Reflections at the 25% Point

The last week in Fortaleza has been reasonably eventful. Aside from the soccer games which I have already written about, I have continued with my work and enjoyed a holiday weekend at a beach town further down the east coast of Ceará.

We are now approximately halfway done with the physical fitness testing, and should conclude the testing late next week. Then, we'll have a large amount of data to enter and analyze, and also will have some saliva samples to analyze in the laboratory before we conclude this study. In addition, things are progressing well with the paperwork for the study of vision deficits that I hope to start later in the year.

Thursday of last week was another national holiday, which of course could only mean one thing – another four day weekend. On this occasion, rather than flying to a different part of Brazil, we chose to visit Canoa Quebrada, a beach town reachable in 3-4 hours by bus from Fortaleza. Tracy, the Salvador Fogarty Fellow, flew to Fortaleza to join us for this holiday weekend.

Canoa Quebrada was a beautiful place. The sand dunes and rock formations were slightly less impressive than those of Morro Branco, but the town was a little larger and more fun. Events of the weekend included spending time on the beach, listening to the loquacious owner of the guesthouse/pousada where we stayed, and time walking through the town of Canoa Quebrada. As you would have noticed had I actually posted any photos in the last several weeks (I do plan to catch up on that before this weekend), my hair was getting a bit long for my liking. I usually have it cut every 3-4 weeks in the US, but had not had it cut since mid July. And so, for the cost of five reais ($2.50), I had my first Brazilian haircut while in Canoa Quebrada. Photos will follow, but I was quite pleased with the outcome. I returned to Fortaleza Friday night feeling a little ill thanks to whatever organisms (amoebas, worms, bacteria or viruses) that seem to have found a home in my intestines. After a day of rest though, I was back to my usual self, ready for physical fitness testing in the community on Monday.

Thus far this week, in addition to physical fitness testing and other work, I have continued to enjoy running on Avenida Beira Mar right along the Atlantic Ocean. Tuesday night, I enjoyed about a 15 mile run, which is the longest run I've been on in a while. I hope to be able to run a marathon (26.2 miles) either here in Brazil or after I return to the US, and think that I'll return to the US in better shape than I have been in for a while.

The next month includes two more national holidays, and so I'll be traveling a bit more in between continuing my research. November 2-5, I'll be in São Luis, a city in the state of Maranhão, just west of Ceará. Near the city is one of the most beautiful national parks in Brazil, with sand dunes and lakes and picturesque views. We're also working on planning our Amazon expedition which likely will take place November 10-19 surrounding another federal holiday.


It's hard to believe that I have been in Brazil for two and a half months now, meaning that my fellowship is 25% complete. Fortaleza definitely feels like home now, and the surgery rotation that I ended my third year with seems quite remote now. Thinking back on the last four years, I admit that I could not have imagined that I would be here in Brazil for a year now. A little over four years ago, I had never been on an airplane, nor had I ever been further than 8 hours from my home in Maryland. Since that time, I have had the great privilege of traveling to serve in Guinea-Bissau and Senegal in West Africa on three occasions, and in Zambia in Southern Africa for a month as well, all as a volunteer missionary with the SBC. Now of course, I am spending ten months in Brazil doing global health research, and I am reasonably confident that this will not be my last journey outside the borders of the US. I probably would have laughed had someone told me five years ago that I would have the well-worn, heavily-stamped passport that now lies in my desk, along with the many images, memories, and people that will forever be etched in my mind as a result of the last few years travels. I have greatly enjoyed the challenges and joys of working abroad, and look forward to the remainder of this year and future experiences abroad.

Later this week, I hope to post some photo updates with photos from Salvador, Canoa Quebrada, and our new home in Fortaleza, as well as some photos of me at work on the physical fitness project. Until then, I'll be doing physical fitness testing and continuing to write research protocols and consent forms in Brazilian Portuguese.