Portuguese, Presentations, Police

This week, we've been working on translating the protocols for our study into Portuguese. Translating scientific protocols is definitely a way to improve your Portuguese. Next Friday, I'll have to give a presentation on the physical fitness project in Portuguese along with Ben, the other Fogarty fellow.

Tonight, at 11 pm, we'll journey to the airport to meet Nate Ostheimer, one of my classmates at UVA Med who will be here in Fortaleza for the next 6 months. He also has created a blog to which I'll add a link later today on my blog site. It will be good to welcome Nate tonight. In another week and a half, we'll welcome our UVA mentor, Dr. Guerrant, who will be back in Fortaleza for a week. A week or so later, Chris Brown, another of my UVA classmates will join us here in Fortaleza. Chris will also be here for several months as part of a different research project.

Meanwhile, I continue to struggle to register with the Federal Police. I have been hung up on by the Brazilian Embassy in Washington, and Brazilian Consular Service in Washington many times this week, in addition to a series of 6 unanswered emails that I've sent to the consular service and ambassador. I hopefully will eventually be able to get in contact with someonewho can actually help me resolve the issues with my visa, but things haven't went so well thus far...

Aside from that matter, I'm enjoying the time in Fortaleza, and continue to work on Portuguese and getting the physical fitness study up and running, my two primary tasks right now. The weather remains perfect: I'm not sure that the job of weather forecaster even exists here, as aside from rainy season, one could simply forecast a high of 85, a low of 75, and sunny, and be correct 99% of the time. I hope that everyone reading this is well, and feel free to post your comments, questions, or advice on navigating the Brazilian bureaucracy.