Tschüss!

Hello again! It’s been about two weeks now since my twin sister and I left Bayreuth, Germany. We made it back home to the United States safely and have been spending the past few days with our family and trying to readjust to the “American” way of life.

Last Wednesday, we drove about six hours to Cape Cod, MA and spent a fun-filled week there with our aunt, uncle, and cousins, Chris and Erica. We went to the beach three times. The weather was much more humid in Cape Cod than it was where we live in South Jersey, and much, much warmer in general than the weather was in Bayreuth, Germany. As a result, the water in Cape Cod was very pleasant, and we were actually able to take a swim.

Last Sunday, we went to the Falmouth Road Race in Cape Cod, MA, where we watched our cousin, Erica, and our uncle run seven miles. This race is an annual event, but it was the first time that we had the opportunity to attend. Thousands of people from all over the country and the world ran. Some people even ran in costumes, namely Hawaiian skirts and banana suits. The runners had to travel throughout Falmouth, Massachusetts along the shoreline. Most participants finished in about an hour and a half. Fortunately, we managed to spot our cousin and uncle amongst the massive crowd before they crossed the finish line so that we could snap a picture. After being a part of the excitement, my brother, sister, and I want to run in the race next year- but it will require a bit of training on our part!

On Monday, my family took a very memorable trip to Martha’s Vineyard. It took about twenty minutes to get to the island by boat. Once we arrived, my mom, dad, brother, sister, aunt, cousin, and I rented bikes. We journeyed all throughout Martha’s Vineyard along the waterline. While on our bike ride, we saw the famous gingerbread houses and took some great pictures. However, by the end of the ride, we were exhausted because we rode approximately twenty miles! We did get some good exercise, though!

In the meanwhile, I have been preparing for the upcoming 238^th annual American Chemical Society national meeting, to be held in Washington, D.C. from August 16-19. There, I will present the Environmental Geochemistry research that I did while in Germany. I am happy to say that I have finally finished my report, and I just had the 36 x 48-inch poster printed today. I am excited to share my research at the conference, for it represents my two months of work in Bayreuth. Now, it’s just a matter of packing a few things and making it to D.C. on Sunday.

As this is my last entry, I want to take this opportunity to thank a few people for the wonderful experience that I had this summer in Germany. Thanks to Dr. Christian Schaefer (Head of Section, North America), Ms. Corina Bejan, Ms. Michaela Gottschling, Ms. Maike Steuer, and Mr. Adam Camenzuli for coordinating the DAAD Research Internships in Science and Engineering (RISE) program. Many thanks to the American Chemical Society (ACS), especially Dr. Lourdes Echegoyen, Global Education and Exchanges Manager in the Office of International Activities, for coordinating the International Research Experience for Undergraduates (IREU) exchange program. Thank you to Dr. Gerard Iwantsch, Dr. Diana Bray, Dr. Donna Heald, Dr. Patrick Hornbeck, Dean Luz Lenis, Dean Robert Parmach, Mrs. Maria Noonan, and Fordham University’s Campion Institute for Prestigious Fellowships in the Bronx, NY, USA, for the endless support provided during the application process to the DAAD RISE program for research in Environmental Geochemistry. Additionally, thanks to the student service and the International Student Network (ISN) for support before and during my stay in Germany. I am deeply grateful to Prof. Dr. Britta Planer-Friedrich for allowing me access to her Environmental Geochemistry laboratory and office facilities for my studies, and for financial support for sample analyses. For assistance during sample preparation, I would like to extend my gratitude to Ms. Elke Suess. Technical support and helpful discussions by the Environmental Geochemistry team at Universität Bayreuth, namely Prof. Dr. Britta Planer-Friedrich, Ms. Elke Suess, Dr. Sasan Rabieh, Mr. Stefan Will, Ms. Cornelia Haertig, Mr. Ulli Seifert, and Mrs. Irmgard Lauterbach, are greatly acknowledged.

Finally, I would like to thank YOU for following my progress in Germany throughout these past two months. I have enjoyed sharing my adventures with you. I would just like to say that the DAAD RISE program is truly amazing, not only because it allowed me to do research abroad, but because it enabled me to gain countless friendships. I am so happy to now have friends in at least twelve different countries. Ultimately, there is no doubt in my mind that I have returned to the United States as a better person because of this incredible and life-changing experience.

I wish you all the best. Take care! Tschüss! -April