Drrrresden

By far, the best two days of the Summer. Hottest too, but also the best. Because I met the bestest people, the very best.

Cheesy as it might sound, I feel like I've grown so much as a person just these last two days. The actual conference itself involved a lot of sitting still in a stuffy room, listening to lots of not-so-relevant talks. I really enjoyed the guided tour of the Altstadt though. Dresden is definitely not what I expected at all - the reconstructions are absolutely incredible, but what surprised me the most was the timescale! Asking the tour guide how old some random building was, the answer was often just 1 month.

In the evening, we went to the Neustadt and again, not what I expected at all. Where all the nightlife of Dresden was at, I was expecting the typical pub/bar/club layout. Rather, they had beer gardens served by trailers, and just hoards of people sat drinking on the street and in the road. Everyone was perfect drunk yet perfect civilised. So cool.

So the people I met in Dresden, I've only known for say 48 hours max, but somehow I have a feeling that these are going to become some very special friendships indeed. I feel so, so blessed to have met these people. I'm excited!

So many pictures. I'll do a picture post once I get back to Heidelberg and recover from this crazy week of traveling!

Travels

Worms today, Dresden tomorrow, and Berlin on Saturday. Ciao!

Adventures to Franceland

So right now, I am both internet and computer-less. Useless, I know. This weekend was absolutely beautiful though! Strasbourg on Saturday, so finally understood what was going on and also got to buy lots of French food. On Sunday I went to Mannheim. Very difficult to distinguish from Heidelberg, just not as pretty, but still a good day though!
My parents are now here to visit... Totally destroyed my Zen. Still, a very lovely walk around Heidelberg yesterday. Pharmacy museum was definitely the highlight!
Started on my own channel today! So exciting, so good! The very first pcr gave the most beautiful bands, ever! Currently digesting. So good.

Fishies

My beautiful fish baby:

Thanks to some sort of Olympus microscope

Very exciting day at the lab today - I finally got a lab book! Only 3 weeks too late...

These Haribos are the most amazing sweets I have ever bought. I am genuinely quite sad that I won't find them in the UK!

Thanks to HTC Wildfire Camera

PICO-BALLA - doesn't that mean tiny balls or something? Maybe that's what I'm into...

I feel like here in Heidelberg, I have lots of time to think. I'm starting to have lots of conversations with myself, especially when everyone around me is talking in German. Before, I found it really frustrating that I couldn't understand anything that was going on. Now, it's just a perfect daydreaming opportunity!

Today, I went on a church tour - I went to all the churches that were pointed out on the tourist map. Cos I'm cool like that. Photos to come...

Haribo!

Two and half weeks in, I have finally found a proper grocery store! (Rather than just Aldi/Lidl...) It was amazing. So much food, so much choice. It was even smaller than the Sainsbury's in Cambridge but I literally spent an hour and a half wandering around the store just looking at all the food in awe. They have so many different types of Haribo, it's actually incredible. I even took a photo, but for some reason it didn't save. Not to worry, I will be back there soon enough, I'm sure. Difficulty though now lies in the fact that I have absolutely no cooking utensils at all. I ended up buying chocolate, Haribos, and milkshake. Such a fail.

Last night, I tried blackcurrent, strawberry and umquat (?) wine...

Thanks to HTC Wildfire Camera

Protokol

I have the protocol for my own project. I am so excited. So excited. It may as well be Friday!

(Clearly I'm also quite sad.)

I've ordered my DNA primers, so hopefully I can start cloning my K2P channel next week. SO. EXCITED.

I've spent this week doing in-situ hybridisation of my zebrafish babies. Today, I finally got to see the fruits of my labour! So much pipetting, my extensor pollicis muscles must be super toned by now. They're so worth it though - they are the most beautiful fish embryos you will ever come across. Hopefully I can have some pictures by the end of the week!

Currently making travel plans. Lined up for the next few weekends: Dresden, Berlin, Warsaw, Amsterdam and Vichy. More suggestions welcome, although what would be more appreciated is if anyone explains this whole reservation malarky to me.

SO EXCITED.

Zebrafish Porn

So good. Mating zebrafish today.

Schlossbeleuchtung & Schwetzingen

Saturday evening was the "Schlossbeleuchtung" - fireworks at the castle/old bridge. Bigged up massively by the Germans, but it was an even more massive disappointment. Even Robinson May Ball did better.

Thanks to Canon Powershot G11

On Sunday, I went to Schwetzingen and visited the only place that seemed to exist in the entire town. The palace was basically a summer residency for the royal family and aristocrats, so it was a pretty chilled place to be!

Thanks to Canon Powershot G11

The only interesting thing I did find in this town were these cigarette vending machines on random streets! These can't still be legal?!

Thanks to Canon Powershot G11

At the lab today, started in-situ hybridisation of my zebrafish. I think I've fallen in love - I want to adopt them. They're so little!! If I managed to will myself to read a 58-page paper on the embryonic development of Zebrafish, I think I must be in love.

Grocery Shopping

I just had the most traumatic shopping trip ever. My bike chain came off in the middle of the road, and then I realised I had a flat tyre. This is whilst being severely lost and doing the third lap of the same wrong street. Eventually I got to the shop and bought so, so, so many carbs. I think my food crisis should be sorted out for a good while!

Last night after work, I met up with some of the other interns. Again, a wonderful night:

Thanks to Canon Powershot G11

At the lab this morning, I put our DNA sequence into the pMax vector. I'd like to think I'm quite a pipetting pro now! Anyway, I then went to find my supervisor who basically said I could just go home and enjoy the city! So chilled.

Unfortunately the weather here is absolutely awful, and if I didn't have to cycle on the right, you could almost imagine we were in England. There's definitely better beer here though.

"Master Mix"

So again I don't have internet. 

Monday was an absolutely crazy day at the lab. We were Western Blotting and PCR-ing. After work, I went with a colleague who has very kindly lent me her old bike. We managed to fix it up, more or less. I do have a feeling I will eventually die on this bike though. It doesn't really do any sort of an incline at all - the chain just jumps off. I also have to lean backwards when I cycle, otherwise the gears slip. Anyway, it was very nice of her and finally I can get around now!

In the evening, we had our first DAAD RISE barbeque by the river:

Thanks to Canon Powershot G11

A lovely evening, and it was great to finally meet the others!

Tuesday was much more quieter at the lab, as neither my supervisors nor my usual lab partner were there. Nevertheless, an interesting day with reverse transcription and the other girls in the lab. Using the "Nano-drop" was quite a novelty!

I think my favourite word in the lab is currently "Master Mix".

Went for a swim in the outdoor pool after work. Apparently I'm a weirdo for doing laps instead of "frolicking". We then went for Thai food, but my bike didn't quite make it. Big mistake.

Wednesday had an awful start - I was expecting an 8am lie-in but instead, my supervisor texts me at 7.45 asking to meet at 8.30am. Not cool. Another dragging day at the lab, although today I met lots of lab pigs! 

I then went to the city council place to register as an inhabitant of Heidelberg! Not nearly as exciting as they could've made it. I was expecting some beer-drinking initiation ceremony. Anyway, from there, I had to walk all the way along the river again to retrieve my bike. So much walking!

Anyway, in the Urz (computer room) so I finally have internet and can finally reply to messages and emails and BLOG! Woohoo!

How a Sunday should be

Pouring down with rain this morning, but nevertheless, went for a run along the riverside. Then I met with a friend/colleague for the most amazing breakfast, ever:

Thanks to Canon Powershot G11

I had the "Lord of the Rings", but also on the menu was "Harry Potter" - it was actually amazing! I literally will not need to eat until tomorrow.


Last night, I met some RISE interns and we had an amble down the river again. So picturesque!

Thanks to Canon Powershot G11

I promise I'll stop posting pictures of bridges and castles one day. Last night I also had two RISE people from another city stay on my floor in order to take a train the following morning, cos I'm nice like that!

Oh, I totally forgot to mention last week, I performed my first ever echocardiogram! So cool!

Anyway, after that amazing breafast/lunch/dinner, I came back home and had like a 3 hour siesta, and now I'm sitting in the sun by a pool. I like Sundays!

Ah yes, on my way back, saw/heard this:

Thanks to Canon Powershot G11

I genuinely don't think I can ever escape the boaties.

University Library

Today, I walked into town and took some more touristy photos. I then went to the University Library. I don't know if I'm allowed to say this, but it's so much nicer than Cambridge!

Thanks to Canon Powershot G11

A view from the bridge. (The one by where I live)

Thanks to Canon Powershot G11

Sommerfest

Had my camera with me this time. Another nice pub and the old bridge at night:

Thanks to Canon Powershot G11

On Friday, I sneaked into the guided tour of Heidelberg that was for the Heidelberg RISE conference. The tour guide was so enthusiastic about Heidelberg, it was absolutely fantastic when I got to say to everyone who I met: I go here!! Met a fair share of Americans and Brits but no Canadians. Here are some touristy photos of the castle etc:

Thanks to Canon Powershot G11

This meant that it was a pretty short day at the lab though. I measured some RNA today using gel electrophoresis and photospectrometry again. I made my own agarose gel! Hooray! We had some really cool results, but unfortunately, none were saved on the computer so it literally all disappeared.

In the evening was the Sommerfest. Like a may ball, but bigger and more beer. It was absolutely crazy! Around 5000 German medics: students, researchers and doctors, all super drunk and singing German pop. I have never seen anything like it. Caius Medsoc Garden Party can do with an awful lot of improvement!!

Thanks to HTC Wildfire Camera

I think I'd quite like to be a German medic.

Konichiwa

Some random German men shouted "Konichiwa!" at me just now. Great!

Finally left the campus last night! We went to Destille and had literally the best melon liqueur ever imaginable. I didn't think anything could compete with Midori, but this was just on another level! A great atmosphere too:

Thanks to HTC Wildfire Camera

Next was Brass Monkey, run by the craziest Irish guy in Germany. Afterwards, we went onto the old bridge and there was just the most magnificent view of the castle, ever. So magnificent that I forgot my phone had a camera function.

Today at the lab, I did some more measurements of membrane potentials and also helped with the oocyte preparations. I have never seen so many frogs all together in my whole ever life!

Stairs

After a half hour jog, coming to back to find two broken lifts is possibly the worst thing that could've happened this morning. Me trying to somehow climb up 11 flights of stairs in such a state could not have been a pretty sight at all.

At least I didn't die.

Early start at the lab today - we were doing maxiprep for most of the day, although unfortunately it was rather unsuccessful. Gel electrophoresis plates showed pretty much nothing, and photospectrometry results gave a concentration less than half of what was expected. Never mind - such is lab work!

Afterwards, we dissected a few rats and took samples of various bits of cardiac and CNS tissue. What was really sad was the fact that there were mice kept in the same room, watching the rats being killed and dissected.

Clearly, no way can I post pictures, and seeing as I'm living in the lab, there's nothing else pretty here to show you, although this is where I'm sitting right now:

Thanks to Webcam

Red Tape

So much red tape, it makes me sad. Seriously though, I've had to get about 10 signatures for 5 different forms in order to get 3 accounts, or something silly like that. It's mostly sorted now, I think, and it's actually quite cool - I'll have both a normal student card as well as a clinical student card!

I'm finding it very warm and humid, although everyone is saying that this is surprisingly cool for Heidelberg at this time of the year. They say that it was me, the Brit, who brought all the rain here. Probably.

Today was my first proper day in the lab: 9am-6pm, so not too bad at all. So far I've been working with Xenopus oocytes and have managed to do voltage clamp, RNA injections, changing the bath solution as well as make my own set of tips (possibly the most frustrating thing to do, ever, although apparently patch clamp is even worse!) Very much enjoying the lab so far - everyone is so kind and friendly and willing to help, even though I'm the idiot Brit who couldn't even bother to learn their language! Also, the Xenopus oocytes are so cute! Injections are like dinner time in Oliver Twist, because you can see them grow a little bit as you feed them, and they all wait in line. Moving them around is pretty much like playing hockey with them! (But on a slightly smaller scale with a slightly smaller hockey stick...) I think I may be a bit too much of a nerd.

So last time, I wrote about how cool my apartment was. I sort of take that back now. The lift broke. When you're up on 11th floor, that's really not so cool at all. It's a pretty long way to go:

Thanks to HTC Wildfire Camera

 However, what is cool is that on the first day I arrived, even though I had neither paid nor signed anything, I already had this on my letterbox! 

Thanks to HTC Wildfire Camera

That's German efficiency for you!!

Train-ing it

Having missed both the train and the tube in the morning, it wasn't a particularly great start. Luckily though, I managed to catch all three trains in good time and so the rest of the day was more or less stress-free. The only two wobbly parts of the journey were: one at Bruxelles-Midi Station, where my original plan was to have a wander. Instead, I decided it was too scary, and my luggage was too heavy. Second was on the Brussels-Frankfurt train. Because I hadn't reserved a seat, I think I had to change seats about 4 times (on a 3 hour journey!) and at one point, was definitely sat on the floor for a bit.

Thanks to Canon Powershot G11 (though clearly not the best-stitched panorama)

Anyway, this is my new room for the next 12 weeks, and more impressively, its view. It's on the top (11th) floor, and even has an en suite! And there I was anticipating third-world standards. 

Thanks to Canon Powershot G11

In the evening, I went for some drinks with my supervisor and watched some of the Euro final. I think I could get used to this...!