arriba, abajo, al centro, pa dentro

Hola Coca Cola’s! I’m 21! and I was able to celebrate it like I would have back in Tucson! The members of my lab surprised me and took me out on the night of the 6^th for an ‘American-style 21^st’.. It was a great time, with tasty bier and food, and instead of ringing in the night with a shot, I did it German-style with sparkling white wine. I missed you all, and wish you could have been there. When Fall semester starts I’d love to do a 21st Take 2 with Kon Tiki and 4th Ave.

Last time I posted I had just returned from Zurich, which although marvelous ended on a somewhat sour note – me missing a connection and having to stay in a random town Sunday night and catch the early train to get back for work on time. It all worked out, but I decided to take a couple of weeks off from the big travel and hit some of the local sites. So this coming weekend I plan on visiting the castle in Tübingen and maybe this monastery called , which is a couple miles walk (although there is a bus).

The place I’m living is really great, but sadly, my Brazilian roommate changed to a different guest house that was more like an apartment, since his wife and two daughter will be spending the rest of the summer with him. He was really cool, and I’m sad to see him leave, but I’m glad he did – I may have gone crazy sharing my bathroom with that many people.

And in lab news, my experiments are starting to get into gear, and hopefully I’ll be analyzing them and getting some results next week! In the meantime, I’m learning techniques for what I’ll be doing and even getting to do some protein biochemistry. I’m super-psyched about this, because it’s something I’ve never done, and not sure I would have the opportunity to do in my lab.

I’ve also posted links to my personal blog, Vida Viaje (for now), which I’m updating and catching up on as much as possible. I’ve got the details of my travels, misadventures and daily grind here in Germany.