I have been in Colombia for 4 days but it feels like I have been here for 4 weeks. We have packed a lot into our first couple of days here, from testing experiments, to exploring our barrio to find the best empanadas. The birds here are plentiful (and I am a tad bit scared of them, although Giuli will say that is an understatement). I think they can sense fear though because yesterday one decided to poop on me from a roof. Needless to say, I ran home real quick to shower. Everyone keeps telling me that it is a sign of good luck…I can laugh about it now.

On Thursday, we met with the Director of the Instituto Caro y Cuervo, who happens to have 3 degrees from Penn State (Nosotros somos…!!!), and Profesora Graciela Maglia. They are very welcoming of us and have given us space at the Institute to collect data. It is an incredible place filled with a long and rich history. I am excited to start working there.

Unfortunately, I have been experiencing some issues with my Millikey box that I need for the experiment. These issues forced us to re-evaluate and make some last minute changes. I was a little stressed out by this situation, and had a rough time trying to adjust. But after taking a moment, I looked around and realized how small and insignificant this problem is when considering the poverty that impacts the Iives of so many people here. It put everything into perspective…

Colombia is beautiful in so many ways