Oh, I just spent the last hour writing a lovely last post, and was almost finished, but randomly the page closed, and I lost it all! =( That has happened a couple times before, and unfortunately I still have not learned to just write it in Word first. So, though I am sad to abandon [...]

Hello, all. Sorry for writing a very short post this time, but it is my last week in Germany, and there’s a rather alarming amount of things to take care of. To be more specific, I am working on the report about my research for Wednesday and preparing for my presentation on Thursday. Additionally, it is [...]

Although my original plan for last weekend was to visit Frankfurt am Main (Germany’s fifth largest city and the nation’s financial hub), train tickets ended up being so expensive that a more nearby city seemed a better choice. (That German Rail Pass was really such a valuable thing to have!) In the end, I think [...]

Amsterdam is a beautiful and very interesting–at times also rather strange–city. Although I am sad to say that I missed out on Hamburg (my original destination for last weekend), I am also glad to have visited Amsterdam, as that was one of the cities I had hoped to see during my stay in Europe. Amsterdam, [...]

It is amazing how much influence the weather has on one’s day. For example, on a sunny day, I almost always feel more energetic and optimistic, but on a rainy day, unless I am at home curled up with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book or movie, I am most likely sluggish [...]

This past weekend (Thurs. to Sat.) was the meeting of RISE interns in Heidelberg–so much fun!! After arriving at the Youth Hostel (Jugendherberge) on Thursday, we visited the Universität Heidelberg, where we listened to several welcome speeches from the directors of the RISE program and attended discussions about graduate programs in Germany. The next day [...]

This last week has been so busy, but SO much fun!!! To start off, from Monday to Wednesday, I was on a retreat with my lab group in Belgium, not far from the German border. The house we stayed in, called the Vennhouse, was equipped with a game room that included fußball, ping-pong, darts, and [...]

Cologne is a beautiful city. We took a day trip there on Saturday, and the highlights were seeing and climbing to the top of the famous Dom (the tallest cathedral in Germany, and one of the grandest in Europe), exploring the chocolate museum (Schokoladen Museum)—my favorite!—and wandering down the extensive shopping avenue.   The Dom tower [...]

I’m happy to report that since my last post, things have really gotten better for me here in Jülich. Maybe it’s also because I’ve actively been concentrating on only the good things, or just that I’m getting used to countryside living, but either way, it’s awesome. =D A summary of all the nice things that [...]

For some reason, I thought I would be living/working in Düsseldorf. Apparantly not. Apparently, Jülich and Düsseldorf are two very distinct locations. As in, a 30-min drive or a 2-hr train ride. I have been living in Jülich now for a little over a week, and I must say I definitely still miss Berlin! Compared [...]