From the dirrty South to the dirrty North (or...Aberdeen)

That's right folks! I am going to Aberdeen! I really can't wait to go. I have been abroad many times in my day, but often I go with my Dad (who knows German, and claimed once to know Italian while we were in Italy, but I know now he was fibbing!) and the rest of my family (My older brother knows German and a bit of Swahili). BUT NOW I AM GOING ALONE! World, are you ready for Austin in his pure, unadulterated form? Well have to see.

I do have some initial travel woes. I emailed some folks at the University of Aberdeen and they gave me the rates for one of the dorms I could stay at. Let me put it this way: not happenin'. 66 FREAKING USD per night! HOLY SCOTCH WHISKEY! Let's just say I will be exploring other housing options, which will be an absolute joy. I am going to book a week in a hostel right when I get there, and then search throughout the city for a place. We'll see how it goes. To be perfectly honest, I LOVE breaking my comfort zone. In fact, when looking for a lab earlier this summer, I talked to fellow IRES participant about possibly working in a lab in Dhaka, Bangladesh. That participant, Nabiha, told me SHE felt unsafe in that city (she is from Bangladesh sorta), and strongly recommended that I not go, but boy did I want to! It's probably for the best (knowing me) that I am going to a 'safe' EU country. But this hiccup with housing only makes me more adventurous! AND ADVENTURE IS TO BE HAD!

I can't wait to meet Dr. Jaspars. Over email, everyone seems so friendly! And although I read all of their emails with an American accent sounding in my head, sometimes I treat myself and read their emails out-loud in a Scottish accent (adding little giggles and hearty laughs here and there. WHAT FUN!).

But of course, I really can't wait to learn from Dr. Jaspars. Drug discovery, what he does in his lab, is something I am considering eventually doing as a career. It seems like an incredibly interesting and rewarding process. I can't wait to step into lab on my first day and just marvel at the eloquence of the science going on around me. And being able to apply what I learn in a foreign country to my research at Emory... WOAH! How COOL IS THAT! WORLD COLLABORATION HI-YA!

It's going to be a great trip. For fun, spur-of-the-moment updates about my trip, follow me on twitter! http://twitter.com/acauz

Oh PS!!! Back in high school I was really into photography. So, for instance, that picture on my twitter I took while I was in Africa, so expect more like them on this blog!