Azorean student completes veterinary internship here
By KAREN BITNER Echo Pilot

Azorean student Sara Menezes spent 10 weeks in Greencastle at Franklin Veterinary Hospital earlier this year.

For centuries, the nine volcanic islands known as the Azores have been a way station to ships crossing the North Atlantic. But for a young veterinary intern visiting Franklin County this spring, the Azores are home. Sara Menezes, 23, came to Franklin Veterinary Hospital earlier this year, from the Azorean island of Terceira. Menezes is completing the last year of her veterinary training at the University of Évora in Portugal, and her internship here was part of the practicum for the program.

"My island has 55,000 people and 25,000 dairy cows," Menezes laughed. "So I'm here to learn more about dairy cows!" Menezes said she went to veterinary school thinking that she would work with pets and horses. "But during the five years of study I discovered I like dairy cows," she added. She explained that as a child she was really afraid of dogs, until her mother gave her a pet puppy when she was nine. "It turned out to be the best thing she could have done," Menezes said, noting that it led to her career choice.

Dairying in the Azores

In the Azores, Menezes noted, dogs are a significant part of dairy farming. "We don't keep the cows in barns; we use the grazing system and the dogs herd the cows," she said. She mentioned that one new breed of herding dog, the Barbado, has actually been developed within the last five years as a herding dog on the islands.

Menezes said that people in the Azores tend to have more mixed-breed pets. "People don't spend as much money on them either," she added. "In the Azores we don't have the diagnostic tools. Here you have all the machines; this is a very good clinic."

She explained that the Azores are a region of Portugal, and follow Portuguese laws and customs, although English is a second language for many residents. Menezes, who speaks fluent English, took English language classes from ages 8 to 17.

Located about 1500 km from the European coast and 3900 km from the North American coast, the Azores were discovered by the Portuguese navigator Diogo de Silves around 1427 and have long been a stopping point for transatlantic shipping. In 1493, Columbus stopped there on his return trip from the New World, and was briefly arrested after being mistaken for a pirate. Currently, Menezes' home island of Terceira has a large international airport, which includes a U.S. military base. "It's where Bush and Blair met to decide what to do with Iraq," she noted.

Menezes said the islands she calls home are temperate. "It's warmer than here; and not so hot nor so cold," she explained. "We can get very high humidity, though," she added. "We are in the middle of the ocean!" She added that she's enjoyed being in Pennsylvania. "It's very beautiful and it's very calm," she said. "Being here was kind of like a vacation."

Agood place to go

While here Menezes lived with the family of Dr. Jerry Harness, one of the veterinarians at the Franklin Veterinary Hospital. "One of my teachers had talked with Dr. Harness regarding work that he was doing several years ago," she said. "Then they had an e-mail exchange and two girls from the college came here two years ago, and recommended it, and that's how I knew it was a good place to go."

Harness said he and his wife Sunny have enjoyed hosting six foreign veterinary students over the past few years. "I really think it's a win-win situation," he said. "It gives us and our staff a chance to visit with folks from other countries and learn a little of their language and culture. And it's gratifying to see them come with fear and trepidation and leave with confidence and a much greater level of skill." He added that he believes many of the foreign students have left with changed beliefs about U.S. culture. "European opinions are largely formed by what they see on movies from Hollywood," he noted.

Harness added that he and his wife visited Portugal last year and spent a few days with each of the students they had previously hosted. "Each one took a few days and showed us their part of Portugal," he said. "We stayed in their homes and met their families."

Enjoyable time

Menezes, who has one older sister who has also visited the U.S., said her parents called frequently. She returned to the Azores on a direct flight from Boston just in time for an important Azorean festival. The Festival Sanjoaninas honors Saints Anthony, Peter and John, and is a high point in the calendar on Terceira. "It's a 10-day party," she smiled. "I specifically chose the timing to go back."

Menezes said she appreciated the valuable veterinary experience, and plans to write a report on her time here, which will be presented to her teachers prior to her graduation this fall. Then she'll begin her career as a veterinarian, and like students in America, concentrate on paying off her student loans and gaining expertise. Besides the experience working with animals here, Menezes said she enjoyed living with the Harness family and experiencing American culture. "All the people were really nice and I'm thankful to Dr. Harness for all the things he taught me and for having me in his home," she said. Menezes added that Harness and his wife made sure she had plenty of cultural experiences. "I had a five-night stay in New York City and every week they took me to see something, including State College where my sister had visited," she added. "I'm sure I'm going to miss these days."