Orientation and week 1 life
Finally, another post! Things have been very busy this week with a week-long orientation to the school/program and otherwise a very busy social life getting to know everybody. I officially registered at my school on Monday and a few days ago, I got my ID card, which also works as a security card. So now I can access "secured" areas! It was very exciting on Thursday when I was going to my lab introduction and stood in front of the department with the words "Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases" in big lettering and I was able to take my card and get inside. Sounds dorky I know, but it felt like now I have the key to access my future.
People in my program are great! A number of them are around my age too, so its nice to no longer be the youngest person I know at my school. There are about 40 people in Control of Infectious Diseases, which is bigger than I expected. But they all seem really nice and its fun to be around likeminded people. There are even 2 others who are into the same types of diseases I want to work with, VHFs, plague, hantavirus, etc... One of my professors is actually a specialist in VHF research, so I can't wait to get to meet him! Apparently they will let you do related projects to the diseases so long as you don't actually handle the pathogens (surveillance, antibody testing, etc... projects). I'm really excited about that because you think that never would they ever let you do something like that, but they actually would! Its amazing to have so many opportunities. I've pretty much decided that I am going to do my project abroad, because they have too many opportunities that I can't pass up. Last year, they even offered projects on Hantavirus in Columbia! I'm hoping to do my project in Africa, since they have so many cool projects there and I'd like to see what doing research there is like, but I'm not ruling out other regions of the world yet. I can't wait to find out what my options are for the project. My tutor, who is basically like my advisor, thinks it would be cool for me to do a historical project (since its one of my interests) on what were the reasons that endemic diseases in the UK didn't drop in number until the early 20th century even though epidemic disease dropped in the 19th century with Chadwick and John Snow and things. But I think I want to do my project on something more tropical. Its so amazing to have so many opportunities! Its also great to meet people from all over the world who have such different perspectives.
Speaking of people from all over the world, I ran into the most random person the other day. I ran into a girl, Nadia, who is starting an MSc in reproductive health here at the school. Now as it happens, Nadia happened to be doing research last summer in southern India and her best friend who she traveled with happened to be in my volunteer program there and we happened to meet once in Kerala on a weekend excursion. How crazy is it that we both ended up at the same school a year later?! She's really sweet and I went to a potluck birthday party for her boyfriend on Thursday, which was a blast. Not only was the party great, but we ended up having an impromptu concert of french canadian music done by a french canadian, an englishman, and an indian played on the guitar, an egg shaker, and the spoons. It was fabulous! Friday was also another busy social night. After orientation stuff most of the day, I went to the director's party and met lots of other really cool students at the school. Quite a few were taking years off during medical school to come here and some who are applying to start once they finish here. After a quick dinner then, I took a short rest and then it was out on the town with Leah. We went bar hopping and accidentally went into one of the bars having a SOAS night, so we saw a number of people we had met last week in the SOAS bar. And at one of the bars I actually was carded, which was pretty funny since the drinking age here is 18. Several drinks later, we went down to Chinatown in Soho for the midnight munchies. Nothing like a few drinks and late night Chinese food! And then yesterday, I went with one of the girls on my hall, Alex, to the Tate Modern. Alex seems to be super cool, so I'm excited at least to know one of the girls on my hall! The Tate Modern was fabulous, although we only managed to get around the 3rd floor gallerys (surrealism galleries) before we ran out of time. On the way back to the dorm, we stopped in St. Paul's Cathedral, which is spectacular! Then yesterday evening, I went out with some of the guys I met earlier this week (one who lives in my dorm, and his brother who works for the CDC) for Indian food and then to the opening night of Spam-a-lot! It was superb! I would highly recommend it for anyone who loved Monty Python. Its completely over-the-top silly and so much fun to watch. Tim Curry played King Arthur and the play was basically the Holy Grail plus some of their other famous songs thrown in.
So today is just rest and recover day, maybe with some gym thrown in. Its been a busy week between orientation and socializing and seeing the sites of London. I also went to the National Gallery on Wednesday, which has some really good pieces in it. Classes officially start tomorrow. My first term course load is: Statistics, Basic Epidemiology, Intro. to Health Economics, Health Policy: Process and Power, Disease Agents and their Control, and a public health lecture series. This term was basically set, but second and third term I get to choose my courses from a more diverse selection.
People in my program are great! A number of them are around my age too, so its nice to no longer be the youngest person I know at my school. There are about 40 people in Control of Infectious Diseases, which is bigger than I expected. But they all seem really nice and its fun to be around likeminded people. There are even 2 others who are into the same types of diseases I want to work with, VHFs, plague, hantavirus, etc... One of my professors is actually a specialist in VHF research, so I can't wait to get to meet him! Apparently they will let you do related projects to the diseases so long as you don't actually handle the pathogens (surveillance, antibody testing, etc... projects). I'm really excited about that because you think that never would they ever let you do something like that, but they actually would! Its amazing to have so many opportunities. I've pretty much decided that I am going to do my project abroad, because they have too many opportunities that I can't pass up. Last year, they even offered projects on Hantavirus in Columbia! I'm hoping to do my project in Africa, since they have so many cool projects there and I'd like to see what doing research there is like, but I'm not ruling out other regions of the world yet. I can't wait to find out what my options are for the project. My tutor, who is basically like my advisor, thinks it would be cool for me to do a historical project (since its one of my interests) on what were the reasons that endemic diseases in the UK didn't drop in number until the early 20th century even though epidemic disease dropped in the 19th century with Chadwick and John Snow and things. But I think I want to do my project on something more tropical. Its so amazing to have so many opportunities! Its also great to meet people from all over the world who have such different perspectives.
Speaking of people from all over the world, I ran into the most random person the other day. I ran into a girl, Nadia, who is starting an MSc in reproductive health here at the school. Now as it happens, Nadia happened to be doing research last summer in southern India and her best friend who she traveled with happened to be in my volunteer program there and we happened to meet once in Kerala on a weekend excursion. How crazy is it that we both ended up at the same school a year later?! She's really sweet and I went to a potluck birthday party for her boyfriend on Thursday, which was a blast. Not only was the party great, but we ended up having an impromptu concert of french canadian music done by a french canadian, an englishman, and an indian played on the guitar, an egg shaker, and the spoons. It was fabulous! Friday was also another busy social night. After orientation stuff most of the day, I went to the director's party and met lots of other really cool students at the school. Quite a few were taking years off during medical school to come here and some who are applying to start once they finish here. After a quick dinner then, I took a short rest and then it was out on the town with Leah. We went bar hopping and accidentally went into one of the bars having a SOAS night, so we saw a number of people we had met last week in the SOAS bar. And at one of the bars I actually was carded, which was pretty funny since the drinking age here is 18. Several drinks later, we went down to Chinatown in Soho for the midnight munchies. Nothing like a few drinks and late night Chinese food! And then yesterday, I went with one of the girls on my hall, Alex, to the Tate Modern. Alex seems to be super cool, so I'm excited at least to know one of the girls on my hall! The Tate Modern was fabulous, although we only managed to get around the 3rd floor gallerys (surrealism galleries) before we ran out of time. On the way back to the dorm, we stopped in St. Paul's Cathedral, which is spectacular! Then yesterday evening, I went out with some of the guys I met earlier this week (one who lives in my dorm, and his brother who works for the CDC) for Indian food and then to the opening night of Spam-a-lot! It was superb! I would highly recommend it for anyone who loved Monty Python. Its completely over-the-top silly and so much fun to watch. Tim Curry played King Arthur and the play was basically the Holy Grail plus some of their other famous songs thrown in.
So today is just rest and recover day, maybe with some gym thrown in. Its been a busy week between orientation and socializing and seeing the sites of London. I also went to the National Gallery on Wednesday, which has some really good pieces in it. Classes officially start tomorrow. My first term course load is: Statistics, Basic Epidemiology, Intro. to Health Economics, Health Policy: Process and Power, Disease Agents and their Control, and a public health lecture series. This term was basically set, but second and third term I get to choose my courses from a more diverse selection.
posted by Vanessa | 3:38 AM
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