Week 4
- Mar 31
- 12 min read
Updated: Apr 1
Following last week’s extensive summary and busy itinerary, this week was more relaxed though ends with a lovely London surprise!! :)
Day 27/ March 24, 2026
In class with Dr Charles, we reviewed organelle functions and compartmentalization within cells. After class I joined my group to discuss our poster project. We are expected to produce a poster about X Linked Hypophosphataemia related to a hypothetical case study we were assigned. My role within the group is to connect symptoms to the mutation. For context, mutations in chromosome X p22 contribute to PHEX protein dysfunction typically associated with degradation of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) in bone cells. The mutated PHEX protein is unable to degrade FGF23 leading to elevated levels in circulation. The core mechanism of disease follows binding of excess FGF23 to fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) and co-receptor alpha Klotho in proximal tubule cells of the kidney. Once activated, this pathway in turn suppresses sodium-phosphate cotransporters NaPi-Ila and NaPi-IIc (via MAPK/ERK signaling) decreasing the reabsorption of phosphate. Then an excerpt from my section: Low levels of phosphate have detrimental effects on bone mineralization and density. In healthy individuals, calcium binds with phosphate to form hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) which hardens osteoid in growing bones. Hypophosphataemia results in low levels of hydroxyapatite, so osteoid is unmineralized, growth plates have widened and frayed metaphases, and bones are softened (osteomalacia). The osteomalacia and signature rickets bowing of legs are resulting symptoms of this process. (Giampiero Igli Baroncelli and Stefano Mora, 2021, X-Linked Hypophosphatemic Rickets: Multisystemic Disorder in Children Requiring Multidisciplinary Management)
Following the group meeting, I went to lab and discussed the findings from the UV experiment with Nicolas. He showed me the plates which had comparable growth across all time points suggesting a higher tolerance to UV exposure. Aparna then stopped by and Eiber helped us take photos for Learn Chile, a partnership between several institutions within Chile to encourage and support international students interested in studying here. You can learn more about the group through their website here: https://www.learnchile.cl/quienes-somos/.
Eiber was spending the afternoon performing a CFU (colony forming unit) study to assess the efficiency and viability of a new bacteria sample. I joined him and produced a replicate for comparison. We performed 8 series of 10 fold dilutions of the bacteria culture to get five test concentrations of 1/1000, 1/10,000, 1/100,000, 1/1,000,000, 1/10,000,000. We plated the dilutions and put them in a passive, room temperature water bath incubator overnight.
Day 28/ March 25, 2026
I spent the morning contacting authors from various Atacama related papers to request PDFs to their respective publications. Often scientific journals have a subscription fee to access which can be waived via institutional access, something I currently do not have. However, contacting the scientists directly can always be worth a try!
With no WiFi on the school campus or at home (technical difficulties this week), I opted to take matters into my own hands and walked to an Entel store to discuss options for a home router. Unfortunately this is something which requires a RUT. I headed back to campus to check the CFU plates for Eiber before heading to my Wednesday night lab practical.
This week to supplement our learning about osmosis and permeability, we looked at changes in plant cells, elodea leaf, after being submerged in isotonic (0.9% NaCl), hypotonic (diH2O), and hypertonic solutions (20% NaCl). Shown in the photos below, the salinity of the solutions influenced the flow of water across the cell membrane in some cases shrinking the cell and in others engorging the cell membrane resulting in stretching of the cell wall. Can you guess which one is which?
Answer: First photo = hypertonic, second photo = isotonic, third photo = hypotonic
Afterwards I took a quick trip to the climbing gym and cheffed up some tomato pasta for dinner.
Day 29/ March 26, 2o26
First thing on Thursday morning I walked over to Jumbo for birthday supplies. Shortly after I headed to the Civil Registry for my third attempt to receive a RUT… success!!! I was so relieved!!
The sense of accomplishment certainly added a pep to my step as I scurried to the lab for Cynthia’s birthday celebrations. We shared snacks and juice and talked about birthday traditions, favorite snacks and more!
I popped out for a quick jog in the evening and enjoyed a new route along Costanera park. Even saw some huasos wearing chupallas!
Day 30/March 27, 2026
Flu vaccine clinic!! As winter approaches Talca, so does flu season. There was a free clinic on campus so I went with the rest of the lab. We entered a classroom which had been repurposed for the event, signed our name on a waiting list and within five minutes took our turn in the chair. There was also a free general health check station. You could check your height and weight and briefly discuss lifestyle habits/family health history. In return, you were given a pamphlet on general health guidance, and in some cases given a slip to receive a more thorough examination at the local health center. It was really interesting to see the unique guidance! For example, local commodities of avocado and honey were mentioned explicitly in the food discussion section.
After everyone was done, we returned to the lab and started our big clean out! A refresh and reset ensures accurate inventory, a more organized lab space, and a safer environment overall, all contributors to better science. I worked through the chemicals cabinet with Cathe and Cynthia. Aylin did some dishes and tidying up. Nicolas did a bit of everything! It was a team effort and the space showed it after.
I headed to the enterprise car rental place at 4pm and was then on my way to Santiago… AMBER TIME!! Amber guided me to the parking area as I pulled in to the hotel at 7:45pm. We did a quick bag drop in the room then went to Ciudad Vieja for dinner in the Bella Vista area. I had some pastel de choclo while Amber had a mechada sandwich and we wittered away… always so much catching up to do!! :))
We walked back to the hotel and crashed.
Day 31/ March 28, 2026
On Saturday morning we woke up, had a quick breakfast at the hotel then hit the road towards Valparaíso. The traffic was smooth and steady en route though there was a stray dog in the middle of the highway at one point! I was able to swerve and avoid it, but it certainly shook the both of us. We pulled into the city right around 10:15am, accidentally went the wrong way down a one way (oops!), then pulled into a parking garage in the Puerto area where we stashed the car for the day. We perused the colorful streets of the Cerro Concepcion area before snagging a coffee at WIP Coffee to pause and read more about the city.
Valparaíso was founded in the mid-1500s by conquistador Juan de Saavedra who named it after his birthplace in Spain. It gradually became a major port for boats to stop in during travel around Cape Horn with peak productivity in the early 19th century and official recognition as a city in 1802. Though still a hub, the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 greatly reduced the traffic in Valparaíso. In 2003 the city was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
We continued to wander up past the Cerro Playa Ancha area passing Plaza Sotomayor, the National Maritime Museum, and the scenic Paseo 21 de Mayo lookout.
With so much art to take in, there’s for sure a lot of symbols which pass us by. Though we did manage to learn a bit about the Selk'nam silhouettes. Depicted in all kinds of Chilean artwork, this figure represents the painted men from Hain initiation rites, with headdresses, striped red/white body markings, and elongated forms. They symbolize indigenous Tierra del Fuego heritage and cultural revival in murals and crafts.
We then looped back towards the Concepcion area past the Navy yard and Battery Esmerelda 1879 Museum. With some AI help from Perplexity here: The Battle of Iquique (21 May 1879) was a naval clash in the War of the Pacific where the Peruvian ironclad Huáscar sank the Chilean wooden corvette Esmeralda off the port of Iquique. The Chilean captain, Arturo Prat, died in a heroic attempt to board the enemy ship, and his crew kept the Chilean flag flying as the Esmeralda went down. Though Chile lost the battle, Prat and the Esmeralda became powerful national symbols, and 21 May is now a major Chilean naval holiday.
We stopped for lunch in Casa Verde located on the quaint Pasaje Gálvez. Amber enjoyed the arroz de marisco daily special while I chowed down some mechada gnocchi and sipped on a cherry blossom cocktail (so yummy though I have no clue what was in it!). We got the check and said thank you to the host, a friendly local who was so excited to hear Amber’s accent and made it clear ‘I love your english!’
We then boarded the train to neighboring city Viña del Mar. We had a quick coffee, walked along the beach, dipped our toes in the sea (Amber has such incredible temperature tolerance! Cold plunging has worked some magic for her!), and admired the artisanal products for sale along the coastal sidewalk. By then, it was time to return to the car and drive back to Santiago.
We stopped at the hotel for a shower and change then went out for a wander. We passed through the Italia area which had SO much life happening. Restaurants with outdoor seating were full, live street performers were singing and dancing and shops were busy with weekend traffic. We settled into a spot at Pizza Argentina and promptly devoured the thick soft slices. I sipped on an APA Michelada style (your choice of beer, in this case mine was an American Pale Ale, with lemon juice and a salted rim). Some more wandering led us to Montana gelato. After a short wait in line, we had our fill and went to bed!
Day 32/ March 29, 2026
The alarm went off at 6:30am and we were promptly up and dressed for a morning sunrise walk up Cerro San Cristobal. Though a few runners passed us on their way down, we had the trail mostly to ourselves! At the top there were some cyclists finishing their morning rides and workers preparing for the day. We sat on the steps and chatted as the sky cleared.
Back at the hotel we grabbed a quick breakfast, showered, and checked out for the day. We walked through Plaza de Armas and enjoyed a coffee at Mingus Cafe hidden inside the courtyard to the Museum of Sound.
We arrived at our main destination for the day, the Museum of Memory and Human Rights, just before 12:30pm.
An excerpt about the museum taken from the website:
“ABOUT THE MUSEUM
The Museum of Memory and Human Rights seeks to draw attention to human rights violations committed by the Chilean state between 1973 and 1990. Its mission is to allow dignity for victims and their families, stimulate reflection and debate and to promote respect and tolerance in order that these events never happen again.
It is a Bicentennial project, inaugurated on January 2010, by then President Bachelet. Its purpose is to promote educational initiatives that enhance knowledge and consideration. Its location, on Matucana Street, is also part of an ongoing effort to promote the cultural circuit of Santiago’s West Side.
Through objects, documents and archives presented in different settings and formats, as well as an innovative sight and sound presentation, it is possible to learn part of this history: the military coup, the repression that took place in the following years, the resistance movement, exile, international solidarity, reparation policies, among other issues.
The archives’ patrimony includes oral and written testimonies, legal documents, letters, tales, literary production, press clips, visual and radio material, feature films, historical material and documentary photos.
Its spaces for temporary exhibitions, its 8,000 square meter plaza, the auditorium and the public art pieces that are part of the architecture are intended to transform the Museum into a high profile cultural institution in Santiago.”
I am quite embarrassed to admit that until visiting the museum, I had no understanding for the extent of U.S. involvement in what is considered to be the darkest time in Chilean history. It is hard to put into words the various feelings that the museum evoked. Confusion, sadness, disappointment, guilt. It was especially sobering to see the other visitors, many of whom were my parents age, that remember the whole dictatorship period from having lived through it entirely. In an attempt to provide some background information, Chile endured a devastating military coup on September 11, 1973, when General Augusto Pinochet's forces bombed the presidential palace, La Moneda, and ousted democratically elected socialist President Salvador Allende amid deep economic turmoil and political division. The U.S., driven by President Richard Nixon's fears of socialism, poured millions into CIA-backed efforts (propaganda, strikes, and economic sabotage) to undermine Allende. These actions paved the way for the coup, and afterward, the U.S. propped up the new regime. Pinochet's brutal 17-year dictatorship followed, killing over 3,000, torturing over 38,000 and forcing over 200,000 dissidents into exile. This lasted until the 1988 plebiscite finally ushered in democracy.
Pinochet never served prison time for his regime's human rights crimes, despite facing numerous indictments, house arrests (like in 2000 and 2005), and over 300 unresolved cases by his death. He stepped down as president in 1990 after losing a plebiscite but clung to power as army commander-in-chief until 1998, then as a senator-for-life (a position he created) until health issues forced his resignation in 2002. He died in 2006 at 91, evading full accountability.
The museum has carefully curated newspaper clippings, interviews with survivors, artifacts from over 1000 detention centers located throughout Chile and more. To close this section, I wanted to link to Allende’s last speech, which he recorded from within La Moneda as it was under fire.
“Surely this will be the last opportunity I will have to address myself to you. The air force has bombed the towers of Radio Portales and Radio Corporacion. My words do not come out of bitterness, but rather deception, that they may be the moral punishment for those who betrayed the oath they took as soldiers of Chile, titular commanders in chief … Admiral Merino, who has self-designated himself commander of the armada … Mr. Mendoza, the callous general who only yesterday declared his loyalty to the government, has been named director-general of the carabineros [Chilean National Police].
In the face of these facts, the only thing left for me to say to the workers: I will not resign! Placed in a historical transition, I will pay with my life for the loyalty of the People. I say to you that I have the assurance that the seed that we plant in the dignified consciousnesses of thousands and thousands of Chileans cannot be forever crushed.
They have the power, they can smash us, but the social processes are not detained, neither with crimes, nor with power. History is ours, and the People will make it.
Workers of my country: I want to thank you for the loyalty which you always have shown, the trust which you placed in a man who was only the interpreter of the great desires of justice, who gave his word that he would respect the Constitution and the law, and that I did.
In this definitive moment, the last thing which I can say to you is that I hope you will learn this lesson: foreign capital, imperialism united with reaction, created the climate for the armed forces to break with their tradition, that of General Schneider, and which Commander Araya reaffirmed, a victim of the same social sector which today finds them in their houses, waiting to retake power, by strange hands, to continue defending their huge estates and privileges.
I address myself above all to the modest woman of our land, to the peasant woman who believed in us, to the working woman who worked more, to the mother who knew of our concern for her children. I address myself to the professionals, to those who were working against the auspicious sedition carried out by the professional schools, schools of class which also defend the advantages which capitalist society gives them.
I address myself to the youth, to those who sang, who gave their joy and spirit to the struggle. I address myself to the Chilean man: to the worker, the peasant, the intellectual, to those who will be persecuted because fascism has already been present in our country for many hours: those terrorist actions which blew up bridges, cutting railway lines, destroying oil and gas pipelines, in the face of the silence of those who had the obligation of pronouncing themselves. History will judge them.
Probably Radio Magallenes will be silenced, and the calm metal of my voice will not reach you: it does not matter. You will continue to hear me, I will always be beside you or at least my memory will be that of dignified man, that of a man who was loyal. Workers of my country: I have faith in Chile and in her destiny. Other men will overcome this grey and bitter moment where treason tries to impose itself. May you continue to know that much sooner than later the great avenues through which free men will pass to build a better society will open.
Long live Chile! Long live the People! Long live the Workers!; these are my last words. I am sure that my sacrifice will not be in vain; I am sure that it will at least be a moral lesson which will punish felony, cowardice and treason.”
Translated from the Spanish by the Common Front For Latin America (COFFLA)
To listen to the speech in full, click here: https://www.marxists.org/archive/allende/1973/september/11.htm
We left with so much new information to process and opted to circle back to the lively Maipú street nearby for lunch at Espacio Gargola. I had more gnocchi with a lemonade while Amber had some baked empanadas, and we shared an artichoke salad.
Shortly after we accidentally came across the bustling Sunday market on Esperanza where we took in all the smells, sounds, and sights. It was hot!! Just the short walk past La Moneda required a quick coffee stop to cool down. The ginger espresso and cannelle from R3Coffee hit the spot!
Finally we hid under the canopy of the trees in Cerro Saint Lucía park. The 360 city view atop the mirador was a perfect way to end the day.
We then walked back to the hotel to collect the car. Amber checked into her hostel while I drove back to Talca.
Chau! Thank you for coming along! :)
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