(Monday)
I apologize for not writing yesterday. It was a very long day for both Hannah and I. We left to visit Debre Zeit at 7 am and didn't get back to ILRI until 3:30. Some highlights of the day were posing in our lab coats and getting some pretty cool aesthetic pictures. I also tried injera yesterday, definitely not my favorite!
(Tuesday)
Today, though was a bit better of a day. Hannah and I went to breakfast as normal where I had my usual toast with strawberry jam and strawberries. Because it was Fourth of July, I decided to have another 'American' aspect too, pancakes!
After breakfast, Hannah and I made our way to the genetics building and took our spots at our desks. A few minutes later Olivier called me to his office. I sat down and he began to tell me that another scientist, Dr. Kefana, was going to stop by this afternoon to help me figure out my project. Olivier said that currently Kefana is working on African Dairy Genetic Gains. As for my project, I will go out to farmers in the Debre Zeit area and start collecting data on the milk productivity. There are several factors that affect milk production and it is up to me by the end of my project to figure out which breeds/crosses are producing the most. This is a just a small aspect of the African Dairy Genetic Gains. Olivier said eventually people will take blood samples that will be analyzed to see how the indigenous/exotic cross breeds are producing the best.
Hannah and I went to lunch and we both got chicken drumsticks and cubed potatoes. It was a more 'American' style dish that we both appreciated. We returned to our desks after lunch and I waited for Dr. Kefana to come and give me more detail about my project. It rained quite heavily in the meantime. It will probably get pretty cold tonight. Last night it was very, very cold. Like I could see my breath while outside because it was so cold.
After meeting with Dr. Kefana it looks like my project is finally settled out. I will be shadowing one of Dr. Kefana's data collectors one to hopefully two times a week in Debre Zeit. I will be doing what Dr. Olivier said I would, looking at the variations in milk productions for different breeds and different affecting factors. This makes me really excited because one, I'll be doing a cattle project and two, I'll get to see first hand smallholder dairy productions. We also planned to go to Debre Zeit this Friday so I can meet the data collector there and see exactly how things will be done.
As for the rest of the day, I will begin to work on my project abstract that is due to the World Food Prize Foundation by this Friday. I cannot wait to get started and I am really looking forward to having an understanding of the smallholder dairy production here in Ethiopia. I am also super, super excited that I finally have a project!
Today, though was a bit better of a day. Hannah and I went to breakfast as normal where I had my usual toast with strawberry jam and strawberries. Because it was Fourth of July, I decided to have another 'American' aspect too, pancakes!
After breakfast, Hannah and I made our way to the genetics building and took our spots at our desks. A few minutes later Olivier called me to his office. I sat down and he began to tell me that another scientist, Dr. Kefana, was going to stop by this afternoon to help me figure out my project. Olivier said that currently Kefana is working on African Dairy Genetic Gains. As for my project, I will go out to farmers in the Debre Zeit area and start collecting data on the milk productivity. There are several factors that affect milk production and it is up to me by the end of my project to figure out which breeds/crosses are producing the most. This is a just a small aspect of the African Dairy Genetic Gains. Olivier said eventually people will take blood samples that will be analyzed to see how the indigenous/exotic cross breeds are producing the best.
Hannah and I went to lunch and we both got chicken drumsticks and cubed potatoes. It was a more 'American' style dish that we both appreciated. We returned to our desks after lunch and I waited for Dr. Kefana to come and give me more detail about my project. It rained quite heavily in the meantime. It will probably get pretty cold tonight. Last night it was very, very cold. Like I could see my breath while outside because it was so cold.
After meeting with Dr. Kefana it looks like my project is finally settled out. I will be shadowing one of Dr. Kefana's data collectors one to hopefully two times a week in Debre Zeit. I will be doing what Dr. Olivier said I would, looking at the variations in milk productions for different breeds and different affecting factors. This makes me really excited because one, I'll be doing a cattle project and two, I'll get to see first hand smallholder dairy productions. We also planned to go to Debre Zeit this Friday so I can meet the data collector there and see exactly how things will be done.
As for the rest of the day, I will begin to work on my project abstract that is due to the World Food Prize Foundation by this Friday. I cannot wait to get started and I am really looking forward to having an understanding of the smallholder dairy production here in Ethiopia. I am also super, super excited that I finally have a project!
Cool pictures! Glad you are going to get started on your project. Should be interesting. Cool that you get to go to local farms.
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