This is probably the last post I'll do until the end of the weekend, I have a very exciting next few days that just recently developed!!
James and I spent most of Monday night trying to figure out our Belfast plans for this weekend. Between figuring out hostels and how many people were ACTUALLY going with us turned into a pretty big pain in the arse if I say so myself. But after 2 hours of slow internet and James and I working through what we were going to do this weekend, we figured it out and were able to book a hostel for the 7 of us for both Friday and Saturday night. Grand!!
The next day (Tuesday) was the meeting with first meeting with my PI, Robert. It went great, I answered some very basic questions such as "Does Elaine keep you busy" and "Are you looking forward to the next few weeks". Yes to both of course. Then he asked if I wanted to go to Belfast this weekend with my mentor. Which of course I also said yes to. Which means my original holiday is being extended by 2 days... excellent!! And it's paid for by Robert... even better. For the next 4 days, I will be exploring Northern Ireland a bit.
Today was a bit of boring an a bit of fun. Lab results aren't coming in as fast as they were the first 2 weeks, and I'm sitting around quite a bit waiting for things such as DNA to react with chemicals so I can detect it. Following the morning of bad results, I went to a meeting with the other UREKA's (as we are now called) where I learned that I have to do a 20 pg. paper, 2 pg. paper, 1 pg. reflection, a poster, and a power point presentation at the end of my internship. The papers are due August 27, the week I'm supposed to be traveling Europe. Joy. I think I'll talk to Aoife and see if I can get that extended until when I get back to the U.S.
Following this, the day got a bit better with some soccer/football/footie/BEST SPORT EVER. I was super excited to play and it felt great to run around and touch the ball. We played some 5 on 5, and I managed to score some goals of my own. It started to rain, which my overly exerted body didn't mind, and by the end there were some pretty funny slips and slides happening all around. Oliver managed to slide still standing with John megging him between the legs.
Today I also did the dreaded task of laundry. I hate laundry... everyone knows in Santa Barbara I always go home, and my mom helps me do it (or does it for me... thanks mom!!!) 6 euros for one wash and dry, I opted out of the dry and currently have clothes surrounding me: on my bedpost, on top of my dresser, in my bathroom... I'll use those 3 euros for something more important.
I have to go to bed, off to Belfast!!! Another post on Sunday or Monday. Have a great 4th of July, save me some good BBQ please :)
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Who says it rains in Ireland??
It's been another wonderful week here, sorry I haven't posted in a while! I've been out and about, exploring more of Ireland and all that fun jazz...
This last week at the internship was fairly relaxed. We are making great progress, Elaine likes all of the work that has we have been able to accomplish. This Tuesday I have a meeting with my professor... dun dun dun!!! Don't know exactly how I feel about that. John (the master's student in my lab) says it's AWFUL but I think he's just messing around with me. Robert is so nice I couldn't imagine it being that bad. Plus, I do have somewhat of an idea of what I'm doing (electrode in this, put gold on it, measure it's current vs. potential jada jada jada).
Now the exciting stuff!!!
Last week we headed to Phoenix Park, the biggest public park in Europe and conveniently located right in Dublin! It contains the Dublin Zoo as well which is supposed to pretty neat, but it was closed by the time we got there. We chose to walk there thanks to James's bright thinking instead of taking the bus, and let me tell you it was quite a walk! We walked along the Liffey, the main river through Dublin. When we arrived, I was so exhausted I plopped down right in front of the monument and started looking up places I wanted to travel in Ireland.
There are soo many places, I didn't find anywhere particularly grabbing but we decided to head to Belfast (up North) this coming weekend.
On Thursday my mentor invited me to dinner with all the chemistry PhD students which I would later learn means a 5 course meal followed by drinking a lot and chilling out in the hot tub. I had a great time and an awesome meal which consisted of things such as smoked salmon and pureed prawns, followed by a sorbet to "cleanse my pallet" (whoa... Top Chef status for sure), roast beef and potatoes, and then two delicious desserts: apple crumble and a lemon pie. All of this is homemade by the way... like by hand. We then proceeded to have a few drinks. I was so full from the dinner, I literally couldn't drink that much alcohol. Elaine's boyfriend stated that I had a lot of learning to do, but not to worry because he would help me get there :) Elaine warmly said I fit in wonderfully in the Irish culture, which I thought was very kind given my poor performance in the alcohol drinking. Thanks to this lovely barbeque, there was no work for me on Friday! Thank goodness for sleep.
The next day was the chemistry barbeque. Over a hundred people from the chemistry department were there, but I generally hung around with John and some other UREKA students.
We then went to IKEA which James was super excited about, he had been wanting to go since we got here. We spent 80 euros for essentials that our apartment was missing such as a big pot which will be essential for the Irish stew we plan on cooking (oh yeah James had unofficially moved in. He brought over everything he had bought for his apartment, and eats with us and helps us cook every night. He just sleeps in the other place, which we all don't mind at all.)
That night after cooking some dinner we decided that we would stay in so we could wake up early and head to the Guinness factory!
The Guinness factory was wonderful. They have transformed the old brewery storehouse into a place where you can get a taste for how the beer is made. It is designed in the shape of a pint glass, the largest in the world. I learned quite a bit about the history of Guinness, which was all interesting. Most notable was that Arthur Guinness signed the lease of the current location of the factory for 9000 years. He was that confident that his idea would be successful. And boy was he right. Also, the GUINNESS Book of World Records is from the Guinness factory. One of the brewers was drinking beer and wondered what was the fastest bird in the world. No one had ever made a book about that, and he though it would be great to have to talk about while having a drink or two. And the GUINNESS book of world records was born!
The gravity bar on top of the factory was where you could enjoy your pint of Guinness and a 360 view of Dublin. It was quite awesome, being up there sipping on a beer and overlooking the city. I enjoyed it greatly. I've also included a video below of us drinking our Guinness and how they were enjoying it.
After that we headed to Dublin castle and several churches located throughout Dublin. All were beautiful especially the surrounding gardens.
The Natural History Museum followed. It was supposed to be absolutely amazing, but several exhibits were closed due to renovation. The best part was the first skeleton of the Irish deer. It's antlers were HUGE. Sooo big. We then headed home.
Jussi made us Finnish food that night for Midsummer's Day, a holiday in Finland celebrating the longest day of the year. He made meatballs, potatoes, salad, and an excellent pancake like dessert. It was all so good. I salivate just looking at the pictures...
During this time the USA vs. Ghana game was on. I was an absolute nutcase running back and forth from dinner to the game streaming live on my computer. Laetitia was laughing at me (at least USA made it out of their pool ;) but I really really wanted the USA to win (didn't we all!!) Until next time...
Then time for a night out!! Another great night, this time we decided to drink a bit more in the apartment before heading out so we wouldn't have to spend so much money on alcohol while out. And it worked out wonderfully!! My drink of choice right now: Bulmer's apple cider. It is so good, but I have to be careful because I could literally drink it like apple juice. It was a lovely night with great friends. Michelle says my irish accent is coming along smoothly especially when I say "grand". I hope to have it perfected by the time I come home :)
Today (Sunday) James and I woke up despite our late night, sucked up the slight hangovers, and headed to Glendalough by a private bus. Even the drive was beautiful, though I was trying to stay awake. Everyone told us it was supposed to rain today, but everyone's been saying that for the last two weeks, and still no rain! Only wonderful Irish sun, kissing my skin trying to live up to the sun in wonderful California.
It is a valley known for it's monastery (very old I might add, the church was built in the 1200s!)
We hiked around the lakes and up to the top of the ridge. Sooooo many steps, but well worth the effort, the view was absolutely amazing. We were trying to figure out what made this valley so beautiful, and we decided that it's because it looks untouched. You would have no idea that humans were anywhere around. I felt like I was on the Sound of Music on top of the mountain. If James weren't there with me, I probably would have started singing "The Hills are Alive". We also decided that no pictures could put into words what it was like, but that it was the best we could do for the people at home. Here are some pictures of the valley:
After all of that walking and hiking around (in flip flops for that matter!) we slept the entire bus ride back to Dublin. What a day...
All is well, as you can see from my long blog. I'll try to update this a bit more often, doing it all at once, once a week is quite daunting and I can't include important details that I want to because it would make it so long. Also James is doing a blog... he has a lot of pictures on there that I don't have, so if you want to read another person's perspective and see some more pictures, check out his blog. There's a link on my facebook.
Things I've noticed recently:
1)can't buy knives in Ireland unless you are 21 because they are afraid you would inflict bodily harm... keep those away from me!!
2) Braid (like hair)=plat
3) tire=tyre
I am still having a wonderful time, and I don't think that's going to change. This week I hope to play some soccer (football) and James is cooking pancakes for a Canadian holiday. I'll be back on here soon...
This last week at the internship was fairly relaxed. We are making great progress, Elaine likes all of the work that has we have been able to accomplish. This Tuesday I have a meeting with my professor... dun dun dun!!! Don't know exactly how I feel about that. John (the master's student in my lab) says it's AWFUL but I think he's just messing around with me. Robert is so nice I couldn't imagine it being that bad. Plus, I do have somewhat of an idea of what I'm doing (electrode in this, put gold on it, measure it's current vs. potential jada jada jada).
Now the exciting stuff!!!
Last week we headed to Phoenix Park, the biggest public park in Europe and conveniently located right in Dublin! It contains the Dublin Zoo as well which is supposed to pretty neat, but it was closed by the time we got there. We chose to walk there thanks to James's bright thinking instead of taking the bus, and let me tell you it was quite a walk! We walked along the Liffey, the main river through Dublin. When we arrived, I was so exhausted I plopped down right in front of the monument and started looking up places I wanted to travel in Ireland.
There are soo many places, I didn't find anywhere particularly grabbing but we decided to head to Belfast (up North) this coming weekend.
On Thursday my mentor invited me to dinner with all the chemistry PhD students which I would later learn means a 5 course meal followed by drinking a lot and chilling out in the hot tub. I had a great time and an awesome meal which consisted of things such as smoked salmon and pureed prawns, followed by a sorbet to "cleanse my pallet" (whoa... Top Chef status for sure), roast beef and potatoes, and then two delicious desserts: apple crumble and a lemon pie. All of this is homemade by the way... like by hand. We then proceeded to have a few drinks. I was so full from the dinner, I literally couldn't drink that much alcohol. Elaine's boyfriend stated that I had a lot of learning to do, but not to worry because he would help me get there :) Elaine warmly said I fit in wonderfully in the Irish culture, which I thought was very kind given my poor performance in the alcohol drinking. Thanks to this lovely barbeque, there was no work for me on Friday! Thank goodness for sleep.
The next day was the chemistry barbeque. Over a hundred people from the chemistry department were there, but I generally hung around with John and some other UREKA students.
We then went to IKEA which James was super excited about, he had been wanting to go since we got here. We spent 80 euros for essentials that our apartment was missing such as a big pot which will be essential for the Irish stew we plan on cooking (oh yeah James had unofficially moved in. He brought over everything he had bought for his apartment, and eats with us and helps us cook every night. He just sleeps in the other place, which we all don't mind at all.)
That night after cooking some dinner we decided that we would stay in so we could wake up early and head to the Guinness factory!
The Guinness factory was wonderful. They have transformed the old brewery storehouse into a place where you can get a taste for how the beer is made. It is designed in the shape of a pint glass, the largest in the world. I learned quite a bit about the history of Guinness, which was all interesting. Most notable was that Arthur Guinness signed the lease of the current location of the factory for 9000 years. He was that confident that his idea would be successful. And boy was he right. Also, the GUINNESS Book of World Records is from the Guinness factory. One of the brewers was drinking beer and wondered what was the fastest bird in the world. No one had ever made a book about that, and he though it would be great to have to talk about while having a drink or two. And the GUINNESS book of world records was born!
The gravity bar on top of the factory was where you could enjoy your pint of Guinness and a 360 view of Dublin. It was quite awesome, being up there sipping on a beer and overlooking the city. I enjoyed it greatly. I've also included a video below of us drinking our Guinness and how they were enjoying it.
After that we headed to Dublin castle and several churches located throughout Dublin. All were beautiful especially the surrounding gardens.
The Natural History Museum followed. It was supposed to be absolutely amazing, but several exhibits were closed due to renovation. The best part was the first skeleton of the Irish deer. It's antlers were HUGE. Sooo big. We then headed home.
Jussi made us Finnish food that night for Midsummer's Day, a holiday in Finland celebrating the longest day of the year. He made meatballs, potatoes, salad, and an excellent pancake like dessert. It was all so good. I salivate just looking at the pictures...
During this time the USA vs. Ghana game was on. I was an absolute nutcase running back and forth from dinner to the game streaming live on my computer. Laetitia was laughing at me (at least USA made it out of their pool ;) but I really really wanted the USA to win (didn't we all!!) Until next time...
Then time for a night out!! Another great night, this time we decided to drink a bit more in the apartment before heading out so we wouldn't have to spend so much money on alcohol while out. And it worked out wonderfully!! My drink of choice right now: Bulmer's apple cider. It is so good, but I have to be careful because I could literally drink it like apple juice. It was a lovely night with great friends. Michelle says my irish accent is coming along smoothly especially when I say "grand". I hope to have it perfected by the time I come home :)
Today (Sunday) James and I woke up despite our late night, sucked up the slight hangovers, and headed to Glendalough by a private bus. Even the drive was beautiful, though I was trying to stay awake. Everyone told us it was supposed to rain today, but everyone's been saying that for the last two weeks, and still no rain! Only wonderful Irish sun, kissing my skin trying to live up to the sun in wonderful California.
It is a valley known for it's monastery (very old I might add, the church was built in the 1200s!)
We hiked around the lakes and up to the top of the ridge. Sooooo many steps, but well worth the effort, the view was absolutely amazing. We were trying to figure out what made this valley so beautiful, and we decided that it's because it looks untouched. You would have no idea that humans were anywhere around. I felt like I was on the Sound of Music on top of the mountain. If James weren't there with me, I probably would have started singing "The Hills are Alive". We also decided that no pictures could put into words what it was like, but that it was the best we could do for the people at home. Here are some pictures of the valley:
After all of that walking and hiking around (in flip flops for that matter!) we slept the entire bus ride back to Dublin. What a day...
All is well, as you can see from my long blog. I'll try to update this a bit more often, doing it all at once, once a week is quite daunting and I can't include important details that I want to because it would make it so long. Also James is doing a blog... he has a lot of pictures on there that I don't have, so if you want to read another person's perspective and see some more pictures, check out his blog. There's a link on my facebook.
Things I've noticed recently:
1)can't buy knives in Ireland unless you are 21 because they are afraid you would inflict bodily harm... keep those away from me!!
2) Braid (like hair)=plat
3) tire=tyre
I am still having a wonderful time, and I don't think that's going to change. This week I hope to play some soccer (football) and James is cooking pancakes for a Canadian holiday. I'll be back on here soon...
Monday, June 21, 2010
Fire alarm and dinner... pizza!!
Today was a normal day for me. I woke up at 9 and had some breakfast. I was at work by 10, and then went for some coffee with my mentor. I did some work depositing gold on electrodes and went to lunch at 1 with all of the DiaMonD students. The weather is still AMAZING so we ate outside (I got a sun burn in Ireland!! Who woulda thought haha) Went back to work at 2, did more work with those same electrodes, trying to take the gold off. Got off at 5, walked home. Walked to the grocery store which is pretty far away and bought stuff for dinner (pizza!!) Walked back. Hung out a bit around the apartment. Made dinner. Talked with my housemates plus James and Olivier. And here I am!!! Here's a few pictures of us making dinner... Jussi is trying to make the pizza Italian style, I'm just glad it didn't fall on the floor!
Laetitia attempted to make her lemon pie. It didn't turn out how she expected but we still ate it :)
Jussi and I making the pizza. The fire alarm went off for a second, but luckily dinner still tasted excellent!
Until tomorrow. Blogs might be scarce over the next few days, not much will be happening because I'll be working a lot.
Laetitia attempted to make her lemon pie. It didn't turn out how she expected but we still ate it :)
Jussi and I making the pizza. The fire alarm went off for a second, but luckily dinner still tasted excellent!
Until tomorrow. Blogs might be scarce over the next few days, not much will be happening because I'll be working a lot.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Here's to the wonderful weather in Ireland
My first weekend has past and I'm having a hard time going into the lab tomorrow! It has been wonderful just hanging out with friends for the past 2 days...
Yesterday we headed back into Dublin for some more touristy things. David, one of the Irish guys in our program, met us in the city and gave us a bit of a tour. We first went to Trinity College, a gorgeous looking college that looks and is 100s of years old! The college is unbelievable and I kept on telling David how I couldn't believe he actually went to school there. Some pictures:
This next picture looks like a bunch of grass, which it is. David said that you can't lay on the grass. If you do, the security guard will come around and yell at you to get off the grass with a megaphone! There is also a park that we were hanging out at where the guards told us to get off the grass... madness. This is also a game of cricket being played. I have no idea what was going on :)
There was also a mind game that measured the amount of brain waves. You could either relax or think really hard. I failed miserably. I couldn't relax at all. Here is a picture of James and Luke giving it a try:
Trinity also had a science interactive center. One spot measured the speed of your football kick. I made it onto the women's high leaders board with 72 kph :) This is a picture of Olivier (Laetitia's friend from France):
We then went to a street performer festival happening in Dublin. It was a typical street festival with performances and food, but was very enjoyable. After this we headed to a local restaurant and I had some Irish stew! It was excellent, and I kinda want to learn how to make some.
That night we had pre drinks at my apartment and then headed to a night club on the outskirts of Dublin City that Stephen (another one of the Irish students) knew about. It was great, except for the drinks were sooo expensive! Can only do that every once in a while. But I had a wonderful time with some great people.
Today the weather was GORGEOUS. I had on shorts and a blouse and was still warm. Sooo we headed to the beach! It was different from the beach at home, the sand was not soft at all but the water wasn't as cold as I expected. We lounged, played some soccer and walked out on the pier. James took tons of photos (like tons... every time we were waiting for someone it was him because he was taking a picture)! I hope I got a tan started because they say this kind of weather won't last long.
Soccer (or football) on the beach:
A beautiful view from the pier:
Stephen and James (with his camera of course):
A start to a great summer!!
Lovin' it here, and making great friends. More to come, I miss everyone back home (and I miss being able to watch TV shows! They won't let me watch ABC or anything on my computer because I'm not in America :()
<3 Breeze
Yesterday we headed back into Dublin for some more touristy things. David, one of the Irish guys in our program, met us in the city and gave us a bit of a tour. We first went to Trinity College, a gorgeous looking college that looks and is 100s of years old! The college is unbelievable and I kept on telling David how I couldn't believe he actually went to school there. Some pictures:
This next picture looks like a bunch of grass, which it is. David said that you can't lay on the grass. If you do, the security guard will come around and yell at you to get off the grass with a megaphone! There is also a park that we were hanging out at where the guards told us to get off the grass... madness. This is also a game of cricket being played. I have no idea what was going on :)
There was also a mind game that measured the amount of brain waves. You could either relax or think really hard. I failed miserably. I couldn't relax at all. Here is a picture of James and Luke giving it a try:
Trinity also had a science interactive center. One spot measured the speed of your football kick. I made it onto the women's high leaders board with 72 kph :) This is a picture of Olivier (Laetitia's friend from France):
We then went to a street performer festival happening in Dublin. It was a typical street festival with performances and food, but was very enjoyable. After this we headed to a local restaurant and I had some Irish stew! It was excellent, and I kinda want to learn how to make some.
That night we had pre drinks at my apartment and then headed to a night club on the outskirts of Dublin City that Stephen (another one of the Irish students) knew about. It was great, except for the drinks were sooo expensive! Can only do that every once in a while. But I had a wonderful time with some great people.
Today the weather was GORGEOUS. I had on shorts and a blouse and was still warm. Sooo we headed to the beach! It was different from the beach at home, the sand was not soft at all but the water wasn't as cold as I expected. We lounged, played some soccer and walked out on the pier. James took tons of photos (like tons... every time we were waiting for someone it was him because he was taking a picture)! I hope I got a tan started because they say this kind of weather won't last long.
Soccer (or football) on the beach:
A beautiful view from the pier:
Stephen and James (with his camera of course):
A start to a great summer!!
Lovin' it here, and making great friends. More to come, I miss everyone back home (and I miss being able to watch TV shows! They won't let me watch ABC or anything on my computer because I'm not in America :()
<3 Breeze
Friday, June 18, 2010
Gotta love Dublin
It's been two days since I last posted a blog and I'm trying to remember what I've done since then!
I'll update you on the chemistry quickly... yesterday I practiced measuring the surface area of a gold electrode, placing gold nanoparticles on the gold electrode, and measuring the new surface area. Because more gold nanoparticles are on the electrode, the surface area is expected to increase. This is exactly what happened (this has already been done, I was just practicing!!) Today the research picked up a bit. We tried to take the gold nanoparticles off, without destroying the rest of the electrode. This has surprisingly never been done before. Elaine and I have some ideas, but no concrete results after today. All day in front of a computer screen. Oh the joy of research :)
The real excitement of the last two days have been going into Dublin City. Yesterday I went with the whole DiaMonD Ureka program, had my first Guiness and enjoyed myself greatly! The students in the program are great fun, and I had a grand time (grand=great).
The World Cup is played on every TV screen in every bar. It's great! I watched the US tie Slovenia (even though they should've won) and Germany lose. Tonight I went and watched the English play in Dublin. Everyone was rooting against them (me as well) and it was such a jovial atmosphere!
Here are some pictures on the bus on our way to Dublin:
Check this next picture out: it says Beer and Optic Monitoring Systems which I don't understand at all. Any ideas anyone??
Jussi (Finland), James (Canada), and I went out for the night tonight. It was brilliant if I say so myself (brilliant=awesome). We went to a bar/pub to eat some dinner and finish watching England tie. We then headed to local bar. It had live music, which was awesome, and modern day hits such as Journey, Green Day, Goo Goo Dolls. I belted out the tunes as you all know. Here are some pictures of the pub and us inside it:
I also managed to sneak a picture with the Irish guy singing the songs (for all you P.S. I Love You fans, he sang that song that Geralrd Butler sings to Hilary Swank! It was pretty neat).
Here is a video of the pub:
After some intense singing sessions (and drinking games if you didn't know the lyrics) we headed to another more local type pub with Irish music. This was a lot of fun, and we clapped our hands and sang with the locals. (Dad, they also played John Denver, and I sang along!!!) Here is another video of this pub:
I love seeing cities at night, they take my breath away!! Here is a night picture of Dublin:
The night was great, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Here is a picture of James and Jussi, pointing out the bullet holes in the Post Office (check out Dublin's history for more information).
More differences in Ireland:
1) In the bathroom sinks, the hot and cold water are completely separate, with separate faucets. If I want to wash my face with medium hot water, I can't!!! Madness...
2) Sweater=Jumper
3) When you're talking to someone (like before girlfriend and boyfriend) they say kissing. It makes sense, but when someone says their kissing each other, I usually thin in the present, right now...
4) Pregame=predrink
5) Every single socket has to be turned on and off. I can't tell you the number of times I thought my electronic was broken but actually the socket hadn't been turned on yet. Go figure.
I know their are more, as I think of some more differences I'll post them!!
I'm off to bed. Tomorrow is a more touristy day in Dublin, which means plenty of pictures to follow! I miss everyone back home.
I'll update you on the chemistry quickly... yesterday I practiced measuring the surface area of a gold electrode, placing gold nanoparticles on the gold electrode, and measuring the new surface area. Because more gold nanoparticles are on the electrode, the surface area is expected to increase. This is exactly what happened (this has already been done, I was just practicing!!) Today the research picked up a bit. We tried to take the gold nanoparticles off, without destroying the rest of the electrode. This has surprisingly never been done before. Elaine and I have some ideas, but no concrete results after today. All day in front of a computer screen. Oh the joy of research :)
The real excitement of the last two days have been going into Dublin City. Yesterday I went with the whole DiaMonD Ureka program, had my first Guiness and enjoyed myself greatly! The students in the program are great fun, and I had a grand time (grand=great).
The World Cup is played on every TV screen in every bar. It's great! I watched the US tie Slovenia (even though they should've won) and Germany lose. Tonight I went and watched the English play in Dublin. Everyone was rooting against them (me as well) and it was such a jovial atmosphere!
Here are some pictures on the bus on our way to Dublin:
Check this next picture out: it says Beer and Optic Monitoring Systems which I don't understand at all. Any ideas anyone??
Jussi (Finland), James (Canada), and I went out for the night tonight. It was brilliant if I say so myself (brilliant=awesome). We went to a bar/pub to eat some dinner and finish watching England tie. We then headed to local bar. It had live music, which was awesome, and modern day hits such as Journey, Green Day, Goo Goo Dolls. I belted out the tunes as you all know. Here are some pictures of the pub and us inside it:
I also managed to sneak a picture with the Irish guy singing the songs (for all you P.S. I Love You fans, he sang that song that Geralrd Butler sings to Hilary Swank! It was pretty neat).
Here is a video of the pub:
After some intense singing sessions (and drinking games if you didn't know the lyrics) we headed to another more local type pub with Irish music. This was a lot of fun, and we clapped our hands and sang with the locals. (Dad, they also played John Denver, and I sang along!!!) Here is another video of this pub:
I love seeing cities at night, they take my breath away!! Here is a night picture of Dublin:
The night was great, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Here is a picture of James and Jussi, pointing out the bullet holes in the Post Office (check out Dublin's history for more information).
More differences in Ireland:
1) In the bathroom sinks, the hot and cold water are completely separate, with separate faucets. If I want to wash my face with medium hot water, I can't!!! Madness...
2) Sweater=Jumper
3) When you're talking to someone (like before girlfriend and boyfriend) they say kissing. It makes sense, but when someone says their kissing each other, I usually thin in the present, right now...
4) Pregame=predrink
5) Every single socket has to be turned on and off. I can't tell you the number of times I thought my electronic was broken but actually the socket hadn't been turned on yet. Go figure.
I know their are more, as I think of some more differences I'll post them!!
I'm off to bed. Tomorrow is a more touristy day in Dublin, which means plenty of pictures to follow! I miss everyone back home.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
The Project ..... and Everything Else
I have been assigned my project! While it is both very exciting and pretty cool, it is also very intimidating. I am working with my mentor named Elaine, and my principal investigator Robert Forster. Both are very smart, and Elaine has really helped to make me feel more at home. She takes me to lunch with all of the chemistry post grads, and today after work, we went for a drink with all of the chem graduate students once again to the pub on campus (yes, there is a pub on campus!!) Here is a link explaining what I'm doing:
http://www.bdi.ie/research/rp3.html
I know this all looks really complicated, but it's not too bad. It's essentially trying to amplify small amounts of biomarkers in order to diagnose a disease. The disease we are dealing with is mastisis in cows, but they hope to in the future also apply it to cancer. Right now we are working on building nanoparticles.
Another link giving more background on Robert:
http://www.dcu.ie/chemistry/biographies/robert_forster.shtml
The man is very smart, has received over 2700 citations in papers because of his research. And guess what... I had to meet with him this morning to go over my project.
It wasn't bad, and I understood most of what he was saying though there are some things I'm going to have to look up before I go to bed tonight for tomorrow. There is also a stack of papers I was assigned to read, mainly for background knowledge. Take a look!!!! (hello summer haha)
Elaine is awesome. She does her best to explain everything to me in simple terms (which I need sometimes). I must have asked her 10 times today about making solutions and she answered them all no look of annoyance.
The project is a lot of electrochemistry (potentials, voltage, exciting electrons, fluorescence) which I have very little experience in. I am trying to pick it up, and hope that I will be able to make a significant contribution. Many people are able to get published after just 2.5 months, it would be awesome if I would be able to do that.
Today in lab was basics. Learning to make solutions, where things are located, how to work certain machinery, cleaning electrodes (are the worst!!!) and things of that such.
So enough about chemistry... more observations about Ireland!!
First off, they say Grand like we say Great, and Brilliant like we say Awesome. I find myself picking up their accent and inflections the more I talk with them. It's weird!!! The weather here is nice right now, probably like 75. But apparently it's supposed to rain tomorrow!! NOOOO
In my apartment complex, there are mostly Americans. I hung out with some of them last night for a little bit, and tonight to the local pub to watch the soccer game. It was enjoyable, but hope to hang out with some more of the international students.
My two housemates and I have cooked both nights, and sat around the dinner table to eat dinner. It is great to here about their different experiences in both France and Finnland. They are both very nice people, and am looking forward to getting to know the both of them a lot better.
I need to go shower (I just bought towels, so I can!!) and then read some papers!! Tomorrow will be my first night in Dublin!!!
http://www.bdi.ie/research/rp3.html
I know this all looks really complicated, but it's not too bad. It's essentially trying to amplify small amounts of biomarkers in order to diagnose a disease. The disease we are dealing with is mastisis in cows, but they hope to in the future also apply it to cancer. Right now we are working on building nanoparticles.
Another link giving more background on Robert:
http://www.dcu.ie/chemistry/biographies/robert_forster.shtml
The man is very smart, has received over 2700 citations in papers because of his research. And guess what... I had to meet with him this morning to go over my project.
It wasn't bad, and I understood most of what he was saying though there are some things I'm going to have to look up before I go to bed tonight for tomorrow. There is also a stack of papers I was assigned to read, mainly for background knowledge. Take a look!!!! (hello summer haha)
Elaine is awesome. She does her best to explain everything to me in simple terms (which I need sometimes). I must have asked her 10 times today about making solutions and she answered them all no look of annoyance.
The project is a lot of electrochemistry (potentials, voltage, exciting electrons, fluorescence) which I have very little experience in. I am trying to pick it up, and hope that I will be able to make a significant contribution. Many people are able to get published after just 2.5 months, it would be awesome if I would be able to do that.
Today in lab was basics. Learning to make solutions, where things are located, how to work certain machinery, cleaning electrodes (are the worst!!!) and things of that such.
So enough about chemistry... more observations about Ireland!!
First off, they say Grand like we say Great, and Brilliant like we say Awesome. I find myself picking up their accent and inflections the more I talk with them. It's weird!!! The weather here is nice right now, probably like 75. But apparently it's supposed to rain tomorrow!! NOOOO
In my apartment complex, there are mostly Americans. I hung out with some of them last night for a little bit, and tonight to the local pub to watch the soccer game. It was enjoyable, but hope to hang out with some more of the international students.
My two housemates and I have cooked both nights, and sat around the dinner table to eat dinner. It is great to here about their different experiences in both France and Finnland. They are both very nice people, and am looking forward to getting to know the both of them a lot better.
I need to go shower (I just bought towels, so I can!!) and then read some papers!! Tomorrow will be my first night in Dublin!!!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Sleepless but here!!
So I made it to Ireland!!! I'm here...
The airport was of course stressful. My friend that was supposed to meet me here missed his flight and so then I was nervous that I was going to miss my flight, but I made it with at least a few minutes to spare. Yay!
The plane ride was full of movies! I tried to only watch one and then fall asleep but the falling asleep part just wasn't happening. I tried so many different positions like knees to the chest, legs stretched out, on my right, on my left, but nope (see parents I tried!). I always meet cool people on the airplanes... a lady from Egypt and a guy that had biked from Chicago to LA in a month are two that I remember.
When I finally arrived in Ireland, Aoife was there to pick me up. I'm still not sure how to pronounce her name, but I promise I'll learn it by the end of this :) We headed to my apartment complex called Shanowen Square located about 20 minutes from the heart of Dublin, and a short walk to the Dublin City University college campus. It is nice and for the first time in my life, I have my own room AND own bathroom! Here are some pics:
I share the apartment with 3 other students: a guy from Finnland, a girl from France, me, and the other guy (Luke) from UCSB. Another guy from Canada is arriving tomorrow at 9 am. Several other Irish students are also involved in this program, so it is truly international.
We went to the nearest grocery store to pick up some groceries for breakfast tomorrow and then walked to the local mall and had a quick dinner at the cafe. I unpacked, realized I brought no clothes and need to go shopping, and found the coolest little notes from my family, love you guys thanks!! Now I'm here ready for bed!! It's 8:22 pm so I'll stay up for 30 more minutes but after that good night! Tomorrow is a tour of the campus and the lab... I'm excited!
The airport was of course stressful. My friend that was supposed to meet me here missed his flight and so then I was nervous that I was going to miss my flight, but I made it with at least a few minutes to spare. Yay!
The plane ride was full of movies! I tried to only watch one and then fall asleep but the falling asleep part just wasn't happening. I tried so many different positions like knees to the chest, legs stretched out, on my right, on my left, but nope (see parents I tried!). I always meet cool people on the airplanes... a lady from Egypt and a guy that had biked from Chicago to LA in a month are two that I remember.
When I finally arrived in Ireland, Aoife was there to pick me up. I'm still not sure how to pronounce her name, but I promise I'll learn it by the end of this :) We headed to my apartment complex called Shanowen Square located about 20 minutes from the heart of Dublin, and a short walk to the Dublin City University college campus. It is nice and for the first time in my life, I have my own room AND own bathroom! Here are some pics:
I share the apartment with 3 other students: a guy from Finnland, a girl from France, me, and the other guy (Luke) from UCSB. Another guy from Canada is arriving tomorrow at 9 am. Several other Irish students are also involved in this program, so it is truly international.
We went to the nearest grocery store to pick up some groceries for breakfast tomorrow and then walked to the local mall and had a quick dinner at the cafe. I unpacked, realized I brought no clothes and need to go shopping, and found the coolest little notes from my family, love you guys thanks!! Now I'm here ready for bed!! It's 8:22 pm so I'll stay up for 30 more minutes but after that good night! Tomorrow is a tour of the campus and the lab... I'm excited!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
I'm off!!! See you there :)
So it's the night before I head to Ireland and what a whirlwind it has been the last couple of days. In the last 48 hours I have taken a final, moved out of an apartment, drove home, visited with all of my friends, spent some time with the family, and packed for Ireland. Whoo. That was rough writing that!
I am very excited to go to Ireland, I just don't think right now that it has hit me yet. I see my stuff packed right in front of me but it's hard to imagine that I won't be in California soaking up the sun and getting my tan! I also am very sad to leave my friends and family. I don't see most of them often enough as it is WITH summer let alone without it. But I have an opportunity of a lifetime and I need to take advantage of it.
Right now, my view of Ireland is that of what I see in P.S. I Love You. Cute Irish boys, some pubs and singing, and of course potatoes! I've heard it is absolutely beautiful over there, and want to do some exploring. Maybe find myself a four leaf clover! We'll see how the image in my mind compares to the actual Ireland.
Today I packed. WAY TOO MUCH. And I don't know what to leave out so it's all coming with me. My good friend Pam helped me out, and was constantly arguing with me about what I should and shouldn't bring. Thanks to her, there's a big pile of clothes sitting to my left that I want to bring but am biting the bullet and leaving behind. I hope she was right when she said I won't miss all those clothes...
Here's Pam followed by my sad face with all of the clothes I can't bring... I'm pretty sure that pile grew after I weighed my baggage.
I'm off to bed, next time I write on this I'll be in Ireland!! See everyone in 2.5 months.
I am very excited to go to Ireland, I just don't think right now that it has hit me yet. I see my stuff packed right in front of me but it's hard to imagine that I won't be in California soaking up the sun and getting my tan! I also am very sad to leave my friends and family. I don't see most of them often enough as it is WITH summer let alone without it. But I have an opportunity of a lifetime and I need to take advantage of it.
Right now, my view of Ireland is that of what I see in P.S. I Love You. Cute Irish boys, some pubs and singing, and of course potatoes! I've heard it is absolutely beautiful over there, and want to do some exploring. Maybe find myself a four leaf clover! We'll see how the image in my mind compares to the actual Ireland.
Today I packed. WAY TOO MUCH. And I don't know what to leave out so it's all coming with me. My good friend Pam helped me out, and was constantly arguing with me about what I should and shouldn't bring. Thanks to her, there's a big pile of clothes sitting to my left that I want to bring but am biting the bullet and leaving behind. I hope she was right when she said I won't miss all those clothes...
Here's Pam followed by my sad face with all of the clothes I can't bring... I'm pretty sure that pile grew after I weighed my baggage.
I'm off to bed, next time I write on this I'll be in Ireland!! See everyone in 2.5 months.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
