Always something new

More specifically, it was a work in cognitive neurology, in which I observed neurophysiological changes in different brain structures due to behavioral habit acquirement (more information in my previous post). This experience was amazingly enriching – not only because I finally had an opportunity to dive into the depths of science much more than is the case during the school year, but also because of the experience and abilities gained during this time. As my research an ongoing one even during the fall semester, I still go to my lab twice or three times a week to work on a microscope of professor Kandel – only to learn how to work with this machine took couple of weeks of my summer time. It is a cutting-edge technology that is able to trace and construct 3D models of neurons in brain tissue. The time of looking into eyepieces is long gone – instead, a scientist comfortably sits in a chair behind his monitor watching the entire cellular microscopic world emerging (and being automatically quantitatively processed). Although this work might become a little monotonous after couple of weeks, I think I will hardly lose the excitement over both the technology that I’m using and the matter that I’m investigating proper.

During the summer I also had a chance to finally get to know the city I had been living in for more than three years – New York. I had a lot of time for that this time and it was amazing to find out about all that had been escaping my attention. To be honest, I think I can say I finally started to like the city – until now, I had not been able to appreciate all its endless possibilities and hence what it actually means to live here. Now I know that no matter where my steps lead me next, it will be very difficult (if possible at all) to get used to anything other than NY, as there are not too many cities in the world that can compare.

After an eventful summer I spent one month at home (which was certainly not enough to rest enough and to see all of my friends and family this one time of the entire year) and then straight back to the city that never sleeps. The next semester started and now, I do not even know how, only one full month is left of it – and many things happened, indeed. Academically, I am (unbelievably, as usual) quite busy – not only that I am taking some five courses (French Conversation, Music Humanities – from the Core Curriculum, Physics Laboratories, Immunobiology and Statistics) and I still spend around ten hours weekly in the lab, but I have also become a teaching assistant for Science of Psychology. That involves writing test and preparing students for these – and it is unusually interesting to get a glimpse of the teaching process from “the other” point of view. Moreover, I have become a student interviewer for the admission process to the undergraduate studies at Columbia University – which means that I will be having my first admission interviews this Christmas break and I cannot wait for this experience.

For those who might have been afraid if I was doing well during the hurricane Sandy some three weeks ago – in fact, our university campus was not affected almost at all, although it is situated right in the uptown Manhattan. Besides the two days of being forbidden to leave the dorms and the university being closed at this time, my only impression from this event was that it way very windy (not really sandy, no) and it rained a lot. The subway service was suspended for more than a week an in those areas where it did work, it was free of charge. At this time, everything in the city is almost as it had been before.

There has been a lot going on and I hope I will have an opportunity and more space to describe each of my ongoing activities and experiences a little more profoundly and interestingly. More so especially in the next post, which will be written in Paris – that one should be really captivating, let’s hope.