Jul 31, 2014: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands

2. Traveling is stressful… no matter how excited you are about it.

3. There was a reason you were accepted into ____ program at ____ institute.  It’s because you belong in that group.  Look at it like this: chances are, the other people around you don’t have a clue what they’re doing, either. 

4. Jet lag is real, people.  But, there are some things you can do to help.

at the airport

            This is the second time that I will have been abroad for several weeks at a time – last summer I spent 6 weeks studying in Salamanca, Spain, and then two weeks visiting relatives with my mother in England.  This is also the second time that I have been stressed about traveling abroad for an extended period (and neither of my periods has been that extended considering some people move abroad for several months or even years).  But, stress happens.  However, there is some good news!  Traveling is worth all the stress.  You’re excited for a reason.  Don’t get me wrong, there will be some trepidation… probably even be more than a little trepidation.  I mean, you’re about to go somewhere foreign – somewhere where you’re likely to get lost, going to need to find food you can eat, and, chances are, navigate in an unfamiliar language that’s part of an unfamiliar culture with its own unfamiliar customs and traditions.  But, at the same time, you’re about to go somewhere foreign – you can explore a new city (or town), learn about a new culture’s traditions, and eat a new array of foods.

            It’s both terrifying and exciting… and it’s totally worth it.

daddy and me

mum and me

            Right now, I’m in Amsterdam, well, I’m just outside of Amsterdam in Science Park, home of Amsterdam University.  I’m here for a conference with all the other students who were accepted into this program – 15 in total, as well as the professors, complete with Ph.D.’s, who chose us to enter this program.  And, starting yesterday, each of us students – jet-lagged undergraduate, fresh off the plane from the U.S. – had to give a presentation about our individual research projects for this summer.  I struggled to finish my speech before I left the states, and by the time I left, the speech was still a few minutes short.  To be honest, I was a little worried about that, but I had no idea what to add to the speech. 

            Then, when people began to give their speeches, I about panicked.  No one else was using note cards, and I had planned on using them.  Luckily, my speech wasn’t until today.  So, when we got back to the hotel last night, I remade my PowerPoint slides to include more information so that I could use them as my “note cards.”  I was exhausted, but it had to be done.  This morning, however, I was REALLY nervous about giving my presentation as I hadn’t given one without note cards since high school (heads up, everyone – if giving speeches without note cards is a skill you don’t possess or have forgotten, now is a fantastic time to learn/relearn.  It will save you a huge headache down the road.).  Despite my stress, I knew deep down that everything would be great.  I was(am) intelligent, and my presentation would be fine.

            A while ago, I listened to a presentation in which the presenter discussed a concept called Impostor Syndrome.   Basically, it’s when an individual doesn’t feel like he/she is as competent as his/her peers think that he/she is (If you’ve ever felt this way or have a general curiosity about the subject, check out this website: http://www.aas.org/cswa/unconsciousbias.html, and click on “Impostor Syndrome” near the top.).  Anyway, ever since I learned about this, I’ve been careful to pick out the beginnings of these feelings in myself and squash them in their tracks.  After all, I wouldn’t have been accepted if I didn’t belong.

            Needless to say, the speech went well, I was able to relax, and life was good.  Nearly everyone else’s speeches were right on par with mine – a couple were better; a couple were worse… and at least one was significantly shorter… possible two, but I’m pretty sure that one only SEEMED short.  And… enter part three:

Part three:

            The last thing I will leave you with today – jet lag is real.  It exists.  You are not immune.  End of story. 

            But, there are a few things you can do to help.  One of the best that I have found is drink A LOT of water.  Water keeps your body hydrated, and a hydrated body functions better than a non-hydrated body.  The absolute best thing that I have found for fighting jet lag is to follow the new time schedule… immediately.  The first thing you will want to do when you get off the plane is sleep.  This is a terrible idea… unless your plane lands at 10 p.m., and you don’t get to where you are staying until 11.  A tip for keeping yourself awake until it is time to sleep in your destination time-zone: keep moving; don’t sit still for too long.  Now that I’ve lectured you, it’s story time:

            This time around, my plane landed at roughly 7:45 a.m.  I had only gotten a few hours of sleep on the plane (probably about 4), and had been up since 8 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time (Pennsylvania)) the night before.  To get to Amsterdam, I had to fly thought 6 different time zones, virtually “skipping” the traditional sleeping hours.  To keep us from sleeping, the individuals who had arranged the conference had us drop our stuff at the hotel, go to Science Park, and begin the conference immediately (a good idea on their part).  However, we had to sit at the conference for entirely too long. 

            At first, I thought presentation number 5 was just really short.  Then, about 15 min later, when I realized that I had significantly MORE energy than when presentation number 5 began, I put two-and-two together and realized that I must have nodded off.  It happens.  I even caught one of the program organizers dozing off a few minutes later.  So, remember folks: keep moving.

IREU

1. Give it a try.  You never know what will happen.

            I wanted to start this blog off with a few background details.  I am from the United States.  Last summer, I studied abroad for 6 weeks in Salamanca, Spain.  Then, I went to visit some relatives in England for two weeks with my mother who flew over to meet me.  During my study-abroad program, I also spent a weekend in Lisbon, Portugal; a weekend in Paris, France; and a weekend in Seville and Granada.  It got me pretty interested in traveling.

            Then, this past year at school, I was told that if I wanted to get into graduate school, I would need to get an REU program since my University offers no research opportunities in my field (physics).  REU stands for Research Experience for Undergraduates, and they are offered in most STEM fields.  They give undergraduate students the opportunity to experience working on major research projects at major universities and labs all over the county (United States).  The programs pay for your transportation to the work site, and then give you a stipend (most are about $5,000 for the 9-10 week program).  Many even pay for your housing and food while you are there.

When I began doing research about the programs to start applying (you can find a list of them on the government website), I found out that there are several international programs offered, and I decided to give the physics international REU program a try.  I turned in my application and waited.  And waited.  And waited some more.  Finally, I thought that I hadn’t been accepted and they simply hadn’t bothered to tell me (according o the website, we were supposed to find out if we made the short list during the beginning of January).  Then, sometime during the beginning of February, I found out that I made the short list.  A Skype interview was scheduled, and a week later I was informed that I had been accepted (YAY!).  I was placed with a project in Hannover, Germany.

So, that’s where I am… ready to leave for my briefing meeting in Amsterdam, and then on to Hannover.  But the thing of it is, I never would have gotten this wonderful opportunity if I wouldn’t have simply filled out an application.