Peru

My first trip to south America! Details?

Week 1: Spanish language study with Miles in Arequipa, followed by trecking the Inca Trail for 3 days and visiting Macchu Picchu!

Week 2: Lima for start of the International Institute of Field Epidemiology, then on to Tumbes. Activities: Epi survey for febrile cases, hunt for mosquito larvae and adults, and lab time.

Week 3: Animal studies (how to catch a rat, mouse, or bat, and slaughter a pig for cystercercosis), visit to mangroove reserve, and farewell.

Other than the 4:30 AM mornings and 10:00PM dinners, it was an incredible time. Our hotel was on the Pacific (we only had one day at the beach!) Our team of 9 UTMB students bonded well and learned a lot about epidemiology on the field. My spanish also improved dramatically (but still needs a lot of work). We ate seafood at least twice a day and drank a lot of Pisco.