The week has gone by so quickly! Here's a summary of almost all of last week:
Tuesday
In the morning, Jorge helped Flavio and me clean off the potato
plants we had discovered on Monday.
After washing them, we used them as practice for the large number of
frozen roots we had to analyze.
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| Jorge helping prepare the plants |
First we
stretched the roots out and measured to the longest point before counting the
number of roots. Next, we laid the roots
out on an office scanner to scan and input into a computer program. After seeing the first couple scans, I
suggested that we lay something black over the top for better contrast, so
Flavio and I scoured the surrounding buildings until we found a black,
felt-like cloth that worked perfectly.
Once we had several scans to work with, Flavio and I began to search the
internet for free, high-quality software that would analyze the root
scans. It was actually terribly
difficult. So I left work on Tuesday
slightly disappointed that we had come up empty on our search.
Wednesday
I started my day at CIP with a trip to the fields with
Ximena and Elisa. They explained that
the field workers were planting about one thousand little diploid potato plants
for field testing. They were performing the whole task by hand – spreading the
fertilizer, measuring and arranging the plants according to the field design,
and eventually planting each one. It was
incredible to see!
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| Each of the blue trays had about twenty plants for the row section |
Next, Ximena and Elisa took me to a special greenhouse where
they are testing potato varieties for resistance to a certain disease. Apparently, this disease is unique because
they cannot ‘mechanically’ (as they said) transmit it to potatoes, so they
devised a clever system for transmission.
First, they grow a plant that attracts slews of aphids. Then they transfer those aphids to potato
plants that are susceptible to the disease and are confirmed carriers. The aphids feed on the infected potato
leaves, and then carry the disease.
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| The plants that attracted aphids |
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| They were covered in aphids |
Elisa explained that our job was to pluck off handfuls of the infected
potato stems and then “shake, shake, shake” them into the bags of potatoes that
were being tested. After vigorously
shaking the leaves, you put any leaf that had aphid stragglers into the bags. It was a very effective method, but it felt a
bit odd, and Elisa jokingly told me that we looked like “brujas” or witches!
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| My clump of infected leaves |
Afterwards, I went to the aeroponics greenhouse because
David and Luciano were going to show me the unique way they planted
potatoes. First they selected nine
fairly uniform plants from each genotype that they were testing, and then
cleaned the roots before removing the seed potato tuber and the lower
leaves. Then Luciano explained how to
fit the roots into a drinking straw-like piece of plastic that allowed them to
carefully insert the plants into the aeroponic chambers.
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| Luciano let me try my hand at it |
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| Success! |
After preparing the plants, Luciano planted them
individually by punching a hole through the plastic and Styrofoam-like top of
the chamber, and then inserting the plant through the hole and pulling it
through and the straw-like holder off.
The roots freely extend into the open chamber below, and the side panels
can be removed to check their growth progression. It was quite fascinating!
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| All the planting materials |
That afternoon, I returned to do more root scans. I was thrilled to discover that Flavio had
found a program that met the qualifications, and we could begin on the real
samples. The process was mostly the
same, but we also had to thaw the roots in a water bath and then carefully
tease them apart for a more accurate scan. We only finished four, but it was
progress!
Liliam was planning to stay late at work, so I decided to
walk home. As I was mapping out my route
at work, I just happened to find that there are in fact Starbucks stores in
Peru, and one was on the way home from work! I gave in to the temptation and it
was worth it. Not only could I enjoy a taste of home, but I could do so in an
incredibly cool two-story Starbucks building!
Thursday
When I got to my desk at CIP on Thursday morning, I noticed
that Dr. Khan’s door was open. He was back! I was excited to finally meet my
mentor as he has been gone on business trips for the entirety of my internship
so far. We were able to meet and talk briefly, and Dr. Khan was very nice and
even brought back chocolates from Switzerland to share with the group!
In the morning, Flavio and I went out to the greenhouse to
water the pots. One of the computer
programs calculated that each plant needs about 375 mL of water. So Flavio and I measured out and poured that
amount on all 180 plants. It took a while.
Afterwards, Flavio and I continued with the root analysis,
and we’ve got it down to about 20 minutes per sample. We quickly ate lunch
because I went to a tour of the CIP Genebank at noon. The tour was fascinating!
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| Some of the potatoes, the one in the top left corner is believed to be the first variety of domesticated potatoes |
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| They came in all different shapes, sizes, and colors |
Dra. Ana Panta
showed me several different types of potatoes and tubers and their uses and
benefits to the indigenous farmers. She
also let me peek into the two different storage rooms where they keep about ten thousand different varieties from
all over the world. Also, Dra. Panta explained
that there are different methods that they utilize to maintain this
biodiversity – they keep planting them in different CIP research stations
across Peru, they store plantlets in either the cold or warm storage rooms, or
they cryogenically freeze them and store them in liquid nitrogen.
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| Cold storage |
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| Warm storage |
After the tour, I went back to my desk for a while to do
some reading; but I may or may not have kept checking the USA vs. Germany World
Cup game (we lost, but continue on to the elimination rounds, go USA!!). Then Flavio and I went back to the root
analysis for the rest of the afternoon.
Friday
On Friday morning, Flavio and I went out to the greenhouse
to check on the plants, and we found some sprouts emerging! Then we continued
the root analysis for a couple hours before we went to the Gathering under the
Tree.
The Gathering under the Tree is a meeting that happens every month (I
think) where the CIP employees come together in the central garden for some
refreshments and listen to announcements and short speeches. The drink that was offered was called “coco
de maca” and it was similar to hot cocoa but they had added maca, which is an
Andean tuber. It was delicious!
Also, Dr. Khan introduced me to Dave Ellis who is in charge
of the CIP Genebank and we talked for a short while. Then, I had the great honor of meeting
Barbara Wells, the Director General of CIP!
She came over and introduced herself to me, and we had the chance to
speak for a few minutes before the ceremony started. It was such an incredible opportunity!
For the rest of the day, Flavio and I worked on the root
analysis, with a break for lunch. On
Friday, there were no World Cup games to play during lunch, so when I walked
into the cafeteria I heard Frank Sinatra playing on the sound system. It was a nice, but very unexpected change of
pace! Also, I loved these little chicken wontons that were served.
After work, I decided to walk home because it was a
beautiful, sunny day. On the way, I
found that three-story grocery store that Liliam had taken me to earlier and
decided to explore it a bit more. I’m also running out of the snacks that I
brought with me, so I thought I’d try a few new ones.
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| Looking down from the second floor |
First I got an Inca Kola,
which is a widely popular Peruvian soda that I heard tasted like bubble gum, so
I wanted to try it for myself. I also
got a Coke, some purple corn tortilla chips (purple corn is native to Peru),
some Lay’s chips that were part of their country themed “Copa de los Sabores”
flavors and I picked the French cheese flavored ones, as well as some sort of
chocolate wafer cookies called Cua Cua.
Over the past few days, I’ve had the chance to try all of the different
things that I purchased and have concluded the following: Inca Kola does
actually taste like a fizzy, lemony bubble gum and I’m still not sure what I
think of that, Coke is always a favorite, the purple corn tortilla chips tasted
similar to blue corn tortilla chips but they also had sesame seeds that added a
nice flavor, the Lay’s chips tasted similar to the sour cream and onion flavor
but with a bit less onion and more cheese, and I really liked the cookies.
Once I got home, Liliam and Daniel invited me to a 9th
birthday party for a family member. Alejandro had a Dragon Ball Z-themed party
and it was actually kind of crazy. There
were dozens of eight to ten year olds, blaring music, disco lights, a clown,
and tons of food! The clown was more like a comedic entertainer who had fun
games and activities for the kids, and I thought he was actually pretty funny
even though I couldn’t understand about half of what he was saying.
After the clown act, some of the family
members carried around trays of different foods to the adults sitting at the
perimeter of the room. The food included
hot dogs (that had a much different texture and taste than American ones),
sausages, cheese, animal crackers, Jello cups, taquito-style sausage sticks,
and these delicious balls called causa.
I found out that they consist of mashed yellow potatoes, a Peruvian
yellow pepper, lime juice, and salt. They were amazing, and so fresh tasting!
Saturday
I began Saturday with a small breakfast before tidying my
room up and having some time to relax. I
ate lunch with Liliam and Daniel and they served me this Peruvian fruit that they call tuna. It's a cactus fruit and the inside is bright red and has a very similar taste and texture as watermelon.
Then I set off with Myra (not sure on the
spelling), who is a relative of Liliam’s.
Myra is in her twenties and is just finishing studying law at her
university. Myra and I took a taxi into the center of Lima and started at
a long boulevard that was lined with shops and packed with people.
Afterwards, she took me to the San Martín square and it was surrounded by beautiful, old colonial-era buildings. Then Myra showed me this incredibly old and ornate church that was filled with shrines and statues and beautiful decorations.
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| With the statue of Jose de San Martin |
Later, we toured the Gastronomy Museum that depicted dozens
of crops, foods, and cooking tools and methods throughout the centuries in Peru. After my CIP Genebank tour, it was especially
interesting to see all of the different varieties and uses for potatoes
throughout Peruvian history.
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| Little jugs that the indigenous peoples used for drinking |
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| A representation of an altarpiece in Peru where they depict the Last Supper as a traditional meal of cuy (guinea pig) |
After that museum, Myra and I went to a gallery that was
showcasing work of a local photographer that captured street views in different
districts of Lima. The photos were all colorful, but while some were filled
with happiness, others depicted heart-wrenching poverty and desperation. It was
all quite moving.
Next, we visited the gorgeous old building where the mayor
of Lima works. We were able to walk
around the atrium and the stairs, but otherwise the building was closed for the
weekend.
At about 5:00, Myra and I bought bus tickets for a short ride
up to an outlook in San Cristobal (one of the districts in Lima). The trip wove through some of the poorer
parts of town, and it was unbelievable to see all of the colorful houses crammed
together with narrow roads woven throughout.
Our trip took us up an enormous hill/small
mountain that had incredible views of Lima stretching out in all
directions. As the sun set, it was even
more beautiful to see the webs of twinkling lights crisscrossing the land.
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| Myra and I at the top |
Also, the summit was topped with this massive
cross and little shrines. Myra explained
that it was a tradition to buy a colored candle based on what you wanted (green
for money, red for love, etc.) and to light it and place it in a holder at the
base of the cross. So I purchased a pink
candle signifying friendship and followed the tradition. Shortly thereafter, we returned to the bus
and made our way back to Lima, and all along the way I could see the cross lit up
like a beacon in the night.
Once we made it back to central Lima, Myra took me to a
shopping area that was like a cross between a small mall and a marketplace. It was filled with little stalls absolutely bursting
with colors and products. It was a bit overwhelming
to look through all of the stuff, but finally I settled on some pencil bags with
colorful stitching depicting local animals and patterns, and some hand-painted gift
bags with portrayals of native Peruvian women.
Then, Myra and I made our way back to La Molina (the
district that I live in) and ate dinner at a restaurant called Mi Tradición. Myra recommended that I try chicha morada which
is a sweet drink made from purple Peruvian corn, and it was great. We then shared a traditional dish of anticuchos,
which are seasoned pieces of beef (that are actually beef heart, as I found out
later) that are put on skewers and served with corn and potatoes.
Then we finished off the meal with picarones which are like doughnuts served with a light sauce that tasted like a cross between maple syrup and molasses. The entire meal was incredible, and it was fun to try some more traditional Peruvian dishes!
Sunday
I had a nice relaxing day today after my adventures on
Saturday. This morning, I slept in until
about 9:00 before having breakfast.
Afterwards, I started writing this (incredibly long, I’m sorry) blog
post. We had a late lunch of beef, rice,
corn, and tomatoes before I got ready to go to the mall with Liliam. I watched
some of the Costa Rica vs. Greece World Cup game with Daniel before heading
out.
Liliam and I went to this absolutely enormous mall in a
neighboring district. The mall had many similarities to those in the United
States in terms of stores and atmosphere, but it was much more open than I expected. There weren’t really any doors to enter the
mall and there were several open-air plazas throughout. I initially, as an Iowan, thought that this
would be horrible in the wintertime because what would they do when it snowed,
before remembering that I am in an incredibly temperate area where it is
actually wintertime J
We visited some department stores and clothing stores where
Liliam bought a couple of things. Then
we went to the food court area. I was
surprised because the majority of the food stores were American chain
restaurants like Starbucks, KFC, Subway, Pizza Hut, Dunkin Doughnuts, Chili's, and TGI Friday's. Also, the food court
was absolutely packed with people because they were showing the World Cup game
on an enormous screen.
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| The food court with the World Cup showing |
Liliam bought me
a personal pizza from Pizza Hut for dinner.
She ordered the American style, which ironically was Canadian bacon and
cheese. It was also different because it came with a packet of red pepper that
was powdered instead of in flakes and a packet of powdered oregano. It tasted great, and it was a nice reminder
of home!
