Week 4 in Brazil (I can't believe it has been a month!):
This week, we continued to focus on the bioinformatics class I am teaching here. We did it as a two-week intensive course, which packs an entire semester into ten class days. We have been meeting in the morning and the afternoon for hours on end. I have been impressed by the students' resolve and endurance. During the first half of the week, we walked them through the steps to analyze RNA-seq data using the R programming skills they had just learned last week and were, honestly, still working on. On Thursday, I gave them raw data and some information about the experiment and set them loose to analyze it from beginning to end on their own and return me a data figure and paragraph as part of a mock publication. It was a great way to end--showing them that they now had the skills to work through a complete analysis from beginning to end. Yes, they would sometimes get stuck and need help, but it was fun to watch how their questions had matured and how much faster they understood the answers.
It was a great experience to teach in Brazil, and I was touched by the gratitude and kind words the students shared with me at the end. I am also grateful for all the people who helped this happen, and it took a good team to bring it together: Vanessa, a professor at UFBA who set up the course, Emilio, who helped make sure we had everything we needed every day (including scrambling when the projector decided not to work), my students at BYU who translated the course materials, and my grad student Jouber who worked tirelessly to correct translations, update code, and help the students. With goal number 1 of my Fulbright finished, it is now time to turn our attention back to our research goals.
We were also able to get away a few times and enjoy the food! We went to lunch one day at a little restaurant next to the university to get some authentic Brazilian food. Emilio and I split some "Carne de sol" and Fernanda and Jouber shared a Moqueca. I also got my first coconut to drink. I never really saw them in the southern tip of the country when I was a missionary, so it was a new experience for me. We also celebrated the end of the class by going to dinner at an Italian restaurant in the heart of Salvador's Rio Vermelho district. Both meals were delicious, and I still haven't found something I didn't like here.
On Friday, I moved to a larger apartment to prepare for my family's arrival. It is about half-way up a 22-story building and is surprisingly large and spacious. It has a very modern feel with a lot of decorations I am afraid to touch : ) It also has a projector in the living room, and each of the three bedrooms as its own TV and bathroom. From the window, you can see the wide range of living conditions in Brazil, and you can see a little piece of ocean. The beach is only two blocks away, and the big shopping mall is literally next door. It is a big jump from where I was staying, and I hope it will help my family enjoy their time here.
Today, I went to church in the morning. I am starting to get to know the members of the congregation, and I am getting up the courage to participate more in Portuguese. It is a great group of people who are all loving and welcoming. Thus sun also came out today for the first time in almost a week, so I walked over to the beach and visited Morro do Cristo, a statue of Christ on a small hill on a peninsula jutting out into the ocean. I then walked down to the lighthouse and back around to my apartment. It is so cool to have so many scenic areas right by me.
Now it is time to go get my family. I will fly to Rio de Janeiro to meet them and see the sites there for a few days. I am SO excited to see them. Even though I call them to video chat every day, I have missed them terribly. I am also excited to show them the Brazilian culture and open their eyes to life outside of Utah. I hope they learn to love it as I do.
No comments:
Post a Comment