Potatoes, Rice and Bread, Potatoes, Chinese in Peru, Potatoes, Running toward the Andes, and Potatoes.

Warning: This post is incredibly long. My feelings will not be hurt if you just look at pictures or skim!

 

I love Yahoo Peru...except that it's in Spanish and a little hard to read!

 

Monday morning we were picked up from our hotel and rode for less than ten minutes to the Institute of International Nutrition, aka school for the month!

 

 

We were given a tour of the campus and briefed on the history of the institute and its current purpose and goals. A little history: It was founded in the 50’s (I believe) by a Peruvian pediatric physician who believed that way too many infants and children were dying of severe nutrient deficiencies. It was originally a rehabilitation clinic for severely malnourished children.  Now in addition to the clinic, the campus consists of many offices for the researchers, classrooms, computer labs for data analysis, and laboratories (The professor that gave the tour is from England…so imagine her saying “laBOURatory J).” The researchers (and my professors) are from all over the world—England, Canada, the US, and various South American countries.

 

Enjoying a cup of strong coffee in our International Institute of Nutrition mugs with Jolyn in the student lounge.

 

We also met the Peruvian students Monday!!!! They are great! It is awesome to talk with them about their classes and culture and families. And they ask us just as many questions about the States. After our tour and introductions we had a toast. We toasted with Inca Cola which supposedly taste like cream soda. I don’t like soda (Ha, I said soda! The Northerners are rubbing off on me!) so I didn’t try it this time. I did try many of the pastries that they also had for us. Mini empanadas, sweet potato chips, banana chips, both sweet and savory pastries…all delicious! After our toast we watched a documentary on food and culture in Peru (in Spanish, but thankfully had subtitles in English). It was a wonderful introduction to the Peruvian cuisine and showcased how food is a very important part of the culture here.

 

Finally it was lunch time! About half of the US students went with some of the Peruvian students to a nearby food court very similar to what we have in our malls in the US except not it a mall! I had arroz con pollo verde  (Green rice with chicken) which just meant it was cooked with a lot of cilantro. Very delicious but WAY too much rice. Of course I ate it all. The Peruvians had the same thing and said that they eat this dish very often. Woohoo! I am already starting to feel like a local. Except that the locals all stare and I can’t really understand anything they say.

 

After lunch we went on a field trip. First day of class and we took a field trip! We went to the market! It was beautiful, so many colors! The whole chickens, cow tongue, stomach, fish, etc. that were hung (unrefrigerated of course) all around where not so pretty, but the variety and color of the vegetables and fruits was amazing.

It is the "Year of the Potatoes" in Peru. Potatoes of every shape, size, and color make up probably half of the market. Papas negra, papas blanca, papas amarillo, papas rosa, and so many more. 

 

 

We were divided into groups (2 US students with 1 Peruvian) and given an assignment to compare markets in the US with the markets here. It was very interesting! Many fruits and vegetables that I have never seen or heard of! Milagros was the Peruvian student in my group. She was so patient answering our questions and acted as a tour guide to navigate and help us understand the market and introduce us to the produce.

 

Because we don't stand out enough already, we wear these IIN shirts on all field trips. I'm not complaining. I feel very official and important in this shirt.

 

 

Milagros convinced me to buy my new favorite fruit pepinas! If a mango and a pear were to have a baby it would be a pepina --Tastes like a less sweet mango with the texture of a pear. SOOOOOOO JUICY AND DELICIOUS!

I had to eat the pepina over the sink because it was so juicy!

 

 

Today (Tuesday) we jumped right into class. We mostly listened to lectures presented by our different professors. The lectures introduced us to the research process, methodologies, and data collecting instruments. Right when I was getting tired of the lectures, Dr. Mary (from London and with a great accent) changed things up and we played a family feud like game. The only rule of the game was that Dr. Mary is always right and she got to make up other rules as we played. She is great at keeping things fun while we learn!  

Lunch on Tuesday at the cafeteria at IIN. Pumpkin, potato, corn, giant green peas, cheese, and of course rice. Very delicious and only 4.5 soles (about $1.75). Notice the field behind me. That is the International Institute of Potatoes or something along those lines.

 

After my fabulous lunch we were divided into our research teams and given our topic that we are to use for our research project. My team is great and we are excited about our project. We are going tomorrow morning to see the site where we will collect our data. I am not exactly sure what the site is and our project is not fully developed, but I know that we are looking at causes of childhood obesity here in Lima (not the entire country of Peru). I must say, I did NOT expect to study obesity while here. With the improving economy and emphasis on all things American came all foods American..fast food, sugar sweetened beverages, chips, candy bars, etc. There is a law in the works right now called the “Junk Food” law that if passed would ban vending machines from schools. Sounds just like in the US right? Our study is looking specifically at the amount of sugar-sweetened beverages given to infants ages 6 months to 3 years. The Peruvians in the group explained that many mothers give their young children herbal tea sweetened with a lot of sugar. We will actually get to interact with mothers and take the height and weight of the babies. I am SOO excited!!!

 

After class some of the other girls and I went for a run around a nearby neighborhood. I LOVE running here! The weather is perfect for running. It is cool but not cold and there is just enough humidity for me to feel right at home.

 

The view on our run today: The Andes. And beautiful homes with lots of greenery and flowers!

 

 

It is great to be on a trip with all students studying nutrition, diet and exercise –they are so motivating! And thank goodness we are exercising because Peruvians exists on bread and rice. SO MUCH BREAD AND RICE. My PawPaw would get along well with the Peruvians because they both agree that a meal is not complete without rice.

After the run I joined another group to go find dinner. I just couldn’t do fruit and bread for dinner tonight. I need my protein! We set out to find a dinner of something more than just bread or rice. We picked the place with the most Peruvians which a “Chifa” restaurant. Chifa means Chinese/Peruvian fusion and Chifa restaurants are everywhere! The Peruvians love them!! And I must say, that Chinese food was much better than most Chinese restaurants in the states and it was SO cheap! There were five of us and we ordered a combo meal that was supposed to feed 3-5 people to split. I think they must have meant 3-5 18 year old boys who just ran a marathon. There was way more food than the 5 of us need. We won’t have to worry about dinner tomorrow night!

This was just the soup, the first of four courses!

Back at the hotel/sorority house we are now crowded around the “water hole” aka wifi hot spot enjoying each other’s company and making plans for the weekend!

I am continually overwhelmed by how gracious God is and how blessed I am to be down in this beautiful country with 14 other young women who have passions similar to mine.  I am learning so much from the other students, both Peruvian and US, as well as the professors.