The Essence of Freedom

I am writing this post—my last one—from the Sleep Inn in Houston. Although the location isn't deliberate, the timing is. I decided after my last post that I wouldn't post again until I was out of the country. It seemed to me that I didn't want to spend my last week documenting everything. (Don’t worry however, I did physically write thoughts down in my journal as I have been doing this entire time.) I instead wanted to live it, experience it to the fullest. That is what I did and what I will now chronicle as I bring my blog and my 2014 World Food Prize Borlaug-Ruan International Internship to a close.

Work wise, I continued to wash and count nematodes, prep experiments and help Elfinesh who is studying the morphology of Fusarium fungus and multiplying fungus on wheat bran. I will add now that whenever she does this I have gotten into the habit of smelling the fungus/wheat bran mix once the threat of contamination has passed. I mention this because Elfinesh and I discovered that different strains have unique smells. You could have Fusarium culmorum 23 smell like hot apple cider (which it did) and then have Fusaium culmorum 2 smell like rotting cabbage (which it also did). Now whenever she starts opening the bags I come over and scientifically waft the smell and give her a report. None of this is being studied or recorded for scientific publishing. We simply found it interesting and fun.

Some of you may or may not know that my birthday was August 8^th. I will preface this story with one from last year. In 2013 the Iowa Aquitards, the Envirothon team that I was on from Marshalltown, went to the North American Competition in Bozeman, Montana. We were gone for two weeks camping, hiking, site-seeing, studying, competing and testing across the great West. While we were out there I spent my 18^th birthday locked in room with my four teammates for eight hours as we prepped our 20 minute presentation on responsible grazing practices. True Fact: When Lil Jon asks “Turn down for what?” the only response he accepts in “responsible grazing practices.” We kicked butt at the oral completion and ended up placing 11^th overall out of the 54 teams. I mention this because that was an amazing birthday. I got to spend it with friends and the always wonderful Super Sue (my ELP Adviser). I got a big foam cowboy hat and smoked cigars with some really cool people from Ohio. All in all it was great and set the bar high for birthdays to come.

So, what does this have to do with my internship this year? Well this year comes in at a very close, and respectable if I might add, second. I woke up that morning listening to “It’s My Birthday” by Will.i.am and Cody Wise. I thought it very appropriate. I went into work where I prepped some filters for soil and root samples and listened to some Spotify, NPR and Elvis Duran and the Morning Show. It sounds like a rager right? Well, around the 3 p.m tea time Gul came in and started talking Turkish to everyone. I didn't pay much attention because that is her job. I was talking with Dr. Zafer from another department about my leaving soon when Omer grabbed me by the arm and walked me to the break room where once inside I saw two beautiful cakes along with everyone who works in the lab. Elfinesh lead the group in around of “Happy Birthday” in Turkish as I and Omer blew out the candles. I should mention at this point that Omer’s birthday was the very next day so this was a duel celebration. Sevil and Gul handed out the pieces of cake which were oh so good as Elfinesh took some pictures of the group (see below). I personally didn't take any pictures because my phone was dead from listening to the radio all morning and afternoon. I was pretty surprised and very thankful for everyone involved. I would like to add that the cafeteria served lamb kabobs with couscous for lunch. I firmly believe someone tipped them off that it was my birthday. That night Elfinesh, Cui and I made the famous lentil soup and pancakes from scratch. I have to say, my second birthday away from home was very nice all thanks to the caring friends and coworkers at CIMMYT.

As I look back now with the physical and mental distance, I have to say I’ve changed. I’m not the same person that got on the plane back in June. The discussions and conversations I’ve had over the past two months have been life altering. I grew in tremendous ways from the talks I had with many different people whether it was about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the need for a “green (agriculture) war” instead of physical violent wars with Amer, Ethiopian culture and the Orthodox religion with Elfinesh, or the crisis in Syria along with life lessons from Fateh. I learned about plant pathology and soil borne pathogens along with learning about myself. I learned that I can be independent in a foreign country. I wrote the following passage in my journal on the 2nd of August: “I rather like being a foreigner. I wonder where I’ll end up? There are little things more freeing than being in alone in a foreign country. Everything you do screams INDEPENDENCE!”

I sit here now at the Sleep Inn in Houston and prepare for my final flight home and all I can think about is where I’ll end up next.

I want to thank the many people who have been there for me and helped me along the way throughout this journey.

The World Food Prize Foundation and its staff especially Lisa Fleming and Amb. Kenneth Quinn for their hard work organizing and dealing with the logistics of sending 23 interns to several different countries. The WFP does an outstanding job and provides an amazing experience to America’s youth. I am very grateful to them. I would also like to thank John Ruan III for providing the funding to make this internship a reality.

My supervisors Dr. Amer Dababat and Gul Erginbas for teaching me so much about plant pathology, culture and life. These two always looked out for me and asking “Adam, do you need anything? If so, just let us know.” I will miss them both and hope to see them in Des Moines for an upcoming World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue.

Elfinesh for a lot of things at once. A supervisor, a coworker, a chef, a mother, a friend and the list goes on. Elfinesh always looked out for me and was very valuable while shopping and communicating thanks to her excellent linguistic abilities (she knows four languages fluently including Turkish and English). I would wish her the best of luck but I know she doesn’t need it. Elfinesh is smart and driven and will accomplish anything and everything she puts her mind to.

The CIMMYT staff especially Sevil hanim and Omer. Both of these individuals helped me whenever I got that confused look on my face while working.

My family for always being supportive. I can’t express enough how behind every independent and free spirited person is a supportive foundation. My family, especially my brother, bring light, humor and great perspective to my decisions and feelings. (Don’t get a big head Riley. You can be cut at any time.)

My friends for simply talking (or Snapchatting) me. As I said before, sometimes the simple messages and pictures can mean the world when your half a world away.

So that’s it, my last post on my 2014 WFP BRI Internship in Turkey. I am now home with my family and look forward to Iowa State in just a few days!

And to our left we have a mosque built in 1525

I would say that I've been busy and that is responsible for me delayed posting; however, the truth is that I've been watching a lot of The West Wing and sleeping.

Work: Since my last post, I've continued counting CCNs and helping Elfinesh when she needs it. I finished counting my samples today and started washing new ones. (The cycle continues!) Gul is currently in Antalya, a coastal town on the Mediterranean Sea, with her husband and his family. Amer is either planning, traveling or already in Palestine (the West Bank NOT Gaza) for the holiday and his brother's wedding later in August. Either way, I saw Amer for the last time before I leave for America which is kind of sad, but I know he is only an email away. For those of you wondering about the holiday it is called Eid al-Fitr or Ramazan Bayrami. It celebrates the breaking of the fast from Ramadan and is a three day long celebration. Although the Institute is closed for the three days (Monday-Wednesday), Elfinesh, Cui and I have been working.

Before Gul left, however, I was able to set up my "own" experiment regarding CCNs. I inoculated 14 varieties of wheat to test their resistance to CCNs. I also inoculated 4 varieties with known resistance and susceptibility to serve as checks. My plants will be ready by the end of September and Gul will email me the results.

Not work: The working over Eid is alright. None of us are Muslim and we didn't feast during Ramadan. We've been celebrating in our own ways though by cooking and going into town. On Saturday Elfinesh made a traditional Ethiopian dish called Doro Wot. Doro Wot is simply chicken and sauce but is oh-so delicious. We cut up a whole chicken and saved have for soup we are going to make later and baked half for the Doro Wot. As the chicken baked, I made the sauce from tomato paste, onions, garlic and an Ethiopian pepper. The sauce cooked for quite some time. Once all was done we combined everything and ate it with bread.

The next day, after the food from the night before had settled, we went to town to take advantage of the holiday sales. I got a majority of my gifts for people back home during this time as well as some stuff for myself. I have to say, I rather enjoy shopping in Turkey. Back home I loath it, but here it is--dare I say?--fun.

I hate to say "not much is going on" because I am in a foreign country where quite a bit is happening. I'll add quickly that my title refers to a mosque I was able to see when Zafer, a Doctor from another part of the Institute, took me to town to do some site-seeing. It was a remarkable moment and one that I will remember for some time.

The workers come back to work tomorrow and Gul comes on Monday. I'm purposefully refraining from saying how much time I have left because it serves as a reminder that this is only temporary and I can't stay forever. So, I have a finite amount of time left here that shall remain unsaid.

The Field Trip (Pun definitely intended)

Today started out like the last few days have. Get to the lab, make coffee, count nematodes, gag at the smell of rotting debris in stale water. However, around 11 a.m. EEST I asked Gul what if we had any plans for the upcoming holiday--the three-day celebration for the end of Ramadan. She said she would talk to Amer to plan something for Cui, Elfinesh and I to do (I'll come back to this later). I went back to counting and Amer walks into the lab. This is unusual because he lives/works in Ankara about four hours away. We chat about my work and how I've been and then he sets off to find Gul and Cui. I continue counting until I'm interrupted by Gul about 15 minutes later. I'm told I should finish the slide I am on and then grab a hat. I do so and hop in Amer's car with Gul and Cui. 

We venture through town and end up in some research fields just outside Eskisehir to the northeast (the institute I'm staying at is on the outside to the southwest of town). Cui and I are given brown paper bags and told to collect soil samples from the roots of the wheat plants. So, I zig-zag through the field ripping up the wheat plants and shaking the soil into the bag. We continue this for several more fields in the area and then hop back into the car. 

Next comes the exciting part. In order to get a random sample, Amer stops the car on the side of a fairly busy road next to a wheat field and we hop out and collect our samples. Now, these fields aren't owned by CIMMYT nor did anyone ask the land owner about sampling there. We simply stopped the car, collected our samples and went on our way. After collecting on the north side, Gul and Amer decided to get some more from south of town. We drove like we were going back to the institute but kept heading south instead of turning west when the time came. 

By this point it was around two and Gul mentioned a restaurant nearby. I was a little shocked because Gul and Amer are fasting for Ramadan. We ended up stopping and eating at this beautiful place in a park. It was along a creek that had been blocked in order to divert water for irrigation. It surrounded by tall conifers and smelled of pine and cool water. We had grilled meat that was very Turkish. Gul ate with us but Amer did not. 

Afterwards, we kept going south and collecting samples in the same fashion. We ended up in a town called Kutahya which is apparently famous for their porcelain and China. I made some purchases for my family and friends and we headed back to Eskisehir. All-in-all it was a very nice break from the regular lab routine that had developed over the last few weeks.While in the car, Amer mentioned that I might be the only intern to stay in Turkey during the entire month of Ramadan. For me it is okay--it is a nice experience and Elfinesh is a wonderful cook. 

Speaking of cooking, Elfinesh, Cui and I made an amazing pizza on Sunday night. I made the crust and Elfinesh made the sauce out of fresh tomato paste with some thyme, oregano and Ethiopian spices. The sauce was beyond amazing. I asked for some of the spice so that I can bring it back home and try it there. 

Back to the beginning, I'm still not sure what I will be doing for the holiday but Amer is thinking about it tonight and will get back to Cui, Elfinesh and I tomorrow. I am praying for a beach vacation in Antalya. I know I lied above when I said "one more thing," but I'm over it.

One of the field sampling sites.

The best pizza ever, hands down, no competition. 

Me getting all up in that soil. 

My two outstanding supervisors. Left: Dr. Gul (the "u" should have two dots above it) Erginbas Orokci. Right: Dr. Abdelfattah "Amer" Dababat. I would like to add that they look flawless and I'm sure woke up like that. 

Me with my bag o' soil and my two amazing supervisors. 

 

Where are you from? *America* Oh, America! Like New York? Miami? L.A.? *No, Iowa* (Blank Stare) *It's in the middle of the country.* Oh

I know I haven't posted in a while. Due to a lack of interesting stuff, unreliable internet and my inability to think of a whitey title, I've been putting off updating my blog. 

Work:

This week I've mainly been counting Cereal Cyst Nematodes. I take a small bottle of debris from soil, pour it on a slide that has raised edges that make it look like a maze and then count the number of lemon/popcorn looking things (those would be the cysts). It can be very tiresome. Gul asked me if something was wrong with my eyes because they were all red. If you've been around me long enough you know that sometimes they just get that way. Once in a while they will just look like I smoked a lot of weed; however, rest assured that I've never smoked pot, sometimes I just look like I do. When I wasn't counting nematodes, I was helping Gul and Elfinesh score wheat for Crown Rot. It took about a day and a half to score all of the plants to see if the strain of Fusarium was pathogenic or not. 

While Gul and Elfinesh were scoring, Amer came in with Elfinesh's supervisor from Ankara University. His name is Aziz and as it turns out he's actually been to Marshalltown. He did not respond like most of the people here do as I noted in my title. When I said Iowa he asked where. When I responded he said, "Oh yeah that is a nice small town." I was shocked to say the least. He got his Ph.D. from Iowa State and lived there for three years. He said I was very smart to go into Agronomy as they have an outstanding department. It was nice to meet someone from Turkey who has been in Marshalltown. 

Not work:

Other than work, I've basically been doing the same things. I didn't get to run as much this week because it rained two afternoons. We had internet in the guest house for one day. Elfinesh and I think it only comes on once every two weeks. We finally got drinking water on Tuesday after not having it since Friday. It sounds like a big deal but I had milk and juice and we could boil water. I was, however, very relieved when the jugs were full on Tuesday morning. I'd like to add a dream that I had last night. Maybe someone reading out there can let me know what it means. I'm really counting on all of you who took AP Psychology. So, in the dream I was talking with Mrs. Fritzell, Abby and Wynn about Envirothon and I asked how Rihanna was doing. They tell me that she had to be let go because of her work ethic. I was very sad and confused when I woke up. I'm still not sure why Rihanna was on the MHS Whales Envirothon team. Maybe she really likes nature and stuff.

This isn't a lot for having not posted for an entire week but it is all I have right now. I have three weeks left and I'm not sure if I want to leave. I love the Turkish lifestyle and the city of Eskisehir. There are many shops, parks and restaurants in which you can get lost in for an entire day. On a side note (I just remembered and had to share) there is this restaurant that sells a food called Donas. It is like a burrito (finally) but more American. They take a flat bread (kind of like a tortilla) and roll it with chicken, tomatoes, lettuce, FRENCH FRIES, and some spices and a sauce. You can then add sliced pickles and onions. It was, well I would have cried if I wasn't in public, that is how good it was. 

Taman (Okay in Turkish) I'm done with my incoherent ramblings for now.

Doses & Mimosas

To be honest, not much has happened since my last post but I'll update everyone. 

The title, I take great pride in every one of my post titles, is a shout out to my future farming buddy Wynn Tan. She has an outstanding taste in music. Speaking of music, I've never listened to this much music in my life. Everyday I'll open my Spotify and listen to a new playlist. Thankfully Wynn and Abby have also been giving me songs and bands to look into. Both have yet to let me down! (Pressures on)

Over the past week at work, I have been entering data into Excel. It has been tedious but it is important and necessary work. I've made the observation that science is 30 percent experiment and 60 percent excel and 10 percent "Dear God I hope this works." The scores Gul, Amer and I took about the crown rot and my scans of the roots were all entered into their corresponding files. Eighty-nine pages of numbers from one to five and four and a half pages of seven root parameters--quite tiresome. Luckily while I was working I got to listen to music (see above) and NPR (Terry Gross never disappoints). 

In my free time I've been writing, reading, running and watching Sherlock. The writing has surprised me. I've been able to freely write my thoughts and ideas. It is a very freeing feeling to clear your head and see your mind on paper. I am about half-way through the Agatha Christie murder mystery (I think it is the sister-in-law). Since I can't lift weights around here I have to settle for running. It has been freeing to run on the roads that lead into and encircle the fields of wheat. I can start to feel cooped up after a couple days. However, it is down hill at the start and up hill at the end with the wind constantly in your face. "Oh Adam, the wind constantly in your face? surely that is not possible!" You are all wrong because it surely is. 

As for today, I woke up around seven o'clock, as per usual, to find that there was no running water, as per unusual. So, no shower today...yet. 

Here are some of the pictures I promised! 

Elfinesh, Cui and I made a type of fried chicken with potatoes. It was a culinary experiment. We were just going to bake it with the olive oil, onion, garlic and curry sauce but I suggested we bread it. It was unbelievably good. 

Since I know not everyone has Snapchat, here is the selfie I took at the cafe after I got my hair cut. 

Here I am filling 250 grams of soil into dishes. The soil will then be washed to collect and count the number of Cereal Cyst Nematodes in each sample. Notice the unruly hair!

100 grams of soil and five roots from wheat are soaked in water through filter paper here for 72 hours. The water will then be collected and used to count the number of Root Lesion Nematodes in each sample. Amer informed me that in Florida, the University extension charges $25 for each plate to do this test. I set up 160 plates.

As an update to Elfinesh's work, she has found out which strain is most aggressive and is happy with her results! On to the next one!

Judging Wheat: USA 9.5/10, France 9/10, Germany 10/10 and Russia 6.3/10

*Note: The title is supposed to be a joke about the Olympics, NOT about my feelings toward any nation.*

Today was another tiresome day. It didn't help that last night I got Netflix to work--only after downloading a program that makes the website think my computer is in America (thanks Zane)--and stayed up way to late watching the BBC show Sherlock. To say it is addicting is an understatement. Anyway, in the morning Dr. Gul, Elfinesh and I scored the wheat from Elfinesh's experiment. This is the one I mentioned earlier that was growing in the growth room and that I had been watering periodically. Her results look promising! When I find out more I will let you all know what the next step is. 

Around mid-morning Gul and I went out to a make-shift shelter made out of two-by-fours and cardboard behind one of the greenhouses. It was made to keep us in the shade as we scored the wheat. What is scoring wheat you ask? Well, in a nutshell Gul looks at the crown of the wheat--the part just above the roots--and can tell how severe the Fusarium Crown Rot infection is. Gul gives a number from one (healthy) to five (severely infected). A "one" plant would look like normal, healthy wheat. This "one" designation would tell the wheat breeder that this type of wheat is resistant to that particular strain of Fusarium.  A "five" plant on the other hand, would have a honey brown to black root crown. This "five" rating would tell breeders that this type of wheat is susceptible to this strain of Fusarium. So, Gul looked at the wheat, said a number from one to five out loud and I recorded it on the data sheet. Ever now and then she would test me on what I thought the number should be. I got better as time when on. We scored a lot of wheat. I didn't count but it took from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with an hour break for lunch (or simply rest for those fasting).

This past weekend I had my faith tested. When I first stared telling people about this amazing internship and opportunity they would always say something along the lines of, "Wow! So who is going with you?" or "How many Americans are going?" When I told them it would just be me, by myself, getting on a plane to Turkey and working at an institute I have never visited before nor met anyone from there, they would either stare in disbelief or make some comment about how I was brave, faithful or stupid. I had faith it would all work out, especially after talking to Lisa Fleming and the rest of the World Food Prize staff. I never really saw it as going alone to a country half way across the world. I always saw it as an amazing opportunity and had faith that it would all work out. So far I've been right! So, getting on the airplane and traveling was a piece of cake. The real test came on this past Saturday--the day I got my haircut. Omer, thank Allah for him, picked me up in the afternoon and took me to the city center. We walked a short while and eventually came to a small, and I do mean small, barber shop. After some warm welcomes between Omer and one of the stylists he conveyed to them my situation. Omer asked if I wanted an "American" style and I though "what would be the Turkish perception of an 'American' style?" So, I agreed and sat down in one of the three chairs (I told you it was small). Here is where the faith part comes in. I let a man who didn't speak the same language as me go at my hair with a razor and scissors with only the guidance of the words "American style." It all turned out very well. My hair looked great and Omer said I looked beautiful. 

Afterwards we met up with Elfinesh and Cui (the Ph.D. student from China)  at a cafe. Omer left because he is fasting so the three of us stayed and had tea. We remembered that a World Cup game was going to play soon so we found a place in town that was playing it. I had a nice cup of coffee the best waffles I've ever had. They were covered in a chocolate and raspberry sause with bananas, kiwis, whipped cream and ice cream. For about 10 minutes I didn't care about the game--it was simply me and my waffles. 

Though these posts might make it seem like I am constantly gallivanting about the town and institute, I actually have a lot of down time. In order to past the time I have started reading The Murder of Roger Ackroyed by Agatha Christie. Not sure why I picked it, it just happened to come up on the Kindle page and I thought "why not?" Maybe it sensed that I was also watching Sherlock. I'll be sure to give my thoughts on it later.

That is it for now! I'm going to post some pictures soon!

Twerking Hard or Hardly Twerking

People here in Turkey didn't seem to find that saying as funny as I do. It loses it's appeal when you have to explain it and then eventually just say "it's an American thing," as they shrug and pretend to understand. 

I wasn't going to post today because my work for the past couple days hasn't been interesting--just labor intensive. However, I am going to use my energy to talk about some observations and non-work stuff. It won't be in any order, mainly just things as they pop into my head so bear with me. 

1. When I use the computer at night, I have to go to the building that has most of the offices and many of the labs here at the institute. I share an office room with Elfinesh and any other CIMMYT students/trainees they have. Currently it is just myself and Elfinesh. Anyway, when I post at night I get pretty scared because the lights in the hallway are all motion sensor but you have to be right underneath them for them to turn on. And, when they do they are very weak and only stay on for a couple seconds--not enough time to make it to the next one. Also, the many labs have equipment that cycles on and off so you hear many strange noises. So, the lights and the sounds all culminate into the set of a bad 1970s horror film that takes place in an insane asylum. 

2. The Ph.D. student from China, I don't know how to spell his name yet, speaks in this broken English that Elfinesh, Amer and Gul don't quite understand. I have to translate China-English to Turkish/Arabic/Ethiopian-English. I'm pretty good at it if I do say so myself. *Brushes off shoulder*

3. Tonight I celebrated iftar, the breaking of the Ramadan fast for the day, with Amer, Gul, Elfinesh, Omer, the Ph.D. student from China and Sevil. I had lamb ribs, çorba (soup), lots of water and some bread. The food was especially Turkish. Çay and Turkish coffee followed--hint that is why I'm posting at 12 a.m. local time. 

4. I'm not sure if I've posted this one before, but even if I have it is worth a repost. There is a drink here in Turkey that people love called ayran. It is...wait for it...a type of Greek yogurt mixed with water and...wait for it...salt. It was handed to me under the pseudonym of milk--it is far from milk. The first time I tasted it, I thought the milk had spoiled--God was it sour and bitter at the same time. As the people around me drank an entire liter, I sat there thinking "how am I going to get through these next eight ounces?!" Elfinesh doesn't believe me when I say I hate it. She thinks that if I just keep drinking it and don't think of it as milk then I'll learn to love it. Personally, it taste like dairy that came from a diseased cow and that has been sitting in the hot sun for 72 hours. 

5. I love that they play American music here. I was walking in town and I heard Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke within five shops. It is a little reminder of home. 

Alright, that is enough for tonight. I can feel the Turkish coffee wearing off. Happy Independence day from Turkey!

I Must Harvest Wheat for the Motherland

The internet has been spotty over the past couple days so I'll try my best to update everyone about what has happened over the past couple days. 

Ramadan started on Saturday and most people in the lab are fasting. The place where we take lunch has shut down for the month so Elfinesh and I have been cooking. She is quite the cook and thanks to her, Fateh and the many Turkish restaurants, I have yet to have a bad meal. 

Elfinesh explained to me her entire Ph.D. project which is very involved but interesting. I won't go into the detail that she did, but it is very interesting. She spend four months this past winter at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. I'm mentioning this because after meeting many Ph.D. students and doctors, I've started looking for what I might do after my adventure at Iowa State. It's never too early to start looking. 

Today was a hard day of work. We spend the morning labeling thousands of envelopes, thousands.  In the afternoon we headed out to the greenhouse to harvest the wheat, hence the title. We picked the seeds off about 350+ plants and stuffed them in the envelopes we had labeled earlier. It was incredibly hot but I couldn't complain because the other workers were fasting and couldn't drink water until about 8:30 tonight. 

I'm forgetting a lot but Baklava is waiting along with the USA vs. Belgium World Cup Game. 

Me, harvesting wheat for the motherland.

Since there is no dryer, I had to turn my room into a drying center while watching the World Cup Game. 

*Edited/Updated 2/7/14 6 p.m. Turkey Time*

I have some stories to add that I couldn't get on here before the game yesterday. So, here they are. 

Probably the biggest thing that happened yesterday was one of the stories I left out. Elfinesh and I joined (I would really like to list names but I can hardly pronounce them let alone spell them in their respective languages) a Ph.D. student from China, a woman from Azerbaijan, a man from Turkmenistan and two gentlemen from Turkey for dinner in the city. We were hosted by Dr. Alexey Morgounov, the head of CIMMYT's International Winter Wheat Improvement Program as well as celebrating Dr. Beyhan Akin's birthday. Note: from now on instead of saying the food was great, fantastic, outstanding, etc., I will only say "it was Turkish." So, dinner was Turkish and Alexey and I talked extensively about America, he is from California, my family and school. He suggested that I should come out into the field with him some time soon so I can observe what he and many of the other people at the table do. It was nice to share a meal with so many distinguished scientists from all over the world. At a table of nine, only two or three where from the same country. It was rather beautiful.  

A week in pictures

This friendly stray decided to join me on my run--at least for a little bit. 

The dish is called kanafeh and is very good. 

The second story view from a restaurant in the city center. 

Me attempting to make American Mac and Cheese from Turkish ingredients. 

Elfinesh seemed to enjoy it!

A group of doctors and doctoral students who visited our program. This is an irrigated test field for wheat. The head wheat breeder for CIMMYT's Global Wheat Program is the 5th from the right. 

Me being studious and taking notes like I know what they are saying. A nice doctor from Mexico explained to me what they meant when they said synthetic wheat. Note: it is not a hybrid or GMO. 

Test wheat. Looks good to me!

Merhaba ve güle güle (Hello and goodbye)

I haven't posted in a while so I thought I would give some short updates. 

My first-ish week here has been amazing to say the least! In the lab, I have worked with Fateh counting nematodes. I helped set up an experiment with Elfinesh that included inoculating wheat seeds with Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium pseudograminearum. Today we are watering the plants in the growth room. On my own, I've been scanning the roots of grown wheat plants. There is a special software that then analyzes the roots and calculates things like root length, surface area, the number of tips, the number of forks etc. That data will be linked with the nematode count to see if there is a correlation. 

Yesterday I was able to go to the fields where they are testing new varieties of wheat. I even met the director in charge of CIMMYT's global wheat program. He was very nice and extremely knowledgeable, as you would guess. After talking with him and a Ph.D. student from Texas A&M I've started looking into plant breeding as a possible career--its future looks promising! On a side note, I've lost track of how many times people have asked me if I am a Ph.D. student or where I am studying. I've stopped saying  "I just graduated high school," and simply say "I'm a freshman at Iowa State." 

Outside of work, Fateh, Elfinesh, Omar and I have spent many nights going to the city and cooking. Fateh is an excellent cook and has made many delicious Middle Eastern and Mediterranean meals.  I've been taking notes and hope to repeat them back in America. Just last night, Fateh, Elfinesh, Omar, Katerina (she is a nematologist from the Czech Republic that is visiting for a couple days) and I went to a park and had a BBQ. It was nice to sit, eat and talk at a table where everyone is from a different country--truly a remarkable experience. This morning we said goodbye to Fateh. He finished counting and is headed back to Belgium where he will continue his work on his Ph.D. I wish him the best of luck in his research and life. 

Ramadan starts on Saturday. This means the place where  eat lunch every day will be closed for one month. I believe a lot of PB&Js are in my future. 

All Work and No Play

This is now the end of the first week. Only seven left!! Where is the time going?! 

On Friday Elfinesh and I worked from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. setting up her experiment. I placed pre-germinated seeds on wet paper towels as she inoculated them with a specific amount of spores. The amount of spores was determined and calculated in our previous days. Once she inoculated the seeds, I rolled them up and put them in tubes of water. We repeated this process for two experiments, three trials each, for 52 variables. A total of 312 times plus some controls of course. These were then randomized and put in the growth chamber. By the end of the day, Elfinesh and I a were "consumed" as Fateh would say. 

Today we rested. I slept rather late and then walked around the institute. Elfinesh corrected me when I kept calling it CIMMYT because CIMMYT only works in a couple of the labs. The entire campus is owned and operated by the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock. Since Elfinesh and Fateh had cooked the nights before, it was my turn to be chef. So, I went into town and bought supplies to make Mac and Cheese. Easy, right? I had the ingredients pre-translated and written down so all I had to do was point. Once I got into the market I was pretty overwhelmed by the different options. I knew I needed milk (süt) but there were so many types! What is whole, what is 2%? Do they even do that here?! I had been fooled once before by "milk" that turned out to be Greek yogurt mixed with water and I was not about to make that mistake again. In the end I left it up to chance. Now onto cheese. I needed cheddar and when I went to the counter I took out my paper and pointed. With some hand gestures and my faith in the Lord I got the cheese. They didn't have the blocked cheese or shredded--only pre-sliced, so I had to make due. The real find of the day came when I was about ready to leave. A passing thought of "wow, I could go for some popcorn right now," entered my head. Then, as if by divine chance, a bag of maize with popped popcorn on the label. Without thought I snatched the bag and went to pay. (On a side note, this was my second or third time in the this market so the check-out person new just to point to the numbers for how much I owed.)

After a short minibus ride home, I started preparing the food. Fateh joined me and started cooking a type of lentil soup. So there we were, soup, cheese and pasta cooking on three out of the four burners in a small (almost make-shift) kitchen. Fateh is an excellent cook and knows a lot about Middle Easter/Mediterranean food. Myself, on the other hand, was ridding the struggle bus. Overall it turned out alright. I'd give it a 6/10 but Fateh and Elfinesh liked it and Elfinesh even asked for the recipe. 

Tomorrow, Sunday, I will help Fateh in the lab. He is counting nematodes and only has a short amount of time before he has to go back to Belgium. In the afternoon we are going to a different part of town and may even have a BBQ--some much needed "play." 

As for now, I am well fed, healthy and enjoying life.

The tubes that contain the germinated wheat seeds and are inoculated with .5 mL of the spore solution. Elfinesh is in the upper left corner. 

The CIMMYT office in Ankara. Amer's daughter Luna is standing beside me. 

Amer's son, Ahmad.

Amer and I. (Photo by Ahmad)

The Eskişehir city center.

Preparing slides to determine the amount of spores per mL.  

There is a river that flows through Eskişehir with a lock and dam system that is pretty neat.

The final product of a long day's work! The plastic is to keep moisture in so the spores can grow and do their thing--causing crown root rot. 

All in a Day's Work

It is lunch time here in Turkey so I will give a short update about what I am actually doing. It is true, I am doing actual work and not just eating all the time. 

Yesterday I spent all day (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with 30 min. tea breaks at 9:30 and 3 and lunch from noon until one) stuffing cotton in growth tubes. I sat on a half meter high wooden stool with a pillow on it as bag after bag of growth tubes were brought in. It was tedious but necessary work for future experiments. 

That night after Fateh cooked a nice Syrian style dinner consisting of lentals, wheat and onions. After dinner Fateh and I returned to the lab where he was counting Cereal Cyst Nematodes. I set up the plates while he checked them under a microscope. We finished around 11:30. 

This morning I started working with Elfinesh, a Ph.D. student studding at a university in Ankara but originally from Addis Ababa Ethiopia. She is counting spores under a microscope. So, I have been setting up the slides so she can go from one to the next without stopping. It is important that the conditions and the procedure is sterile, so I have been bathing in a 96% Alcohol solution. My hands are soft now but I can tell they will dry out by tonight. 

That is all for now! I'll stop trying to give you a timeline on when you can expect pictures. It will just have to be a surprise!

*Edit 6:30*
The rest of the afternoon I continued working with Elfinesh. Once she had a count on how many spores were in the solution, we set up a ratio to find how much spore solution : Distilled Water was needed in order to get around 2,86o,000 spores per mL for 9mL of solution in total. Once we had our numbers for all 53 samples, we stared transferring solutions and water. It took some creative thinking especially since there are always unpredictable challenges to overcome. We eventually got everything set up for the experiment tomorrow.

Eskişehir bound

These posts are from prior days but I am not just getting the chance to publish them online. 

Today Amer, Fateh and I got up early and headed off to Eskisehir, about 250 km to the east of Ankara. We were all tired but knew we needed to get on the road early. About half way between the two cities, we stopped for breakfast. Amer ordered us a "village breakfast." We were each given small plates while bigger plates with various foods were put between us. The idea is take the bread that is provided to eat the different items such as melted goat cheese, a tomato and meet dish, fried eggs, olives, cherry jam, butter and honey. (A side note on the olives. I usually don't like olives but the ones in Turkey have the pit in them and are very good. Get your stuff together American "olives," if you can even call yourselves by that name.) Again çay was served and again we ate until the food was gone. We were back on the road and after about an hour we arrived at the CIMMYT institute in Eskisehir. We toured the campus that consits of green houses, the guest house where I am staying, the labs and offices and finally the restaurant. We had lunch at the restaurant and I got to meet some of the people I am going to work with. (I know it seems like all I do is eat. That is kind of true but the food here is amazing. Forget the freshman 15, I'm about to embark on the "Intern 20.") 

After lunch I was briefly introduced to the project some people are working on. I was put to work transferring rotting carrots that contain nematodes to petri dishes with a type of filter paper. The nematodes that are alive will swim through the paper and into the water, the dead ones wont. The alive nematodes will then be collected and used for experiments.

One of the best things about a science lab is how universal things are. They were using a filter that is similar to a Buchner funnel and a vacuum flask. (S/O to all of the students who took Organic Chem with Mr. Frese!) 

My luggage still hasn't arrived but El Finnish, (that is how it is pronounced. I'll get the actual spelling and introduce her and the others in a later post along with pictures) Fateh and took a very packed minibus to the city center to go shopping. I turns out that clothes are quite inexpensive in Turkey. I got a pair of jeans, shorts aren't allowed in the lab for obvious reasons, for 52 Turkish Lira, or about 25 USD. We also bought some food at a market for dinner during the week. Fateh loves to cook so this should be a treat. 

I start working tomorrow at 8 a.m. 

P.S. I'll most likely be a day (or two or three) behind in my postings.