Adventures and Troubles!

On June 25th and 26th, I went to a Conference in Genomics and Proteomics of Human Pathogens held by Public Health England. It was my first time attending a science conference, and I really enjoyed it. There were many presenters, many of whom were talking about the use of different technologies for gene and protein identifications. While some presentations were too difficult for me to understand, there were also some that I could understand and are potentially relevant to the research project I am a part of here.

Over the weekends, I have been doing a lot of traveling around England. I've visited the city of Cambridge, where Cambridge University is. The town was awesome- the university was beautiful architecturally, but the town had lots of small shops and street markets, making it feel like a less-crowded London.

Cambridge Town

A Chapel in Cambridge 

One of the Colleges of Cambridge University

Train from London to Cambridge (Or Cambridge to London...)

I also visited Stonehenge and Bath.
The city of Bath has a really unusual architecture compared to the rest of the cities in England, making it feel like a country of its own. Jane Austen lived here, and some of her books takes place here. The Roman Baths had about a 2000 year history- Romans that came to this area found this mineral spring as a bath, which is like a sauna today- was considered a place of social life- much like today's pubs and cafes (though not quite the same, obviously).

The Roman Bath (A UNESCO World Heritage Site)

Bath is so pretty...

Stonehenge was so interesting- archaeologists believe the stones were moved from miles away in South Wales to today's location about 5,000 years ago. The stones are very big and heavy, requiring lots of organization and working people for the process of moving it, and people still do not know how this whole process was organized. Also, the reason for the people from 5000 years ago for setting up the Stonehenge is still a mystery (Perhaps a religious ritual place or a place for healing!?).

Stonehenge HAHA

Stonehenge!

Unfortunately, on June 28th, I got my bag stolen while I was at a coffee shop. It was Sunday afternoon after my church service, when I was with my cell group. We were talking, and one moment I realized that my bag was gone. Thankfully, my phone and wallet was in my jean pocket, but my bag did have my laptop, the journal I've been keeping since coming to London, a bible, and a book (and a few coins). This was a bit upsetting, but it was bearable being surrounded by loving, supportive people at the moment. Life has been a bit uncomfortable without a laptop, but I've been surviving using my phone and the school's library computer. I've reported the crime to the police, but there has been no news yet. I also used Apple's "Find my iPhone" service to locate my laptop, but the thief has never connected it to wifi- yet. I am not expecting to find it now, and while losing my bag was upsetting, I think I learned a lot from this situation, which I am really thankful for.