One Week and Three Days

It has been a week and 3 days since I have arrived in Lausanne, Switzerland, and more than anything it has been a time for me to absorb all that I can. Although I have tried to be keenly cognizant of the differences and similarities between the culture here and in the U.S., the disparities and the unfamiliar environment are often quite overwhelming. These 10 weeks will be the longest time that I have been away from home and, compounded with the fact that I have never traveled for an extended period of time without someone I know, it will in the end hopefully provide for an extremely enriching experience that I will always remember.

The first few days that I was here were quite trying. Within the first 24 hours I got lost twice. The first time I was carrying throughout Lausanne two bags that felt like they were industrial size and full of dense rocks. The second time was at midnight, when I wandered aimlessly for an hour through unlit streets, abandoned alleys, and lanes full of individuals I did not want to associate with. Unable to speak French, I eventually began jogging around this foreign city, reaching home thoroughly exhausted from the walking and the 20 hour journey from the U.S.

After a mildly rough start, I have enjoyed this city thoroughly. More than anything I am enjoying the diversity of people in Lausanne and specifically where I live. Planete Bleue, the name of my residence, has a floor solely for students and young professionals working in Lausanne and its surrounding areas. It is a mix of an apartment and a dorm building. I have 3 suite mates: 2 from Spain and 1 from France. My first day here, in addition to my roommates, I met a Turkish guy and a Canadian guy. Our conversations flowed quite freely, changing between English, Spanish, and French (I just carried a clueless stare when French was spoken). I was and still am fascinated by the many languages and cultures present just on my floor and how receptive everyone is to new people. My first two days here my roommates and other individuals on my floor made food for me and we ate together, a very welcoming gesture.

Although I will spare the details of the weekend, it was definitely a great time in which I explored the city and went out with people I had met. Work started on Monday, at which point I finally learned what I will be working on this summer. Very briefly, I will be helping to create a regulatory map of the genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. I will be using a relatively new technology known as ChIP-on-chip to do this. The lab in general is leading a 5 year project to discover new drugs for tuberculosis. I am happy with the position that I have received, as it is in public health.

The people I work with are exceptionally welcoming. Not once did they allow me to feel like an outsider. The Italian postdoc that I work with, Claudia Sala, is a great teacher and very understanding. I met the 28 other students in my program last Monday and they are from all over the world, including Serbia, Lithuania, China, Hungary, Brazil, Egypt, and numerous other countries. They are all very accepting and friendly. In regards to my work, I had to make a presentation this past Friday (already!) in front of the program directors and the other students about what I will be doing this summer in the lab.

That's all I'm going to write in this post...I have loads more to tell, but this post is long enough already. I'll give more details of my past week in the next one!