This is the second installment in my Bringing VSI imaging to the Amazon of Peru blog series. You can review the introduction at: https://pegasuslectures.com/blog/2023/03/22/bringing-vsi-imaging-to-the-amazon-of-peru/
I woke up four minutes beforhttps://test.pegasuslectures.com/blog/2023/03/22/bringing-vsi-imaging-to-the-amazon-of-peru/e the 3:00 AM alarm would have blasted. Having a well-disciplined biological clock is definitely a blessing. I didn’t get to bed until close to midnight, as Pegasus Lectures monthly Office Hours was held that prior evening. (This is a FREE resource especially useful for students in school, people preparing for their registry, instructors, and anyone who wants to earn 1 hour CME credit as well.) Needless to say, I felt like more sleep would have been nice, but I was excited with the prospect of restarting this program in Peru, after a covid-induced 3-year hiatus. I arrived at the airport, waiting to catch the first leg of my trip, from Hartford to Miami, which was leaving at 6:00 AM.
I tried hard to finish everything needed before today, but as is usually the case, the list of tasks kept growing. It just seems like with each task completed, I would remember two or three more to add. In terms of the MIMAs work, I needed to review and revise the education plan and materials. The last time we delivered this content, we had worked with a different ultrasound system, using a much smaller transducer footprint. This necessitated changes to the Volume Scan Imaging (VSI) protocols. (Much more coming on VSI in future blogs.) We would now be using a system with a more conventionally-sized transducer footprint, which means fewer sweeps. However, this required the instructions to be updated to match the changes in equipment. Time to board.
Arriving at Miami Airport around 9:30 AM, the brightness within the Florida airport seemed so intense after getting off the plane that my eyes were overwhelmed. Through squinting eyes, I was shocked to see how many people were in the terminal; it seems like everyone wanted to travel today. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I have a three hour layover, so it’s time to get back to work revamping the VSI conventions.
Fast forward twelve+ hours. I just walked into my hotel room; it is now 10:21 pm. Reflecting on the day and fighting off my weariness.
My first reflection: recognized some major cultural differences while sitting on the plane in Miami. A majority of passengers were Hispanic. Immediately, I realized how much less “reserved” my fellow travelers were, compared to (north) American social conventions. People felt very comfortable striking up a conversation, asking for help lifting a bag, smiling at everyone, and even putting a hand on the shoulder of the person with whom they were speaking. It took only a few moments for me to drop the reserved attitude I have adopted over the years and revert back more to my innate (perhaps from my Italian roots) comfort with this level of interaction. There is no perception of something sinister or violating about a simple gesture that is culturally common, which seemed to express – “Hey, I am right here – I recognize you as a person who coexists in this world.” Even though I had my head buried in my computer and working the entire flight, the man sitting next to me turned to raise his glass as he stated with a slight accent, “To your health.” (“¡Salud!”)
The flight attendants (both male and female) seemed to truly enjoy their time working because of their interaction with passengers. They smiled, laughed, and invited laughing with them. The experience makes me think about how cultural differences develop. There are clearly different rules of appropriate decorum within different cultures.
Transitioning my narrative to the end of the flight, you can see a few of the pictures taken from the plane as we were close to landing. Recall that it is now summer and hot in Lima, and only 12-degrees south off the equator. I am guessing that is why the land appears so brown at this time.
Of course, it might also have to do with the fact that Lima is actually part of a desert coastal climate – so in reality I am not sure if this is year-round or because of the fact that it’s summer time.
You can also see from the pictures some of the poorer areas in these outskirts of the city.
Getting off the plane in summertime reminded me of the real world consequences of being so near the Earth’s equator. The air was very thick with humidity – and of course I was wearing long sleeves, having left from a cold, northeastern U.S. climate.
The customs process was simple and quick – maybe I just got lucky this time. But the whole process took less than 5 minutes. Interestingly, on the other side of the security checkpoint was a glitzy Duty-Free shop. You had no choice but to walk right through the shop, as the path to pick up your luggage went straight through the store with no alternate path. I took a few pictures, showing that there is no shortage of perfumes, colognes, sunglasses, liquor, etc. I guess some things are universal.
My bag was already waiting for me on the other side of Customs. One of my fellow passengers looked at me and said “Eres demasiado afortunado,” which even with my limited Spanish I understood as “You are too lucky” as to be able to walk out and pick up my bag directly without waiting.
When I walked out the door – I along with everyone else was swarmed by taxi drivers who wanted my patronage. Every step met with another potential driver.
I must admit, I was very appreciative that a vehicle to pick me up had already been arranged. There’s something reassuring about seeing your name on a placard and knowing someone knows who you are, and where you are going to next.
My driver’s name was Jairo. He was very happy to let me take his picture, knowing that he would become a “star” in my story.
My next reflection of the day’s travel was how not being completely fluent in a language makes you feel like a very young child. Perhaps a precocious three-year old? Maybe even that is too optimistic. Jairo wanted to speak to me during the 50 minute drive through city traffic. As it turns out, if I really focus, I can understand a fair amount of Spanish – but then I’m forced to respond with what seems like a vocabulary of 50 words and without knowledge of conjugations of the various tenses. I found myself using some Spanish, some Italian, and some English. Somehow, he understood the juvenile phrases I constructed – and then responded in full paragraphs, explaining to me his take on Peru’s current political unrest. He was incredibly patient and kind.
As we drove down El Circuito de playas de la Costa Verde (the “La Costa Verde” highway) approaching the Miraflores district, Jairo stopped when he saw that I was trying to take pictures out the car window. I believe he took pride in my appreciation of the scenic coastal highway overlooking the south Pacific Ocean. Looking at the picture, I can see that the camera did not appreciate the variance of the colors painting the sky. But you can get the basic idea if you just imagine the colors significantly more intense.
As referenced earlier, I reached the hotel around 10:00 PM. It was quite nice for how little it cost. I have included a few pictures here. I was pleased to have air conditioning and a beautiful little courtyard.
I look forward to sharing more of this journey with you soon. I hope you have enjoyed the story so far.
-Frank
Frank Miele, MSEE , President of Pegasus Lectures, Inc. Frank graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College with a triple major in physics, mathematics, and engineering. While at Dartmouth, he was a Proctor Scholar and received citations for academic excellence in comparative literature, atomic physics and quantum mechanics, and real analysis. Frank was a research and design engineer and project leader, designing ultrasound equipment and electronics for more than ten years at Hewlett Packard Company. As a designer of ultrasound, he has lectured across the country to sonographers, physicians, engineers and students on myriad topics.
