An ideal country....

One of my best friends is from Cuba and she lives in Chile from 1998. She loves her country and she invited me because both need a nice holidays, but we don't have any time..... and I don't have money (this is the most important problem, jejejeje). She talk me about her family and about the Cuban people, which are very funny and happy. I'll like visit this country, but in winter there, because in summer, they have high temperature and humidity... That is not nice...

Another friend is doing her PhD thesis in France and she says me that I have a bedroom in her appartment. I'll like travel to France and to know another countries, like Spain or Italy. Maybe, in the future, I'll visit at my friend... who knows...

But I think that I need to know Chile also. I have visit only some cities in our country, like La Serena and Valle del Elqui in the north, and Concepción, Valdivia and Puerto Montt in the south. In the O'Higgins Region, where I came from, there are beautiful place that I don't know... Maybe I need start for visit my region, because is more cheap that a travel to Europe or Cuba, jejejejeje...

My work

I'm a biochemist, and I work in INIA La Platina, in the "Biotechnology Laboratory". From next year, I'm going to work in INIA Rayentué, in Rengo, in the "Fruticulture Advanced Studies Center (CEAF)". I'm part of a group of students who are doing our thesis in themes related to Prunus ("stone fruits").

In CEAF, I'm part of the Genomic and Breeding Areas and I'm going to work at Molecular Breeding in sweet cherries. Breeders (people who work in obtaining new varieties) are interested in the use of new technologies which give them the opportunity to know some characteristics of the tree or the fruit in early stages of development of the plant. My thesis is focused on the use of DNA from leaves and its analysis with molecular markers. These ones are DNA fragment which give us information about differences among plants, and they are very useful in Molecular Breeding. For example, we can detect plants which will produce big and sweet cherries, or that will be resistent to viruses or bacteria, although these plants are young and have only one pair of leaves.

I think that my work is very interesting and we will obtain very useful information for breeding in swett cherries, which are an important fruit for the Chilean economy.

Now, level 4...

Welcome to our new classmates! The previous group was very entertaining and I hope that we are a good group also. I learned a lot in the course, but I must improve the "listening tests"... I need more practice.

Last semester we wrote about various topics.... trips, a photo, movies, etc. Maybe this semester we can write about our family or friends, or about what we hope for our future... An important theme in september is the Bicentenary and the Chilean culture, our traditions, our foods... Maybe we can write about this topics, because we can give our opinion about the people in different parts of Chile, if we have traveled for our country... I love our country :)