Arriving in Deutschland

Germany, be prepared to be Fanyiiied!!! I don't know what that means (lol who says this?)

I arrived in Aachen, Germany around noon yesterday. I left Paris so deliberately and voluntarily that I feel like I'm lacking something ever since I got here. It's like eating something very delicious all in one swallow and the regretting it since you'll won't be getting another one. The images of Paris are haunting my eyes, as if they still expect to see all that magic happening right outside my window. It's only my second day here, so reminiscing about Paris is completely normal. GEEZ, that city was amazing. GOSH I can't believe I was complaining about it. But I knew this was going to happen - that I was going to leave at the end of my exchange and miss every bit and piece of it. I really like the French. People say that Parisians are difficult (and why shoudn't they. Just this weekend, we saw a guy my age energetically giving the middle finger and shouting insults to boat-full of tourists on the Seine), but I feel like you could always spin the situation around once you realize that a "yes" most always comes out as "NO", at first.

For those who are wondering what I am doing in Germany: I'm participating in a program called RISE, that gives undergrads in Science the chance to work at research facilities all over Germany. I'll be working until the end of August at the Forschungszentrum (sucks for those who aren't good at spelling), in Juelich, about 30min east of Aachen (Aix-en-Chapelle for Frenchies). Yes, I promised myself to never get involved in lab jobs ever again, but this one is about pesticide contamination of soil, so it is something that I could be interested in. Turns out many laboratories at the center (it employs more than 4500 people!) also work on environmental research, like renewable energy and the dynamics of the atmosphere, which makes my work on soil look lame...but whatever!

At my arrival, I met up with my research supervisor on the train platform, who brought me to his flat in Aachen to wait for our ride to Juelich. I'm very happy to have him as my supervisor. He is an environmentalist who loves to travel and who has all these cool artefacts that he collected all over the world at his house. A few years ago, he went to Shaolin Temple to become a monk, only to realize that the monks only wants his money in the end. lol. Germany in general is a great place to be. People are extremely friendly, just like the English. I haven't met one single person I did not have a good impression of since I arrived. I hope this is the beginning of a memorable 3 months!