First off was INCIENSA, or Instituto Nacional Costarricense de Investigaciones y Enseñanza en Nutricion y Salud. This is the national epidemiology center. There, we saw the different monitoring centers, one for bacteriology, one for leptospirosis, one for tuberculosis, and one for virology. The presence of a lot of technology, including computers in almost every room, really stood out from the EBAIS that we’ve seen so far, which don’t even have medical records.
On Tuesday we headed to University of Costa Rica (UCR) to hear a lecture about soil helminthes. Moral of the story: they’re everywhere! And a tapeworm will not make you lose weight. This semester is brought to you by the incubation period 8-12 weeks, and the word ‘heptosplenamegaly.’
Then Wednesday we went to Hospital Mexico, a huge and very well organized general hospital in San José. What jumped out at me there was the fact that they told us that the average emergency room wait is 5-10 minutes! As much as I would like to believe that Ticos have emergency response down to an art, after difficulty even finding an ambulance in all of Costa Rica, I have my reservations.
Thursday to the water treatment plant, AyA (Acueductos y Alcantarillados). All very interesting, and lots of information – although it makes me wish I knew more about these systems in the United States so I could fully compare them. Meanwhile, we’ve been having a bunch of classes in the afternoon at the OTS building about lymphatic schisostomiasis, macro and micronutrition, the role of fungi in ethnobiology, ecology of food and nutrition, and (best for last) statistics.
As you may have gathered, our lectures have now taken a temporary lean away from the anthropology/indigenous studies side of things toward microbiology and pathogen studies. I enjoyed seeing something new, and I know that studying other perspectives on health is important for a veterinary career, but I can’t say that my bio nerd brain didn’t do a little flip of elation when I looked at our biology-packed schedule for this week.
The main news of this week is that I have gone not once, but twice to the roller skating rink in San Pedro, Salón de Patines Música. It was great! Finally a chance to do what I do best: go around in circles wearing spandex for extended amounts of time. Seriously though, this disco 50’s roller skating rink is apparently the place to be on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There are some people who you can tell are regulars. Synchronized skaters and even breakdancing skaters came out of the woodwork eventually! It was great to see two guido-like guys with faux hawks and fanny packs with their arms around each others’ shoulders, swaying and doing a roller skating routine to “Billie Jean.”
Also, as an observation, Ticos definitely have a more diminutive stature. Although Tomas tells me that for Central Americans, they’re on the taller side (he was volunteering in Guatemala this fall), it is noticeable enough: as Vanji observed, the buildings like UCR and the buses are us-sized. It’s nice to have all of the shelves in reach!
This morning we went to INBIO, the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad. It was the field trippiest of field trips we’ve had so far, since we went to the INBIOParque, the show-off touristy area of the research institute. We even got admission stickers to put on amidst shouting lines of children.
Our trip consisted of a walk around the mini-jungle (strange to think that there was this plot of rainforest right in San José), a talk about how INBIO researchers are seeking to uncover more biodiversity (aiming for the discovery of four new species every six months!), and then looked around at the animals. Iguanas were everywhere; we also saw turtles, birds, caimens, and some farm animals at the petting zoo. We even got to see the rare species of college-age mutant ninja turtles:
Tonightt is our last night in San Pedro. My attitude has drastically changed about this place – I’m going to miss my host family and the convenience of the city! Mainly, being in a city, taking the bus around, and establishing a routine really makes you feel integrated into your home-away-from-home, and with such a pack-up-and-go program, it’s a nice change to feel like we’ve established ourselves in San Pedro. That being said, sacrificing the convenience and the comfort is a small price to pay for fresh country air, bright stars, and wildlife everywhere you look.
We’re heading to La Selva again tomorrow afternoon, where we’ll do who-knows-what. All I know is that I will be researching the United Kingdom and its health care system for my Know Your World presentation. I rarely am aware of what exactly is happening in this program beyond the next day – lo que sea.
Hasta pronto!
Anya
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