It is official; I survived a summer alone in France. Before this summer, I had never travelled further than the next state by myself, let alone to a foreign country. Honestly, at some point in mid-July, I found myself sitting in my apartment wondering why I didn't just stay home and participate in the SURE program. I would have been able speak to my family without worrying about the time difference, or hang out with my friends after work, or not have to worry about a language barrier. However, I soon realized that the positive outweighed the negative. In fact, the negative aspects of my time in France were quite negligible. I was able to adjust to the time difference and my French improved significantly. I combated my introverted nature and met some new people (even people on the metro). My time in France became more than just an internship; it was a major life experience.
I conducted some amazing research and interacted with some truly talented scientists at Hopital Saint-Louis and the Curie Institute. My project was a joint effort between the two institutions to investigate the dynamics of proteins in the nuclear pore complex in order to ascertain if there are effects on nuclear export. It was such an amazing opportunity that allowed me to go from knowing absolutely nothing about microscopy to exclusively conducting microscopy experiments.
When I wasn't working hard, I got to play hard. My leisure time was full of adventures: from exploring the beautiful city of Paris (with its spectacular museums, parks, and monuments), to visiting the extravagant palace at Versailles, to relaxing in the south of France on the Mediterranean coast, to just finding a cool new (cheap) place to eat.
I learned so much from participating in IRES, not just about science, but also about myself, and how important it is to explore new places. I wish I could do it again.
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| The Notre Dame of Paris |
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| The Gardens at the Royal Palace at Versailles |
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| Canal St-Martin near Hopital St-Louis |
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| The Thinker, Musee Rodin |
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| Moulin Rouge |
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| The Calanques, Marseilles |
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| Old Port, Marseilles |
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