I will be going abroad again. I am going to be staying in Bhubaneswar, Orissa to conduct my research for my capstone/service learning project (basically a thesis for my masters). I will be looking at the impact of neonatal infection, mainly sepsis, on childhood growth.  There is a new concept called ’infectobesity’ where an infection during the neonatal period can induce inflammation which in turn can be a causal factor for obesity. I will be visiting rural villages in Orissa to interview families of children who had an infection and a match control of those who did not have an infection.  My sample size will be small; therefore, I will be looking at trends as well. As I am preparing to leave for India, I can’t help but think of all the things I learned from living in Guinea, West Africa: patience, optimism, and open-mindedness.  I will try to post on this blog as much as I can throughout my time in India. I am very excited to get started, so stay tuned!