Spring Break Video

The quality isn't as great as I would like it to be because the file was too big for the wifi here. However, I hope you can still get some sense of just how beautiful the islands are. Enjoy!

Spring Break (Galápagos Style)

Day 1: Spring break started on the afternoon of Friday, March 20th, when we we took a boat to Santa Cruz. We were three modules deep at this point, and both we and our computers were completely burnt out from running those genetic analysis programs over and over again. I was so happy to climb on that boat and get away from school for a little bit. We arrived in the more populated Santa Cruz around 6, and had dinner and too much nutella gelato.

I made a new friend while waiting for the boat

Day 2: (Santa Cruz) We visited Rancho Primicas to see the giant tortoises, walked through a lava tunnel, and went to Playa de Garrapatero, which is a beautiful white sand beach. The weather wasn't great, but it made for some really cool pictures. The boys started throwing each other and flipping around, and of course I had to join in too. I can never resist being upside down! You can see a picture from the beach in my previous post.

Rancho Primicas

Day 3: This was probably one of my favorite days. We took a gorgeous boat to the Islands of Bartolomé and Santiago. It was a fairly big ship, and the ride there was about 2 hours. It was so nice to sit out on the front of the boat and lay in the sun! (Don't worry mom, I put sunscreen on).  We passed by Daphne Major and Daphne Minor. Daphne Major is the island that two researchers lived either on in a tent or on a nearby boat (unsure which), and did a lot of the finch research that we have come to know and love today. Then, we went snorkeling off the coast of Santiago. We didn't see much, but it was still absolutely gorgeous. Then, we boated over to the neighboring island of Bartolomé. It was absolutely gorgeous. It looked like Mars because there isn't much plant life on it. We walked up to the apex, and saw the most breathtaking view. On our way back to Santa Cruz, we saw a pod of 40 dolphins! It was absolutely amazing. I made a video if you want to see the dolphins swimming under our boat. I wish the video did it justice. It was absolutely amazing!

The view from the top of Bartolomé

Day 4: This was the day we traveled to Isabela. It was a little bit of a bumpy ride, but I am not one to get seasick, so I was fine. I also was kept intellectually stimulated by Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. From this point of the trip on, I was constantly in a state of existential crisis. I liked the book a lot, and it helped me learn a lot about who I am and who I would like to be. It also made me wish I was a double major in Philosophy and Biology. And made me want to go study oriental philosophy in India. However, that's a story for another day. Isabela was absolutely beautiful. We took a boat to the lava tunnels, and walked around on top of them. We saw a TON of marine iguanas. That is one of the spots where they nest. We also saw penguins, blue footed boobies, and white tip sharks. Isabela is the most beautiful island in my opinion. I went to bed early this night after a few games of Spades because we had a 20 kilometer hike to prepare for the next day!

a marine iguana

Day 5: Today was the day we hiked Sierra Negra. It was about 20 kilometers and took us about 5 hours. It was really hard...my feet and calves were hurting at the end, but the top was absolutely amazing. When we walked over the hardened lava I felt like I was on a different planet. I also found this cool little lava hole thing that I squished myself into. Looking back, it probably wasn't the safest thing to do, but it was really fun! It was really hot and quiet inside. This was the night my friends and I had some fun! We went to this little bar on the beach that had drinks inside coconuts and a slackline. It was my first time slacklining, so I wasn't very good at it (plus I had already had a drink from a coconut), but it was still really cool to try!

The lava hole!

This picture is for Dr. Kolonko! These are all of my friends from Juniata! They are some of the more awesome people I have met here :)

Lava field

Day 6: Snorkeling, snorkeling, and more snorkeling! We started off by walking around the lava tunnels. It was incredibly beautiful. Very calm with TONS of sea turtles. I wish we could have snorkeled in there! We then boated over to a different area of lava tunnels where we were allowed to snorkel. I swam with some yellow-tailed surgeonfish and a few sea turtles. We had to get out fairly quickly after because the water was so rough. However, I did get the chance to swim through a few of the lava tunnel holes. Again, this probably wasn't the safest thing to do because the current was so strong, but it was really cool to go through. I'm lucky that I can hold my breath for so long! We went back to Santa Cruz at the end of this day.

One of the turtles I swam with

Caballo de mar (a sea horse!)

Days 7 and 8: Module 4 started. The class I am in now is Global Climate Change: Economics, Science, and Society. This class started off on Santa Cruz with two days of lectures from different NGOs. These days were pretty unexciting because we sat in a lecture hall both days. The only consolation was that there was an amazing ice cream store with real waffle cones right next to the place where we got our lectures. I may or may have not eaten ice cream several times those days. The lectures were pretty boring, and some of them were also completely in Spanish. I was so lost. However, the Thursday we got back to Santa Cruz happened to be ladies night at the discotec, and of course I had to kill it on the dance floor with the rest of my gringas. Our school literally took over the dance floor. It was really fun! I went for a run on Friday afternoon and found the coolest little garden. It was completely made out of mosaics.

Mosaic wall

It was so gorgeous!

Day 9: We got up at 5:30 to go back to San Cristóbal. Of course our boat got delayed, but that was okay. I attempted to teach myself how to do a Rubik's Cube on the way back. I am slowly getting it! I wish I had my own cube. I borrowed it from the guys. They all know how to do it, and none of them will teach me! I am going to teach myself. I think the math and the algorithms behind the whole puzzle is fascinating. I've been reading about it the last few days. We got back home at 10:30, and I came home to open arms and tons of food. I missed my host family so much!

Catch you later, spring break.

Spring Break!!

So I have been on Spring Break for the last 10 days! I didn't have access to great wifi, but I did get to take some great pictures! I promise I will write all about it over the next few days. Here are some pictures until then!

Playa la Garrapatero

We saw a pod of 40 dolphins!

Me and my friend Bryce. What's longer...his calves or my legs?

I love my flag

Snorkeling off the coast of Isabela Island

IPSL Reflection #3

Kathleen Ackert

IPSL

Topic #3

16 March 2015

Prompt: How does the community interact with the agency? What is the image that the community has of the agency, it’s programs, and it’s volunteers and participants? Does your topic have any social component? How does it positively/negatively impact the community?

            This is a great prompt for me because my service placement is so integrated into the community. As I have discussed in my last two reflections, I go into the community with various doctors and nurses and provide health care, whether it be social, mental, or physical.

            It is hard for me to define the image that the community has of the agency because of the language barrier. Just going off of what body language and general tone of voice, I would say that the community respects my agency. There have definitely been cases where we knock on people’s doors, and they don’t want to answer questions. However, I think this is because we have to talk to them for a long time and in some cases, have them answer questions that can be a bit uncomfortable, such as how much their household income is.

            I chose an article from the WorldBank, where the government, partners, and villagers are reviewing a community driven development project in Myanmar.  In the article they talk about how the project has a “people-centered approach by which communities themselves choose, design, and implement the projects based on what they need most” (WorldBank Online). I think that choice is a really important thing to have in a community driven development project. In the article, they also talk about how these government officials (and even the VP) are discussing issues and goals directly with the villagers. I think that this is incredibly important because who are we (we being me, other students, WHO, doctors) to create these programs for communities without knowing what they want.

           However they perceive us, I think that there is a positive impact on the community.  The reason that the public health care system has programs like this in place is to better the community as a whole.

Works Cited

http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2014/09/03/government-partners-and-villagers-review-community-driven-development-project

Picture Archive

I need to be better about uploading these. Sorry! It takes forever with the wifi we have here.

This is on top of the volcano, El Junco

Puerto Chino

Rebecca was playing photographer

I took this picture with Rebecca's awesome zoom lens!

Mi universidad!

My galapa-friend, Roger. 

Life Lessons from Snorkeling

Snorkeling in the clear blue waters of the Pacific Ocean is one of the most amazing things I have experienced in my almost twenty-one years of existence. My first day on the islands I practically tripped over a sea turtle while I was standing in ankle-deep water. I slowly got into a routine of going for a swim every day, and this was my time where I could think and reflect on my days. After much self-reflection, I have come up with 5 life lessons, all learned from snorkeling.

Lesson number one: appreciate the little things, but don’t forget about the big picture. This lesson stemmed from an event involving me, the biggest parrotfish I have ever seen, and a water taxi. I was so focused on looking down at the gorgeous fish that I didn’t realize that I was directly in the path of a water taxi. As the water got choppier and choppier, I finally looked up and realized that I needed to get out of there. Obviously, I survived. If I had been paying just a little more attention to my surroundings, I wouldn’t have had such a close call. This is also applicable to almost every event in life. Preparing for that big orgo exam. Getting married. There are many pieces that make up every puzzle, and while each of those is important, it is also imperative that you are able to piece it all together. I mean, why else would Dr. Vernooy teach us in detail all of the steps of replication, transcription, and translation and then ask us to just explain the big picture on the exam?

Lesson number two: when the going gets tough, the tough stay calm. There is nothing worse than getting caught in a current that’s dragging you out. Staying calm is key. One of the worst things you can do is try to fight it. You’ll just tire yourself out. Currents in the Galapagos are very different from other places in the world. Sometimes, all you have to do is swim a few feet under the water, and you’ll catch a current going the opposite way. Freaking out is never good. Maybe you’re an emergency room doctor, or an author with a manuscript due at midnight. There is always a way out. All you have to do is be able to stay composed enough to see it.

Lesson number three: There will be sharks. You’ve dove down to inspect a sea urchin, you look up, and there’s a little whitetip shark where you just were. What do you do? Freak out? Try to fight it? Let me pose a different question instead. You’re in a successful business firm, and one day you find out that you’re being blackmailed. What do you do now? While these two situations are very different, the basic reaction to the situation should be very similar. Think about it.

Lesson number four: Quiet time is necessary. The activity of snorkeling literally entails placing a tube in your mouth. You can barely breathe, let alone speak. Although I placed almost in the 100^th percentile on the extrovert side on my Meyers-Briggs, the quiet hours that I spent swimming were brimming with sights and feelings that I, a mere human, could never put into words. It is important to have this time for self-reflection, that time to delve into the experiences you’ve had, and ask yourself questions that challenge your preconceived notations

Lesson number five: Just keep swimming. After a long hike around the highlands, all I ever want to do is jump in the water. Get out there, keep your body healthy, and challenge yourself to see just how far you can go. To the boats parked in the bay? All the way to another beach? Enjoy the journey! You only get one life, so why not make it a good one?

More analysis!

The blue part is what I am focusing on. It has the species sciurius carolinensis in it, which is what I work with around school. 

After 10 hours of analysis...

The finished product!!! 

Analysis Completed in 10 hours, 21 minutes, 25 seconds

MY TREE!!

Playing tour guide

The island ice cream truck. I think it's hilarious 

My friend, Rebecca, and I at Puerto Chino! 

I just really love sea lions!

Torturous Fun

 A day in the life of a phylogenetics student is really interesting, but super confusing! I am making a phylogenetic tree of different species of squirrels (flying, ground, tree, etc.). I am going to give it to my research professor as a surprise this summer (I'm 99% sure he doesn't read my blog) and I hope we can use it as part of our paper eventually! Although I am super confused 58% of the time (standard deviation +/- 4),  I really like working with the programs and I would definitely like to continue with this some day!

Phylogenetics: Week 1

This week has been really busy between my phylogenetics class, volunteering at the hospital, the two IPSL classes, and my spanish class! I was definitely feeling overwhelmed and a little homesick during the week because I was just so busy.

What I needed was the weekend to cheer me up! My weekend started off on Friday night at one of the local bars. I met one of the doctors I work with for a cervesa! She is young, 26, and I love to talk to her about the differences in public health in Ecuador vs. the U.S.  She is chock full of information, and I plan on using her for my IPSL interview paper. I met her with two of my friends. What was also really cool is that one of my friends on the program is from Quito, and she is studying abroad in the Galápagos. Not quite as far as the trip from NY, but still pretty far! Catalina, the doctor, is also from Quito so they had a great time talking super fast in Spanish (I didn't understand much). The reason why Catalina is here is because all of the doctors here are required to do one year in the community for not much pay. Once they are fully done with their residency is when they do this. They go all over the country, and Catalina was lucky enough to come here! She left early because she had rounds the next day, but the party was just starting because it was my friend's birthday! Of course we had to do a tequila shot together. We ended up at the discotec where we danced the night away. I really just love dancing!

I didn't stay up too late on Friday night because I had to be up bright and early to go to the highlands for a charity soccer game on Saturday. It was so much fun! There was only one woman's team, and we had enough gringo power to beat them, so we are the new soccer champions! We got a trophy! I felt really bad because I think they practice together a lot, but it was really fun and exciting to win. After I got back and had lunch with my family, I decided to take a nap. When I woke up, it was 9 pm, and I decided that I should just go to bed for the rest of the night. Ergo, I got 14 hours of sleep last night! It was really nice because I have been getting up so early the rest of the week.

Today, my friend Rebecca comes to San Cristobal! I am really excited because her flight gets in soon. I am going to get my hands on some of the pictures from the game and our night out later.

Ciao, amigos!

IPSL Reflection #2

Kate Ackert

Reflection Journal

March 2^nd, 2015

Topic #2

                  For this assignment, we had to find an article that relates to the agency we are volunteering with and that also relates to the role that they play in the community. I am volunteering with the Ministry of Public Health at the Oskar Jandl hospital, and I have chosen the article “Dying for Change”. The publication was compiled by the World Health Organization. “Dying for Change” tells the tale of those who have struggled with poverty and health their entire lives. It recaps events that these people have experienced, such as going without clean water, inhumane treatment in hospitals and clinics, and the pangs of hunger that they experience on a daily basis. I have been working at the hospital for a week now. I have helped with a program for the elderly and with the house visits to the poorer areas of the Galápagos. I would like to expand more about the house visits, and to compare and contrast what I have seen to some of the case studies the article talks about.

In it’s opening words, the article says, “Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (Dying for Change Online). People often view being healthy as having a properly functioning body. However, after only a week with the hospital, I see that health is so much more than that. Part of what I have been doing here aligns with WHO’s definition of health. Because the island is so small, everybody knows each other. This means that the hospital knows exactly who is sick. On my first day there, they explained to me how they keep track of the patients here. In the head administrator’s office, there are three big foam boards with sections of the island on them. The houses are all mapped out, and there are thumbtacks all over the place. Each color thumbtack represents a different illness or health issue. It was really interesting to see the spread of what health issues plagued what areas. For example, we went to the barrio Manzanillo to talk to people into coming to the hospital for their high blood pressure and depression issues. Before we left, I was looking at the board where Manzanillo is located. It was abundant with green thumbtacks, because green designates at-risk for unstable housing, water cleanliness, etc. Manzanillo is one of the poorer areas of the Galapagos, so that is why they have those types of problems. In some of the nicer areas, there were not as many thumbtacks, but some that designated at-risk pregnancies or diabetes patients.

For the final paper, I would like to focus on health care systems in a developing world and talk about how possibly the hospital in San Cristobal could adapt to become more efficient and use my possible solutions to overcome problems. This connects directly to the mission of the service agency and the type of work I am doing. What we aim to do on these house calls is to educate them and to provide the best health care away from the hospital that we can. This connects to me because I am using the knowledge that I have to educate administrators, physicians, and nurses on what public health in a developed world is like. As we talked about in the IPSL meeting last week, I am not here to go into the hospital and flip it upside down with my American views and customs into something that would be completely inappropriate for life on an island. I am here to learn, observe, and see if there are any changes to the health care system that I would be able to suggest in my paper.