preforming tests on the samples for my experiment that I will carry out and submit a report on to the World Food Prize. The tests for my experiment include vitamin c analysis in fresh potato tubers, total anthocyanin analysis in freeze dried and milled potatoes, and X-ray Fluorescence testing.
11:30–13:00- Lunch: The most important part of the day! Okay, maybe not really, but it is a good time to experience more of the culture and get to know your coworkers, for sure.
13:00–16:00- Más en el Laboratorio o no: The first few weeks required a lot of time in different labs for everything from washing potatoes and preparing samples, to the actual analysis of potatoes. As my time is winding down, there is less time required for me to be in the lab. Currently, my main focus is on analyzing the data produced and writing my report for the World Food Prize. I am also spending time reading previous publications authored by my mentor, Gabriela Burgos, to better understand the scope of her research. When I find myself with a little free time I enjoy walking around campus and taking in the many flowers in the beautiful landscaping!
16:15–17:00- Travel back home via taxi
My evenings are spent with Martha talking about anything from her travels past the Berlin Wall in the late 80’s to American politics. She also has four cats who provide some quality entertainment. Martha enjoys cooking traditional Peruvian dishes as well as not-so-traditional dishes she learned to make throughout her travels in her younger years. I usually enjoy taste testing them, too!
I try to head to bed no later than 21:00 to get in a few episodes on Netflix and still be able to function the next morning at 05:30.
¡Hasta la vista, Iowa! ¡Solo dos mas semanas!
Kaci
