Of work, new friends and settling in

After almost a month of sitting at my desk staring at journal articles (and them staring right back at me!), I've started real work. Work that involves pipettes, lab coats, gloves, the dreaded googles, the lab bench, cell culture and microbiology labs. Exciting...! :)

My first experiment, just completed today, waiting quietly for analysis next week in the -80°C freezer. And we've also transformed some E.coli this week. 'Transformation', I like that word. :D

And one of the best things that's happened since I've started work here in the institute is that I've met a group of really nice and fun fellow scientists, none of them from my department, most of them from the robotics labs. We seem to be on the same wavelength and have since hung out together quite regularly, for coffee break, lunch, dinner and movie etc. They have really been very welcoming to me and are now including me in the group's activities. We are mostly foreigners, with the exception of one Italian girl who joins us sometimes.

I don't think all the Italians are unfriendly (or dislike foreigners though I've heard that there's a group of Italian fascists here in the institute), it's just that I don't think I'd ever get into the cliques in my department because I don't speak their language (just yet, I hope I would be able to speak it in the near future). They have lunch and coffee breaks in their own little cliques. Although I've tried to join them for lunch sometimes but because all the conversations are in Italian, I can only sit in silence, minding my own business. So lunch break with our foreigner clique is the highlight of my work day. ^_^ I am really glad I got to know them, otherwise I would be right lonely here in the institute. But even as I got to know them, I hear that most of them are almost done with either their PhDs or close to the end of their contracts here. I am already feeling a bit sad just thinking of the inevitable farewells.

I've been bunking with a good friend of mine for the time being, until Steffen is back and can fix the rusty bath. It's really nice to have a friend for a flatmate now but I can't wait to move into the flat which I can call my own and really settle down, not having to live out of suitcases. Just over a week till I can start doing that. Looking forward to it. So much that has to be done in that place before it looks like a home. And so many things I want to do... I want to start doing some sports again soon (else I'm not going to fit in my clothes!! The horror!!!), and I miss taking pictures. Weather's not been very good lately, lots of rain. I wish I could learn to have a better eye for capturing not obviously beautiful scenes. Some of my friends take such amazing pictures! And of cos' I want to take more time to learn Italian.

It's not been the easiest journey getting here (as I have lamented so many times before, the Italian bureaucracy is, as I and many others who've experienced it, a complete nightmare) and I'm glad that support from loved ones have not let me give up on what will be (I hope) a fanastic learning experience.

"I discovered I always have choices and sometimes it's only a choice of attitude."